One last shot. One last regular season event for the 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series. If anglers aren’t in the Top 50 in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points, they better sneak in in Detroit.
For those on the Classic cutline, one more good event will have them in a good position when Mille Lacs rolls around.
Lake St. Clair is all about the brown fish. Smallmouth will get caught on Lake Huron, St. Clair and Erie so there is plenty of water to choose from.
BUCKET A
My pick: Edwin Evers
We’ve had eight Elite Series events and Edwin Evers is in the Top 10 in points as expected. One thing that is perplexing is that he has yet to register a Top 12 in a regular season event this year. Evers won’t have a conservative bone in his body and doesn’t have much to lose. He’s one of those homerun hitters that knows how to find and follow through with a winning pattern.
Watch for: Mark Davis
He seems to be one of the daring anglers willing to go great distances for big brown smallmouth. He was among the group that went to Erie in 2013 when Chris Lane won and he held the lead until that final day. Davis is patient and has fished great this year until the last two events.
BUCKET B
My pick: Alton Jones
Alton Jones seems to have Lake St. Clair figured out, or rather the water between St. Clair and Huron. He seems to do well every year the Elite Series hits the Motor City, and it’s not surprising. He’s fantastic with fishing soft plastics and fishing pressured areas and rising to the top of the group fishing there. It won’t surprise me if he does well once again.
Watch for: Kelley Jaye
Kelley Jaye loves a jerkbait, we all know this. If anyone could put together a jerkbait bite in another event this season, I would put money on Kelley Jaye. He’s having a great year and is on pace to make his first Bassmaster Classic.
BUCKET C
My pick: Jacob Powroznik
Jacob Powroznik needs a good event at Lake St. Clair. He normally doesn’t “need” a good event this late in the year because he is well within the Classic cutline, but in 2017 he does. He is one of many anglers teetering on the unofficial Classic cut and a good finish will either elevate him or at least keep him in the same position for the AOY Championship on Mille Lacs. We’ve seen his prowess the last few years with a spinning rod.
Watch for: Skeet Reese/Mike Iaconelli
These two anglers are normally on the short list to do well everywhere, but this week they need to do well. Both are outside the Top 50 cut for the AOY Championship and there is still plenty of work to be done if they want to make the Classic. Mike Iaconelli has the longest streak of Classics in a row, and he’s not ready for that to end.
BUCKET D
My pick: Brett Hite
Brett Hite has thoroughly shocked me this year. With the events on the schedule this year it’s weird to see him in Bucket D, but it happens due to the many competitive anglers one the Elite Series. B-Hite did well in 2015, and I witnessed it first hand. He is crafty with his finesse approach and extremely skilled with his electronics. This could be B-Hite’s week.
Watch for: Chad Pipkens
No one is surprised that Chad Pipkens has almost 40 percent of the ownership in Bucket D because he is a smallmouth savant. He always makes the trip to Erie and almost always comes back with a big sack of smallmouth. He needs a good finish to end his year and gain valuable points.
BUCKET E
My pick: Takahiro Omori
Takahiro Omori is another perplexing situation as the former Classic Champion is in Bucket E. He will probably do well with a Yamamoto Shad Shape worm in his hands. His last three trips here have given him 34th, fourth and 44th place finishes.
Watch for: John Hunter
Hunter is in his second year on the Elite Series and has nothing to lose going into the final event of the 2017 regular season. He qualified for the Elites via a good event at Lake Erie in a Northern Open. He is chomping at the bit to fish for those smallmouth so he could definitely be one of those anglers making the run and taking the risk to head to big water.