Fantasy: Who Casey Ashley would pick for the Sabine

Brent Ehrler and Ish Monroe were easy picks for reigning Classic champ Casey Ashley on the Sabine.

ORANGE, Texas — Casey Ashley, the reigning Classic champion, doesn’t really do computers.

“I don’t like ’em,” he says. “All I use ’em for is Google Earth so I can research lakes.”

That said, the country boy has never played Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing.

But, after a quick tutorial on how it works, Ashley was happy to share with fans his choices for the 2015 Bassmaster Elite at the Sabine River.

Bucket A: Christie, Hackney, Ashley

Jason Christie was Ashley’s first pick in Bucket A.

“I would have to go with Christie in my pick selection because that sucker can catch ’em,” said Ashley. “He’s got gills.”

Greg Hackney would be among his top choices, too.

“He’s a river rat. Plus, he the hottest one on tour right now.”

Then he got to his name.

“I hate to pick myself,” said Ashley, humble and almost embarrassed at the thought.

“Randy Howell once told me that you have to pick yourself because otherwise, why are you even fishing?” I told him. “He said it’s a matter of confidence.”

Shaking his head, he acquiesced.

“I guess I’ll go with myself,” he said. “I like these kinds of tournaments, and it’s going to play to my strengths. This is the way I like to fish, struggling for five bites a day.”

Bucket B: Lowen, DeFoe, Lane, Scroggins

Ashley went with Lowen first.

“Bill Lowen is a river rat,” said Ashley. “He know how to catch ’em when it’s like that.

“I’d go with Ott DeFoe, too,” he continued. “He grew up fishing Lake Douglas. When it’s low, they do a lot of river fishing. He’d rather fish out of a flat-bottom boat than a bass boat.”

Then the decision got tough for him.

“Bobby Lane and Terry Scroggins in the same bucket?” he asked. “Both of them are going to be strong.

“When we were there last time, Big Show didn’t catch many, but the ones he did were big. And Lane is always good in places like this.”

Bucket C: Kennedy, Clunn, Monroe

“I can’t not pick Steve Kennedy,” said Ashley right off the bat.

“He catches ’em. You put him somewhere like this, he can catch ’em. In tough conditions, I like him.”

Ashley studied the bucket some more.

“I’m gonna go with old man Clunn on this one,” said Ashley. “He’s good at covering water. He’s mentally tough for that.”

And one last pick? Ish Monroe, the big bass specialist.

“Ish finished in fifth here, so you just can’t not pick him. Actually, he’d be my No. 1. He found an area last time that had a lot of fish in it, and he’ll probably have it to himself again.”

Bucket D: Pace, Biffle

“This one’s tough,” said Ashley after looking at Bucket D.

“I’d go with Cliff Pace,” he said. “I like him in these conditions. He’s very good at covering water.”

And next on his list? The flippin’ specialist.

“I like Tommy Biffle,” he said. “He’s a flippin’ machine. It will be won flippin’ something, and he’s the shallow water king.

Bucket E: Ehrler, Coulter, Williams

Bucket E was a no-brainer for him.

“Brent Ehrler is my pick,” said Ashley. “Come on. He’s not a rookie. He’s a 15-year veteran in the rookie category. You’ve gotta pick him.”

“Brandon Coulter’s kinda the same deal. And I’d pick David Williams because I know him and he can catch ’em. I grew up fishing with him all my life. He’s not super young and he’s got a lot of experience.”