Pick 3 Delaware River rats

The Elites pick three for the Delaware River.

When the Elite Series anglers hit the waters Thursday on the Delaware River, they will be facing conditions that most haven’t experienced. Some compare it to the Bassmaster Classic in Pittsburgh in 2005 and some say multiply that by five and then you get the Delaware River. With that being said, here are the Pros picks for this week’s event.

Brandon Lester

  1. Aaron Martens: “I expect him to do well here and I think finesse tactics will come into play a lot.”
  2. Jason Christie: “He fishes by the seat of his pants. He just goes with the flow and makes things happen as they come.”

Cliff Crochet

  1. Mike Iaconelli: “His history here and he is a grinder. Finds ways to grind out weight.”
  2. Joe Sancho: “He has history here as well.”
  3. "A power fisherman…I cant put my finger on whom exactly, but it may not be as finesse as people believe. It could turn out to be a flipping stick tournament."

James Niggemeyer

  1. Mike Iaconelli: “He is local, but he is really good at doing a lot of things and especially during tough bites.”
  2. Aaron Martens: “He is good at any time, but when it is light line and finesse, he is excellent.”
  3. Bill Lowen: “His Ohio River upbringing helps him anywhere we go on rivers.”

Bradley Roy

  1. Mike Iaconelli: “He has local knowledge and this tournament is going to be about timing because of the tide.”
  2. Jacob Powroznik: “He’s not far from here and he is good with timing tides.”
  3. Gerald Swindle: “As a junk fisherman, he can bounce around and hit a lot of spots and do well timing it with the tide.”

Alton Jones

  1. Mike Iaconelli: “Just because of his local knowledge.”
  2. Charlie Hartley: “He is good with managing small groups of fish with light line and finesse tactics.”
  3. Randy Howell: “He seems to be showing up in the right part of the lake at the right time.”

Ott Defoe

  1. Mike Iaconelli: “For the same reason as everyone else picking him: local knowledge.”
  2. Randy Howell: “Going into this event I had a feeling in my gut saying Randy would do well here.”
  3. Keith Poche: “He might break something, but he’ll catch some fish.”

Mark Davis

  1. Gary Klein: “He will grind them out.”
  2. Kevin VanDam: “A way to combat the tough bite is turning it into a casting contest and covering water.”
  3. Bill Lowen: “Bill’s a river rat and these conditions suit him.”

Chris Zaldain

  1. Aaron Martens: “I talked to him and he didn’t have the greatest practice, but he is a grinder and finds a way.”
  2. Ott Defoe: “He is an excellent river fisherman and he has a win already this year (Douglas Lake Northern Open).”
  3. Myself: “I’m going to pick myself because I think I have a good understanding of what the tides do to the fish and how to time them.”

Pete Ponds

  1. Steve Kennedy: “He is a good grinder during these tournaments.”
  2. Mike Iaconelli: “No doubt he is the favorite here.”
  3. Keith Poche: “I’m going out on a limb, but I have a feeling about him in this event.”

Joe Sancho

  1. Mike Iaconelli: “He is an easy choice.”
  2. Bill Lowen: “He is a grinder type of guy.”
  3. Me: “Man I’ve been here plenty of times and I’m just ready to go out and catch them tomorrow.”

Aaron Martens

  1. Mike Iaconelli: “Just because he knows the body of water. Whoever has local knowledge here will do well just because there isn’t a huge population of fish so it makes it tough to key in on a good group of fish.”

Davy Hite

  1. Mike Iaconelli and Joe Sancho: “They both have extensive experience here and with tidal rivers you have to be at a spot at a particular time to really catch them. With two and a half days for people who have never been here it can be really hard.”
  2. Kevin VanDam: “The last time we had a tournament like this…he won it. So you have to expect him to be prepared.”

So, if you paid attention and kept track of the picks:

Mike Iaconelli (9 of 12 picks)
Aaron Martens (3 of 12 picks)
Joe Sancho (3 of 12 picks)
Bill Lowen (3 of 12 picks)