All captions: Bryan Brasher
After winning last yearâs Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship event on Lake St. Clair, all of a sudden, the laidback Minnesotan with the perfect stache and flowing blonde locks has three B.A.S.S. titles to his credit. He finished 11th at last yearâs Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Guntersville â and since he winters in Minnesota, he wonât be shaken by whatever Mother Nature throws at this tournament. When you consider how well Feiderâs skill set relates to the fishery, it would be wise for Birmingham to batten down the hatches for what could be one of the wildest victory celebrations in Classic history.
Feider and Chris Zaldain have the same odds to win. And why not? Feider won last yearâs final Elite Series event, and Zaldain â with just a smidgeon of luck here and there â might have won them all. Zaldainâs 2019 slate included three second-place finishes, one third, one ninth, one 12th, one 13th and one 15th. Those are ridiculous numbers that scream three little words: âOverdue for a win.â Forget where the tournament is being held or what the bass might be doing. Momentum means something, and Zaldain is riding a hot streak for the ages.
If I was fishing a bass tournament for my very survival on Lake Guntersville, Scott Canterbury might be the last guy Iâd want to see pull in the parking lot. Heâs spent as much time on the fishery as anyone in this field and has won his share of money on a lake that rests just an hour from his Alabama home. The only reason his odds are slightly longer than some is that history isnât on his side. Canterbury is the reigning Bassmaster Angler of the Year â and in 50 years, only two pros have won that title and the Classic that followed.
Like Zaldain, Cory Johnstonâs season could have been remembered very differently with just a smattering of good luck. Mechanical failures dogged Johnston on several occasions, and the first-year Elite Series pro still managed to finish third in the Angler of the Year standings with a chance to win right down to the final day.
The Tennessee River just makes Brandon Lester feel at home. He finished sixth at last yearâs Classic out of Knoxville â even though he had little experience on that area of the river â and then placed sixth in the Eastern Open on Chickamauga Lake in May and ninth at the Elite Series event on Lake Guntersville in June. With five Classic appearances under his belt, heâs also an old hand at handling this kind of pressure.
Speaking of anglers you should dread seeing launch their boat next to you during a tournament at Guntersville, Matt Herren is another who resides just down the road from the fishery and knows every nook and cranny of it. Heâs notched several excellent finishes on Guntersville, including a fifth-place showing at last yearâs Elite Series event.
Iâve heard Bill Lowen described as a âsneaky goodâ pick to win this yearâs Classic, and thatâs probably the perfect way to put it. Since finishing 71st at an Elite Series event on Guntersville in 2007, his finishes have steadily improved â 44th, 32nd, 30th, 21st and most recently, 14th in 2019. That upward trajectory could continue, especially if the bass are shallow.
The most recent tournament B.A.S.S. held on Lake Guntersville was won by Jamie Hartman. He rose from 10th place to championship glory with a final-day topwater catch and then went on to claim a second blue trophy later in the season on Cayuga Lake. A big-time topwater bite likely wonât happen in early March, but heâll enter the event with as much confidence as anyone.
Imagine for a moment the giant largemouth population at Guntersville is in a prespawn pattern and chomping a shallow- to medium-depth crankbait. This dude could not only win the event, but smash some Classic records in the process.
The pressure of the Classic is old news for Hank Cherry, whoâs making his sixth appearance. Heâs finished as high as third in the event (2013 on Grand Lake), and his two most recent appearances on Guntersville produced an eighth-place finish in 2019 and a 17th-place showing in 2015.
Just like Lester, John Cox seems to feel at home on the Tennessee River. Both of his B.A.S.S. wins came on Chickamauga Lake, and he finished ninth at an FLW Series event on Guntersville in 2018.
Itâs hard to imagine Chris Johnston finishing far from his brother, Cory, in this event. They work together as well as any tandem on the Elite Series, and it probably wouldnât surprise anyone to see them both in the Super Six, going head to head for a Classic trophy on Championship Sunday.
A 50th-place finish at Guntersville was one of Steston Blaylockâs worst during last yearâs Elite Series season. But around that, he had an eighth-place finish at Lake Lanier, a second at Lake Hartwell, his first career victory at Winyah Bay, back-to-back eight-place finishes on Cayuga and Tenkiller and a second-place showing at Lake St. Clair. If things line up right, heâs a threat anywhere.
Working in tandem with Canterbury, Arey finished third at last yearâs Elite Series event on Lake Guntersville. This is his first Classic appearance after winning almost $1 million on the FLW Tour. A deeper bite might suit him better.
The Kentucky pro is making his seventh Classic appearance â and with these odds, he might be the best bargain in the field. His finishes on Guntersville have been spotty, ranging from 99th in the Elite Series event held on the fishery in 2006 to sixth in the 2009 Elite on Guntersville. But he cut his teeth on the ledges of the Tennessee River and is one of the better dark horse picks on the list.
It doesnât seem like Drew Benton has been around long enough to be making his third Classic appearance. But here he is, fresh off a 13th-place showing at Guntersville during last yearâs regular season. If grass comes into play â as it so often does on Guntersville â heâll be one to watch.
The 2019 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year, Drew Cook also knows a thing or two about fishing aquatic vegetation. Heâs coming off a rookie campaign with three Top 10 finishes.
With 11 previous appearances in the Super Bowl of Professional Bass fishing, John Crews is one of the most seasoned pros in this yearâs field. The Classic hasnât been kind to him â his best finish was a 16th-place showing at Lake Hartwell in 2008. But heâs had some success on Guntersville, including a third-place finish in the 2010 Elite Series event held there.
Guntersville in March could be a good setting for a guy who always seems to have a bead on big bass â whether theyâre brown, green, spotted, large or small. This will be his seventh Classic appearance, and it still means enough to him that he asked me to take a screen shot of the standings when he was in the lead last year. Heâll fish with everything he has.
Everyone remembers the record single-day catch of 32 pounds, 3 ounces that propelled Paul Mueller to a second-place finish at the 2014 Classic on Guntersville. He tapped into that magic again during last yearâs event on Guntersville with a catch of 22-14 that gave him the Day 1 lead. But then he zeroed on Day 2 and failed to make the semifinal cut. If he puts together three of those type days, we could all see something special.
After a breakout season that saw him win two Elite Series events in 2019, a Guntersville Classic could set up nicely for Brandon Cobb. Or not well at all. If it is, in fact, warm and the bass have found their way shallow, put him on the list of guys to beat. Interesting side note: Cobb finished sixth in a 2017 FLW Tour event on Guntersville â in February.
Iâve genuinely liked Caleb since we drank a few cold beverages together the week of his first Classic appearance at Hartwell in 2018 â and when he struggled in the first three events last year, I was a little concerned about him. But he responded to adversity by finishing 11th, 24th, fourth, 18th, 36th, 21st and 17th the rest of the way. The fourth-place finish came at Guntersville.
Something about Patrick Walters just screams that heâs going to be star in this business for a long time. He placed 57th during last yearâs Elite Series event on Guntersville in June, but heâs been a terror in early-season tournaments â as evidenced by his 11th-place finish at the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open on the Kissimmee Chain earlier this year.
If you count the Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens, Chad Pipkens had five Top 10 finishes last year during a season that, for a moment, seemed in doubt when he broke his collarbone playing hockey. One of those Top 10s was a sixth-place finish at Guntersville.
Another member of the Alabama brigade, Clent Davis has plenty of high-level experience on Lake Guntersville. He finished second in an FLW Series event on the fishery in 2011 and 21st at the 2019 Guntersville Elite Series tournament. This is his first Classic appearance, but heâs enjoyed success on a big stage before, winning the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup.
Though heâs only 31 years old, Frazier is making his fourth appearance in the Classic. Heâs finished 14th in fishingâs biggest event twice (2016, 2018), and he recorded his first career victory last season on the St. Lawrence River. But heâs struggled in two previous Elite Series appearances on Guntersville, placing 62nd in 2019 and 78th in 2015.
The first-year Elite Series pro from Canada had one of the most turbulent roller coaster rides last season of any pro to reach the Classic. He finished 14th or higher four times, including his high-water mark of second place at Cayuga Lake. But he also finished 61st at the St. Johns River and 67th â his lowest finish of the season â on Guntersville.
A 60th-place finish at Guntersville seemed to light a fire under Hunter Shryock last season. He finished the year strong, placing 14th, 13th, 10th and ninth in the final four events.
Remember the situation David Mullins got into at last yearâs Elite Series event on Lake Lanier when prespawn bass were biting a medium-depth crankbait? That led to a fourth-place finish â and if it repeats itself on Guntersville, it could lead to a big-money win for the Tennessee pro. He also finished the 2019 season on a nice little streak with finishes of fourth, sixth and 20th.
The sting of missing out on last yearâs Classic, which was basically held in his backyard, may drive Brandon Card this year. But he still has to figure some things out on Guntersville, where heâs placed 64th and 103rd in two career B.A.S.S. events.
Has there ever been a guy on the Bassmaster Elite Series who takes things more in stride than Lee Livesay? In his first season on the circuit, he managed five Top 20 finishes, including two Top 10s. His best finishes were a sixth-place showing in the season opener on the St. Johns River and a seventh-place showing at Guntersville. As a guide on Lake Fork, he knows how to catch the big largemouth Guntersville is famous for producing.
Brock Mosley has limited experience in the Classic (this is his first trip) and limited major tournament experience on Lake Guntersville. But he finished a respectable 19th at last yearâs Elite Series event on the Big G.
An Elite Series veteran, Jason Williamson is making his fourth Classic appearance â and while big-event experience counts for something, heâs never had much luck taming Guntersville. In six career B.A.S.S. events on the fishery, heâs finished 80th, 90th, 93rd, 36th, 15th and 41st.
Three Top 20 appearances highlighted Luke Palmerâs first season on the Bassmaster Elite Series. But he struggled at the Guntersville event, finishing 47th.
The 2019 season saw Shane LeHew record four Top 20 finishes, including a fifth-place showing on Lake Hartwell and a sixth-place showing at the final event on Lake St. Clair. He struggled at Guntersville, finishing 49th.
Greg DiPalma recorded three Top 20 finishes in 2019, including an 18th-place showing at Lake Guntersville.
The Lake Guntersville event was one of two Top 12 finishes for Hanselman on the 2019 Elite Series. He finished 12th at the June event.
Mike Huff had a solid rookie campaign on the Bassmaster Elite Series, but his toughest finish of the year was a 70th-place showing at Lake Guntersville.
Elite Series veteran Cliff Prince has struggled on the Classic stage, finishing 34th and 51st in his two previous appearances. Heâs also finished 57th, 91st and 53rd in three B.A.S.S. events at Guntersville.
We’ll put all of our cards on the table here: When we finished the first draft of this odds gallery, Cody Huff was much lower on the list. But since then, he’s teamed with Dakota Pierce to help Bethel University win the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at Toledo Bend presented by Bass Pro Shops in late January. Then, he opened February by winning the Toyota Series event on the same fishery. That makes him one of the more accomplished college qualifiers ever to fish the Classic â and he lives in the same zip code as four-time Classic winner Rick Clunn. Huff’s probably heard some sound advice on dealing with the pressure of fishing’s biggest event.
Because heâs so quiet, it may be hard for some to believe that Brian Snowden has qualified for the Classic seven times. He was less than 2 pounds from a win in 2009 on the Red River in Louisiana, ultimately placing third. However, Guntersville has been his nemesis. A 13th-place finish in 2010 was the best heâs done on the fishery in nine B.A.S.S. events, and heâs finished as low as 103rd in 2002.
The 2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year, Jake Whitaker might very well be a hammer on Lake Guntersville. But in his one major chance to prove it, he finished 61st at the 2019 Elite event.
After opening the season with finishes of 67th and 43rd, Skylar Hamilton made a nice recovery just to reach the Classic. He finished 39th at the June Elite Series event on Guntersville.
A victory in the 2019 Central Open on Grand Lake was what gave Kuphall his Classic berth. But his entire season was impressive. In four events, he finished second, 29th, first and 25th.
Todd Auten is making his fourth Classic appearance, but he might wish the event was being held anywhere else. In eight B.A.S.S. events on the fishery, heâs finished 161st, 67th, 78th, 61st, 24th, 98th, 66th and 55th.
Living where he lives, Darold Gleason is plenty familiar with catching big largemouth bass. He qualified for the Classic by winning the 2019 Central Open on Toledo Bend.
Bob Downey has fished a grand total of four events with B.A.S.S. One of them was the Opens victory that landed him in the Classic â on Oklahomaâs Grand Lake.
Anyone with a hook in the water has a chance to win. But weâre talking odds here â and in 49 years, only one B.A.S.S. Nation competitor has ever hoisted the Classic trophy. Can Cody Hollen win the event? Absolutely. But the odds of it happening are long.
The winner of the 2019 Eastern Open on Oneida Lake may have the best name in the Classic. Grae Buck. He just sounds like a winner.
The winner of the 2019 Eastern Open on Floridaâs Harris Chain of Lakes is actually making his second Classic appearance. He finished 53rd in the 2016 Classic on Grand Lake.
Like we said about Hollen, anyone with a hook in the water has a chance to win. For a Nation qualifier like Taylor Smith, the odds are long.
The same is true of fellow Nation qualifier Cam Sterritt.
The odds might even be longer for a Team Championship winner like Josh Busby. But he does at least have some history on Lake Guntersville. In 2015, he and partner Timothy Taylor finished sixth in the Team Championship held on the Big G.