Zona’s 2016 picks: How’s he doing?

One for one. Mark Zona is picking way better so far in 2016 than last year. The <em>Bassmaster</em> TV host nailed Edwin Evers as champion of the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro. A couple weeks ago, Zona was asked to provide who he thought would win on Grand Lake.
One for one. Mark Zona is picking way better so far in 2016 than last year. The Bassmaster TV host nailed Edwin Evers as champion of the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro. A couple weeks ago, Zona was asked to provide who he thought would win on Grand Lake.
“Obvious,” he started, “Edwin Evers. We’ve been waiting for him to win a Classic. Next one is Jason Christie.” He added several other names, calling all low-hanging fruit. Guess what? Evers won and Christie was second. Sure, picking this Classic might not have been that hard this year.
“Obvious,” he started, “Edwin Evers. We’ve been waiting for him to win a Classic. Next one is Jason Christie.” He added several other names, calling all low-hanging fruit. Guess what? Evers won and Christie was second. Sure, picking this Classic might not have been that hard this year.
The Elite season is a totally different beast. Most agree it’s not so easy to select winners of each event. Zona came closest last year when he said someone who cut their teeth on the California Delta would win there. He named Skeet Reese and Ish Monroe, but Justin Lucas, who actually grew up on the fishery, made him look right on that count. And the same deal happened for Havasu.
The Elite season is a totally different beast. Most agree it’s not so easy to select winners of each event. Zona came closest last year when he said someone who cut their teeth on the California Delta would win there. He named Skeet Reese and Ish Monroe, but Justin Lucas, who actually grew up on the fishery, made him look right on that count. And the same deal happened for Havasu.
He did nail the postseason awards by picking Aaron Martens as Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year and Brent Ehrler as Rookie of the Year. Let’s look at who he’s picking to win in the 2016 season, which gets under way this week.
He did nail the postseason awards by picking Aaron Martens as Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year and Brent Ehrler as Rookie of the Year. Let’s look at who he’s picking to win in the 2016 season, which gets under way this week.
ST. JOHNS RIVER, PALATKA, FLA., MARCH 17-20: The pros will visit this eastern Florida fishery for the fourth time as the season kicks off at the Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels. The past three St. Johns Elite winners have been Chris Lane (2014), Alton Jones (2012) and Edwin Evers (2011), but Zona passed them up, as well as local favorites. He said Terry Scroggins and Cliff Prince, both who live on the river, are solid choices, but he’s looking west.
ST. JOHNS RIVER, PALATKA, FLA., MARCH 17-20: The pros will visit this eastern Florida fishery for the fourth time as the season kicks off at the Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels. The past three St. Johns Elite winners have been Chris Lane (2014), Alton Jones (2012) and Edwin Evers (2011), but Zona passed them up, as well as local favorites. He said Terry Scroggins and Cliff Prince, both who live on the river, are solid choices, but he’s looking west.
“To me, the safe call is a guy like Dean Rojas because there’s going to be fish spawning, fish cruising and fish done spawning,” Zona said. “Whenever they’re in that general mood/depth zone, to me Rojas is a one-man wrecking crew. In some way shape or form, he will be in the Top 5 at the end of it.”
“To me, the safe call is a guy like Dean Rojas because there’s going to be fish spawning, fish cruising and fish done spawning,” Zona said. “Whenever they’re in that general mood/depth zone, to me Rojas is a one-man wrecking crew. In some way shape or form, he will be in the Top 5 at the end of it.”

WINYAH BAY, GEORGETOWN, S.C., APRIL 7-10: Keep your friends close, and pick your winners for this first-time venue from even closer. The Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Wynyah Bay is new to the Elites, and even anglers from the region report they haven’t fished those tidal waters much.
WINYAH BAY, GEORGETOWN, S.C., APRIL 7-10: Keep your friends close, and pick your winners for this first-time venue from even closer. The Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Wynyah Bay is new to the Elites, and even anglers from the region report they haven’t fished those tidal waters much.
That didn’t stop Zona from taking one of the home-state guys, Davy Hite, even though he lives nearly four hours from the launch. “Here’s the best way to put it – it’s shallow water and Davy Hite lives close. I’m going with him,” Zona said. “And not only that, here’s the other side of it. From one Bassmaster LIVE guy to another, selfishly, we want to see Davy win.”
That didn’t stop Zona from taking one of the home-state guys, Davy Hite, even though he lives nearly four hours from the launch. “Here’s the best way to put it – it’s shallow water and Davy Hite lives close. I’m going with him,” Zona said. “And not only that, here’s the other side of it. From one Bassmaster LIVE guy to another, selfishly, we want to see Davy win.”
Zona searched momentarily for the title of the interviews Hite conducts with pros coming off the water, “First Look,” and imagined a weird scenario he’d like to see attempted. “I want to see Davy ‘First Look’ himself,” he said.
Zona searched momentarily for the title of the interviews Hite conducts with pros coming off the water, “First Look,” and imagined a weird scenario he’d like to see attempted. “I want to see Davy ‘First Look’ himself,” he said.
BULL SHOALS/NORFORK, MTN. HOME, ARK. APRIL 21-24. The Bassmaster Elite at Bull Shoals/Norfork is unique in that the venue is split between the two fisheries. Norfork, which most of the field has never competed on, will be fished Days 1 and 4. Christie (2013) and Brandon Palaniuk (2012) won Elite events on Bulls Shoals, but nobody has experienced this switch. Zona believes Casey Scanlon will get it done here.
BULL SHOALS/NORFORK, MTN. HOME, ARK. APRIL 21-24. The Bassmaster Elite at Bull Shoals/Norfork is unique in that the venue is split between the two fisheries. Norfork, which most of the field has never competed on, will be fished Days 1 and 4. Christie (2013) and Brandon Palaniuk (2012) won Elite events on Bulls Shoals, but nobody has experienced this switch. Zona believes Casey Scanlon will get it done here.
“I really think Casey should have won last time we were at Bull Shoals,”  he said. “The other side of this is, I’ve fished with him in that region and those fish will be doing a certain something that he is very, very good at.”
“I really think Casey should have won last time we were at Bull Shoals,” he said. “The other side of this is, I’ve fished with him in that region and those fish will be doing a certain something that he is very, very good at.”
WHEELER LAKE, DECATUR, ALA., APRIL 28-MAY 1: David Walker won the last time the Elites visited Wheeler, catching 63-10 in the mid-June 2011 derby. How the fish will be staged will make this one rather interesting, Zona said, and Greg Hackney is good at tackling that.
WHEELER LAKE, DECATUR, ALA., APRIL 28-MAY 1: David Walker won the last time the Elites visited Wheeler, catching 63-10 in the mid-June 2011 derby. How the fish will be staged will make this one rather interesting, Zona said, and Greg Hackney is good at tackling that.
“It’s going to be that really weird time of year where the fish are not completely out to the river channel, and they’re not completely up shallow spawning,” he said. “They’re kind of in that really funky zone. Alton Jones always does well, but my guy here is Greg Hackney.”
“It’s going to be that really weird time of year where the fish are not completely out to the river channel, and they’re not completely up shallow spawning,” he said. “They’re kind of in that really funky zone. Alton Jones always does well, but my guy here is Greg Hackney.”
TOLEDO BEND, MANY, LA., MAY 12-15: Back to the famed fishery on the Texas-Louisana border for the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend. Zona assessed what the bass might be doing around then and came up with his winner quickly, adding plenty of prepositions.
TOLEDO BEND, MANY, LA., MAY 12-15: Back to the famed fishery on the Texas-Louisana border for the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend. Zona assessed what the bass might be doing around then and came up with his winner quickly, adding plenty of prepositions.
“They should be getting out to their summer time haunts,” he said, “and you never bet against Keith Combs on any of those big bass lakes, in that region, that time of year, ever in the history of erf.” Yeah, he said “erf.”
“They should be getting out to their summer time haunts,” he said, “and you never bet against Keith Combs on any of those big bass lakes, in that region, that time of year, ever in the history of erf.” Yeah, he said “erf.”

LAKE TEXOMA, DURANT, OKLA. JUNE 8-12: Been awhile since B.A.S.S. went to Lake Texoma, which gets the honor of hosting BASSfest. The format has been altered slightly. Fishing begins on Wednesday, and there are cuts after the next two days of competition.
LAKE TEXOMA, DURANT, OKLA. JUNE 8-12: Been awhile since B.A.S.S. went to Lake Texoma, which gets the honor of hosting BASSfest. The format has been altered slightly. Fishing begins on Wednesday, and there are cuts after the next two days of competition.
On Saturday, there will be pro seminars and on Sunday the Top 12 fish for the hardware, which Zona believes will go to Classic champ Evers. That would give him two wins in his home state in the same season.
On Saturday, there will be pro seminars and on Sunday the Top 12 fish for the hardware, which Zona believes will go to Classic champ Evers. That would give him two wins in his home state in the same season.
“For some reason, you just see Edwin Evers winning a tournament his year,” Zona said. “His classic speech was 37 seconds, which tells me he was plotting world destruction in bass fishing again.”
“For some reason, you just see Edwin Evers winning a tournament his year,” Zona said. “His classic speech was 37 seconds, which tells me he was plotting world destruction in bass fishing again.”
CAYUGA, UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. JUNE 23-26: While the Elites might have to dress warm for launches at the Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake, the fishing should be hot. Hackney totaled 85-0 to win there in 2014 en route to his AOY. Zona said his finger was itchy to pick one of last year’s winners earlier in the season, and finally pulled the trigger.
CAYUGA, UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. JUNE 23-26: While the Elites might have to dress warm for launches at the Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake, the fishing should be hot. Hackney totaled 85-0 to win there in 2014 en route to his AOY. Zona said his finger was itchy to pick one of last year’s winners earlier in the season, and finally pulled the trigger.

“I wanted to pick Todd Faircloth in three different events this year, which tells me that Todd Faircloth, in some way shape or form, could be one of the my top picks for Angler of the Year. I’m going Todd Faircloth at Cayuga because there’s grace in bass,” which he pronounced to rhyme with first place.
“I wanted to pick Todd Faircloth in three different events this year, which tells me that Todd Faircloth, in some way shape or form, could be one of the my top picks for Angler of the Year. I’m going Todd Faircloth at Cayuga because there’s grace in bass,” which he pronounced to rhyme with first place.
POTOMAC RIVER, CHARLES CO., MD., AUG. 11-14: Haven’t the Elites fished there recently? Well, not that recently. But remember who won? It was Skeet Reese in 2007 and Zona thinks the Left Coaster will make things all right there again.
POTOMAC RIVER, CHARLES CO., MD., AUG. 11-14: Haven’t the Elites fished there recently? Well, not that recently. But remember who won? It was Skeet Reese in 2007 and Zona thinks the Left Coaster will make things all right there again.
“Yet another one that I was going to pick in another event this year for the simple fact that he is probably the biggest badass on tidal water next to Jacob Powroznik,” Zona said. “And I believe Skeet already has a victory there.”
“Yet another one that I was going to pick in another event this year for the simple fact that he is probably the biggest badass on tidal water next to Jacob Powroznik,” Zona said. “And I believe Skeet already has a victory there.”
MISSISSIPPI RIVER, LACROSSE, WIS., SEPT. 8-11: Palaniuk was running away in the last Elite visit to the Upper Mississippi when he inadvertently culled on the wrong side of an oddball state border running away from the middle of the river channel. His DQ allowed Tommy Biffle to jump up and win.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER, LACROSSE, WIS., SEPT. 8-11: Palaniuk was running away in the last Elite visit to the Upper Mississippi when he inadvertently culled on the wrong side of an oddball state border running away from the middle of the river channel. His DQ allowed Tommy Biffle to jump up and win.
However, Zona is discounting all that and picking Kevin VanDam to get his first win since the 2011 Classic. “I went with KVD for the simple point that I like to think Kevin will win a tournament sometime soon,” he said.
However, Zona is discounting all that and picking Kevin VanDam to get his first win since the 2011 Classic. “I went with KVD for the simple point that I like to think Kevin will win a tournament sometime soon,” he said.
MILLE LACS LAKE, MILLE LACS, MINN., SEPT 15-18: It’s hoped there’s some drama in the 2016 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship on Mille Lacs. Martens wrapped up his third AOY early last year, but he won’t do it again, Zona thinks, adding that he does think he’ll win the event.
MILLE LACS LAKE, MILLE LACS, MINN., SEPT 15-18: It’s hoped there’s some drama in the 2016 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship on Mille Lacs. Martens wrapped up his third AOY early last year, but he won’t do it again, Zona thinks, adding that he does think he’ll win the event.
“It’s Aaron on Mille Lacs, just because I think that lake sets up very well for the way he fishes,” he said, closing out his selection with his top choices to win the 2016 AOY.
“It’s Aaron on Mille Lacs, just because I think that lake sets up very well for the way he fishes,” he said, closing out his selection with his top choices to win the 2016 AOY.
“My three AOY picks, like we did last year, are Todd Faircloth, Jacob Powroznik, and Greg Hackney. Your champion … ” drumroll please … “Todd Faircloth wins his first AOY. Fairchild No. 1.”
“My three AOY picks, like we did last year, are Todd Faircloth, Jacob Powroznik, and Greg Hackney. Your champion … ” drumroll please … “Todd Faircloth wins his first AOY. Fairchild No. 1.”