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Why your scores are different

By Tyler Reed

Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing players,

Your scores have changed.

So far this season, the scores we have been displaying include your data from the 2012 Bassmaster Classic. However, prizing is awarded for the 2012 season based on 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series scores — which does not include the Bassmaster Classic.

We have now reset the leaderboards, and your points, to reflect only Elite Series scoring. This means that your place in the overall leaderboard — and in your groups — may have gone either up or down, depending on how well you did during the Classic.

Take a moment now to look at your position. While you’re logged in, go ahead and update your team for the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Toledo Bend Battle. Buckets have been reset for the upcoming tournament, and you have until the end of the day on Wednesday, June 6, to make your picks.

Play on!

 

Buckets reset for Toledo Bend

By Tyler Reed

Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing players,

The buckets have been reset for the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Toledo Bend Battle. If you set your team for the upcoming tournament using the buckets that were set for Douglas Lake, be aware that your team has been cleared.

Because of this change, you’ll need to be sure to go back and set your team based on the new buckets. You have until June 6 to update your lineup.

Best of luck!

 

Douglas winner will go deep, vertical

By Greg Huff

DOUGLAS LAKE, Tenn. — Limits of 2- and 3-pounders won’t be hard to come by this week at Douglas Lake, but finding enough kickers to weigh 19 pounds a day will be key. To win, anglers will fish big baits deep and vertically. Knowing that should help you pick a winning Fantasy Fishing roster.Fishing Douglas last week with Pure Poison Jigs owner Mike Cole, his pro-staffer Travis McFalls (a friend of Ott DeFoe’s), and guides David Berry and Joe Cummings, I got a good look at the reservoir and the patterns most likely to win.

Deep crankbaits on points

A BassGold.com historical pattern report indicates crankbaits are the best lures on Douglas in late spring, contributing to 28.95 percent of top five tournament finishes. The report analyzed 16 tournaments held on Douglas in April, May or June.

Secondary points, called “hog backs” here, are abundant. Locals crank them with Luhr-Jensen Hot Lips and Mann’s DD20s and DD30s. Berry said Dandrige bait shop Bucks-N-Bass will likely sell out of its selection of crankbaits custom-painted by locals specifically for Douglas’ green-tinged water.

Expect KVD, Brandon Palaniuk, Paul Elias, Jason Quinn and Mark Menendez to finish high if this pattern proves dominant. The locals agreed crankbaits will figure into the winning pattern, but think the vertical presentations described below will produce bigger fish.

Dragging football head jigs

Dragging a football head jig over deep offshore structure gets you bit here. The lake bottom is silt and clay, so bass congregate on rockpiles, shale vein, and old roadbeds and house foundations. This is where big, hungry, postspawn females can be found.

BassGold.com data back that up. Anglers targeting rock placed in the top five in 33.33 percent of tournaments in our date range. Additionally, “Main Lake Offshore Structure” accounted for 40.63 percent of top five finishes in the same data set.

Cole said many anglers will likely drag his Smashmouth Footballhead Jigs, which got popular after they helped build several big bags in last year’s Southern Open here. Also popular is Pure Poison’s Warhead Jig, which was featured in the September 2011 edition of Bassmaster Magazine.

BassGold.com data indicate jig-and-pigs produce better than football heads here. That’s in part because some winners have only said they used “a jig” to win, and also partly because some of the data came from tournaments held when the lake was high enough to flood shoreline brush and wood. At this writing, Douglas is too low to suggest flipping shallow cover will be productive enough to win.

Note that Derek Remitz is a stud with a football-head and is fishing much better early this season than in recent years (ninth on Bull Shoals, and made the top 50 cut on the St. Johns River and Okeechobee).

Big worms and lizards

Local sticks catch big ‘uns on 8- and 10-inch plastic worms rigged on heavy shaky heads and football heads. McFalls said this pattern was on the down-low until last year’s Open exposed it. Red or green/red worms produce best here in eight to 15 feet of water.

Dragging big Carolina rigged lizards over deep structure also can be productive. BassGold.com data indicates “Lizards/Creature” baits accounted for 15.78 percent of top five finishes.

I like Jeff Kriet with a Squirrel Tail Worm, but don’t rule out Jason Williamson dragging football heads in the afternoon after throwing topwaters early. I usually like Aaron Martens when there’s a drop shot bite, but his slump continues, so steer clear for now.

Heavy swimbaits and swim jigs slow rolled deep

Locals fish 5- and 6-inch swimbaits and 3- and 4-inch swim jigs on super-heavy jigheads in 18 to 40 feet, casting them from deeper water to breaklines and slow rolling them over rock, rubble and pea gravel. They also fish them in a non-traditional way, a technique Berry demonstrated for me last week.

When he finds bottom hugging bass with his Lowrance, Berry vertically jigs his swimbaits and swim jigs on top of them, like you’d fish a jigging spoon. For both, shad colors with chartreuse-dyed tails are effective. Jigging spoons are productive at times, too.

Whenever there’s a swimbait bite, you always have to consider Byron Velvick and Steve Kennedy, but don’t overlook Fred Roumbanis. Not only is “Boom Boom” good with a swimbait, he’s killer with a frog as well. So what? Well, Douglas’ bass don’t see many frogs, which could produce a few big fish when twitched across the tops of the numerous floating debris mats that gather in the backs of cuts and pockets here.

Locals Ott DeFoe, David Walker and Brandon Card will know how and where to get on that deep swimbait bite – not to mention all of the above patterns as well. Walker hails from Sevierville, 20 minutes from Douglas. DeFoe lives near Knoxville, 30 minutes away. And Card, the Elite Series rookie, grew up an hour away, in Caryville.

Each also has momentum. Consider their Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings: Walker, third; Card, 11th; DeFoe, 16th.

Based on my scouting trips on Douglas, I’ll lock my roster the night before the tournament with five anglers from the list below.

A – Walker or DeFoe. Wild card: Brent Chapman
B – Kriet or Brandon Card. Wild card: Dean Rojas
C – Remitz or Quinn. Wild card: Roumbanis
D – Paul Elias or Mark Menendez: Wild card: Velvick
E – Palaniuk or Cliff Pace. Wild card: Grant Goldbeck

Wild cards: Chapman & Rojas

Chapman is fishing too confidently and well (two top fives and a sixth place this year) to overlook. Having already punched his ticket to the 2013 Bassmaster Classic by winning an Open in February, he’s been free to take what he’s described as “conservative risks” this year, and they’ve paid off.

Expect Chapman to do one of two things: make a long run past all the well-known community holes to work a pattern or water no one else is on; or to have the patience to camp out on a big-fish-producing spot, waiting for it to turn on – often the nerve-wracking ticket to win here.

A guy who needs Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year points is more likely to leave one of those good deep-structure spots and head shallow for a limit if big bites come late in the day. Chapman can afford to wait ‘em out. He finished 26th in the mid-May 2001 Megabucks here, ahead of Walker (41st), KVD (65th) and Kriet (82nd).

Rojas placed second in the 2001 event, behind winner Rick Clunn, mostly fishing a drop shot rig. He’s also the frog master, which as mentioned above, could account for some big fish here.

Fantasy Fishing Presented by Toyota Trucks for real fun and prizes

By Ken Duke

How’s your fantasy life? Well, if you’re one of the 25 B.A.S.S. Fantasy Fishing presented by Toyota Trucks winners from the Bassmaster Classic or one of 25 from each Bassmaster Elite Series event, your fantasy life is pretty rich. Not only do you have bragging rights among friends and family, you’ve got some pretty good swag, too. Prizes include gift cards from major retailers, angler jerseys, caps, T-shirts and, if you’re the grand prize winner, a Triton-Mercury boat and motor package.

Bassmaster Classic Fantasy Fishing winner Nicholas Drozd of Fremont, Mich., got his season started right. His prowess at picking pros earned him a $5,000 gift card from a major retailer, a custom winner cap and a professional angler’s autographed tournament jersey. The B.A.S.S. Fantasy players who finished second through 10th picking Classic talent won a gear pack valued at $200 plus a custom cap and T-shirt. Those finishing 11th through 25th got the cap and T-shirt.

When the Bassmaster Elite Series season kicked off with the St. Johns River Showdown, Zanesville, Ohio’s Ronald Paxton was ready. No, he didn’t catch a bass in the competition, but he did show off his skills at picking the pros who excelled that week. Paxton won a $5,000 gift card, custom cap and angler jersey.

At the Power-Pole Slam on Lake Okeechobee, Ish Monroe may have caught more than 100 pounds of bass on his way to the win, but it was Ben Fuchs of Manhattan, Kan., who got the Fantasy spotlight, gift card and clothes.

For each Bassmaster Elite Series event, the top 25 Fantasy Fishing players will earn prizes as follows:

  • 1st place – $5,000 gift card from a major retailer, custom cap and angler jersey
  • 2nd – 10th place – $200 gear pack, custom cap and T-shirt
  • 11th – 25th place – custom cap and T-shirt

For the Fantasy player with the top score at the end of the 2012 B.A.S.S. Fantasy Fishing season, the prize is one that’s guaranteed to make you want to get out on the water and catch some bass yourself — a Triton 18SE bass boat equipped with a Mercury Optimax 150 outboard, a $5,000 gift card from a major retailer and a customer winner cap.

College Fantasy Fishing Challenge update: Okeechobee

By Jake Szot

Okeechobee was a game changer for many teams taking the College Fantasy Fishing Challenge. There was a lot of movement in the leaderboard, but Texas Tech still remains at the top. Texas Tech’s top 3 scores from this past event were 3,825, 3,659 and 3,611 that I contributed for a total of 11,095 points.

LSU had a big week and really knew how to pick them well for Lake Okeechobee and jumped from 4th place into 2nd place with a total of 10,644 points from their top 3 scores of 3,623, 3,530, 3,491. Following LSU is Indiana who fell to from 2nd to 3rd place after Okeechobee with a total of 10,588 points. Clemson University fell from 3rd place to 4th place in the leaderboard with 10,451 points from this past event.

Rank Name Points
1 Texas Tech University 11,095
2 LSU 10,644
3 Indiana University 10,588
4 Clemson University 10,451
5 Tarleton State University 8,837
6 South Alabama University 5,029
7 Central Missouri University 4,499

Lake Okeechobee put a lot of movement in the leaderboard and the game is close. Each tournament can make the difference and move your team up in the rankings. I will again continue to monitor and update these results for the rest of the season and crown a winner at the end of the season. If your college has a group, edit your group name to say ‘College’ before your group name. Bull Shoals is the next event and just around the corner so remember to set your line-ups and make your picks. Good luck to everyone participating in the College Fantasy Fishing Challenge.

Leaders after St. Johns reveal secrets

By Jake Szot

How well do you pick the first Elite Series event, the St. Johns Showdown?

Well for most of you, not as well as these five guys. They are at the top of the overall leaderboard of Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing and apparently know how to pick them. Bassmaster.com asked them to tell us their secret to success.

Alvaro Sela, 5th, entry name Armadilla

“I chose Terry Scroggins and Cliff Prince because they were hometown boys and they have that key knowledge. The other picks were based off of gut feelings. I actually switched Alton Jones for David Walker at the last minute. Brent Chapman is my safe pick because of his consistency. I picked Keith Combs because I didn’t pick him for the classic and I had a feeling he was going to do well.”

 Kyle Dasenbrock, 4th, entry name Kyle Das

“I went by the strengths and weaknesses of the anglers. I wanted my team to be based off of who has been consistent. Alton Jones is a great reliable angler. Scroggins is a local guy and I felt he knew the St. John’s river better than anyone else. Chapman and Combs were mentally ready after the classic and I thought they would do well. Cliff Prince being a local I figured he do well.”

Scott Searles, 3rd, entry name The Bass Assassin

“I went with Edwin Evers because he is a great all around angler and I like the way he fishes. Alton Jones is hot right now and fishing very well and the same goes for Chapman. Keith Combs is a great angler and I thought he would do well here. Cliff Prince was my long shot and I chose him because he is a local.”

Dean Walton, 2nd, entry name Skeet22

“I didn’t focus too much on picking sight fisherman because of the warm winter. So I went with Terry Scroggins and Cliff Prince because they are hometown boys and they would know how to catch them in post spawn conditions. The other anglers on my team I picked based on their versatility and their momentum like Brent Chapman and Alton Jones.”

Michael Knitter, 1st, entry name BirdsNest

“I picked Scroggins because he is from there and he is one of the favorites who knows the lake like the back of his hand. Alton Jones was a gut feeling and I picked him because he has been hot lately. Chapman was a big gut feeling and stood out to me because of his consistency. Keith combs is one of my favorite guys and I researched how well he has done in Florida in the past. I picked Prince because I had read once that he and Scroggins shared information.”

This week’s winners were able to take advantage of the tools available on Bassmaster.com in order to pick their line-ups, but some used their gut to make the final call. Even though these guys are leading this week it is still very early in the game and anything can happen.

Pros pick three

By Ryan Watkins

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — Are you standing atop the leaderboard or scratching the bottom of the barrel in your fantasy leagues? Regardless of the answer, take some advice from our Elite Anglers and who they would consider and why for the 2012 Power Pole Slam on Lake Okeechobee.

Coming off of a calm tidal system like St. Johns River, the anglers move on to a much bigger animal. A windy Lake Okeechobee filled with mazes of pencil reeds and matted vegetation. Ironically, the fantasy line-ups have remained constant in most regards.

Here is how they picked:

Pat Golden

Either of the Lane Brothers: “They’re very familiar with Florida waters.”
Todd Faircloth: “It’s a flippin’ bite, and he’s good at it.”
J. Todd Tucker: ” He’s been on a roll lately.”

J. Todd Tucker

Chris Lane: “Because he’s the best out here.”
J. Todd Tucker: “I’ve been doing pretty good out here too.”
Bobby Lane: “Also the one of the best out here.”

Bradley Roy

Terry Scroggins: “Florida guy on Florida water.”
Bobby Lane: “Bobby is a shallow water specialist.”
Skeet Reese: “He’s on a roll and coming off a bad year so he should do well.”

Keith Combs

Bobby Lane: “Knows the water and should do good out here.”
Terry Scroggins: “You can’t count him out in Florida.”
Kevin Van Dam: “On the outside chance that flippin’ won’t be the only pattern, he’d be the guy to find it.”

Byron Velvick

Bobby Lane: “He’s on big fish”
Skeet Reese: “He’s on bigger fish”
Ish Monroe: “He’s really mad about last week so he’s going to redeem himself this week.”

Once again Florida strain anglers are topping the overall choice for our elite anglers. Local knowledge is always a critical factor when creating your team, but keep in mind that on the final day at St. Johns River only one angler from Florida (Terry Scroggins) performed accordingly.

Lane Change on Big O, Put KVD on Roster

By Greg Huff

As we all know, when you’re setting your Fantasy Fishing roster, you always have to consider Kevin VanDam. This week you may be tempted to bench KVD in favor of a Florida native, but in my opinion that might be a mistake.

Florida guys do finish well on Okeechobee. Bobby Lane has four top 10s and two 11ths there. Chris Lane has won two Okeechobee events and was fourth in another. Terry Scroggins has placed first, second, third and fourth in six tournaments (wow!).

But most of those finishes came in January or February, when the spawn was heating up. Since the spawn is almost over now, post-spawn patterns likely will prevail this week. Sounds like a great time to rip a lipless crankbait through grass. Hmm…what four-time Bassmaster Classic champ and seven-time Angler of the Year is a Red Eye Shad master?

What BassGold Shows

BassGold.com, which I’m learning how to use for Fantasy Fishing, shows that a worm has been the most successful March/April bait on Okeechobee, with 44.45 percent of top five finishes coming on one. But crankbaits were the second-most effective baits, at 22.22 percent.

Because a post-spawn pattern is most likely this week, I’m focusing more on the crankbait data, which again points me to KVD. Certainly fish will be caught punching mats, but that will most likely be the default setting for anglers not familiar with Okeechobee so the mats will get a ton of pressure. I anticipate KVD finding offshore stuff and crank-mining it like only he can.

BassGold also shows that of 50 percent of previous top five finishers on Okeechobee targeted “submergent” (underwater) vegetation. That sounds like Bobby and Chris Lane flipping territory, but then again, lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits worked over and through submerged grass can be a killer post-spawn tactic…so we’re back to KVD.

Bucket A: KVD

While KVD might not jump to mind for Florida, he finishes well there and he’s excelled on Okeechobee. Between 2001 and 2008, he placed first, second, fourth, 11th, 31st (twice) and 84th. Four of those finishes came in March. Another good reason to pick him.

Also in Bucket A: Shaw Grigsby, Dean Rojas, Skeet Reese, Mike Iaconelli and Aaron Martens. Neither Evers nor Reese have fished Okeechobee much, and Ike will be the first to say he “sucks” in Florida. Martens has competed a bunch here, but never with huge success.

Grigsby would be a better choice if sight-fishing were more of a factor. Rojas is good on the Big O in January and February too, with three top 10s in FLW events, but no good spring finishes. Still, if the stars align for a frog bite, he could win it.

Tuesday morning, Scroggins was the most-picked Bucket A angler at 27.8 percent. KVD was second, at 18.7 percent. VanDam an underdog? Watch out!

Bucket B: David Walker

For my pick in this bucket, I considered David Walker, Greg Hackney, Kelly Jordon, Alton Jones and Steve Kennedy. Hackney and Jordon are flipping wizards who’ll be right at home in Okeechobee’s acres of grass…but their average finishes there are 24th and 34th.

Walker’s average finish is 54th, but my gut says he’s in such a good place right now, he’s the the best bet. He won his last event of 2011, finished 10th last week and 13th in the Classic. His average finish here is 43rd. Jones’ is 41st.

If my gut’s right, Walker is a great value pick, at 4.4 percent ownership. So if he wins Bucket B, I’ll make a big move against the Fantasy field because most people are picking Alton Jones (34.2 percent) and Ott DeFoe (16.4 percent). DeFoe, in his sophomore season is talented and popular, but the Big O is a tough puzzle to solve with little experience.

Bucket C: Brent Chapman (maybe Herren!)

My favorites in this bucket are Brent Chapman, Matt Herren and Randy Howell. Chapman has the worst average finish of all these (70th), but my gut says his hot streak will continue. In two months, he’s won an Open, finished 18th in the Classic and 4th last week. Also, I’m becoming a believer in those Tightlines UV soft-plastics he throws.

Average Okeechobee finishes for Herren and Howell are 40th and 51st. I might yet talk myself into taking Herren, another good flipper with momentum (13th last week). Howell’s a solid pick too, with two good finishes here, 11th and 27th.

Chapman is leading in ownership percentage, at 23.8 percent. Keith Poche and Greg Vinson are also popular, at 15 and 11 percent. Only 1.5 percent have picked Herren, so he might yet make my roster: If your low-percentage pick beats a high-percentage angler, you gain more ground against the field. Howell’s a good value too, at 3.6 percent.

Bucket D: Keith Combs

In Bucket D, you might consider Clark Reehm, Derek Remitz and Jason Quinn. All have at least one top 15 here, but here are their average Okeechobee finishes: Reehm, 22nd (only two events); Remitz, 56th; Quinn, 74th.

But I’m picking Keith Combs. He doesn’t have a top 15 here (best is 18th), but does have a hot hand: third last week, 16th in the Classic, 1st in the Toyota Texas Bass Classic, and top 15s in his last two 2011 events. His average Okeechobee finish is 50th.

I’m with the crowd on Combs: 33.8 percent have picked him. Bill Lowen is getting a lot of love too, with 20.8 percent.

Bucket E: Russell Parrish

Few Bucket E anglers have competed in many Okeechobee tournaments, so it’s a bit of a pick ‘em. I’m taking a flyer on Russell Parrish, a Texan who placed 33rd on the Big O in a 2011 FLW Open.

Also consider Floridians Kyle Fox and Cliff Prince. Fox finished 7th on Okeechobee in a 2010 Open and 24th in a 2007 event.

Jamie Horton seems popular with his Federation Nation brethren, with 40.8 percent ownership. Prince and Fox follow, at 21.5 and 19.4 percent. Less than 1 percent have picked Parrish, who placed 19th last week. Prince finished 16th and Fox 76th.

_____

Greg Huff hosts the “Fantasy Fishing Insider” podcast . This week’s Insiders are Terry Scroggins, Gary Klein, David Walker and Mark Zona. Listen or subscribe to it free on iTunes or here: http://bit.ly/9K5txd

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Pros pick top three Fantasy anglers

By Ryan Watkins

PALATKA, Fla. _ Who is the best choice of Elite Anglers to be sitting atop your Fantasy Fishing Team?

If you ask the Elite Anglers getting ready to fish the St. Johns River Showdown, then you better have Terry Scroggins and Alton Jones on your team. Bassmaster.com polled a sampling of Elite Anglers during registration on the three anglers that are must-haves on their Fantasy Fishing Team, and why they would pick them. These are their answers.

 Pete Ponds

Terry Scroggins : “Because he lives here.”

Alton Jones :”He’s one of the best sight fishermen in the world and that will be a factor in this event.

Pete Ponds: ” I have to pick myself. I feel good about this event and I’m going to catch them here. You watch.”

 Mark Menendez

Terry Scroggins: “He’s going to know the key areas and it’s not if he wins, but by how much.”

Cliff Prince: “He’s a local.”

Greg Hackney:  ”He’s a hard working boy.”

Brent Chapman

Brent Chapman: “I’m picking me because I need a win.”

Alton Jones: “Sight fishing will be a factor and I know what he has been doing in practice.”

Kevin Van Dam: “He didn’t have that good of a Classic and he’s going to use that as fuel for this event.”

 Kenyon Hill

Terry Scroggins: “He’s the man down here and he’d be the only one on my team…period.”

(Hill, picked Scroggins three times and wouldn’t offer any other anglers.)

Alton Jones

Alton Jones: “I’d rather not say why.”

Terry Scroggins: “More post-spawn fish this year verses last year and he will know where they’re going.”

Dean Rojas: “If anyone can maximize a sight fishing tournament it’s him.”

 Dean Rojas

Terry Scroggins: “He’s a local and he knows the water better than most.”

Cliff Prince: “Also a local angler.”

Edwin Evers: “He won here last year so he has to be in my top three.”

 Keith Poche

Terry Scroggins: “He’s a local stick.”

Cliff Prince: “Also a local.”

Keith Poche: “If I don’t think I can win, I might as well stay at the house.”

 Jamie Horton

Terry Scroggins: “I’m going with the majority vote on this one.”

Alton Jones: “He caught them here last year and he is one of the best sight fisherman here.”

Steve Kennedy: “He just recently told me he was going to catch them so I’ll go with him.”

The majority of Elite Anglers are convinced that local knowledge is going to be a crucial piece of the puzzle in this event. Sight fishing will take its course as well as a post-spawn pattern so choose wisely. Don’t forget that in fantasy it’s always important to expect the unexpected!

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Winning strategies for the Classic

Top players give us lowdown on how they picked teams

By Jake Szot

Without a doubt, this was one of the best Bassmaster Classics of all time. With record-breaking crowds and a marriage proposal, it is one not to be forgotten.

The fishing was tough and Chris Lane came out on top, becoming the newest member to bear the title of Bassmaster Classic champion.

The conditions challenged some of the top anglers, and that wrecked havoc on Fantasy Fishing teams as well. It’s  known in tournament fishing that someone is always catching them, and the same can be said with Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing; someone always picks them.  In fact, there are seven players tied for first place with 1,361 points.

B.A.S.S. wanted to find out how they did it, so we contacted a number to learn how they chose their line-ups.

David Patterson, Fantasy Fishing name ‘A Team,’ is currently in fifth place in the rankings. Patterson enlists the help of his brother to give final approval of his team. “After my brother approved my picks, I had to choose KVD because I wouldn’t bet against him. Chris Lane’s been hot and that was an easy choice. I did a little research and picked Alton Jones based on his history. Timmy Horton, I picked on a gut feeling and his reputation as such a nice guy. I chose Jamie Horton based on his experience.”

In fourth place is Gerry Bland, who goes by ‘CoyoteHunter’ on the Fantasy Fishing page. “I picked KVD based on his consistency and Alton Jones was a gut feeling. Chris Lane seemed ready for a breakout win. The Horton brothers were due to make a run at the leaders. I mainly made a gut call when it came to choosing my team.”

Mark Cooper, or ‘Packfan,’ is in third. He told B.A.S.S. that he is thankful for his father introducing him to fishing and had this to say about his picks. “I’m a fishing nut, no method to my madness. I picked on my gut feeling and a little hometown advantage. KVD is a no brainer and I had to have him on my team.”

Nic Drozd, ‘mojomecha78,’ chose his team a little differently. It must have worked because he’s in second. “I picked them by their strengths and I related it to fantasy football. These guys have their specific skill sets and they are my offense, the Red River being the defense they are up against. I picked the best pitching and flipping anglers based on that approach.”

In first place is South Africa’s Andre Pretorius, ‘basskillermpu.’ He had this to say about his approach. “I’ve been a very keen follower of the Bassmaster Classic and the Elite series for a few years now. I’ve kinda gotten to learn the strengths and advantages that some anglers have based on previous events. I went with my favorites, KVD and Alton Jones. Timmy Horton is also a favorite and I thought that he would be the best pick in his group. I had a gut feeling that one of the Lane brothers would do something, knowing that they are great river anglers.”

Pretorius was able to use the tools and information available on Bassmaster.com to choose his line-up, even though he’s more than 8,000 miles away in another hemisphere. “Just know that we from South Africa love to follow the Bassmaster events and share the same passion for catching bass!”

Editor’s note: The Groups have been juggled and are ready for players to choose their teams for the first Elite event, The St. Johns River Showdown, which is March 15-18.

Grigsby grades the Classic

Championship qualifier picks his Fantasy team, including personal favorite

By Jake Szot

Shaw Grigsby has been around the Elite circuit long enough to know who is who in the game. The 14-time Classic qualifier has seen his share of up and comers and crash and burners.

That’s why Bassmaster.com wanted to pick his brain to see who he would pick for his Classic Fantasy Fishing team. Grigsby said he has never played Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing, but that shouldn’t stop him from selecting a competive lineup.

The veteran knows the anglers and their strengths. That’s the key to how he picked from the salty Group A list of Ott Defoe, Edwin Evers, Greg Hackney, Michael Iaconelli, Aaron Martens and Kevin VanDam.

This is a star-studded, super six, and every fantasy player would love nothing more than to pick all his players from it, but that’s not how it works.

Grigsby had the exact same feelings, but he was told he could only pick one.

Grigsby: “You can only take one of those guys? I would have just about chosen all of them! It’s awful hard anytime you’re in a Classic to not to choose Kevin VanDam. I mean he’s the monster. He’s the guy that can catch them anywhere, anytime.”

Why do you think KVD is going to be better on the river this year than the last time he was there?

Grigsby: “You can’t ever bet against him if he’s in the tournament; he’s probably going to be at the top. He wins more than anybody and you can’t bet against him, that’s the bottom line and you got to have him on your team. If you bet on him every time you’ll make a lot more money than you’ll lose.”

Group B is packed full of anglers who know how to get it done. These guys won’t go down without throwing a few punches. Any of these anglers could win it all.

Grigsby: “Great group of guys, Alton Jones, David Walker and Terry Scroggins are awesome. Swindle has been riding a good streak and he’s fishing very well. Chapman is another that works very well in those river systems because he’s consistent, and that time of year he’s one of those guys I wouldn’t count out either.

You have five guys here that I would say are as good as any pick you can have and choosing one of them is tough. If it’s a flipping tournament, you can’t back off of Scroggins. Swindle is good all around and Alton is a proven angler and Chapman’s really good on a river.

Choosing one of them is hard when you have to eliminate guys you’d like to have. Man, I’d hate to go against Swindle or Scroggins. This is the toughest group to choose from, but from a gut feeling I tell you what I’d have to go with Brent Chapman.

Why Chapman?

Grigsby: “I think all of those guys are tremendous, but I think Brent is solid in the pick’em apart type situation where you really know it’s not gonna be the easiest fishing. It’s gonna be a little tough and when it’s tough, he’s mentally tough and I think he has a little bit of an edge over the other anglers when it comes to the Red River. He’s really good with cranks and flipping and pitching, he’s just a good solid river fisherman and tough condition fishermen, so I have to give him the edge.

Group C is packed with strong and seasoned anglers who will definitely be in the mix at the Classic. It boats guys like Denny Brauer, who has 20 Classic appearances and a title under his belt. Then there’s Brandon Palaniuk, an up and comer who is making this his second Classic coming off of a fourth last year. Takahiro Omori is another proven angler that knows how to get it done in the big leagues.

Grigsby, who would you choose?

Grigsby: “Man, Denny Brauer, goodness gracious. I’m gonna take Denny Brauer on that group. The rest of those guys are tremendous and absolutely have the chance to do very well. Denny is very seasoned on the river and a very good tough condition kind of guy, won tons of tournaments and angler of the year awards. It wouldn’t surprise me if Denny did very, very well there. It’s hard not to choose somebody that’s got such a great track record and is a proven winner.”

Picking his favorite angler from Group D was easy for Grigsby. The  veteran is feeling confident and  laughingly chose himself from the list — he wants revenge on the river. Disappointed in his last finish on the Red River, he is looking to return and amend that disappointment.

Grigsby: “I pick me! I’m not the best, I think this is my 14th classic. I’ve had a second place and probably a third and some other top finishes, but knockin’ one outta the park hasn’t ever happened, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. That just means it’s a possibility every time you hit the water to win one.”

We wouldn’t expect you to show if you didn’t think you could win, but why exactly did you pick yourself?

Grigsby: “I like the red river, I like the way it fishes. I may be totally lost when I get out there, but I feel real comfortable. I feel real comfortable that I’ll catch them and I’ll put myself in the mix.

“Last time I was there I did fair, I made the final cut and I think I finished 18th or 17th but I had a horrific first day and so to come back from that and still make the cut and finish in the top 20 was substantial for me.

“It should have been an easy top 10 finish and I’m hoping to expand upon that and be able to catch them. I think there’s a distinct possibility that I’ll do real well, but in any tournament I know there’s a distinct possibility that I’ll crash and burn too. I’ll pick myself though because I think I’ll make a run at it.”

The final grouping has Jamie Horton and Chris Price, the only two in Group E who have ever fished the Classic. Grigsby knew little of this group of guys, mainly the Federation Nation bunch, but he mentioned that this is the Classic and every one of these guys deserves to be there. Having competed in his share of Classics, Grigsby knows that these guys are always in the mix.

Grigsby: “Well, I’ll tell ya, I don’t know any of those guys, but I guess they’re Federation and probably some Open guys in there and of course the college guy. I can tell ya in past classics we have almost always had a Federation angler in the top 5 and there’s always gonna be one of them that really figures it out and does well.

“Brandon Palanuik did it recently at the classic at New Orleans and he had a great run. There’s just so many of those guys that are really good anglers and I look for one of those guys to do well but I just don’t know which guy. I’ll pick Andrew Upshaw because the first two days on the Red River fishes a lot like the Arkansas River and if he was able to pick them apart there he could do it at the classic, mainly because the Arkansas River is not much different.”

Welcome to the 2012 B.A.S.S. Fantasy Fishing Challenge!

Set lineups before February 24

This is the place where you get to share the emotions of the Bassmaster Elite anglers, like the feeling of dread when a small sack of bass produces the agony of defeat or, if you are good, the euphoria of a giant sack and the thrill of victory.

If it’s the latter, you and your team of anglers can win a boatload of prizes and each event winner will be featured in a variety of places, including Bassmaster.com, Bassmaster Magazine, B.A.S.S. Times and the Bassmaster Television Show on ESPN2 as part of Bassmaster’s team of Elite Fantasy Anglers.

Even fans should have the opportunity to “Go Ike” every once in a while. Go ahead, roll around and scream a little. Consider it practice for the rest of the season.

The game is simple. Pick a team of five anglers; you get to chose one from five buckets (A,B,C,D and E). It may be up to the Elite angler to actually catch the fish, but it’s up to you to pick wisely, creating a team that will awe your league partners while potentially winning a slew of prizes.

For the Bassmaster Classic contest, which begins taking entries Feb. 1, the winner receives a $5,000 major retailer gift card, a custom winner’s hat and angler jersey. Players who place 2 through 10 win gear packs, a custom hat and T-shirt. And the 11 to 25 finishers receive custom hats and shirts.

The top Fantasy players of each Elite event will receive similar prizes and at the end of the Elite season, the Grand Prize winner will get a Triton boat and Mercury motor, a $5,000 major retailer gift card and custom hat. For a full list of prizes, click here.

Players can join at any time to compete in individual tournaments, and play the full season for a chance at the Elite Series title.

There are some tweaks to this year’s game. For instance, the buckets are smaller in some cases, larger in others and they will change throughout the season.

The smaller buckets will include the season’s superstars, while incorporating those with a home-field advantage. The rational is simple: In order to win, you will have to give some thought to each contest, making sure you’re keeping up with what’s taking place on the water and strategically looking at who has the hot hand.

Each week of every event you will receive an email reminder to set your lineup. While you may think you already have the perfect team, there will be times when that won’t be the case.

After the Bassmaster Classic and following every other event on the Elite Series, the lineups will be wiped clean. The buckets will adjust, switching anglers around to account for home-field advantages and who has the hot hand at the moment.

That will require you to change almost every player, with new strategies instituted and a whole new set of hopes.

Other tweaks for 2012 are bonus points for the Carhartt Big Bass and for the heaviest stringer caught in each tournament.

Find out if you have what it takes to be an Elite Fantasy Angler. Set your lineup now!

 
Overall Leaderboard
RNK ENTRY, OWNER PTS
1 jkswampdonkey  -  jkswampdonkey 5096
2 tnbigbass  -  tnbigbass 5077
3 hookset575  -  hookset575 5058
4 DR. BASS  -  bigjud 5047
5 Bassbandit  -  bassbandit35 5047
6 spnrb8  -  spnrb8 5028
7 SETDHOOK  -  SETDHOOK 5016
8 WD Indiana  -  wdeaton 5015
9 MidSeasonRuleChangeNICE  -  Sizzlestik 5006
10 bassnchiro  -  jaysondc 4992
- View Leaderboard -
Prizes

Compete for a chance to win great prizes, including a $5,000 gift card, plus custom hats and angler jerseys.

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