It’s been nearly a decade since the Bassmaster Elite Series visited Lake Seminole out of Bainbridge, Ga. In 2014, it was Elite rookie Brett Hite that dominated on a bladed jig, intercepting prespawn bass to walk away with a 13-pound victory.
The weather for the past few weeks around Seminole has been on the cool side, and the forecast is lining up to have these pent-up spring bass on the move and on the feed. Anglers should be prepared to move with their fish, and those that do will likely be rewarded with hefty limits to bring to the scales.
It should be a slugfest battle between anglers intercepting bass flooding isolated cover and vegetation and those that are fishing the stopping points on the highways and ditches leading to those fertile Lake Seminole flats. We should see a bit more offshore strategies mixed in than we saw at Okeechobee. Also, with the predicted weather, it would not be surprising to see a few early bedding bass in the mix for the Top 10. In the end, I will not be surprised to see the winner flirt with a 100 pounds at Seminole.
BUCKET A: COOK
Drew Cook grew up just 20 miles away from Lake Seminole and started his Bassmaster career in the 2015 Bassmaster Open there with a 23rd-place check. Cook has been pretty pumped for this event since the schedule came out and has done everything in his power to make sure he has a good showing on his home waters.
Warm enough for short shorts
Patrick Walters is my preseason AOY pick. Walters got off to a very solid start in Florida, and I think he will feel very comfortable chasing prespawn largemouth up on famed Lake Seminole. The weather forecast calls for sunny and warm, so look for Walters to show out.
BUCKET B: GROSS
If staging fish are in the mix, Buddy Gross is almost always a contender for the win. Gross has a Triple-A level win and past experience on Seminole. Not to mention, he has a win in Florida and Alabama, and Seminole is sandwiched right in between.
Last chance in Bucket B
Last time Brandon Palaniuk won Angler of the Year he left Okeechobee with a 105th-place finish. Now that he has survived Florida with a top 25, he is likely the odds-on favorite to go back-to-back in AOY. Good chance after this event, he will be in Bucket A until the end.
BUCKET C: COX
On the surface, most probably thought Okeechobee was the place to pick John Cox. While he did make the Day 3 cut, it wasn’t his best event. I believe that Seminole will suit Cox and his aluminum rig much better, and I expect him to bounce back with a strong event capitalizing on dirt shallow largemouth with a bladed jig and soft stick bait.
Slow and steady
Luke Palmer is not flashy, but he is about as dependable as it gets when it comes to racking up top 50 cuts and solid Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing points just about everywhere the Elites travel. The journeyman Okie should find himself quite comfortable on this Florida/Georgia line impoundment.
BUCKET D: NEW
If you are willing to do a deep dive into the rabbit hole of non-Bassmaster tournament archives, you will find that Bryan New is no stranger to Lake Seminole, and the lake seems to be a very strong fit for his talents. It’s been a minute since New has made a big splash in an Elite event, and it feels like he may be due.
Local angle
Drew Benton’s rough start in Florida has created a bit of a value proposition for Fantasy Fishing players. They can get an angler who kickstarted his career on Seminole mixed with an angler that is not used to being in Bucket D. Oh yeah, and he is a pretty darn good prespawn into spawn angler. If locals are not your jam, take a quick look at Bryan Schmitt, he is strong on grass fisheries.
BUCKET E: POCHE
There are probably a few of you that got burned by Keith Poche’s no show at Okeechobee as he was in another tournament in Florida. Based on Poche’s social media, it sounds like he will 100% be at Seminole, and I know he has put some homework for the Seminole event. Plus, his off-the-grid boat should have potential to play at Seminole with the solid warming trend predicted.
Classic opportunity
There is a pretty memorable video clip of Jason Christie losing a giant flipping a reed head on Seminole. That fish would have rocketed Christie into the final day and possibly given him a shot to win. I would guess this is your last chance to pick Christie in Bucket D this season. If Christie is too obvious for you, look at another Okie to bounce back in, John Soukop.
Mercury Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge
Now onto the second event of the Mercury Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge. This additional Fantasy Fishing game not only offers a fresh way to play the game, but a separate prize pool. Drain the Lake is an elimination or survivor style game where you can only use an angler once all season.
One key difference between this season and last is 2023 brings a bigger Elite field to choose from. Now we have nine events and 96 anglers remaining for the season, so plan accordingly. What southern power fishing anglers do you have left after the Big O?
Here is my Lake Seminole Drain the Lake roster:
• Bradley Hallman
• John Cox
• Keith Poche
• Drew Benton
• Cole Sands
• Buddy Gross
• Bryan New
• Jacob Powroznik
