Did you see this coming â the Team Championship qualifier as the long shot to win the Classic? Of course, you saw it coming! No one’s odds could reasonably be worse because all of the other qualifiers got to the Classic by fishing alone â not with a partner (Gray fished with Todd Massey, who deserves mention because without him, Gray wouldn’t be here). Gray is also a Classic rookie. All that adds up to very long odds. Keep in mind that this is not the same as saying I think he’ll finish last, just that his chances of winning are terrible. If you really believe Gray is going to win, give me a call. I’ll take your bet. In my mind’s eye I see Gray fighting a nice bass on Hartwell and saying, “It’s a big one, Todd! Get the net! … Todd?” Hilarity ensues.
When you’re ranking B.A.S.S. Nation qualifiers, you’re usually dealing with unknown quantities. They seldom have a track record as a professional or on Classic waters. A lot of these guys lack experience in multi-day tournaments and almost all are Classic rookies. Without more to go on, I put a lot of stock in age and geography. Diede is 30 (which actually works to his advantage here), but lives in South Dakota (which I recall is one of Canada’s southernmost provinces). That’s a long, long way from Hartwell. Add it all up, and he’s a long shot.
Lund (45 years old and from Arizona) is in about the same boat as Diede. His age doesn’t hurt him (I don’t deduct from his chances as long as an angler’s no older than about 45 at the time of the Classic), but he’s geographically unattractive and a Classic rookie. Without a track record in other places (like a touring pro would have), it’s hard to like his chances.
In a lot of ways, Young fits the same mold as some of the Nation anglers (a Classic rookie from far away â Minnesota), but he won a Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open to get to the Classic and that makes him a better bet. Still, the Minnesota thing doesn’t help. Plus, apart from his win on Amistad, Young has never finished in the money at a B.A.S.S. event. At the moment, he’s a one-hit wonder, and that stacks the odds against him.
Last year’s college qualifier (Jordan Lee) called the Classic waters home and had a pretty strong track record there. This year’s college qualifier doesn’t have that kind of history or résumé. Still, Preuett’s a college kid who probably has lots of time on his hands to practice. If he puts something big together, he could be a threat … but don’t bet on it. By the way, at 24 he’s not the youngest guy in the field, and none of the four college qualifiers have ever been the youngest in the Classic. How long does college take these days?
Soles became the first angler to qualify for the 2015 Classic when he won the Southern Open on the Kissimmee Chain last January, and if the championship were on Florida waters he’d be on my short list of favorites. But it’s on Hartwell, and that probably doesn’t play well for Soles’ skill set. With a flipping stick and punch bait, I like his chances. But if he has to go 30 or 35 feet deep with a jig, it might be tough sledding. Tell a Florida angler you’re fishing 30 or 35 feet deep and he has one question â”The Atlantic or the Gulf?” February Classics “up north” just don’t play well for Sunshine State anglers.
This is not the “Jones” that everyone was expecting to see in the 2015 Classic. We were all looking for Alton, not Teb. After all, Alton won the 2008 Classic on Hartwell. So what are the odds that the trophy stays in the “Jones family”? Not very good. Teb’s a talented Opens angler who’s been around a while, but he’s a Classic rookie coming out of the Nation, and the waters in his native Mississippi don’t give him any kind of edge at Hartwell.
Lugar’s in his second consecutive Classic via the B.A.S.S. Nation. Last year he finished 35th at Guntersville. Just shaking off that rookie status helps his odds. He won’t be dazzled by the fanfare or intimidated by fishing next to Skeet Reese and Mark Davis. Can he win? Sure he can. Would I bet on him? Are you serious?
Do rookies win the Bassmaster Classic? Yes, they do. Should rookies have good odds to win? Absolutely not. Pipkens is a talented young pro still proving himself in the Elite Series. He earned a Classic berth by winning an Open, not on Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points. That makes his odds just a little longer in my book.
Lester was impressive in his rookie campaign on the Elite Series. He was pretty consistent and showed that he can succeed on a wide variety of water types. What he didn’t show (at least not yet) is that he knows how to win at the top level. His best finish in 2014 was 17th at Cayuga. That hurts his odds here. Could he put it all together and win his first major tournament at Hartwell? Of course he could, but that’s not the way it usually happens. I think Lester is one of the bright young stars in the sport, but that doesn’t mean he has good odds here.
Of all the anglers in the 2015 Classic field, Morgenthaler has the worst track record on Hartwell. He was 116th at the FLW event there in March of 2011 and 118th at the same time in 2012. He’s also been lackluster in his four previous Classic appearances (always middle of the pack). To add to the misery, he ended the 2014 Elite season on a sour note with three straight out-of-the-money finishes after a very strong start that saw him in the AOY hunt. Though he’s bounced back with a win at the first 2015 Open, I still have to make him a long shot.
Elias is the oldest angler in the field at 63 and the only one with a chance to break the record of oldest champion (Woo Daves was 54 in 2000). Classic experience helps in the championship, and Elias has it in spades. He’s been to 15 Classics and won it in 1982. The age thing doesn’t help, though. Anything that makes it tougher to get out of bed, tougher to work hard all day on the water, and tougher to stay focused in the elements hurts your odds. I know from experience that getting older is no bargain.
Prince is a Florida guy who’s shown he can catch ’em elsewhere (guys who come up around the St. Johns River usually can), but he’s still a Florida pro on a deep, clear lake in the winter. In his previous Classic appearance (2013 on Grand Lake) he was 51st, and I’d like his chances a lot better at another time of year. He’d make a great champion, but it’s more likely to happen at a different venue.
Carden is one of three B.A.S.S. Nation qualifiers going back-to-back this year. That’s quite an accomplishment and it certainly improves his odds at the Classic. In addition to that, he won a Southern Open back in 2002. These things improve his odds, but not too much. He’s fished a lot of one- and two-day tournaments to get here, and putting together three strong days is just not something the Nation guys have to do on a regular basis. It gives a big edge to the Elite and Opens pros.
At 6 feet, 9 inches tall, Kilgore is the tallest angler ever to fish a Bassmaster Classic and his angling skills match his stature. He’s qualified to join the Elite Series several times and turned down the invitation each time. As one of five anglers in the field who has won a tournament in each of the last two seasons (along with Stephen Browning, Jason Christie, Michael Iaconelli and Chris Lane), he knows how to win and he knows that first place is the only place worth finishing. His odds don’t look very good, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a real threat.
It’s Mueller’s second straight Classic out of the B.A.S.S. Nation and last year he finished second on Guntersville to Randy Howell after posting the heaviest catch in the five-bass limit era of the championship. So why aren’t his odds better this time around? Well, just because he did very well last year is little indication that he’ll back it up in 2015. In Classic history nine anglers have qualified from the B.A.S.S. Nation and made it back to the big dance the following year (four as amateurs and five as pros). Of the three who posted top 10 finishes in the first of those appearances, only one was able to back it up with another top 10. That was Michael Iaconelli, who was sixth out of the Nation in 1999 and 10th as a pro in 2000. No one else has come close.
Just because he’s always smiling and joking around doesn’t mean Cajun Baby isn’t one of the sharpest pros in the business. He is, and he understands what a Classic win would mean to his career. Unfortunately for him, I think cold weather and lethargic bass do not play to his strengths, and that makes him a long shot. Don’t feel bad for him, though. He’s reading this and thinking, “I’ll slip under the radar now and have fewer fan boats following me. That’ll work!” I hope he’s in the mix after Day 2. I want to see if he’s still smiling and joking and not feeling the pressure when the spotlight’s on him. I think he can handle it.
It’s been five years since Niggemeyer’s last Classic appearance, so he’s obviously had some issues with consistency. But he was rock solid in the Elite Series in 2014, cashing a check in seven of eight events. He’s also won a couple of Opens, and at 43 he’s roughly the age of a typical Classic champ. Show me an angler who has won before, who understands that Classic berths don’t grow on trees and who realizes that his years of peak performance are not unlimited and I’ll show you a threat. Niggemeyer is definitely a threat and has the personality and intellect to make a great champion.
There aren’t many “Big Mamas” in Lake Hartwell, but that won’t stop Shimizu from trying to catch a bag full of them. This will be his third Classic, and he finished in the top 25 in each of the others, but that’s not anyone’s real goal. The best news for Shimizu fans is that he’s posted two solid Elite seasons in a row for the first time in his career. That’s big because it breeds confidence. He knows he deserves to be there and is capable of doing well. Can he win? We’ll see. If he does, it’ll be an even bigger deal than when Omori won the Classic in 2004 because Tak was mostly unknown in his former home country. Shimizu is a star in Japan.
With a break or two, Browning might have notched a Classic win back in 1997. Instead he finished a deceptively close seventh in his championship debut. Eight more tries have seen him get no closer, but those were mostly on fisheries that didn’t suit his style as well as Hartwell. He’s one of just five anglers who have won B.A.S.S. events in each of the last two years, so he knows how to close a tournament out. If attitude and class counted for anything, Browning’s house would be littered with Classic trophies.
This is Snowden’s first Classic since 2011 and sixth overall. His best finish was third in 2009, and he missed the 2008 championship on Hartwell. He has no meaningful track record on the Classic waters, but like a lot of guys from Missouri and Arkansas, he’s very talented with a jig. That will help. If you’re born in or around the Ozarks, they apparently hand you a 7-foot medium-heavy rod and baitcaster spooled with 14-pound-test fluorocarbon as soon as you leave the maternity ward.
A healthy Herren can compete anywhere, and he was healthy in 2014 after suffering through much of the previous season. He was 16th in AOY points and three years out of the last five he’s been in the top 20 â impressive! Like the rest of us, Herren’s not getting any younger (he’ll be 52 when the big derby rolls around) so he wants and needs to make the most of his Classic opportunities. He fished the 2014 FLW tournament on Hartwell and finished a mediocre 86th, so it’s tough to call him a favorite, but he certainly has the skills to win.
The 2004 Classic champ is one of the best power fishermen on the planet, and power fishing has given him just about every title he’s earned in his career, including the Classic. Weather and fishing pressure dictate the results of tournaments, and if it’s warm and the bass will chase a little bit, Omori’s chances are better than if it’s cold and they’re lethargic. If the tournament can be won on a lipless crankbait or jerkbait, watch for him to make a run at it.
We talk a lot about this angler being good with a crankbait or that angler being good with a jig, but the truth is that all of these guys are capable of doing well with any type of bait and under almost any conditions if they can find a solid pattern or area during practice. That said, I like Lowen’s chances a lot more if it’s a shallow water tournament. He’s absolutely one of the best if the event can be won in eight feet of water or less. He’s also extremely good when the fishing’s tough. At Hartwell, if the fishing’s tough, the winning bass are likely to be pretty deep. And if they’re shallow, the fishing is likely to be pretty good. Neither of those combinations works to Lowen’s advantage. I think he’s one of the most talented and underrated anglers on tour, and I really think he’s going to challenge for a Classic win one of these years … but probably not this one.
As the defending Classic champ, it’s easy to let up just a little, bask in the glory of the win and play the role of champion. That’s exactly what happened to Howell at the Elite season opener on Lake Seminole last year, and it could happen again at Hartwell if he’s not careful. The affable Alabama resident has been a great champion â generous with his time and energies â and it’s a part he can play well for the rest of his career. But I expect he wants more â more wins, more opportunities, more to build a better life for his family. Last year at Guntersville was really the only strong Classic performance he’s ever posted. Now that he has the title on his résumé, he can afford to go for broke and not be bothered if he falls short.
That Short is even in the Classic field is an amazing accomplishment. After a tornado destroyed his Arkansas home, he missed the Elite tournament on Toledo Bend and still managed to qualify for the big dance on points. In an eight tournament season, that’s nothing short of remarkable. But, of course, the journey doesn’t end there. That just gets him to Hartwell. Now he’ll use his increasingly famous “fish-my-butt-off pattern” to make a run at the championship. I’ll be rooting for him.
Crews has missed the cut (top 25) in five of eight Classics he’s fished. His best finish in the Super Bowl of bass fishing was a lackluster 16th … in 2008 on Lake Hartwell. I guess that means he’s returning to the site of his greatest Classic performance, but it hardly offers encouragement or inspiration or a reason to bet on him this year. Some anglers are terrific in the regular season but struggle in the Classic. So far, that describes Crews. He can take heart, though. It described Randy Howell until last year.
He’s young and talented and certainly one of the strongest rookies in the field at this Classic, but Lucas has yet to turn the corner and show that he can win a big-time tournament. Meanwhile, all he does is impress â on and off the water. On the water, he’s strong and consistent. Off the water, he’s savvy and genuine with fans and media. He has a really bright future in the sport … even brighter once he learns how to win. He doesn’t need to be in a hurry, though. This guy might have another 20 or 25 Classics in his future.
Chris Lane defies prediction or conventional analysis. Just when I think his skills are not a good match for a smallmouth haven like Lake St. Clair, he wins an Elite tournament there (2013). Just when I think his game plan for the 2012 Classic has too many moving parts and would require a deus ex machina to lead him to the trophy, he wins that title. One thing is certain: His move from Florida to Alabama has made him a more versatile angler and a threat to win anywhere at all. There may be no one else in this entire field who knows how to win as well as Lane.
I think I’m going to start calling Pirch the “Desert Fox” for a couple of reasons. First, there’s no one better on desert reservoirs like Mead, where he’s won multiple WON Bass U.S. Opens. Second, he’s smart and crafty like a fox. While I’d probably like his chances more if it was 110 degrees outside rather than 30, Pirch knows how to win the big one, excels at deep water fishing and nothing seems to rattle him. Plus, he’s now made two Classics in a row, so it’s not his first rodeo. He’ll slip under the radar of a lot of Classic fans, but he’s a serious contender. If he’s in the mix at the end of Day 1, watch out.
If you keep up with professional bass fishing, you don’t need to be told how good Combs is or how often he wins in Texas. At 39, he’s on top of his game and about the age of the average Classic champ. He certainly has the skills and the attitude to win the championship. He measures success with trophies and big paydays rather than “good” finishes and points. After all, you make more money that way and notch more wins. He’s a great bet to eventually win a Classic, and it could certainly happen this year.
This self-described shallow water power fisherman had a great 2014, finishing eighth in the AOY race. He was fifth in 2007, so he’s extremely talented. The question marks about Lintner have never had to do with talent. They’re all about consistency. How does an angler who was fifth in 2007 and 8th in 2014 finish 79th in 2013? He credits his recent success to fishing his way rather than trying to fish according to “the book.” If he can find a shallow bite on Hartwell, Linter can definitely win.
For B.A.S.S. fans who don’t know Fukae, he was the 2004 FLW Angler of the Year â as a rookie! â and is best known as a finesse angler. That could play well at Hartwell, where much of the field plans to keep one or both eyes on their electronics, looking for bass or herring before making a cast or dropping a bait vertically. In three FLW appearances on Hartwell, Fukae’s finishes have been less than great, but rumor has it that he practically moved to the lake after qualifying for the championship. That kind of familiarity with the fishery could pay off for the Japanese pro and Classic rookie.
Montgomery is from Blacksburg, S.C. â well north of Hartwell â but he certainly has experience on the Classic waters. The other things he has are confidence and momentum. He’s coming off his best Elite season ever (35th in AOY points) and his second career B.A.S.S. win (the Southern Open on Lake Norman). All that points to him being a solid bet at the 45th Classic. So why aren’t his odds better? A poor finish at the 2014 FLW tournament on Hartwell knocks him down a peg. He was 108th out of 176 anglers. Does that really matter? Maybe not, but if you knew the Broncos bombed against the Patriots in New England earlier in the year, you’d have to factor it in somehow.
Three anglers in the field have had superior careers without having ever won a major title (Classic or AOY). Rojas is one; Evers and Faircloth are the others. Like the others, Rojas has come close to both AOY and the Classic title in the past, but fallen just a little short. With the Elite season opening in the West and coming to Rojas’ home waters (Lake Havasu), I expect him to challenge for AOY in 2015. What better way to kick off a strong year than with a Classic win? Rojas can do it, too. His skills with a hollow-bodied frog are legendary, but he’s just as good with a jig or hard baits. Unlike many of the anglers in the field, I think Rojas would benefit from warmer weather and good fishing. When the other guys are catching them, he’s usually catching them just a little better. And though he’s yet to win the championship, Rojas has been strong in the Classic. He made the cut to the top 25 in nine of 12 previous appearances.
If you’re looking for an interesting “wild card” in the 2015 Classic, look no further than Wheeler. He got his spot by winning BASSFest. Now, I’m not a fan of “win-and-you’re-in,” but I’m extremely impressed by Wheeler. At 24, he’s the youngest angler in the field (a month younger than Preuett, the college qualifier), but he’s also extremely accomplished. He won the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup at the age of 21 and can compete anywhere at any level. He’s at 40:1 because few B.A.S.S. fans know much about him and because he’s been good but not spectacular at two FLW events on Hartwell. Take your “mad money” and put it all on this guy. At 40:1 it could pay off big!
His track record on Hartwell is nothing to write home about (70th in 2011 and 29th in 2012 in a couple of FLW events), but Powroznik is a big-time talent coming off a great rookie season in the Elite Series, winning at both Toledo Bend and Bays de Noc on his way to Rookie of the Year honors. This is his first Classic, but he won’t let the fanfare be a distraction. His eyes are on the prize, and you have to like his chances.
On some level, when the Classic was moved to February, it was put right in McClelland’s wheelhouse. He’s one of the best jig and jerkbait anglers on tour, and those are the two baits that have dominated winter Classics. It means that he’s always a threat and should always be listed among the favorites. I have him at 35:1 because there are some picks ahead of him that I think will get more fan (bettor) attention, but I think the actual chances of his winning are decidedly higher.
If I was asked to choose the ideal scenario for Swindle to win the 2015 Bassmaster Classic, I’d pick radically changing conditions and tough fishing. I might start with warm weather in practice, but bring in a cold front the night before Day 1. Then I’d probably warm things up as fast as possible, just to throw the field a curveball. Some rain or snow could be good, too. In short, things should be unpredictable. Swindle catches bass no matter the weather, and that’s why he needs tough fishing. He’ll still be catching ’em when everyone else is struggling, and that’s his best bet for a Classic championship. If things are steady or predictable enough that lots of anglers can get on decent patterns, he might be a factor. But if the rest of the field is struggling, he’ll shine.
He’s already won one “big one” â the 2013 Forrest Wood Cup. A Classic trophy would be the icing on the cake. And this year, the pressure’s mostly off for Tharp. His Elite Series debut is behind him and last year’s Classic on his “home” waters is over. This could be the year he puts it all together. Take a talent like Tharp, put him on water where he should do well and where the spotlight isn’t focused on him, and you have a pretty good recipe for success. Because he hasn’t fished B.A.S.S. that long, he doesn’t have the same pressure from the fans as some others. And he’s obviously figuring something out on Hartwell. In three previous FLW Tour events, he’s finished 51st (2011), 26th (2012) and 13th (2014). If that trend continues, look out!
It’s good to see Rook end his Classic drought. He last fished the championship in 2011 and was 13th in 2008 on Hartwell. He has three top 9 finishes in his career, including second place to Kevin VanDam in 2001. Rook is a great jig fisherman with a reputation as a river rat, but he can catch ’em anywhere he goes. When they launch at Hartwell, he’ll be 54 years old and the second oldest angler in the field. That doesn’t hurt his chances, though. I think age is overcome by wisdom and perspective in his case. He knows that qualifying for the Classic is not a given, and he knows what winning could do for his career. If he’s within striking distance after Day 2 (always critical in this tournament), he might be the guy to watch out for. I can guarantee that he’ll leave it all out on the water.
My brief notes for putting this odds gallery together say this about Walker: “Often overlooked â always a threat.” I stand by that. The gap between accomplishments and angling fame is probably as wide for Walker as anyone in the field. He doesn’t have a track record on Hartwell and he’s only won one big pro tournament, but he’s usually strong in the Classic. He was third in both 2001 and 2002, and if he hadn’t left B.A.S.S. for FLW for several years, this might be his 15th Classic appearance instead of his 10th. I sometimes think of him as a “dark horse,” but that’s not fair because he really should be on everyone’s list as a legitimate threat to win.
Giving Davis good odds to win a tournament is a little like giving Secretariat good odds to win a horse race. Of course he’s a threat to win. He’s one of the best competitive anglers in history and still has enough in the tank to put three stellar days together and win the world championship. What’s more, he’s versatile and can grind it out with the best of them. Those are traits that will play well at Hartwell. If Davis’ shoulders don’t let him down and allow him to fish the way he wants and needs to fish, I expect to see him high on the leaderboard.
The more you know about DeFoe, the more there is to like. He’s smart, personable, funny and a real student of the sport. This will be his fourth straight Classic appearance, and he’s never finished worse than 11th. Some guys will tell you that 11th is no better than last, and they certainly have a point. But DeFoe is like a long-range sharpshooter. I imagine him zeroing in on his target and getting a little closer each time he squeezes the trigger. One of these days he’ll put a round in the bull’s eye. In 2011 he won the All-Star tournament, and in 2014 he notched an Open win at Douglas Lake, so he knows how to win. He’s new to Hartwell, but thinks the lake gives him as good a chance at a Classic trophy as any venue he’s fished. If he’s not a factor, color me surprised.
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t like a Florida pro’s chances of going to Hartwell in the winter and winning the planet’s most important and prestigious tournament, but then I look at what Lane did at the 2008 Classic. He finished fourth that year in his very first championship and hasn’t missed one since. In fact, he’s never missed a Classic cut. In seven tries, his worst finish is 20th. Anyone who hangs around the red zone that long is bound to score eventually, right? Can he bring the big trophy back to Florida? Yes he can. The Lane brothers have shown they can win anywhere.
When the going gets tough in tournaments, absolutely no one gets going any better than Faircloth. At 18:1, he’d have to be classified as one of the favorites, but if I knew the weather was going to be ugly and the fishing was going to be a grind, the odds of his winning would be much better. This is the man who won what were arguably the two toughest tournaments in Elite history (Sabine River in 2013 and Table Rock in 2006), and he’s on a streak of five consecutive top 9 finishes in the Classic. At 39, he has at least another six or seven strong years ahead of him, and with a major title like the Classic on his résumé, he shifts from being very, very good to being one of the greats.
To put Palaniuk’s fishing career into baseball terms, he’s a “slugger.” He hits quite a few home runs, but he also strikes out a lot. The 2014 Elite season was the most consistent and arguably his best so far (though it was also his quietest and probably the least lucrative in terms of tournament winnings). Though he didn’t win any tournaments (like he did in 2012 and 2013), he finished 17th in AOY points, and that’s a lot better than he’s ever done before. His style and approach plays well in the Classic. Either you win and you’re a hero or you lose and are forgotten. He’s got a lot of gamble in him and this is the right tournament for that. He’s also a fan favorite, so he’ll get a lot of betting action. I’ve got him at 19:1, but without all that fan support would put him closer to 40 or 50 to one. Remember, odds are about balancing the betting, and Palaniuk has a lot of fans in the B.A.S.S. Nation all over the country. Can you imagine the parade in Hayden, Idaho, if he wins? Both residents might come out!
Reese might be the most consistently safe bet in bass fishing. He rarely bombs, wins a lot and is a factor absolutely everywhere he goes. He was 12th at the 2008 Classic on Hartwell and no one would be surprised if he wins in 2015. In fact, he’s a guy you can’t count out even if he’s not in the thick of things. “Knowing how to win” and having experience are extremely valuable at the Bassmaster Classic, and Reese is the poster boy for those qualities. He also has an unmatched knack for anticipating the movement of bass and being in the right place at the right time when a tournament starts. I call it the “Skeet pattern,” and it reminds me that even as you read this a group of larger than average bass in Lake Hartwell are beginning a series of migrations that will eventually lead them not to a staging area or spawning flat, but to Reese’s livewell. It’s inevitable.
If you’re working on a list of the best anglers who have never won a major title (AOY or a Classic), Evers has to rank near the top. That will change one of these days and maybe at Hartwell in 2015. He nearly pulled it off last year at Guntersville, where he led after two days and finished third, and he has three runner up finishes in AOY. At 40 years old, he’s in his fishing prime. Evers ranked 11th at Hartwell in 2008 and has a track record of improving with experience at most venues. He’s versatile enough that he’s among the favorites at any stop on the tour. When some anglers do well in a tournament, you can pretty easily guess what they were doing. Evers is so versatile, you have no idea. He’s the only angler in B.A.S.S. history to win tournaments with all largemouths, all smallmouths and all spotted bass.
It certainly looks like Ike is back, though you could argue that he never left. After several years without winning and just squeaking into a couple of Classics, he won events in 2013 and 2014 and seems to be back on his game. In the 2008 Classic on Hartwell, he finished 10th, so he has to feel pretty good about the venue. If the crowds that will be following him don’t hurt his fishing too much, he should be a factor. And if he’s in the hunt after the first or second day, that’s bad news for the competition. He already knows how to win the Classic and what it means to a career.
Here’s another guy who might slip beneath the radar, but shouldn’t. Hite has a terrific track record on Hartwell and is making his first Classic appearance since 2004 because he left B.A.S.S. for FLW for quite a few years. In three FLW events on Hartwell with large fields (155 or more anglers), Hite was never worse than 23rd and finished in the top 10 twice. His confidence will likely be sky high for the championship, and that will definitely work to his advantage.
As good as The Natural is, you have to figure that he’s going to win a Classic one of these years, and this could certainly be the one. There’s a lot in his favor on Hartwell. It’s deep and clear, and he excels under those conditions. He was ninth at the 2008 Classic, and he knows what the championship would mean to his career. He’s definitely going to catch fish â he always does â and if his confidence is high, he’ll be dangerous. One factor that will be overlooked by many is that Martens’ biggest Classic nemesis is not in the field this year. That can’t hurt.
Last year’s shocking news was that Hackney had missed the Classic for the first time in his remarkably solid B.A.S.S. career. This time around he’s the reigning AOY and returning to the site of his best Classic finish (fifth in 2008). My how things have changed! What’s more, Hackney has a chance to become the first angler in history to win the Grand Slam of professional bass fishing â both major AOY titles (B.A.S.S. and FLW) and both major tournament championships (the Bassmaster Classic and the Wood Cup). All he lacks is the Classic. Tough conditions will benefit him on Hartwell. If he gets them, look out!
The 2013 Classic champ is back after a hunting injury (he broke his leg in a tree stand incident) prevented him from defending his title last year on Guntersville. If I had to put my own money on one angler to win the Classic, I’d probably put it on Pace. He finished second to Alton Jones at the 2008 championship on Hartwell and will be revved up and ready to go after sitting out the 2014 Elite season. He’s also one of the best in the business with a jig. Pace is on top of his game when fishing’s tough. He can grind it out like few others â like he did when he won at Grand Lake. The tougher the fishing at Hartwell, the better I like his chances. As you read this, Pace is busy hoping for a brutal cold front during Classic week.
If you go strictly by track records on Hartwell, Christie would probably be the favorite. He won an FLW tournament there in 2011 and finished in the top 18 percent in two other major events there, plus he had big bass in a 2012 tournament. The last time he was among the favorites in a Classic was 2013 when it was on his home lake (Grand Lake in Okla.). He finished seventh, admitting that his familiarity with the fishery probably cost him. That won’t happen this time. He doesn’t know Hartwell as well as Grand and won’t fall into the trap of “fishing history.” Plus there will be less pressure and less of a spotlight on him. You have to like his chances.
And that brings us to the favorite to win the 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic. Of course, it’s …
Yes, that’s right. It’s KVD again. He was third here in 2008 and almost….
What?
You’re joking! He didn’t qualify? How is that even possible? Are we talking about the same VanDam?
Well … OK … I guess I have to pick a different favorite.
Ashley is the real Classic favorite for a few reasons, not least of which is the fact that the bass fishing fan base thinks he’s going to win (thus, his odds have to go down to discourage uneven betting). First, he’s local … though a local has never actually won the Classic. Second, he won the FLW tournament on Hartwell in March of 2014, so he knows what to do there at this time of year. Third, he’s an outstanding jig angler, and there’s a better than even chance that this tournament will be won on a jig. And finally, he’s been doing all the homework â like networking with the best local anglers, planting brushpiles and generally dotting his “I”s and crossing his “T”s. Since he’s never been favored in a Classic before, he’ll need to anticipate fishing in a crowd of spectator boats that may not respect “his” spots once he leaves. That’s a new consideration for Ashley, but if he can manage the crowds he can win.
And while you can’t bet on the Classic, you can choose the five anglers you believe will have the best chance of winning. Fantasy Fishing has returned for the Bassmaster Classic. Set your fantasy lineup at bassmasterfantasy.com.