Fantasy Fishing: All-Alabama lineup?

Written by

Kyle Jessie

I don’t want to bury the lede – I’m not going to choose an all-Alabama lineup this week in Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing. However, you could easily justify picking from one of the 14 active Elite Series anglers that call the great state of Alabama home. The majority of these 14 anglers have a lot of experience fishing the Coosa River.

While the weights likely won’t be what we saw during the South Carolina swing, the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lay Lake should be a compelling event. With the majority of bass in the postspawn period, anglers will have the choice of fishing shallow or offshore in this event. There will be a lot of different patterns in play, but an early morning shad spawn will likely be key.

Anglers that are able to capitalize on the early bite and establish an afternoon pattern will have sustained success over the course of four days of competition.

I consider Lay Lake my home lake, so naturally I have been super excited for this event since the schedule was announced. Let’s get into some Fantasy Fishing picks.

Editor’s Note: Clent Davis and Will Davis Jr. were accidently placed in the wrong Buckets. Clent Davis should have been in Bucket E, and Will Davis Jr. was supposed to be in Bucket A.

BUCKET A: HACKNEY

Bucket A is home to a number of Coosa River hammers, but seeing that Greg Hackney is currently below a 4% player percentage grabbed my attention. The Louisiana pro is no stranger to fishing shallow vegetation, current and braided line. All of these things will be at play at Lay Lake. After an uncharacteristically bad event at Santee Cooper, expect Hackney to get back on track in Alabama.

Solid secondary selection: You could justify selecting any angler in Bucket A, but if you’re looking to go with the locals, Scott Canterbury and David Gaston have both put in a lot of time on Lay Lake.

BUCKET B: LOWEN

Bucket B is the only Bucket that doesn’t feature an Alabama angler. However, it is loaded with anglers who should have no problem figuring it out at Lay Lake. One of the anglers who should feel right at home is Bill Lowen. The Elite Series veteran is always a factor when a shallow bite is at play, but this time of year specifically has always been good to him.

Solid secondary selection: If you don’t mind the high player percentage, Brandon Palaniuk has some major momentum rolling. Palaniuk’s ability to utilize his Humminbird MEGA 360 imaging should be a factor as Lay Lake does feature a good bit of brush.

BUCKET C: CHRISTIE

Lay Lake sets up extremely similar to some of the Eastern Oklahoma lakes that Jason Christie grew up fishing which makes him extremely dangerous – especially in Bucket C. It was evident that Christie felt right at home at Neely Henry just a couple of seasons ago and I wouldn’t expect Lay to be much different.

Solid secondary selection: Bob Downey could be a sneaky good pick in Bucket C. The Minnesota pro also managed a Top 10 at Neely Henry just a couple of seasons ago during a similar time of year.

BUCKET D: LOGAN

Lay Lake won’t quite present the same homefield advantage for Wes Logan that Neely Henry did in 2021, but don’t be fooled, the Alabama native will still be right at home this week. This is a time of the year that sets up extremely well for Logan as he is deadly with a swim jig and frog in his hands.

Solid secondary selection: At a significantly lower player percentage, Josh Stracner is a great option in Bucket D. While Logan Martin is technically his home lake, Lay Lake would be a close second. Stracner is also coming off of his best finish of the season at Santee Cooper Lakes.

BUCKET E: DAVIS JR.

As previously mentioned, Will Davis Jr. was not supposed to be in Bucket E. However, it’s too good of an opportunity to not select him. Lay Lake is truly Davis’ home lake, so he’s likely to have a few tricks up his sleeve.

Solid secondary selection: It’s possible that out of all the Coosa River locals, Matt Herren might have the most tournament experience on this body of water. Look for Herren to get back on track at Lay Lake.