Fantasy Fishing: Keep the momentum rolling

Written by

Chase Sansom

Last week at Lake Murray I might have somewhat saved my Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing season, so this week at the 2023 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes I am just looking to just keep the train on the tracks. Or at least that is what I am hoping for. Before Murray I was pretty convinced that I just wasn’t good at Fantasy Fishing anymore, and I just needed to hang it up. But after having the best tournament I’ve had all year I got some better mojo going into Santee Cooper Lakes.

Now that being said, this week’s tournament on Santee Cooper is going to be a lot different from last week and most likely different from 2022. With reports of a much slower practice for the anglers and a lot of the fish in the postspawn stage it is kind of hard to predict what is about to go down. Obviously, there were a number of fish still on beds at Murray if you watched Drew Benton, but there was also a good majority of them offshore already if you watched any of Kyoya Fujita’s tournament. One would have to imagine it could be quite similar at Santee Cooper Lakes.

Regardless of the conditions this week, taking a crop of guys that you feel like can get inside the Top 50 might be the path to success. Or that’s what I have tricked myself into thinking, so we’ll go with the game plan of just trying to get guys inside the 50 cut this week and hopefully keep the momentum rolling from last week.

Let’s jump into some picks.

BUCKET A: DREW BENTON

Hot off a win at Lake Murray, Drew Benton will be looking to carry his momentum from his win into success this week at Santee Cooper Lakes. You have to think Benton is going to approach this fishery the same way as he did last year and the same way he did at Murray. Looking for a mix of spawning fish and postspawn fish, and if there is one guy you can count on to find that and slide inside the Top 50, Benton is your man.

Alternate: John Cox

BUCKET B: BRANDON LESTER

The whole gameplan this week for myself is to look for guys who you can just about bet on to make the Top 50, and Brandon Lester is going to be the choice for me. In the last 18 tournaments Lester fished, he’s cashed checks in 16 of them. Getting a check 88% of the time he is in a tournament is music to my ears when I am considering finding guys to just slide in the Top 50.

Alternate: Luke Palmer

BUCKET C: BRANDON PALANIUK

Rinse and repeat on the same game plan into Bucket C. Brandon Palaniuk hasn’t missed a check yet at Santee Cooper Lakes, and you wouldn’t imagine this will be his year to start. Winning at Santee Cooper in 2020 and backing it up with a third-place finish in 2022, it’s hard to bet against the 2022 Bassmaster Angler of the Year. It’s rare you get the opportunity to take Palaniuk in Bucket C so I am taking full advantage of it this week.

Alternate: Seth Feider

BUCKET D: JASON CHRISTIE

This might be the only chance all year you get to take the 2022 Bassmaster Classic Champion Jason Christie in Bucket D, and so therefore you’ve got to cash in. Chalk pick, but one you can count on — Christie can turn things around at Santee Cooper Lakes even after a disastrous tournament here in 2022, fresh off his Classic win. Christie will feel right at home getting to fish shallow, and surely this time around he will be ready to prove that Santee Cooper doesn’t quite have his number.

Alternate: Caleb Kuphall

BUCKET E: MATT HERREN

You could consider a handful of guys in Bucket E who have already had success at Santee Cooper Lakes in years past. In fact, eight guys in Bucket E have at least cashed checks here, and two guys have cashed more than one. And Matt Herren is one of the guys who has cashed a check both times he fished here.

Alternate: Josh Douglas