Fantasy Fishing: Going chalk at St. Clair

Written by

Chase Sansom

Even though it was just a little over a month ago since the last Bassmaster Elite Series event on the Sabine River, it kind of feels like it’s been a year since the Elites have hit the water for competition. Nonetheless, we are back in the saddle again. There’s one derby before a short break and then the season finishes out on Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River.

My picks probably are going to go against Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing’s unspoken rules, but this time around at St. Clair I am going to take chalk picks and try to finish the season around that 90% range. If I can do that, considering the slow start I had at the beginning of the season, I can chalk it up as a win. And I’ll also complete my ultimate goal I made at the beginning of the season which is to finish ahead of Kyle Jessie. If I can avoid bombs in the next three tournaments, I should be in good position for that.

St. Clair is a special place, and I have been fortunate enough to fish it twice in the last two years. There’s unbelievable smallmouth fishing about anywhere you go in the lake. For those who haven’t fished St. Clair but want to know what it is like, it’s pretty much a giant bowl of sand and grass with different depths. Whoever can figure out or run into the bigger fish in said bowl is going to thrive. So, I took a lineup of guys that I believe are smallmouth gurus, have some experience on St. Clair and are known to find bigger smallmouth that the rest of the field in most events.

Let’s dive into some picks.

BUCKET A: PALANIUK

Chalk pick. Can’t wrong with Brandon Palaniuk and smallmouth. Palaniuk has competed on St. Clair three times with the Elites, and his worst finish was a 61st in 2020 — the last time the Elites visited. Prior to the 61st-place finish, Palaniuk scored a second there in 2015 and a 29th in 2017. One would think he’s going to at least slide inside the Top 50 in this event.

Alternate: John Cox

BUCKET B: JOHNSTON

Chris Johnston, who is another smallmouth guru, had a strong finish in 2020 when the Elites visited St. Clair. Since that visit he has scored four Top 10 finishes on smallmouth fisheries, so you can expect to see Johnston at the top of the leaderboard. Also, he didn’t have the hottest start to the 2023 season and is currently sitting on the bubble to qualify for the 2024 Bassmaster Classic. With three smallmouth tournaments left, he is going to make the most of them.

Alternate: Clark Wendlandt

BUCKET C: GALLANT

Rookie on the Bassmaster Elite Series, Cooper Gallant, who is also right outside the cut to make next year’s Classic, will feel right at home with three more smallmouth events left. Gallant, who is from Canada, can be considered another smallmouth whiz, even claiming a win in the Bassmaster Opens last year at Lake Cherokee with all smallmouth. Expect Gallant to be at the top of the leaderboard at St. Clair.

Alternate: Jason Christie

BUCKET D: DOUGLAS

Josh Douglas, who has spent a large amount of time guiding for smallmouth on Mille Lacs, is an angler you can expect to be a solid pick for Bucket D. While sitting back at 84th in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, Douglas will be looking to take advantage of three smallmouth tournaments in a row and jump himself back up the standings.

Alternate: Taku Ito

BUCKET E: FOUTZ

Jacob Foutz will be looking to land a couple great finishes towards the end of the 2023 season, and there is no better place to start than Lake St. Clair. Foutz, who is a former Bassmaster College Bracket Champion, won the Bracket back in 2017 with smallmouth on Lake Bemidji. He resides around the Lake Chickamauga area, but Foutz spends a lot of time smallmouth fishing during summers. Let’s see if Foutz can make a rebound in the final three tournaments.

Alternate: Alex Redwine