UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. — One of the famous Finger Lakes in western New York, Cayuga Lake certainly didn’t disappoint big-bass fans all over the country. The 2019 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake was a slugfest for sure as the lake showed out better than ever before.
For the second time in three events, New York native Jamie Hartman came from behind to win. To win his second championship of the year, Hartman weighed 80 pounds, 13 ounces and edged out Canadian newcomer Jeff Gustafson by a mere 10 ounces. But, Hartman also earned some valuable Toyota Bassmaster Angler of they Year points moving him up to 11th place overall.
Gustafson enjoyed a tremendous tournament but fell shy of the championship title. But thanks to his catch of the event’s heaviest limit and leading for two days, he was the top scoring angler for Fantasy Fishing players. “Gussy” was the best choice for this event.
With one regular-season Elite event remaining, and the season-ending AOY Championship, making your selections based on momentum will be important. But if you’re behind in the Fantasy points, a bigger risk might be worth it, or if you’re comfortable with your standings make the obvious choices.
But consider as we move towards Ft. Gibson, a lot of AOY dreams and Fantasy Fishing dreams are going to be made and broken. That event is the wild card this season, and it will be very difficult to predict.
The end of the season is going to be interesting.
Let’s look at the Cayuga Fantasy Fishing statistics for this event.
Cayuga Fantasy Winner: “HotTots” with 1,407 points.
Rank: No. 7,490
Bucket A: Stetson Blaylock, 268 points
B: Jamie Hartman, 305
C: Jeff Gustafson, 345
D: Cliff Prince, 260
E: Brett Preuett, 229
Total: 1,407
Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing’s current points leader: “GaleForce” with a total of 10,932 points.
Cayuga’s Perfect Team:
Bucket A: Chris Zaldain, 295 points
B: Jamie Hartman, 305
C: Jeff Gustafson, 345
D: Cliff Prince, 260
E: Brett Preuett, 229
Total: 1,434
BUCKET A: ZALDAIN
Chris Zaldain continues to make strong appearance after strong appearance on the Elite Series this year, and he’s getting closer to an Elite championship and a coveted blue trophy. The additional affects of his success are more points towards his AOY bid. After Cayuga, Zaldain is 26 points out of the lead. In Fantasy results, he earned his 21.3-percent ownership 295 points for a stellar third-place finish.
Second-best choice: Seth Feider said he was going to win Cayuga before it ever started, and he was very close to foretelling his future. Despite missing the mark, he still managed a strong fifth-place showing, which earned his loyal 22-percent ownership 280 points.
Worst choice: Micah Frazier went from winning at St. Lawrence a week earlier to becoming the lowest-scoring angler in Bucket A. He earned his 4.3-percent ownership only 149 points after a difficult 63rd-place finish.
BUCKET B: HARTMAN
Hartman is building his already impressive resume, and he’s considered one of the toughest competitors on tour. He proved it yet again by winning at Cayuga, and being the best choice in Bucket B. Hartman earned his dominating 38.6-percent ownership 305 points for his victory. Three hundred of those points for first place, and five bonus points for leading on the final day.
Second-best choice: Keith Combs was the second-highest scoring angler in this bucket having earned his 22.5-percent ownership 254 points for a solid 12th-place finish.
Worst choice: Brandon Cobb was the lowest-scoring angler in Bucket B having earned his 10-percent ownership only 129 points after a very tough 73rd-place finish.
BUCKET C: GUSTAFSON
Gustafson caught the events heaviest sack of bass, and led for two days putting his total score at 345 and making him the best overall selection for Fantasy players at this event. Gustafson earned his 17.8-percent ownership 345 points after an outstanding second-place finish.
Second-best choice: Tennessee pro David Mullins was the second-highest scoring angler in this bucket having produced 285 points for his 2.7-percent ownership after finishing in fourth place
Worst choice: Surprisingly, Alabama pro Bill Weidler was the lowest-scoring angler in this bucket and overall. He earned his 0.7-percent ownership only 125 points after a disappointing 75th-place finish.
BUCKET D: PRINCE
Florida pro Cliff Prince enjoyed his best finish of the season where he earned his 4.9-percent ownership 260 points for his 10th-place finish.
Second-best choice: Mike Huff was the second best choice in this bucket. The Bassmaster Rookie earned his 2.1-percent ownership 248 points after a strong 14th-place finish.
Worst choice: The lowest-scoring angler in this bucket was Rick Clunn who earned his 11.2-percent ownership only 131 points after a difficult 72nd-place finish.
BUCKET E: PREUETT
Brett Preuett finished his best event of the 2019 season with a strong 23rd-place finish. His efforts earned his 0.8-percent ownership 229 points.
Second-best choice: Ed Loughran finished in 28th place having earned his 2-percent ownership 219 points for his work.
Worst choice: Dale Hightower endured a tough tournament and earned his 2.5-percent ownership 127 points after a difficult 74th-place finish.
