Despite the 2021 Classic and the 2022 Classic being held on completely different bodies of water, and in completely different times of the year, I’m still considering the same question. Will the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk be won out deep, up shallow or a combination of both? Given the time of the year, it’s a safe bet that plenty of deep, blueback herring chasers will be caught, but catching largemouth could separate anglers from the rest of the field.
A lot could happen between the time that I’m writing this and Day 1 of the tournament, but from reports I’m hearing, it appears this Classic could play out similarly to the 2018 Classic when Jordan Lee mixed in both spots and largemouth to claim his second Classic title.
The Bassmaster Classic always provides plenty of storylines, but this year we might have more than ever. Does Jason Christie get revenge on Lake Hartwell after falling short in 2018? Will the local advantage play a role for the likes of Brandon Cobb, Patrick Walters and the other Carolinians? Will a first-time Classic competitor win the Classic for the first time in over 15 years?
The Classic is a whole new animal, so when I made my Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing picks, I tried to select anglers whose style matches the fishery and time of year, but also anglers who have Classic experience.
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Let’s get into it my picks.
BUCKET A: WALTERS
While Lake Hartwell might not be Patrick Walters’ true home lake, it’s certainly a lake that he has plenty of experience on. In the last three years, Walters has registered a win at Lake Hartwell in an Open in 2020 and an 11th-place finish back in 2019 in an Elite event. The South Carolina native is one of the best in all of fishing at being able to utilize forward facing sonar, which should help tremendously when targeting those nomadic spotted bass. At 18% player percentage, Walters is far from a Darkhorse pick. Brandon Cobb and Patrick Walters eat up a large portion of percentages in Bucket A, but it’s not hard to understand why.
Solid secondary selection: If you’ve watched Bassmaster LIVE at all over the last two seasons, you have probably heard Jason Christie say that he’s got “unfinished business” on a commercial. Well, this is the unfinished business. In 2018, Christie fell one fish shy of hoisting the Classic trophy over his head in Greenville, S.C. After falling just short in several Classics, could this be Christie’s year?
BUCKET B: LESTER
While Brandon Lester still seems like a young gun, he’ll be fishing his seventh Bassmaster Classic this year. Although the Tennessee native has experienced mixed results on Lake Hartwell, it seems as if the conditions may be setting up well to fit his strengths. Lester has registered two top 10 finishes in Classic competition, so none of the ins and outs of the Classic will catch him off guard.
Solid secondary selection: Arkansas’ Stetson Blaylock is off to a blazing hot start in 2022, and he could very well keep that momentum going into the Classic. Back in 2019, Blaylock made a mention of how Lake Hartwell sets up similarly to his home lake of Lake Ouachita in Central Arkansas. He would go on to finish second in that event. Look for Blaylock to be a player at this years Classic.
BUCKET C: HERREN
After selecting anglers in Bucket A and B with high player percentage, I’m switching it up and selecting the angler with the lowest percentage in Bucket C. Player percentage has nothing to do with my reasoning behind selecting Matt Herren though. Fishing his 10th Classic, Herren is a veteran with plenty of Classic experience. I suspect that Herren will find some off-colored water and bring big largemouth to the stage. If not, the Coosa River local is still plenty familiar with catching spotted bass.
Solid secondary selection: If you like making Fantasy Fishing picks based on momentum, Buddy Gross may be your guy in Bucket C. Fresh off of his win at the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain, Gross has all the momentum in the world. In a recent Inside Bassmaster Podcast, the Tennessee native told Ronnie Moore and myself that his plan was to target big largemouth, which could be deadly.
BUCKET D: PALMER
From one bucket with the lowest selected angler, to another. At 1.2% player percentage, Luke Palmer is 100% a gut pick. In the 2018 Classic at Lake Hartwell, three Oklahoma anglers made the top 12. While that logic isn’t an exact science, it’s what I’m going with.
Solid secondary selection: David Mullins is off to a great start to the 2022 Elite Series season, as he leads the current Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings after two events. The combination of momentum as well as his ability to utilize forward facing sonar make Mullins a solid pick in Bucket D. The Tennessee pro is currently the second highest selected angler in the Bucket at 30.2%.
BUCKET E: HAMNER
You just about have to throw Classic experience out the window in Bucket E. With that said, Lake Hartwell sets up well for Justin Hamner’s strengths. The Alabama native is no stranger to catching big spotted bass, and his ability to utilize forward facing sonar should also help. In 2020, Hamner also had a solid 22nd-place finish on Hartwell in an Open.
Solid secondary selection: Joey Nania’s ability to utilize his electronics could make him a real player in this Classic. The Alabama pro is a master of catching spotted bass on the Coosa River, so don’t be surprised if he has a solid finish.
DRAIN THE LAKE
- Brandon Cobb
- Hank Cherry
- Matt Arey
- Joey Nania
- Shane Powell
- Shane LeHew
- Justin Hamner
- Chris Zaldain
