As expected, the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Pickwick Lake was an offshore, ledge-fishing beatdown. The majority of the anglers that fished all four days were fishing the outer thirds of major creek arms or main river ledges for big largemouth.
From a Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing standpoint, a lot of the anglers who were selected at a high player percentage showed out, but six anglers who were selected at less than 8% were able to notch a Top 10 on the famed Tennessee River impoundment.
Let’s get into the best and worst Fantasy Fishing picks from Pickwick.
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The overall winner of the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Pickwick Lake was (“FROGDAWG”), who selected three of the five picks that would have made up the perfect roster. Overall Rank: No. 1, Total Points 1,472.
BUCKET A: Brandon Lester
BUCKET B: Matthew Robertson
BUCKET C: Jacob Foutz
BUCKET D: Cody Huff
BUCKET E: Justin Atkins
The perfect Fantasy Fishing roster for the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Pickwick Lake would have been:
BUCKET A: Brandon Lester
BUCKET B: Chris Zaldain
BUCKET C: Jacob Foutz
BUCKET D: Cody Huff
BUCKET E: Bryan Schmitt
Total: 1,501
BUCKET A: LESTER
After coming so close on a number of occasions, Brandon Lester finally got his first Elite Series win on Pickwick Lake. The Tennessee pro was able to get away from the crowds to score a whopping 355 points while being selected by 8.7% of players.
Second best selection: John Cox did exactly what we’ve come to expect and went against the grain by fishing the entire event up shallow while the rest of the field roamed offshore areas. The Florida pro scored 280 points while being selected by 6.9% of players.
Lowest scoring angler: Despite his great start to the Elite Series season, Pat Schlapper wasn’t able to get it dialed in at Pickwick Lake this time around. The Wisconsin pro scored just 109 points and was selected by 0.7% of players.
BUCKET B: ZALDAIN
Chris Zaldain was able to do what he loves at Pickwick, which is lock a big swimbait in his hands and go to work. The Elite Series veteran was surprisingly only selected by 3.9% of players and scored 290 points with his third-place finish.
Second best selection: Bucket B housed three anglers who made the Top 10, but the second-best selection in the Bucket was Matt Robertson. The Kentucky pro scored 269 points and was selected by 7.2% of players.
Lowest scoring angler: Despite claiming his first Elite Series victory at Pickwick Lake in 2021, Bill Lowen struggled this time around. The Elite Series veteran scored 123 points while being selected by 5.6% of players.
BUCKET C: FOUTZ
After a relatively slow start to his rookie season, Jacob Foutz has turned things around with three consecutive top 30 finishes, including two Top 10s. The Tennessee pro scored 285 points while being selected by 8.9% of players.
Second best selection: Greg DiPalma just missed his first Top 10 of the year at Pickwick with a 12th place finish. The New Jersey native was the second-best pick in the Bucket with 254 points and was selected by just 0.6% of players.
Lowest scoring angler: North Carolina’s Jake Whitaker never got it going at Pickwick Lake. The 2018 Rookie of the Year scored just 99 points while being selected by 0.7% of players.
BUCKET D: HUFF
Cody Huff had his breakout event of his rookie season at Pickwick Lake with a second-place finish. The Missouri native fished schools of main river ledge fish to score 295 points while being selected by 2.9% of players.
Second best selection: KJ Queen put his Tennessee River ledge fishing knowledge on display at Pickwick to finish the event in 15th. The former Bethel University angler scored 245 points and was selected by just 1.6% of players.
Lowest scoring angler: Daisuke Aoki never got the ball rolling at Pickwick Lake. The Elite Series rookies scored just 97 points for the 4.2% of players who selected him.
BUCKET E: SCHMITT
Bryan Schmitt notched his second Top 10 finish at Pickwick Lake in as many seasons with a sixth-place finish. The Maryland pro scored 276 points for the 7.0% of players who selected him.
Second best selection: After a slow start to his season, Justin Atkins bounced back on his home lake with an eighth-place finish. The Alabama pro scored 268 points while being the second highest selected angler in the Bucket at 23.7%.
Lowest scoring angler: Coming off of a Top 10 finish at Lake Fork, Derek Hudnall struggled to carry that momentum into Pickwick Lake. The Louisiana pro scored 93 points and was selected by 0.9% players.
