The 2022 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at the St. Johns River ended up being a tricky event from a Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing standpoint. While some of the anglers that have done well at the St. Johns River in the past had solid events, a good portion of the “can’t miss” picks didn’t show out this time around.
The overall weights of were down compared to the majority of the past events on the St. Johns River. Adverse conditions had the fish in a transition stage, making it difficult for the Elites to find a consistent pattern. Having one big bag during the course of the week carried the majority of the top anglers in this event.
Let’s get into the best and worst of the week at the St. Johns River.
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The overall winner of the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River was “froghair” who selected three of the five picks that would have made up the perfect roster. Overall Rank: No. 1, Total Points 1,420.
BUCKET A: Patrick Walters
BUCKET B: John Crews
BUCKET C: John Cox
BUCKET D: Micah Frazier
BUCKET E: Jamie Hartman
The perfect Fantasy Fishing team for the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River would have been:
BUCKET A: Austin Felix
BUCKET B: John Crews
BUCKET C: John Cox
BUCKET D: Bob Downey
BUCKET E: Jamie Hartman
Total: 1,459
BUCKET A: FELIX
It’s not very often that the angler with the second lowest player percentage in Bucket A ends up being the highest scoring angler but that was the case with Austin Felix. The 2020 Elite Series Rookie of the Year scored 276 points and was selected by only 0.3% of Fantasy players.
Second best selection: Once again Patrick Walters showed out at the St. Johns River with another Top 10 finish. Walters scored 272 points and had the third highest player percentage at 15.6%.
Lowest scoring angler: Mike Iaconelli didn’t quite have the Elite Series return that he probably hoped for. Iaconelli only scored 89 points and was selected by 4.4% of players.
BUCKET B: CREWS
After multiple Top 10 finishes at the St. Johns River, John Crews led the event wire-to-wire and finally got a win on the river. The veteran Crews scored 320 points and was selected by 14.6% by Fantasy players in Bucket B.
Second best selection: Brandon Card finished up in 19th place, which was the second highest of any angler in Bucket B. The North Carolina native was selected by 2% of players and scored 237 points.
Lowest scoring angler: Kyle Welcher surprisingly wasn’t able to get anything going on the St. Johns River this time around. Welcher only scored 97 points despite being selected by 9% of players.
BUCKET C: COX
John Cox brought a 31 pound, 15 ounce mega-bag to the stage on Day 3 and jumped all the way into the Top 10. With his fourth-place finish, Cox scored 285 points and was selected by 29.8% of players.
Second best selection: Bucket B had three anglers that finished inside the Top 10, but David Mullins was the second-best choice. Mullins scored 280 points and was only selected by 0.5% of players.
Lowest scoring angler: Carl Jocumsen wasn’t able to get it going at the St. Johns River. Jocumsen scored 136 points and was selected by 2.6% of players.
BUCKET D: DOWNEY
If Bob Downey didn’t stumble on Day 2 by only bringing one fish to the scales, it’s likely that we would be talking about how he blew the tournament out. Despite the slow Day 2, Downey still finished second and scored 295 points. The Minnesota native was selected by 0.7% of players.
Second best pick: Masayuki Matsushita had a strong start to his Elite Series career with a third-place finish at the St. Johns River. The rookie Matsushita scored 290 points and was selected by 1.3% of players.
Lowest scoring angler: Daisuke Aoki did not have the best start to his Elite Series career at the St. Johns River. Aoki only scored 87 points and was selected by 1.7% of players.
BUCKET E: HARTMAN
Jamie Hartman scored 243 points which was the best of any angler in Bucket E. The Arkansas native was selected by 6.3% of players.
Second best pick: The B.A.S.S. Nation National champion Matty Wong had a solid start to his Elite Series career with a 21st-place finish. Wong scored 233 points and was selected by 2.6% of players.
Lowest scoring angler: The veteran David Fritts didn’t get it figured out at the St. Johns River. Fritts only scored 91 points while being selected by 0.9% of players.
