The Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River was all about breaking records. Jay Przekurat and Cory Johnston both weighed in 100-pound four-day limits of smallmouth bass for the first time in B.A.S.S. history, and Przekurat became the youngest Elite Series champion in history.
From a Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing standpoint, a good number of the anglers who shined were the ones with extremely high player percentages, as expected, but there were certainly a few surprises along the way as well.
Let’s get into the best and worst Fantasy Fishing picks from the St. Lawrence River.
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The overall winner of the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River was (“Throse82”), who selected four of the five picks that would have made up the perfect roster. Overall Rank: No. 1, Total Points 1,447.
BUCKET A: Cory Johnston
BUCKET B: Jay Przekurat
BUCKET C: Bob Downey
BUCKET D: Austin Felix
BUCKET E: Paul Mueller
The perfect Fantasy Fishing roster for the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River would have been:
BUCKET A: Cory Johnston
BUCKET B: Jay Przekurat
BUCKET C: Shane LeHew
BUCKET D: Austin Felix
BUCKET E: Paul Mueller
Total: 1,459
BUCKET A: JOHNSTON
Before the event, the biggest question in Bucket A was which Johnston should we pick. This round goes to Cory Johnston with his 100-pound, 5-ounce performance and second-place finish. The Candadian pro scored 335 points while being selected by 22.2% of players.
Second best selection: Although Chris Johnston also made a Top 10, Chris Zaldain was the second-best pick in Bucket A with his fourth-place finish. Zaldain scored 285 points and was only selected by 1.6% of players.
Lowest scoring angler: Mechanical problems on Day 2 resulted in an unexpectedly bad finish for Clifford Pirch. The Arizona pro scored 113 points while being selected by 0.4% of players.
BUCKET B: PRZEKURAT
Bucket B proved to be one of the more difficult Buckets to choose from, as Jay Przekurat blew the doors off of the event, despite being selected by only 2.0% of players. The rookie from Wisconsin scored 315 points.
Second best selection: Stetson Blaylock kept the momentum rolling at the St. Lawrence River with a third-place finish. The Arkansas pro scored 290 points and was selected by 5.5% of players.
Lowest scoring angler: Elite Series rookie Joseph Webster had a tough go at his first Elite Series trip to the St. Lawrence River. The Alabama pro scored just 99 points for the 0.1% of players who selected him.
BUCKET C: LEHEW
Bucket C also proved to be a bit of a surprise, as Shane LeHew was only selected by 0.7% of players, yet ended up as the highest scoring angler in the Bucket with 272 points and a seventh-place finish.
Second best selection: Clark Wendlandt continued his success at the St. Lawrence River with his third Top 10 finish in a row at this famed smallmouth fishery. The Texan scored 264 points for the 8.4% of players who selected him.
Lowest scoring angler: David Williams never got it going at the St. Lawrence River. The North Carolinian scored just 101 points for the 0.1% of players who selected him.
BUCKET D: FELIX
Of all the Buckets, Bucket D is the only one that the highest selected angler ended up being the best pick. Austin Felix finished just outside the Top 10, and scored 257 points for the whopping 33.2% of players who selected him.
Second best selection: With his 20th place finish, Hunter Shryock was the next best pick in Bucket D. The Tennessee pro scored 235 points while being selected by 6.3% of players.
Lowest scoring angler: Jake Whitaker didn’t have his best event at the St. Lawrence River this time around. The North Carolina pro scored just 97 points and was selected by 0.4% of players.
BUCKET E: MUELLER
Paul Mueller has experienced extreme up and down results at the St. Lawrence River, but this time around he notched a fifth-place finish, his second in the last three years on this body of water. Mueller scored 280 points for the 22.1% of players who selected him.
Second best selection: Kyle Welcher caught the big fish of the tournament which gave him enough bonus points to be the second-best pick in Bucket E. The Alabama pro scored 267 points and was selected by 4.1% of players.
Lowest scoring angler: Elite Series veteran David Fritts never got it dialed in at the St. Lawrence River. Fritts scored just 95 points and was selected by 0.2% of anglers.
