In the process of interviewing several anglers on the Inside Bassmaster Podcast, one thing I gathered was that the expectations are all over the place. The combination of inconsistent water levels, lack of grass in certain areas and the inevitable inconsistent weather has anglers uncertain of what to expect.

There will certainly be a handful of anglers who have breakthrough events at Okeechobee, but my overall Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing strategy for this event is similar to the strategy I would use for a northern smallmouth event. By that, I mean that I am going to stick with anglers who have a history of success in the state of Florida.

Let’s get into my picks.

BUCKET A: JOHNSTON

Considering the number of anglers in Bucket A that have a proven history of success fishing in Florida, Chris Johnston may seem like an odd pick. However, during his stint fishing the FLW Tour, Johnston fished the south Florida fishery a number of times and notched two top 10s during that time. Despite being known as two of the world’s best smallmouth anglers, both of the Johnston brothers have experienced a great amount of success fishing in the state of Florida early in the year. Look for Chris to start the season off strong.

Solid secondary selection: It’s hard to believe that Drew Cook is sitting below a 10% player percentage in Bucket A considering the location and potential for spawning bass. The Georgia pro hasn’t fished the number of tour level events at Okeechobee as other anglers, but he does have a history of jumping out to a great start early in the season. This event sets up for him to do just that.

BUCKET B: HACKNEY

Typically, when an angler is at a nearly 40% player percentage, I try to stay away from picking that angler, but I just couldn’t justify not rolling with Greg Hackney in Bucket B. The Louisiana pro is well known for being one of the greatest power fishermen to ever live which sets up perfectly at Lake Okeechobee. This is evident in the numbers, as Hackney has finished inside the Top 10 three times at Lake Okeechobee in four B.A.S.S. events. Hackney is another angler that historically starts the Elite Series season off with a bang.

Solid secondary selection: At just under a 7% player percentage, Scott Canterbury could be an excellent pick in Bucket B. Like a few other Elites, Canterbury has plenty of experience fishing the Big O during his FLW Tour days including three top 10 finishes between 2010 and 2018. The 2019 Bassmaster Angler of the Year had a bounce-back season in 2022 and looks to build off of that momentum.

BUCKET C: SCHMITT

If grass is part of the equation, you can bet that Bryan Schmitt is going to be the answer. It’s hard to justify momentum after a six-month offseason, but nobody has more built-up momentum from the end of last season than Schmitt. The Maryland pro has two top 10s at Okeechobee in other pro level events as well. Look for Schmitt to dissect the abundance of grass in the Big O.

Solid secondary selection: It’s entirely possible that I’ll look back at the end of the event and kick myself for not picking Scott Martin on his home body of water. I wouldn’t be surpised one bit if that ends up being the case, but the near 70% player percentage has me feeling like I should take the risk on a lower player percentage like Schmitt.

BUCKET D: CREWS

Considering his up-and-down results at Lake Okeechobee, it’s a little surprising to see John Crews knocking on the door of a 20% player percentage. With that said, Crews has a tendency to start the season off by making a statement like he did last season at the St. Johns River. When it’s gone well for Crews at Lake Okeechobee, it’s gone really well as he has two Top 10 finishes in six B.A.S.S. events. After a disappointing end to the 2022 season, look for Crews to get back on track early in 2023.

Solid secondary selection: Although there will likely be plenty of patterns in play, you can almost always count on true flippers to do well at Lake Okeechobee which is why Matt Herren is a great choice in Bucket D. The Alabama pro doesn’t have great results at the Big O in B.A.S.S. events, but he has finished inside the top 10 in two FLW events.

BUCKET E: LOGAN

After a disappointing 2022 season, expect Wes Logan to bounce back in a big way at Lake Okeechobee. For the same reasons I believe Herren could be a factor, I also believe Logan could get it done. The Alabama pro feels at home with a braided line rod in his hands, and he will have plenty of opportunities to exploit that in south Florida.

Solid secondary selection: Derek Hudnall is another angler that is more than comfortable with a flipping stick in his hands. The Louisiana pro needs to bounce back in 2023 after a down year in 2022, and Lake Okeechobee could be the perfect starting spot for him to get back on track.

Mercury Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge

• Cliff Prince
• Scott Martin
• Bradley Hallman
• Koby Kreiger
• Kyle Welcher
• Derek Hudnall
• Bernie Schultz
• Bryan Schmitt

Well, the time has finally come!

The venue

The first stop on the schedule is historic Lake Okeechobee. This massive bowl of a fishery has an average depth of just 9 feet and literally has hundreds of miles of grass lines. All of that incredibly healthy fish habitat means one primary thing – it has big bass.

The Elites have been there just twice since the formation of the Bassmaster Elite Series, in 2012 and 2017, both of which took huge weights to win. In 2012, it took more than 100 pounds to win, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see those kinds of weights in this event.

The bass should be in all phases of the spawn. That means some will be coming to the spawning areas, some will be set up doing their thing and some will be on their way back out. Watch out for anglers who like to flip, but even more than that, are patient and thorough. You’re likely to hear the phrase “picking it apart” a ton during the coverage which effectively means not leaving a blade of grass unexplored in an area that has potential.

The strategy

It is incredibly important to get the season started right, which means playing it safe early on. That’s not say it’s only worth looking at the highly owned anglers, but keep in mind, it’s not worth blowing the first tournament and taking yourself out for the season. You’ve probably heard anglers say, “You can’t win it on the first day, but you can sure lose it.” That certainly rings true with Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing.

Let’s get into some picks. Man, it feels good to write that. 

BUCKET A: COX

Starting off strong with the safe, smart picks, John Cox is heading up my roster. He has built his career excelling in shallow water, primarily using his gut instincts to put himself in position to intercept bag-worthy bass. Earlier in his career, he booked several top 20 finishes, including two 12th-place finishes along with a second in 2012. He’ll be flipping, throwing a frog and possibly winging a swim jig. He hasn’t fished any professional events since August, so you can bet he’s ready to get the season started.

Don’t forget about: Chris Johnston

Canadian Chris Johnston should absolutely be in your short list of anglers in Bucket A. He isn’t afraid to go for broke and do things other anglers won’t. He has spent decades fishing grassy Canadian northern largemouth fisheries and will certainly be comfortable breaking down the lake.

BUCKET B: HALLMAN

If you haven’t been following the career of Bradley Hallman, you’re missing out on watching one of the most invested and driven anglers in the sport. Hallman will not be coming in as a rookie. He has more than 100 events under his belt with B.A.S.S., having fished the tour from 2005 to 2013 before making a change to another pro tour. However, a few years ago he put all of his efforts into returning to the Elites. After a dominating performance in the Bassmaster Opens, he will be returning with a new fire in his eyes.

As far as picking him for this event, the last several years have led to this tournament. He has said in interviews that he will not be nervous, but rather, excited to be fishing at this level again. He is one of the most consistent and dominant flippers to ever fish at the pro level, and you will see that in action here. Swimjigs and spinnerbaits are also high among his choices of weapons. If he can stave off the nerves, it will be very exciting to watch.

Don’t forget about: Buddy Gross

My mind goes back to last year’s event on the Harris Chain, where Buddy Gross found a sweet spot where bass were consistently coming and going during the event. This attention to detail led him to his second Elite win. There will be a lot of opportunity to catch fish, but the guys who narrow it down and key in on those little x-factor subtleties will finish well.

BUCKET C: SCHMITT

You may tell me I’m crazy for not picking the guy in the paragraph below, but hear me out. Bryan “Grass Bass” Schmitt is absolutely worth considering. His resume on shallow grass fishing is strong, with a ton of high-end finishes, including a second on Okeechobee in 2018. While many anglers are going to rush to the hard cover, he will probably find himself in a little deeper water fishing for under-pressured bass. 

Don’t forget about: Scott Martin

Clewiston, Florida’s son, Scott Martin, certainly knows this lake better than any two other anglers in the field. The decades around this lake give him a huge amount of history to pull from. That’s exactly why I’m not picking him. Martin is an incredible angler. The thing about him though, is that he tends to spin out when he has too much information. It keeps him from fishing clean and ultimately burns him. Last year on the Harris Chain, he secured his first Day 3 on a Florida lake in three attempts as an Elite angler. That said, his history from 2002 to 2018 has eight top 25 finishes on Okeechobee out of 11 attempts in professional tournaments. I’ll be keeping a close eye on him though leading up to the event. His recent YouTube videos and social media posts look to me like he is focused and ready to get the work done. Can he keep the wheels on the track? Time will tell.

BUCKET D: WELCHER

After a devastatingly close runner-up finish at the Classic, it seemed like Kyle Welcher couldn’t find his bearings throughout the remainder of 2022. However, it’s a new year and time for a fresh start for the fourth-year Elite Series angler from Alabama. In his rookie year, he was picking apart a mat of vegetation when he came across a massive 10-pound bass that saw him through to a Championship Sunday finish in his first Elite event. That showed us much of what we needed to know about this guy. He is instinctual, intentional and smart: a deadly combination. He excels at fishing shallow cover with a flipping stick and a frog. Buckle up. I’m calling it now. This will be a great season for Welcher.

Don’t forget about: Cliff Prince

Cliff Prince is another angler with a ton of history fishing in Florida. In 2017, he finished in third place here doing what he loves. He is an incredible sight fisherman, and if the weather allows, he’ll definitely put a few in the boat doing that.

BUCKET E: KENNEDY

We’re rounding out our team with the wily veteran Steve Kennedy. Swim jigs are his forte and will almost surely get him some explosive bites. If he can keep them pegged, it could be a great event for him. He might even bust out a swimbait or two if the stars align. He has mixed results on Okeechobee ranging from second to triple-digit finishes. I’m giving him the nod here, not for his history though, but for his technique specific skills. There may be a few surprises here in Bucket E, but I’m aiming for a shoe-in Day 3 qualifier.

Don’t forget about: Will Davis Jr.

When talking about swim jigs, you’d be a fool to leave the name Will Davis Jr. out of the conversation. Davis comes to the Elites as the 2022 B.A.S.S. Nation champion after a fantastic season. He is a versatile angler, but he loves fishing shallow grass. If the bass are chasing down a swim jig, look out.

Mercury Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge

• Drew Benton
• John Cox
• John Crews
• Bradley Hallman
• Koby Kreiger
• Scott Martin
• Bryan New
• Cliff Prince

When the Bassmaster Elite Series last visited the Big O in 2017, it was a very different field of competitors. Likewise, as is always the case there, it was a very different fishery. With each storm and weather change, the lake is altered, but there are several semi-persistent truths:

• For a huge lake, it tends to fish small.
• Clear (or “clearer” water) is critical.
• In all but the rarest occasions, healthy vegetation is the ticket.

We are going to see some really good areas packed, and some really good anglers leaving those areas with subpar catches. The grass nerds will win out, either by having a subtle tweak to their bait, by hunkering down and grinding it out or by locating something just slightly off the wall.

As noted above, only about a third of the field from 2017 will compete in this event, but even those who have never fished here know the basics of Florida fishing and what to expect. With that in mind, here are my picks:

BUCKET A: COOK

My pick: We may be a little early for a sight bite, but if any exists, expect Drew Cook to find it. Even if it doesn’t, expect him to be at or near the top of the standings. Not only does he have tons of Florida experience, he has finished in the money in 80% of his Bassmaster events, and he usually starts off strong: 18th, 12th and fourth to start 2019; 18th and fifth to start 2020; a slight hiccup in 2021; then ninth, 51st and a victory last year.

Solid backup: All three of the veteran Canadians (there are four total in this bucket) have lots of history in Florida and love to flip heavy grass. Consider Chris Johnston for this spot as he resumes his quest to be the first non-American Bassmaster Angler of the Year.

BUCKET B: CANTERBURY

My pick: Past Elite AOY and two-time Forrest Wood Cup runner-up Scott Canterbury finished 19th there in 2013, seventh there in 2014, and eighth there in 2018. After an off year in 2021, he bounced back with a solid campaign last season and would like to get back into AOY contention. He might ride a swim jig or a flipping stick – or both – to start that process off right.

Solid backup: Greg Hackney is a rightfully popular pick in this group, and with good reason. Not only did he finish fifth at Okeechobee in 2017, but he’s one of the most patient, methodical flippers to ever live. If there’s a cold front and the bite shuts down, he could ride that big fish mojo to his seventh Bassmaster win, and first since 2018.

BUCKET C: SCHMITT

My pick: When there’s grass, whether it’s Florida, New York, Maryland or on the moon, Bryan Schmitt is going to catch ‘em. He was the runner-up at Okeechobee in a 2018 FLW season-opener (during an otherwise painful season) and seems to be dialing in his winning ways just a bit more every year.

Solid backup: It’s tough not to pick Scott Martin here, as evidenced by his near-70% player percentage. Cut him open and he likely bleeds a viscous blend of Okeechobee mud, and it’s doubtful anyone in the field has spent as much of their life chasing bass on this particular venue. It’s just that the contrarian in me almost always struggles to pick someone who’s so incredibly popular.

BUCKET D: PRINCE

My pick: Despite what I wrote above about Scott Martin, sometimes you have to go with a high-ownership pick, especially in Buckets D and E. Cliff Prince finished third at Okeechobee in 2017, and while his results at Florida fisheries other than the St. Johns are inconsistent, he has as much knowledge of how to fish in the Sunshine State as anyone in the field.

Solid backup: The sentimental pick here is Larry Nixon, who back in the Megabucks days made lots of highlight reels fishing in Florida. Don’t ever count him out, especially on a venue that he’s been fishing since before most of the current Elite field was born.

BUCKET E: LOGAN

My pick: There’s no question that Wes Logan can catch bass, especially in the grass (as evidenced by a win at Neely Henry, two top fours at Guntersville and a third-place finish at the Upper Mississippi) and a strong start will set him on the right path. It will also help him show that he’s the pro who finished 13th overall in 2021, not the one who was 74th last year.

Solid backup: After almost failing to requalify for the Elite Series, this year is a chance for Darold Gleason to surprise some people. Big fish experience? Check. Grass fishing expertise? Check. The tools are there; he has to put the pieces together.

Mercury Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge

• Drew Benton
• Drew Cook
• John Cox
• Greg Hackney
• Wes Logan
• Scott Martin
• Cliff Prince
• Bryan Schmitt

It has been since 2017 that the Bassmaster Elite Series has visited famed Lake Okeechobee, so this one will be an interesting one to watch. Being mid-February in Florida, there’s no doubt spawning fish are going to play a factor on the 476,000-acre lake. I would imagine there will also be fish coming and going from the spawn, so it is likely it could go down as a big bass showdown.

It is also interesting in the sense that each year is different on Okeechobee just due to the grass growing in different places. Plus, you factor in the hurricane that ripped through there last year, and this will be a different Okeechobee than in years past. I think over the course of a four-day tournament, whoever figures out an area with the right mix of hard spots mixed in with some grass as well as just being able to adjust to the wild weather that could possibly happen has the chance to come out victorious. 

BUCKET A: LESTER

No stranger to success in Florida, I look for Brandon Lester to be a big factor in this tournament, especially if you can consider the roll he was on towards the end of the 2022 Elite season. Lester notched a 22nd-place finish on Okeechobee in 2017 but has finished inside the top 20 in Florida 10 times. When you mix in some shallow flipping and power fishing, I am hard-pressed not to take him.

Alternate: John Cox

One thing I am going to do this year is not get caught up on percentages of how many people have one angler on their roster. John Cox is selected at 46%, but rightfully so with his storied success in the state of Florida. If I didn’t pick Lester, I would most likely roll with Cox. Last year during the Florida swing, Cox never finished outside the Top 10, and he will look to carry that same momentum into 2023.

BUCKET B: HACKNEY

When you look up shallow-water flipping in the bass fishing dictionary, you will most likely find a picture of Greg Hackney beside it. Hackney claimed a fifth-place finish the last time he visited Lake Okeechobee in 2017. This event is going to set up right in his wheelhouse, so it’s hard to imagine seeing him outside the cut.

Alternate: Bradley Hallman

One guy that sticks out to me that isn’t highly picked is Bradley Hallman. He’s returning to the Bassmaster Elite Series after being away since 2011, and I would assume he is looking forward to getting his season started in a big way. Hallman took home an FLW Tour win on Okeechobee back in 2016 when he was punching heavily matted vegetation.

BUCKET C: SCHMITT

While Bryan Schmitt might not have fished any tournaments on Okeechobee with Bassmaster, he is certainly pretty comfortable around Okeechobee and mainly just fishing grass. Schmitt cracked a second-place finish there in 2018 on the FLW Tour. Hot off an Elite win back in August, look for Schmitt to carry his success from last season over into the new year.

Alternate: Scott Martin

I don’t know if not picking Scott Martin on Okeechobee is the equivalent of Ronnie Moore not taking Lee Livesay on Lake Fork last year or not. Regardless, not picking him might be a mistake considering Martin has grown up on Lake Okeechobee guiding and winning tournaments. Florida is a different animal though, so I will be interested to see how he does.

BUCKET D: WELCHER

After a rocky season in 2022, I think Kyle Welcher is ready to turn it around, and I don’t think there is a better place for him to do than the shores of Okeechobee. Shallow-water flipping is a strong suit of his so I expect we will see him exploit that during the event. Welcher has two Top 10s in Florida with Bassmaster, and who could forget the 10-pounder he caught during his rookie debut on the St. John’s River.

Alternate: Larry Nixon

I had a hard time not taking The General considering he is making his return to the Bassmaster Elite Series. Number one, just the fact of having Nixon back on the Elites is so exciting to me, it’s hard not to take him as a pick just because of it. For Nixon, getting back on the Elite Series is thrilling, and listening to him on various podcasts, he has the mindset of just keeping it simple this season. I feel like keeping it simple on Okeechobee can be dangerously good. 

BUCKET E: SMITH

Kind of a sneaky pick and one that is going to fly under the radar is Bryant Smith. During his tenure with the National Professional Fishing League, Smith scored two fourth-place finishes in Florida in 2022 as well as a 26th-place finish in the Bassmaster Open on Kissimmee. Smith definitely has experience with grass fishing considering he often fishes the California Delta while he is home in California. I think it will transition well for him and get his season started in the right direction.

Alternate: Mike Iaconelli

Mike Iaconelli is one angler I think could make some noise in Florida. For the simple fact that he has made it pretty clear, he is putting more emphasis on tournament fishing in 2023. He already made the trip down to Okeechobee before the cut-off to pre-practice and explore around to see the lake.

Mercury Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge

This year I am going to play the Mercury Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge a little differently. I am choosing all of my lineups before the start of the season instead of just picking them throughout the season. I have picked my eight anglers for every tournament this season and have them stashed away in an Excel spreadsheet, so we will see how those fare at the end of the season.

I think I made a huge mistake not doing it that way last season, for the simple fact that at the end of the season, I was really left with guys who weren’t really favorites for that tournament. So, my hope is by picking them this way I can have the guys I need at the end of the season to perform. But here are my eight picks for Okeechobee.

• John Cox
• Scott Martin
• Cliff Prince
• Bill Lowen
• Bryan Schmitt
• Larry Nixon
• Caleb Kuphall
• Matt Herren

Pierce amassed 19,372 points in the highly competitive game after the season wrapped up at the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at the Mississippi River. His highest scoring event was at the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic where he racked up 2,540 points. We caught up with Pierce to get his thoughts on winning the grand prize and what strategy he used to come out on top in Mercury Drain the Lake.

How long have you played Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing?

I’ve been playing Fantasy Fishing for seven or eight years now. I have always enjoyed the game.

Which game do you prefer now that you have played both?

When the new Drain the Lake game came out, I really enjoyed it more. Again, I have played Rapala Fantasy Fishing for a long time, but Drain the Lake has a new and different feel to it. I do feel like you have to have so much more strategy with Drain the Lake.

What was your main strategy when selecting your Drain the Lake rosters?

I didn’t really have much strategy for it until after the first tournament this year to be honest. I did fairly well in the first tournament because I picked the winner and got the 300 bonus points, so I sat down for two or three hours and created a sheet of each of my picks for the remaining tournaments. I can remember telling my wife after I set all my lineups, “I think I’m going to win.”

Another strategy I used was mixing in northern guys into southern fisheries and some southern guys into northern fisheries. For example, instead of using the Johnston brothers for the Northern Swing I actually utilized them down south. I did this because it is more typical for the southern guys not to do well on the southern lakes than it is for northern guys not to do well there. In my opinion, southern guys have a better chance not to bomb up north rather than down south.

Did you tend to select anglers based on momentum or history?

I made most of my picks based on history and style of fishing. Obviously, you want to pick guys who are going to be able to fish their strengths effectively at whatever lake or river the tournament is on. I went back and looked at how each angler had done at previous tournaments on the same lake or river or similar places in the past.

What was your highest finish of the year?

I never won an event, but I had two top 100 finishes.

How far in advance do you set your lineups before each event?

I set my lineups for the rest of the year at the beginning of the season after the first Elite event. 

How often did you change your lineup?

I made a few minor tweaks when Chad Morgenthaler retired and had to find a replacement for him at the last Elite. 

Are you looking forward to fishing with Mark Zona?

Absolutely! We’re headed to Lake St. Clair in April, and I am going to be able to bring my wife with me to fish which is super exciting for me and her both. She is an avid fisherman and my tournament team partner as well. 

If you had to give Drain the Lake players one piece of advice to be successful, what would it be? 

I would say make your lineups way in advance at the beginning of the 2023 Elite season and make minor tweaks along the way. If someone is having an uncharacteristically bad year you might move them in with a guy who is having a better year that still suits his style of fishing. 

White, a native of Grapevine, Texas, recently found a love for bass fishing when she met her fiancé, who is an avid bass angler and introduced her to Fantasy Fishing. For White, playing Fantasy Fishing began as a fun way to keep up with each event and have a rooting interest in certain anglers. After finishing second with 1,420 points in the first event of the 2022 season, she knew she had a great chance to make a run at the grand prize. It may seem like luck had to be involved when a new Fantasy Fishing player takes home the grand prize, but White’s strategy was well thought out and rock solid all year.

After her fantastic Fantasy Fishing run in 2022, we caught up with White to figure out some of her strategies and her overall experience.

Did you have a go-to angler you selected often during the year? Also, who is your favorite Bassmaster Elite Series angler?

I honestly never really had one angler that I selected frequently. I mixed it up pretty much all year long. My favorite Elite Series angler is Taku Ito. I really enjoy watching him – I think he’s so much fun to watch because he has such a unique style and throws so many crazy baits.

Do you believe in selecting anglers for Fantasy Fishing that have built up momentum in past events?  

Choosing anglers that had momentum was a huge part of my strategy. I would say the majority of the picks that I made were based on anglers who had been doing well in previous events. As long as an angler had some momentum and the next event set up well with their style, I would select them.

Do you tend to pick anglers that are local to the lake, or do you try to pick anglers based on their strengths and what techniques they are known for?

There were certainly a few times that I went with a local to the specific body of water. I found that I typically chose the local when there was something weird or odd going on with that body of water that would give the local a huge advantage. For instance, it was a no brainer to pick Lee Livesay at Lake Fork with the extremely low water.

What was your highest tournament finish this year?

I actually tied for first in the first event of the year at the St. Johns River, but I ended up losing the tie breaker.

How far in advance do you set your lineup before the event starts?

I set my lineup the day before the event starts. I like to have time to look at all the anglers in each Bucket. It gives me time to really think about who I think will do well in each event. If the event is on a body of water that the Elites have visited, I like to look at the past results to find out who has done well there in the past.

How often do you change your lineup after you set it?

I pretty much just picked my first lineup and stuck with it.

How closely do you pay attention to anglers’ social media feeds to see if guys are catching them in practice?

I tried my best to not look into the angler’s social media. I didn’t want it swaying my decision either way.

What are you going to spend the money on?

I’m still trying to decide what to spend the money on, but I’m really thinking about getting a new fishing kayak. I’ve had my eye on the Old Town Pedal Drive.

If you had to give Fantasy Fishing players one last piece of advice to be successful, what would it be?

Don’t get discouraged with a bad tournament. Just because you have a bad event, it doesn’t mean that you’re out of it. Everyone is going to have a bad event or two, so don’t feel like you have to swing for the fences to gain all the points back. With that said, don’t be afraid to select anglers that have a lower player percentage. If you feel like they’re going to do well, just trust your instinct and pick them.

To play Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing in 2023 click here and choose your lineup. The first Bassmaster Elite Series tournament begins Feb. 16th at Lake Okeechobee.

“We’re happy to launch the games early this year to give players more time to choose their teams,” said B.A.S.S. Digital VP Jim Sexton. “With 104 Elites anglers in the 2023 field, including 13 new Elites, we all need time to research our choices.”

In case you missed it last season, you can now sign up for text alerts to remind you about the deadline for each tournament. And, you can now see how your team is performing in real-time, during the tournament, on your Fantasy pages.

Fantasy Fishing participants will be playing for a stellar lineup of prizes once again in 2023. The Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing winner of each individual tournament will receive a prize package that is worth $4,000 or $4,500 depending whether or not the winner is a B.A.S.S. Member. In other words, it pays to be a B.A.S.S. Member!

The player that takes down the competition over the course of the entire year will win a grand prize that features a total ARV of $21,150 or $21,650 if the winner is a B.A.S.S. Member. The grand prize features a $15,000 Bass Pro Shops Gift Card, $5,000 cash, a Rapala package and a trip package for one person to a to-be-determined location in the state of South Carolina to fish with Davy Hite.

Playing Fantasy Fishing is a blast, and it’s also worth noting that it is FREE to play!

For more information about the prizes and rules for Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing, click here!

The Buckets

The 2023 Elite Series field consists of 104 anglers, including 13 new elites. Below is how the Fantasy Fishing Buckets will lay out to start the 2023 season.

BUCKET A

• Brandon Palaniuk
• Brandon Lester
• Chris Johnston
• Drew Benton
• Patrick Walters
• Matt Arey
• Matt Robertson
• John Cox
• Chris Zaldain
• Jay Przekurat
• Gerald Swindle
• Drew Cook
• Taku Ito
• Jeff Gustafson
• Bryan New
• Kenta Kimura
• David Mullins
• Cory Johnston
• Caleb Kuphall
• Keith Poche
• Cooper Gallant

BUCKET B

• Brandon Cobb
• Stetson Blaylock
• Seth Feider
• Bob Downey
• Marc Frazier
• Tyler Rivet
• Greg Hackney
• Jason Christie
• Luke Palmer
• Austin Felix
• Buddy Gross
• Scott Canterbury
• KJ Queen
• Jacob Powroznik
• Cody Huff
• Lee Livesay
• Pat Schlapper
• Clifford Pirch
• Bradley Hallman
• Cole Sands
• David Gaston

BUCKET C

• Scott Martin
• Chad Pipkens
• Bryan Schmitt
• Brandon Card
• Brock Mosley
• Carl Jocumsen
• Shane LeHew
• Hunter Shryock
• Caleb Sumrall
• Bill Lowen
• Ray Hanselman Jr
• Jacob Foutz
• Jamie Hartman
• Jason Williamson
• Jake Whitaker
• Gregory DiPalma
• Paul Mueller
• Joseph Webster
• Joey Cifuentes
• John Soukup
• Logan Latuso

BUCKET D

• Josh Douglas
• Micah Frazier
• Koby Kreiger
• Masayuki Matsushita
• John Crews Jr
• Joshua Stracner
• Mike Huff
• Todd Auten
• Keith Combs
• Clent Davis
• Skylar Hamilton
• Matt Herren
• Justin Atkins
• Kyle Welcher
• Bernie Schultz
• Alex Redwine
• Clark Wendlandt
• Cliff Prince
• Larry Nixon
• Alex Wetherell
• Kyoya Fujita

BUCKET E

• Wes Logan
• Darold Gleason
• Mark Menendez
• Steve Kennedy
• David Williams
• Derek Hudnall
• Justin Hamner
• Hank Cherry Jr
• Rick Clunn
• Ed Loughran
• Michael Iaconelli
• Matty Wong
• Jonathan Kelley
• Frank Talley
• Gary Clouse
• David Fritts
• Brad Whatley
• Kyle Norsetter
• Bryant Smith
• Will Davis

Mercury Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge

The 2023 Bassmaster Elite Series season will serve as the second full season fans can play Mercury Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge. If you missed out on playing Drain the Lake (DTL) in 2022, be sure to set your DTL rosters in addition to traditional Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing.

Drain the Lake is considered an elimination pool game. For the first event, you can select any eight anglers in the entire Bassmaster Elite Series field that you think will succeed in that particular event. The catch is that after you select an angler for an event, you will no longer be able to select him again for the rest of the season. The Drain the Lake format requires an entirely new strategy. As you select your team for each event, you’ll have to think ahead to the upcoming events and make sure the anglers on your team are not better suited for upcoming events.

The Grand Prize winner for Drain the Lake will win a trip to fish with Bassmaster LIVE Host Mark Zona in a to-be-determined location in Michigan that includes round-trip coach-class airfare (up to $500 in value), two nights hotel accommodations (up to a $400 value), one day fishing with Mark Zona and $150 spending money. Also, if the Grand Prize winner is a B.A.S.S. Member as of 6:00 AM ET on Aug. 26th, 2022, he/she will receive an additional $500 Bass Pro Shop gift card. The total ARV of Grand Prize is set at a minimum of $1,050 and a maximum of $1,550. The winner of each individual tournament will also receive a prize package from Mercury that includes a $200 Mercury gift card, as well as an additional $500 Bass Pro Shops gift card if he/she is a B.A.S.S. Member.

To learn more about the Mercury Bassmaster Drain the Lake rules and prizes, click here!

Sign up today and set your rosters for the upcoming Bassmaster Elite Series season!

The Sooch’s comeback was fueled by selecting winners in four of the final five events, which helped make up a deficit of more than 500 points. I finished 726th overall — not that impressive until you consider it was out of about 40,000 players. Although I was some 1,000 points behind overall winner Thunderstruck, my total of 10,987 gave me the nod over the folks who oversee the world’s biggest bass fishing organization.

It would have been nicer to be eligible for some of Rapala’s $90,000 in cash and prizes, which include a $21,000 grand prize and $4,500 to win an individual event. Kudos to all the winners. I didn’t do well enough to qualify for a prize pack, but if I had, I’m an employee of B.A.S.S. and rules state that therein, blah, blah, blah, I don’t get none. 

So, I’m relegated to bragging rights. I’ll take it, even though I’m not usually one to toot my own horn (unless no one’s watching). It was asked that I write this column as the real king of Fantasy Fishing among the Bassmaster crew. And if you dig into the numbers of both fantasy games, it could be said I had the best overall season of the bunch.

Early in the Elite season, Bassmaster LIVE analyst Mark Zona goaded Ronnie Moore, who does TV spots on Fantasy Fishing as well as Mercury Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge, to proclaim he was the king of Fantasy Fishing on the show. All in good fun, Moore did so during his fantasy segments at the Screen of Knowledge … all season long. 

His reports included things like the most selected anglers, the best teams and how his selections were faring. While Ronnie was down on his luck early, which Zona loved pointing out, LIVE host Tommy Sanders was the talk of the town.

I had gotten off to a hot start (for me anyway), picking anglers from the five buckets determined by Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. It was certainly nice selecting St. Johns winner John Crews in the first event, and all five picks at the Harris Chain made the two-day cut. At the Classic, Group D and E picks Bryan New (ninth) and Justin Hamner (fourth), respectively, salvaged my event, so I stood in the 99th percentile of players and led the B.A.S.S. group, Micropterus Publicatus. 

That was before the big fall. At Santee Cooper Lakes, my sad, sad team included Classic champ Jason Christie, who went first-to-almost-worst 93rd. What?? Of course, he goes and wins the next event at Chickamauga, where my picks of expected hammers hammered my total to a season-low 840. Egad, that’s bad!

Sanders, meanwhile, made a big move. His five Santee Cooper selections all placed in the top 15, giving him the No. 1 team in the nation by 20 points. Drew Cook won wire-to-wire (20 bonus points, five for each day leading) and Luke Palmer was fourth with big bag (40 points), helping Sanders score 1,392 points, which turned his 59-point deficit to me into a 457-point lead.

But it’s a long season Sanders. (Strong words now. At that time, I thought I was done.) 

Despite cashing in on the no-brainer pick of Lee Livesay to win at Lake Fork, the Sooch was reeling. With four events left, Sanders had 6,790 points, 548 more than me. Time for the rally cap, and rally shirt, shoes and socks. That’s a lot to make up, so let’s get to work.

Selecting winner Brandon Lester at Pickwick was a windfall with 55 bonus points added to his 300 for taking first, and Jacob Foutz (fourth) and Justin Atkins (eighth) helped provide my highest total of the year at 1,292. Gaining 116 on Sanders was hardly noticed, but down the stretch we come.

All the usual suspects — Cory Johnston (second), Austin Felix (third), Taku Ito (ninth) and Clark Wendlandt (11th) — doing well at St. Lawrence allowed for a 1,216-point event and another 93 points picked up on tsan, Sanders’ Fantasy Fishing team name. 

Ok, full disclosure. I contacted Austin Felix a couple of weeks before the Lake Oahe event for an article on anglers who needed to excel in the final two events to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic, and the following is one of Felix’s quotes in the story. 

“I feel like I should excel at Oahe. If I don’t, I’ll be pretty disappointed in myself,” Felix said. “I feel like I have an advantage over most the field because I’ve been, and it’s smallmouth. I’m going to try to win Oahe, that’s the goal.”

Point taken. With that insider knowledge, which was available to all players, I did pick Felix from Group C, and his victory and 50 bonus points helped make up 170 points on Sanders. I still had no inkling I’d have a shot to win the Bassmaster group, still being down close to 200.

The coup de grace was another Group C pick, Bryan Schmitt, winning at the Mississippi River. It was Schmitt and two others inside the Top 47 cut that gave me a modest 1,048 for the event. However, Sanders bombed. With one angler making the cut, Sanders added only 802 to his total, and that 246-point differential put me on top with 10,987 points. Sanders was second in our group with 10,920, and digital VP Jim Sexton (who assigned this story and gave me an extra $5 to mention his name) was third with 10,796.

Ronnie Moore, remember him, finished a distant fifth with 10,581 points, and his overall ranking in Fantasy Fishing was 3,426th. That was in the 90.8 percentile, still an A but just barely. Ronnie hosts a group appropriately named Beat Ronnie Moore — I was 196th among the 2,504 players while he was 688th. 

All season, Ronnie and Kyle Jessie offered Fantasy Fishing thoughts on a podcast, breaking down who should fare well at each fishery before making picks. I kind of get their oft-used reasoning that an angler picked by 30, 40 or 50% of the players turns them off. They argue you can gain ground with a sneakier pick from that bucket.

I believe that goes both ways — you can lose ground on the field. Picking chalk can backfire. I was among many who got burned with Cliff Prince not continuing his great run at home fishery St. Johns. Yet I find it so hard not to pick home-lake favorites like Buddy Gross at Chick, the Johnstons at the St. Lawrence or Livesay at Fork

That burned Ronnie this year. How can ya not pick the Lee Livesay at Fork? “Oh, he was selected by the majority of the players.” So what? I get that reasoning at times, but it fails me in that scenario. And oh yeah, Ronnie heard about that one.

Fantasy Fishing is a hard game, Ronnie repeatedly says, and I agree. Drain the Lake is quite possibly harder. That’s where Moore said he would excel, and he did. Before the season, Moore challenged Sanders and me to pick our eight anglers for each event. Remember, in Drain the Lake, you can’t use the same angler twice.

So I did a little spreadsheet and put down the three or four anglers who I thought could win at each fishery on the schedule and back-filled in the rest. I did pretty well.

Moore not only won Drain the Lake in the B.A.S.S. group by 42 points over Jessie, but he finished 89th overall, and he’ll tell you he could have beaten the entire field if not for blah, blah, blah. It was impressive, finishing in the 99.6 percentile with 18,336 points, especially on picks done in January.

The Sooch was fourth in the Drain the Lake B.A.S.S. group, scoring 17,704 to finish in the 97.8 percentile at 455th overall. I had winners on my Drain the Lake team in Crews, Christie (in the Classic, which gave triple points), Fork and Oahe.

Ronnie also had four winners, and he lays claim that his Drain the Lake season was more impressive than my Fantasy Fishing results. I agree. It was. My argument stands that I did better overall when you combine both games. My percentile for beating other players, 98 in FF and 97.8 in DTL (195.8) is better than Ronnie’s 90.8 in FF and 99.6 in DTL (190.4).

Ronnie and I both appreciated that former B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin, a stalwart fantasy player, noticed our accomplishments, however, minor they might really be. 

“The TV boys swept the Fantasy Fishing! Feel like I need to come over and hand off the trophies,” Akin texted the LIVE crew. 

Wait, what? There’s trophies?! Bring it.

Finally, I do want to brag on my tiebreaker weights. At each event, players can guess the winning weight. For the first time, there were three Elite events won with more than 100 pounds. Before the season, Ronnie actually gave me the story idea that the Elites could belt out big weights in 2022.

Sure, I was pushing, hoping, praying for some Century Belts, and there were eight on the year. My 102-12 guess for Harris Chain missed by some 25 pounds — Ronnie’s 118-2 didn’t come into fruition either as Gross only needed 77-11. For Santee Cooper, I was close, guessing 101-12, a couple pounds under Cook’s winning 105-5. 

After talking with Livesay about belting out 100 (more insider knowledge), I went a little crazy at Fork, saying 122-0 would take it while Livesay only needed 113-11. (Ronnie’s guess was 123-4.) And at the St. Lawrence River, I guessed 100-8, which second-place Cory Johnston was 3 ounces from achieving and winner Jay Przekurat topped with 102-9 in what was the Elites’ biggest year ever. 

The Fantasy Fishing and Drain the Lake games are fun and provide a lot of water cooler talk. And I’ll predict one more thing: Ronnie Moore will need to answer my claim of Fantasy supremacy. It will be something akin to someone having to respond to “shave and a haircut …” or “Sweeeeet Caroline …” 

Just wait for the ba, ba, ba, it’ll come.