Winter 2019
®
Brandon Palaniuk 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Angler
of the Year
Photo: B.A.S.S.
by Pete Robbins
EE CLASSIC
cold (and possibly) snow in mid-March than Conroe, Grand or Hartwell.
If you see the bad weather coming, you might want to favor locals and grinder on your team, rather than big fish studs from the deep south.
SMALLMOUTHS
Smallmouths haven’t been a factor in a Classic since Pittsburgh in 2005, and before that in Chicago in 2000. They could play a role here, especially if things are tough.
These aren’t the Great Lakes smallmouths, but they still grow large and relate to current, and an angler who understands how to target them in the riverine environment may have a leg up on his peers, especially in a cold-front situation where the Florida strain largemouths decide not to play.
TENNESSEE CREW
While there have been some home-state Classic winners
in recent years –
Edwin Evers in 2016
and Boyd Duckett in
2007 – it’s still rare
for a local to win the
big dance.
Of course, most of the Classics have been held on familiar venues where the local advantage isn’t terribly pronounced. That might not
Brandon Palaniuk 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year (AOY) hands over the 2018 AOY trophy to fellow westerner Justin Lucas (originally from California) Photo: B.A.S.S.
hold true on this
portion of the
Tennessee River,
a comparatively
unknown fishery
with little March
tournament history
to go on. That could give an angler like Ott DeFoe a previously unheard of advantage.
WESTERNERS
The Western influence at the tour-level is no longer a novelty – now it’s a factor for everyone to consider. The last two Anglers of the Year – Brandon Palaniuk in 2017 and Justin Lucas in 2018 (as well as 2018 runner-up Josh Bertrand) have been from the west.
This year’s field will include westerners and former westerners including Lucas, Bertrand, A Mart, Dean Rojas, Palaniuk, MDJ and others. Will we see the first western winner since Skeet a decade ago?
JORDAN LEE
Jordan Lee was on many knowledgeable pundits’ watch list to win a Classic someday, but even after coming from behind at Conroe in 2017, there wasn’t much chatter about him winning again at Hartwell – until he did it.
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