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FANTASY: Can Rojas repeat?

By: Rob Russow  (archive)
ESPNOutdoors.com

Pundit picks for upcoming tournament

The final Pundits' Picks of the year and our prognosticators have broken out all the stops. From Kyle Carter's massive 700 word undertaking to Alan Clemon's reliance on names like Kevin Wirth and John Murray, these choices are sure to leave you either grinning or scratching your head.

Also, the end of the season means pundits are noticeably absent, perhaps especially embarrassed about their picks from throughout the year. Note the silence from Mark Zona's corner of cacophony.

Editor's note: Zona eventually did text in his picks. Here is what he said, maybe you can decypher it:

"Zs pics no expl im out o touch. Wolak ike aaron skeet kvd"

The pundits that did show up mostly seemed to agree that Dean Rojas is again the favorite this year. After winning in 2008, his confidence and ability is high and if he doesn't win again, it would be a shock to see him outside the top six anglers by day's end Sunday.

Other common choices were 2006 winner Tommy Biffle, Mike Iaconelli and Steve Kennedy. Ike has been the most consistent of the group and did bust a monster 20-pound, 1-ounce stringer on Day Two of last year's contest. Kennedy has been almost as impressive, throwing his Kinami Flash to the tune of three top-30 finishes including his second-place showing at the Oneida/Onondaga Major event.

The dark horses were darkest of all now that the end of the year has arrived. James Overstreet chose Ken Cook, fishing in his final tournament. Alan Clemons chose Kevin Wirth, whose best Oneida Elite fishing was a 16th. Kyle Carter must have forgotten to only chose five anglers and picked seven including his dark horse, Chris Lane. He kindly gives you a few mulligans if you aren't feeling too adventurous.

Thanks for playing and good luck at the final event.

Here's a look at who our pundits like on Oneida:

James Overstreet
ESPN Outdoors Photographer

Tommy Biffle — Not only has he won on Oneida, he's in 13th place in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of they Year standings, one spot from qualifying for the post-season festivities in Alabama. If there's one guy on the Elite Series you want on your side in a tough spot, and a guy that terrifies Mark Zona, it's Tommy Biffle.

Kevin Short — There is no logical reason to pick Short based on his previous performances at Oneida. No reason but the huge advantage of momentum. Short is coming off his first win on the Mississippi River in Iowa, and ranks 10th in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. Short needs to make the cut to fish on Saturday, move into the top 40, and he's in the post-season.

Dean Rojas — He won on Oneida last year, and if the 2007 Bassmaster Memorial on Oneida hadn't been moved to a hole-course on nearby Lake Onondaga, Rojas may have very well have won that event.

Mike Iaconelli — Ike is fishing so well right now, he and Rojas are my two top picks to fish on Sunday.

Ken Cook — If Cook doesn't change his plans this could be his final Elite Series tournament. Cook puts an exclamation point on a great Bassmaster tournament career by making the 12-cut and fishing the final day of the 2009 regular season schedule.


Kyle Carter
ESPN Outdoors Editor

When your picks need an intro, you know you're not in a good place (no offense Clemons), and as you can probably tell by my intro, I need an intro. See, I'm in a league with a lot of my good buddies who know almost nothing about BASS and the Elite Series. It was my own little form of beat the pro.

About two-thirds of the way through the season, I was in fourth (out of nine), and catching some flak. As a man who doesn't know how to shut up and act disinterested when he needs to, I started firing back with wagers. Three tournaments later, I'm in sixth and now I'm on the hook for two rounds of golf and a six pack if I don't make up 400 points in the finale.

In order to do that, I need a real strong team that doesn't include VanDam or Reese. And, in reality, I need VanDam or Reese to do average, which I don't think is going to happen, but I've got to move somehow and trading even points doesn't do me a lot of good right now.

So, if you're in my position and need to make a move, maybe these picks will help. Or maybe, you read that I was in sixth in a league with people who know nothing about the Elite Series and you skipped these picks. That would probably be the best move. (end intro -- begin picks)

Dean Rojas — This is a great pick for those of us trying to make up ground. He's probably too expensive for the guys holding both Reese and VanDam, which are probably the guys leading your league, but he's the best pick for this lake. He can get the largemouth bite while the rest of the guys pound out 10-pound smallmouth limits.

Mike Iaconelli — His only four finishes on Oneida, in chronological order from the latest to the oldest are third, 10th, sixth, and 35th. Not to mention he's fishing with confidence (or at least he was at the last Elite a month and a half ago — I'm not sure if it still counts as being hot). Sitting sixth in the TTBAOY standings, he has a spot in the playoffs all but locked up, so I see him going for a weak smallmouth bag early, then grinding out the largemouth late. A full day of fishing smallmouth to upgrade a pound won't do him much good.

Steve Kennedy — Kennedy is going to be hit or miss in the event and I'm betting on the fact he's going to hit. The way I see it (and hopefully the way he sees it) is he has nothing to lose by going and banging on the largemouth all day (except maybe $10,000, but who needs money?). He's in 20th place in the TTBAOY standings, which is within shouting distance of the playoffs, but well out of concern for the Classic cut.

Two options for the last two, adjusted for pricing:

Bobby Lane and Tommy Biffle — I just like Lane's ability to catch big fish and Biffle has killed Oneida the last few years. This is a pretty solid five guys that fit in the budget, but I'm a little wary of Bobby Lane for some reason — something in my gut tells me he's a little too content after winning this year. It's a bit of a long shot for him to make the top-12 and an even longer shot for him to get pushed out past 36th (Classic cut). So, I'm afraid he's going to be a little too relaxed. I can't decide if that will really help or really hurt, so I've devised a backup plan …

or

Kelly Jordon and Chris Lane — Kelly Jordon is a proven big fish guy and he's in relative playoffs comfort, sitting in seventh in the TTBAOY standings. Chris Lane fits nicely into the price if you play these five. He's had a tough year, but he's also had a month to shake off the effects and he's finished 13th, 16th and 28th in his three tries on Oneida.


Alan Clemons
ESPN Outdoors contributor

Goodness. The final tournament? Already? The one to decide the first of this season's two TTBAOY titles? If nothing else, the smallies will be fat, the weather won't be as horribly humid and we'll see a gamut of emotions from the anglers.

On to the picks…

Boyd Duckett — The 2007 Classic champion desperately wants to ensure he qualifies for the 2010 Classic on Lay Lake, site of his title three years ago. He'll be grinding and doing whatever is needed to lock up that berth.

Steve Kennedy — Gut feeling on this one.

John Murray — What? Who? Murray? A desert rat? Yep, and don't discount him. He seems to do well on the northeast waters and should be a consideration.

Kevin Wirth — Another selection coming from my gut instinct. Maybe it's just a good Karma vibe.

Randy Howell — This isn't a homer pick, despite two other Bama guys in my list. Howell has done well here before and currently is in the top 12 with a shot at the post-season events. He'll be striving to make sure he stays in that group.


Tommy Sanders
Host Bassmaster Tournament Trail

Ken Cook — Who can't pull for the man who's closing out a great career this weekend. We owe him that and a lot more.

Peter Thliveros — Pete is finally ready to put a happy ending on this rough season.

Dave Wolak — Why would he not remember how to catch 16-plus a day here.

Jared Lintner — My western guy for this rodeo.

Kota Kiriyama — Dropshot for two years Great Lakes greatness.


Rob Russow
ESPN Outdoors pundit upstart

Dean Rojas — BOOM! That's the sound a bass makes sucking in Rojas' frog on the crystal clear waters of Oneida Lake. That will also be the sound of the BASS Fantasy Fishing leaderboards as I blast my way to the top. I'd lay odds on Rojas to be a shoo-in top-12 finisher and maybe even go back-to-back in Syracuse.

Mike Iaconelli — No other Elite angler has been stronger than Ike on Oneida. From sharing a flat with Ken Cook back when the Elites first came here in '06 to ripping baits out of the grass in '08, Iaconelli has proven that versatility and his northern flair combine to form a deadly combination on this lake.

Russ Lane — Russ Lane is a pick that only costs 17.1 points and only .9 percent of all fantasy managers have chosen. He's made one 12-cut at Oneida and both 50-cuts. Expect him to go for broke this week, needing nothing short of a super-human effort to break into one of the 12 postseason slots from 21st place. He might break, but he might break in.

Tommy Biffle — Biffle's got one win this season and very nearly picked up another on the Mississippi River. I'm guessing he's mad and can't wait to get shallow on Oneida. He's been one of the most consistently good performers up here after Ike, including a win in 2006.

Alton Jones — Say hello to the newest leader of the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points after Oneida. What? Crazy, I know. But Jones has the Oneida moxy to pull off a top-6 finish and cut that 70 point deficit to zero heading to Alabama.



Fred Lalande
Bassmaster.com Web Producer

Michael Iaconelli — Ike should be a lock for this event. He finished in 6th place at the 2006 Empire Chase, 10th at the 2007 Bassmaster Memorial and 3rd at the 2008 Champion's Choice. Also, he's about due for a win after having been the runner up at both the Bassmaster Classic and, quite recently, the FLW Championship.

Dean Rojas — Rojas is money on this lake. He won the 2008 Champion's Choice here and came in 4th at the 2007 Bassmaster Memorial.

Stephen Kennedy — I'm not sure if it's because the Syracuse Orange have nearly the same colors as the Auburn Tigers, but Steve Kennedy feels right at home around here. He finished in 30th place at the 2006 Empire Chase, 2nd at the 2007 Bassmaster Memorial and 19th at the 2008 Champion's Choice. Also, he's only 8 places out the post season so lack of motivation will not be a factor.

Dave Wolak — I'm predicting a 5th place finish for Wolak since that is exactly what he did at the 2007 Memorial and 2008 Champion's Choice. Note: He was 4th at the 2006 Empire Chase.

Jon Bondy — Jon Bondy has been solid here in the past. He finished in 10th at the 2003 Northern Open, 22nd at the 2006 Empire Chase and 24th at the 2008 Champion's Choice. In addition, he's a great value at 14.4 MKT.




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