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FANTASY: Smith Mountain Lake Pundit Picks

By: Rob Russow  (archive)
ESPNOutdoors.com

Pundit picks for upcoming tournament

With unpredictable spring weather causing the cancellation of a competition day at both Dardanelle and Wheeler, the 2009 Elite Series campaign has been an odd one from the start. Even though anglers should be fishing four days in Virginia, add Smith Mountain Lake to the mix. Cold fronts and spring rains has made fishing conditions volatile and temperatures may just start warming up when the anglers hit the water for the first day of competition.

A challenging atmosphere awaits the 100 Elite Series anglers, putting a premium on experience and finesse ability. Mike Iaconelli fits that description, with three top-20 finishes on Smith Mountain in three appearances. Ike has been having a great year (minus the 96th at Dardanelle) and six out of seven pundits chose him to do well. The next most popular pick was another hot hand, veteran Skeet Reese, with four supporters out of seven.

2007 Blue Ridge Brawl champion Casey Ashley was next, tying Dave Wolak with three pundits. Wolak, from Wake Forest, N.C., lives only three hours from the lake and has been very successful (top 12s) in both his trips to Smith Mountain for BASS.

Finesse anglers like Jeff Kriet, Aaron Martens and Kotaro Kiriyama all got one mention apiece from our fantasy pundits. With Smith Mountain Lake famous for clear-water and light line, these anglers or even Western anglers like John Murray and Jared Lintner deserve an extra mention.

Here's a look at who our pundits like at Smith Mountain Lake:

Mark Zona
TV Personality

Jeff Kriet — Whether he's bustin' up on pinatas or dobbin' a worm around, he can flat out catch them in clear water. This one sets up perfectly for the Eric Estrada of finesse fishing.

Mike Ike — Why stop now? He's been on my list all year, and that ain't changin' here.

Dave Wolak — Ya, that's right. I got a little finesse theme going, don't I. By weeks end, Smith will be a spinning rod heaven.

Aaron Martens — He reminds me of lyrics in a "Rush" or "Pink Floyd" song when he's talking fishing. I really don't know what he's saying, but it really sounds sweet!

Skeet Reese, KVD and Alton Jones — One of these three will make their push for TTBAOY in a big way at this one. You pick.


Tommy Sanders
Host, The Bassmasters

Casey Ashley — Safe enough bet, with the win here in '07 and the momentum from Alabama.

Skeet Reese — Certainly figured this one out last time, more than ready.

Mark Davis — Won on this style of lake at this time of year a few years back.

Jared Lintner — Similar slow, methodical style to Davis and should feel comfortable here.

Gary Klein — Has been dynamite this year and shows no signs of slowing down.


Steve Bowman
ESPN Outdoors Editor

John Crews — I went to Smith Mountain Lake the last time and still didn't get a good feel for how that lake fishes. But I do know Crews is a local and he will be a factor in this event.

Casey Ashley — It's almost a cop out to make this pick. But he won here last year. And we're actually playing a game where limits are important. Ashley knows the deal here, has confidence and with a couple more years of experience under his belt should fish well enough to help any team.

Marty Stone — The Stone Pony hasn't been a pebble of his old self. He's looking for an event to push him back in the mix. It's a hunch on my part, but I think he will be a good team option this week. He's my dark horse pick of the week.

Skeet Reese — Yawn!

Michael Iaconelli — Almost yawn again. It will likely be pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn. It will certainly be shaky head time, which means Ike will catch a limit every day. Add he's been fishing well to the mix and he becomes a no brainer.


Kyle Carter
ESPN Outdoors Editor

Gary Klein — Klein's been killing it on the Elite Series this year, and he finished 20th when BASS was there in '07. Klein just continues to perform year after year. The guy has missed one Classic (2001) since 1984. He's a picture of consistency, and that's what you should be looking for in FF.

Stephen Browning — Not only is he second in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, but he finished 16th on Smith Mountain in 2007. Not only that, but he's relatively cheap at 18.7 points. There's a risk here that you're buying high when you consider that Browning finished 78th in the AOY standings in '08, but I think you go with his body of work and current hot streak.

Mr. Iaconelli — Ike's on fire, and that seems to matter more than anything else. When you've got that much emotion plugged into one man, positive vibes seem to go a long way. Take out a really odd 96th place finish on Dardanelle this year, and Ike hasn't finished outside the top 10 since last June. Six out of seven in the top 10 against top competition … pick up Ike. (He also finished 18th on Smith Mountain in 2007).

John Crews — Here's your weekly local angle. He finished eighth there in '07, and he lives 45 minutes from the lake. He's not having the best season — in fact, he's having almost the worst. He hasn't finished inside the top 20 since the '08 Classic, but at 16.2, he's worth the risk. Let this be the tournament he turns things around.

John Murray — I don't have a really solid reason to pick Murray other than his 11th place finish here in '07. Murray tends to sneak his way into top 12s, and I like the way things are setting up for him at Smith Mountain. If you want a guy that has the potential to do well that might not be on your buddy's team, try Murray.


Alan Clemons
ESPN Outdoors contributor

Kevin VanDam — Docks? Clear water? Possible bedding fish? Spend the money for this guy. He won't be puking from the flu like at Wheeler a few weeks ago.

Mike Iaconelli — Seems like his confidence and comfort level are on an even plane this season. He may have to slow down a little bit this week.

Rick Clunn — The first of two veterans on my list this week. Why Clunn? Because if the fish are shallow around cover, I think he'll pick them apart with a crankbait.

Zell Rowland — Veteran number two on my list even though things haven't gone well this season for him. I'm holding out hope it will change this week with a chance for him to throw the Pop-R and big spinnerbait.

Kotaro Kiriyama — This is my gut instinct pick and probably one you could pick up at a decent bargain. Kota knows how to finesse things in finicky waters and this could be right up his alley.


Rob Russow
ESPN Outdoors pundit upstart

Mike Iaconelli — I added him to my team at Dardanelle and he finished 96th so I took him off at Wheeler and he finished fifth. Ike's season has been filled with emotional highs and lows thus far and I expect him to be on high at Smith Mountain Lake, where he has finished in the top 20 in each of his three trips there with BASS.

Greg Hackney — The Hack Attack's patience in tempting big prespawn and spawning bass to bite should be a major factor in his success at Smith Mountain. His good finish at the last Elite on Smith in 2007 means he will be comfortable with the water — add the odd spring weather that Virginia has seen in 2009 and Hack should be a very formidable opponent.

Terry Scroggins — Sitting in an uncharacteristic 72nd place in the TTBAOY standings, Scroggins needs to put on a big show to get back into Classic contention. Smith Mountain Lake, site of his second-place finish in 2007, is a great place for him to get his footing back.

Stephen Browning — Browning is having the best year of his career and is breathing down Alton Jones' neck for the TTBAOY. There is still plenty of season left, but a 16th here in 2007 means that he should continue his streak of solid finishes at Smith Mountain.

Dave Wolak — Wolak lives less than three hours from Smith Mountain and has finished in the top 12 in both tournaments he has fished here with BASS. Add to the mix his finesse fishing talent and he is a must-have.


Tired of hearing from anglers, former anglers or writers? Here's Bassmaster.com's HTML guru with a hard look at the numbers.


Fred Lalande
Bassmaster.com Web Producer

Skeet Reese — Skeet came in fourth at the 2007 Blue Ridge Brawl, is ranked seventh in the current TTBAOY standings and is the reigning Classic Champion. He is a must start.

Mike Iaconelli — Ike has three top-10 finishes so far in 2009 and has had solid performances here in the past including: eighth at the 2004 Virginia Bassmaster Open, 19th at the 2006 Northern Open and 18th at the 2007 Blue Ridge Brawl.

Casey Ashley — Casey won the 2007 Blue Ridge Brawl and finished second a few weeks ago at the Dixie Duel. He is currently ranked 12th in the TTBAOY standings and this is a great opportunity for him to move into the top 10.

Peter "T" Thliveros — Peter T should excel here. He finished in 15th place at the 2007 Blue Ridge Brawl and 33rd at the 2004 Virginia Bassmaster Open. Also, his fishing strengths include finesse fishing and soft plastics which should play a role in this tournament.

Dave Wolak — Wolak has been successful here in the past. He finished 12th at the 2007 Blue Ridge Brawl and 10th at the 2004 Virginia Bassmaster Open.



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