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KVD’s running buddies Davy Hite and Scott Rook are also considered top picks – Hite won the 1999 Classic in Louisiana and one of his other six BASS victories came on the Red River in 2001, while Rook is known as a top stick on the Arkansas River, which fishes similar to the Red. Louisianan Greg Hackney is another river rat who’s good in current and with a jig or crankbait. Gary Klein has a storied history in the Classic and a good track record on this year’s venue. Finally, Bill Lowen, even though he’s from Ohio, is another angler who has found his way onto many picks lists – his experience on the stingy Ohio River is deemed by many to give him a leg up on the similar but infinitely more fertile Red River.
But what about the competitors who aren’t getting much love from the pundits?
Who else bears watching?
While we at the Bass Zone make no guarantees, here are six anglers who may not be on your radar screen who are all plausible victors.
Brent Chapman
Nine checks on the 2008 Elite Series schedule and a prior win on the Red River seemingly weigh heavily in Brent Chapman’s favor. He won an Invitational on the Red in 2000, taking an aluminum boat deep into the backwaters. No word yet on whether he’ll be bringing a glass rig or a tin one to Shreveport, but at 36, an age when many anglers seem to peak, the quiet Kansan is building up a strong resume. He’s shown he can win a high-profile event via his victory in the 2005 Busch Shootout, but his seven prior Classic appearances have been less distinguished. He only has one finish outside the top 23 (27th in 2003 on the Louisiana Delta), but nothing above 10th. Is this the year he cracks into single digits? |
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Aaron Martens
Well-known for his three 2nd place Classic finishes in a three year span (2002, 2004 and 2005), many might discount Martens as a finesse specialist who can’t close the deal. But the fact is that he’s one of the most versatile anglers on tour. When he won on the California Delta in 2007, the dropshot got a lot of the press, but he brought out the flipping stick and braid for a lot of his fish, including one of the two double digit pigs he brought to the scales. If it comes down to cranking and flipping, he can compete with anyone, just as he can with a shakey head or dropshot. But if there’s an oddball bite to exploit, you can bet he’s already thought of it – his chosen tool may not be a hair jig or horsey head, but in a tournament that’s expected to have many of the 51 competitors in confined areas, if anyone discovers a winning bite off the beaten path it’s likely to Martens. In his one BASS tournament on the Red, the 2001 Tour event, he finished 22nd.
Brian Hudgins
Hudgins is as hot as a firecracker lately. The Florida pro won the recent Southern Open on the Harris Chain, thanks in part to a massive 30 pound second-day catch, but perhaps more significantly he earned nine consecutive checks to start the 2008 Elite Series season. That proves that he’s not just a Sunshine State phenomenon. Despite the perception that he’s “just another Florida angler,” he calls the St. Johns River home, so he’s not just a grass flipper -- he understands what makes rivers and river bass tick. And with his decision to withdraw from Elite Series competition this year due to financial constraints, Hudgins has no reason to fish conservatively or keep things close to the vest in his first (and possibly last) Classic appearance – if it’s really possible to “swing for the fences,” there’s never been a better time for him to aim that way.
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Shaw Grigsby
Fishing his 11th Bassmaster Classic, Grigsby may not be an obvious pick, but he has the seasoning to get the job done. Despite a poor showing in his one BASS appearance on the Red River (102nd in the 2001 Tour event) and no Classic top tens since 2000, there’s nothing that can phase him at this point. He’s seen it all and apparently the health issues that hampered him in recent years are largely in the past. While sight fishing is highly unlikely to play a role in this event, few anglers understand spawning bass as well as Grigsby. He’s as good at fishing for the ones he can’t see as those that are plainly visible. If a sudden warming trend pulls them up, he could capitalize where those stuck on a prespawn bite and those who specialize at looking at them cannot. |
Matt Herren
Herren is flying under many fans’ radar because he’s an unknown commodity. Despite earning a win in an FLW Series event on Lake Dardanelle last year, as a Skeeter pro on the FLW Tour he did not get a lot of publicity. While this will be his first Classic, he fished five consecutive FLW Championships, so he’s no stranger to the big shows. On the other hand, he has not fished higher than 21st in any of those events.
So why might he excel? He has vast experience on the Coosa River chain of lakes and therefore understands current. Without major name recognition, he’s unlikely to have the flotilla of spectator boats that may plague the likes of the VanDams of the world. And he’s a good pitcher and flipper, strong with a jig in his hand, which may prove to be the dominant lure in Shreveport.
Kenyon Hill
Hill already has a win in Louisiana, the 1998 Top 150 on the Delta, one of his three wins with BASS. His results on the Red River have been less spectacular – 109th in a 2001 Tour event on the river and 83rd in a 2000 Invitational. But he’s come a long way as an angler since then, as evidenced by seven money finishes this year, including an Elite Series win on Clarks Hill. While he may be known as an artist with a casting jig and the Sebile Magic Swimmer in clear water, his Oklahoma roots give him bona fide credentials in dirty water, should those conditions exist. Last year he started out strong with five money finishes in the first six events, and six out of the first eight, including three Sunday appearances. Clearly he “gets” how to catch early season fish and this event could play to those strengths. |
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