FANTASY FISHING INSIDER: Our Insider is No. 1, How About Yours?
Out of the tens of thousands of players to enter Phoenix MLF Fantasy Fishing Presented by Abu Garcia for the first Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit tournament of the 2022 season, there’s only one player who can currently claim the best 10-angler roster. That person just so happens to be one of our FantasyFishing.com insiders, Jody White.
White, a managing editor here at MajorLeagueFishing.com, spends the bulk of the tournament fishing season on the road covering the Pro Circuit and Toyota Series. He’s covered the tournament beat for several years, which makes him the true definition of an “insider” (and a guy whose Crafty Picks for Sam Rayburn story should be required research for the rest of you hoping to knock him out of the No. 1 perch).
Picking the Top Team
White’s team for Stop 1 consists of:
- Matt Becker: Fourth Place with 18-8
- Michael Neal: Fifth Place with 18-7
- Dakota Ebare: Seventh Place with 17-10
- Dylan Hays: 10th Place with 16-2
- Dicky Newberry: 12th Place with 15-12
- Nick Lebrun: 22nd Place with 14-9
- Spencer Shuffield: 29th Place with 13-11
- Cole Floyd: 35th Place with 13-3
- Ron Nelson: 46th Place with 12-3
- River Lee: 90th Place with 10-3
Those 10 anglers combined for a total weight of 150-4 on Day 1 on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, which put White on top of the standings (White leads the second-place player, Keith H, by 1-2). White made (and adjusted) his picks while he was watching practice on Sam Rayburn. His selections were based on a few key factors.
“By the time the tournament rolled around, I was pretty sure I wanted to stay away from the guys who were going to focus on shallow water,” White said. “I wanted to pick guys who were going to have some local knowledge or who were going to fish deep because that’s what the conditions were calling for.”
Gaining Some Insider Information
There are some obvious big names on White’s roster, as I’m sure there are on everyone’s (including the writer of this article, who is currently in 934th place). Michael Neal, Ron Nelson, Dakota Ebare, and Spencer Shuffield were, more than likely, very popular among the players for the Stop 1 draft. However, White made one last-second switch up to his roster thanks to some insider information he witnessed during a photo shoot for the pros.
“Dylan Hays was my last-minute add which I obviously feel pretty good about now,” White said with a chuckle. “Being around him earlier in the week taking his photos, you really got the sense that this wasn’t the same guy who fished last year. He has a new swagger, confidence, a dope new beard, and he seems taller. All of that just points to a guy who was going to figure it out and catch ‘em. Luckily, it worked out on Day 1.”
With an off day on Friday due to high winds and waves on the east Texas reservoir, White was spending his morning re-watching Day 1 for anything he might have missed. Make no mistake, this is no fluke. White lives and breathes tournament bass fishing and has for many years. His familiarity with the field paired with his knowledge for fishing in general make him a lethal competitor for Fantasy Fishing the entire season.
As he takes a day to catch his breath and bask in the glory of his (so far) winning roster, White looked ahead to what might need to happen for him to stay atop the worldwide leaderboard.
“I feel pretty good with my odds to stay near the top of the leaderboard for the final days,” White said with confidence. “I think there’s a pretty good chance that River Lee will have a much better Day 2 than Day 1. I think Ron Nelson can perform better as well because he’ll be an earlier boat out on Day 2. That should give him a better chance to get on that morning bite he kind of missed on Day 1.”
Team entries for Stop 1 are closed, but rosters will open back up for Stage One of the Bass Pro Tour next week. Expect for White to field a competitive team for that contest, too.