Losers’ Picks: Logan Martin Lake

Welcome to the losers’ bracket of Pundits’ Picks. This is where we throw back into the water all the pundits who are culled from Punditville throughout the season. See, we still care about their picks and opinions, but they just don’t count.

Hot picks

The losers are big fans of Shinichi Fukae, whose AOY-winning steadiness earned him the most picks with five. Mr. Clean, Clark Wendlandt, and the defending FLW Championship winner, David Dudley, are right behind him with four picks apiece. Randy Blaukat, who is fishing hot right now, came in with three votes, as did Aaron Martens. Five pros – Todd Ary, Greg Hackney, Matt Herren, Dave Lefebre and David Walker – each earned two votes from the losers.

Out of all 10 pundits and losers combined, Dudley, Fukae and Wendlandt are the championship favorites with five total picks apiece. Blaukat and Martens are next with four nods each. Then it’s Hackney, Herren, Lefebre and Walker with three picks each. Coming in with two apiece are Ary and Alton Jones.

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Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship

Logan Martin Lake, Birmingham, Ala.

Aug. 11-14

Dave Washburn

Executive editor, FLW Outdoors

Previous tournament score (Lake Champlain): 900

1) Todd Ary.

2) Shinichi Fukae.

3) Clark Wendlandt.

4) Matt Herren.

5) Dave Lefebre.

Jeff Schroeder

Editor, FLWOutdoors.com

Previous tournament score: 836

1) Shinichi Fukae. This pick is harder than it looks, but I think we’re going to see another Japanese native win a national championship in less than a month. Because of his affinity for this fishery, I want to pick Aaron Martens to top-five at this tournament – except for the pesky little detail that he might have to face Shin on Friday. Those two are going to have one epic showdown in the semifinals. But Shin is Shin – he’s probably got just about every bass in Logan Martin marked and charted in his notebook by now – and he will prevail. More history will be made in 2004 when the AOY wins the championship, too.

2) Ricky Shumpert. If Rowdy Ricky can slip past Andy Morgan in the opening round – no easy task, mind you – I think he vies for the title. I know this isn’t Santee Cooper, but I get a sense that Shumpert has a soft spot for Alabama, too. He’s already delivered on the Tennessee River up north and the Tallapoosa and Mobile-Tensaw rivers further south. The Coosa chain is the natural next step for him.

3) David Dudley. Two words: Cash Machine. But this time he’ll come up a little short.

4) Matt Herren. He quietly caught limits for much of the season and collected checks at five of six tournaments so far. Now this Trussville, Ala., pro is coming home to fish in his backyard. The local has a decided advantage over the other three pros in his bracket, and he’s about to collect the biggest check of his career.

5) Greg Hackney. He’ll have a tough go of it beating another local, Todd Ary, in the opening round, but if he does I think he cruises into the finals. With the big fish that Hackney can seem to find anywhere, another strong showing in a big-time event is definitely in the cards.

Mark Zona

EverStart pro, Sturgis, Mich.

Previous tournament score: 799

1) Aaron Martens. I’m kicking out some California love here. This guy is fishing like a mad man these days.

2) Clark Wendlandt. This guy is to me what Newman was to Seinfeld. Just get out there, catch your fish and get me my points!

3) David Dudley. Did somebody say there’s fat money on the line?

4) Jimmy Millsaps. Truly going to be my dark horse in this tournament. This Georgia pro has mad skills when it comes to spotted bass.

5) David Walker. This guy just seems to stand out in big events. This one will be no different if they are biting a jig.

David Dudley

FLW pro, Manteo, N.C.

Previous tournament score: 731

1) Shinichi Fukae. This is a no-brainer. We were practicing in the same area the other day, and he’s so hot that, when I took off my shirt, I got burned.

2) Jacob Powroznik. He’s relatively unknown, but he made the Classic for the first time this year. I know him and grew up fishing with him, and he’s going to break through soon. Jacob’s going to make a name for himself once he gets past the jitters in the big tournaments. I think he’s ready to start handling the pressure a lot more.

3) Randy Blaukat. He’s coming off a good finish at the Classic and there’s shallow-water fishing to be had here. He’s going to do well.

4) Clark Wendlandt. He’s a good all-around fisherman. He’s Mr. Clean.

5) David Dudley. I like what I see: docks. And I feel confident. Let’s just say I like my odds because there’s a half-million on the line. I try to bring my “A” game to these tournaments.

Patrick Baker

Editor, FLWOutdoors.com

Previous tournament score: 707

1) Dave Lefebre. After a cursory bracket analysis, I discovered I had a 3-D situation on my hands that couldn’t be ignored: three Daves in my 12 finalists. And it seems to be the Year of Dave Lefebre. Five top-10s in 2004: two FLWs including a win, two EverStarts and a second-place finish in the All-American.

2) David Dudley. If the winner’s circle made a target, this Dave would be the bull’s-eye. Plus, he’s defending his championship title.

3) David Walker. This Dave’s history merits a pick: former Angler of the Year with 12 FLW top-10s, including one at the last qualifier of the regular season.

4) Greg Hackney. Hackney will be fueled by a year’s worth of bittersweet No. 2 finishes – enough juice to power him at least into the top five.

5) Shinichi Fukae. The current Angler of the Year’s season speaks for itself.

Rob Newell

Contributing editor, FLW Outdoors

Previous tournament score: 704

1) Takahiro Omori. He just won the Bassmaster Classic and momentum is on his side. Sometimes a big win can breed more big wins. Winning the Classic and the FLW Tour Championship in the same season would be huge for any angler, especially this personable pro from Japan.

2) Aaron Martens. He truly understands bass behavior during one of the toughest times of the year: the dog days of summer. Martens won the Forrest Wood Open in June of 2003 and has two second-place finishes in Bassmaster Classics during the “dog days.” The fact that Logan Martin is his new home lake does not hurt either.

3) Dan Morehead. Morehead likes deep structure-fishing in the summer and should be able to rise to the top of his bracket with his deep-water savvy.

4) Randy Blaukat. If a shallow-water bite materializes during the event, Blaukat will be on it. He has fished several Classics on Logan Martin during the summer and he likes the way the lake fishes.

5) Andy Morgan. Morgan can fish by the seat of his pants: shallow, deep and anywhere in between. He stays on the run and makes adjustments by the minute – the kind of game plan that might be the ticket by days three and four.

Randy Blaukat

FLW pro, Lamar, Mo.

Previous tournament score: 692

1) Brent Chapman.

2) Randy Blaukat.

3) Shinichi Fukae.

4) Aaron Martens.

5) Lee Bailey Jr.

Carl Svebek III

FLW pro, Siloam Springs, Ark.

Previous tournament score: 550

1) Clark Wendlandt. This pick is was fairly easy due to his squeaky-clean approach at all tournaments, especially the big ones. He hasn’t won one this year, and he’s due.

2) Carl Svebek. I am voting for myself at this one. I’ve spent too many hours visualizing and strategizing for the tournament to not put myself in the running. I didn’t want to vote me first because of my superstitions. However, I am anxious and geared for this one.

3) Mike Surman. He’s having a good year, a lot like last year. You can bet that, if there is a flipping bite, he will be ready and primed.

4) Chris McCall. I have personally known Chris for a long time and know he has the capabilities to have a great tournament in Alabama. He has really done his homework, and I know he will be ready.

5) Todd Ary. Being a local, he will be tough force to reckon with on Logan Martin.

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