Pundits’ Picks: Atchafalaya Basin

Round one of the picks was a devilish affair. The Pro Team beat the Writer Team at Lake Okeechobee by a narrow margin spurred mainly by the untimely disqualification of a contending Tony Christian from tournament competition on day two. The pros' team average score of 786.8 beat the writers' 772.8.

Victory in hand, the pros won the right to cull one picks player from each team. Since writer Gary Mortenson (899 points) and pro Clark Wendlandt (855) each won top score for their respective teams, they earned protection. So after much scheming, alliance-making and some dubious collaboration, here's who the five pros voted to cull:

Pro Team

Carl Svebek – 2
Randy Blaukat – 2
David Dudley – 1

Writer Team

Rob Newell – 4
Dave Washburn – 1

Culling tiebreakers defer to tournament score. So, since Blaukat (778 points) beat Svebek (720) at Okeechobee, we must say adieu to Svebek from the Pro Team. He and Newell of the Writer Team have the honor of being the first two pundits kicked out of Punditville this season. (Never fear. They're gone but not forgotten, we confess. They still have their say in our new Losers' Picks feature.)

Now eight pundits remain.

Tournament site

Louisiana's Atchafalaya Basin is a sprawling, tide-afflicted waterway consisting of a maze of canals, backwater and timber. It's a shallow-water paradise, and flipping pros should have their way with the fishery using jigs, tubes and spinnerbaits if only they can lock onto the right honey holes. Last year, Paul Elias didn't so much fish his way to victory as drive to it by finding that one remote bass-filled stretch in a seemingly unreachable part of the spillway.

Hot picks

Red-hot David Dudley tops the list, having made all eight of the pundits' top-five lists. Clark Wendlandt and Dave Lefebre both rang in with six votes. Local favorite Greg Hackney received five nods. Bill Chapman took three mentions, and Alton Jones and Keith Williams each received two votes.

Good luck, fellow Fishing Challengers, and good luck to everybody in Cajun country.

– Jeff Schroeder
__________________________

Wal-Mart FLW Tour stop No. 2
Atchafalaya Basin, Morgan City, La.
Feb. 11-14

Pros' picks

Clark Wendlandt
FLW pro, Cedar Park, Texas
Previous tournament score: 855

1) Chris McCall. Chris has a lot of confidence right now and I look for him to do very well this week.
2) Dave Lefebre. Dave is fishing as well as anybody in the country right now and he did very well here last year. I look for his streak to continue.
3) Clark Wendlandt. I really like the Basin and look forward to fishing this dynamic fishery.
4) David Dudley. You just cannot argue with this guy's track record. He just catches them wherever he goes.
5) Andy Morgan. I think this tournament will be dominated by flipping just like last year. Andy is one of the best in the country.

David Dudley
FLW pro, Manteo, N.C.
Previous tournament score: 839

1) Alton Jones. What can you say about this man except that he is a very good fisherman? He's been at this game a long time and the experience is there.
2) Kelly Jordon. He is a great fisherman who knows how to catch fish. I have seen him catch them consistently and in all types of lakes.
3) Bill Chapman. This guy must be one of the best shallow-water, wood fishermen on the circuit today. Every time he's at the top it has been under these conditions.
4) Keith Williams. This guy is the hottest rising star on any circuit today. He has his confidence where it needs to be and he's hungry for a win. Mark my words, sponsors need to jump on this fisherman before he's too hot to handle.
5) David Dudley. I'm picking myself simply because I like wood: I like to cut wood, and I like to eat wood with my Yamaha. I like any place where I can go four-wheel driving in my Ranger boat since they are built so tough that they can handle anything.

Randy Blaukat
FLW pro, Lamar, Mo.
Previous tournament score: 778

1) Toshinari Namiki. Call it intuition or whatever, but I think Toshi will be the man here. He's had over three weeks to practice, and I feel he is overdue. I saw a Japanese fishing video he did and was totally impressed with his style. Toshi will pay off for me before it is over.
2) Brent Chapman. Brent is very comfortable with this body of water. From conversations with him about this event, I can see his confidence is big here. He has a lot of experience with the Louisiana Delta and will take that to the Basin with him.
3) Randy Blaukat. The Basin was last year – and is this year – my favorite stop on tour. I love this place and the techniques that are used to catch fish here. The key for me here, like all other pros, is to find a place to myself. I have never seen such a big body of water fish so small.
4) David Dudley. It can't be denied, in my opinion, that Dudley is the best angler in the world today, period. (I know you won't let that go to your head, David.) His energy may be different than the normal superstar pro, but the results speak for themselves.
5) Clark Wendlandt. Clark works so hard and is so focused that I cannot leave him out. If Dudley is the best in the world, I think Clark is the most focused and driven – qualities we all admire. The only thing that will hold him back here is the nightmare fishing pressure this place has.

Mark Zona
EverStart pro, Sturgis, Mich.
Previous tournament score: 742

1) David Dudley. He's shredding every tournament he's entering. Plus, he's won enough money to hire me as his personal caddy. (Note: If he loses by an ounce, it would not hurt my feelings.)
2) Clark Wendlandt. What can I say? He's my hero both on the water and off.
3) Dave Lefebre. I made a brutal mistake by not picking him the first tournament. This Kellogg's pro will pick up right where he left off in Florida.
4) Bill Chapman. He is one of the most experienced shallow-water fishermen in the country. If Bill designed a place to cater to his style of fishing, this is it.
5) Greg Hackney. This local gun will be running around like a pit bull in his own backyard. If local knowledge is an advantage, he's the man to beat.

Writers' picks

Gary Mortenson
Editor, FLWOutdoors.com
Previous tournament score: 899

1) Greg Hackney. The only question here is whether the hometown favorite from Gonzales, La., will be picked by every pundit this week. Hackney, who turned in a commendable 15th-place finish at the Big O, seems to get better with each passing tournament.
2) David Dudley. The Manteo Machine finished 14th here last year. Combined with his third at Okeechobee last month, his championship win and his overall consistency on nearly every lake, this pick is a no-brainer.
3) Keith Williams. Gut pick. A great shallow-water fisherman, Williams has really come into his own in the last year or so. He didn't do particularly well here last year, but my spies have tipped me off that Atchafalaya will bring plenty of good tidings for Mr. Williams.
4) David Lefebre. I told you so. As the only pundit to pick Lefebre at the Big O, I was rewarded in spades when the Pennsylvania native finished fifth. Obviously, this kid has what it takes to compete at an elite level on tour. If that weren't enough, Lefebre finished third last year at the Basin. Say no more.
5) Clark Wendlandt. Last year's winner, Paul Elias, deserves mention, but I have a feeling that "Clean Shoes" is on a mission to get back into this year's AOY race. Like Dudley, Wendlandt rarely turns in a subpar performance. This time will be no different.

Dave Washburn
Executive editor, FLW Outdoors
Previous tournament score: 792

1) Dave Lefebre. This second-year pro is taking the FLW Tour by storm. He is the newest member of Team Kellogg's and has already earned two top-five finishes in just seven events, including his third-place showing last year on the Atchafalaya Basin.
2) J.T. Kenney. Team Energizer's J.T. Kenney made a name for himself in 2002 by winning the very first FLW Tour event that he fished. Since that win he has cracked the top 10 one other time, on the Atchafalaya Basin last season.
3) David Dudley. Since 1996 David Dudley has earned more than $1.6 million from FLW Outdoors tournaments. He opened the 2004 season with a third-place finish on Lake Okeechobee, which is an obvious sign of things to come. He's a safe bet to top his 14th-place finish from last year on the Atchafalaya Basin.
4) Clark Wendlandt. Always pick Wendlandt. Always.
5) Greg Hackney. He has yet to crack the top 10 in FLW Tour competition since joining the tour full time in 2001, but he has finished 12th and 13th, respectively, in the last two FLW Tour championships. He's also the closest thing there is to a local favorite on the Atchafalaya Basin.

Patrick Baker
Editor, FLWOutdoors.com
Previous tournament score: 736

1) David Dudley. For some reason I didn't pick the $1.6 Million Man at the Big O last month, and his third-place finish exposed my naivete like a spotlight. The man is on a roll, so this time I just want to catch a ride to the bank.
2) Greg Hackney. Considered a local favorite in 2003, but his performance fell short of expectations. However, Hackney's been extremely consistent on tour the last couple of years and he's coming off a strong 15th-place finish at Okeechobee. I look for him to give the field a run for the money.
3) Bill Chapman. He had a rough start this year, but I'm betting on a strong showing at Atchafalaya based on his No. 2 finish last year as well as his respectable showing at the 2002 championship, which was held on another shallow Louisiana fishery, Cross Lake.
4) Dave Lefebre. Third place at the Basin last year + No. 25 ranking to close out 2003 + momentum from fifth-place finish last tournament = odds-on favorite.
5) Clark Wendlandt. This rock-steady angler earned me 169 points last time out. Do I hear 170-plus?

Jeff Schroeder
Editor, FLWOutdoors.com
Previous tournament score: 653

1) Dave Lefebre. Strong again out of the gate this year. Plus, here's his quote from last year's FLW at the Basin: "This is what I do: It's bass heaven. I love flipping and I love muddy water." In Cajun country, Lefebre will be le winner.
2) David Dudley. Toughest competitor in the game right now, and he loves messy, backwater fishing. Plus, I need his points so I can beat him in the picks. Thanks, Dave.
3) David Walker. Might as well wrap up the top three with a trifecta of "Daves." A solid flipper, a solid record in Louisiana on both tours and a solid start at Okeechobee all mean he'll be a factor at Atchafalaya.
4) Greg Hackney. Last year was a fluke. He'll be prepared at home this year. He's one of those all-around fishermen, meaning he'll catch fish all around you. He's too good to leave off the list in Louisiana.
5) Alton Jones. He's focused. He's practiced. He's rolling. This one's a hunch.

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