Pundits’ Picks: Lake Okeechobee

The Picks competition is on for the 2004 Wal-Mart FLW Tour season. This time it’s personal.

It’s Okeechobee time of the year for the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, and that means it’s time to fire up another season of Pundits’ Picks, where FLW insiders provide a little wit and wisdom on the upcoming tournaments.

This year, we’ve cranked the number of pundits up to 10 and we’ve added a new wrinkle. We’ll start with two teams again – pros v. writers – but, this time, everybody has to earn his keep. That’s right, we’re kicking people out of Punditville, folks, and it isn’t going to be pretty. Throughout the season, we’ll be voting to cull pundits out of competition like 12-inch fish until we arrive at one Pundits’ Picks Grand Champion after Birmingham.

It’s an elimination-style format in the reality-TV model, and it should provide extra incentive for us so-called pundits to put our best picks forward, lest we be culled. Our main goal, of course, is to provide you, the fishing fans, with a little insight on assembling your own team for the FLW Outdoors Fantasy Fishing Challenge.

But, make no mistake, we pundits also want to beat each other badly.

So, without further ado, here are your esteemed players in the 2004 Pundits’ Picks:

The Pro Team

Randy Blaukat of Lamar, Mo. Five-time FLW Tour finalist with two runner-up finishes, 2002 Ranger M1 runner-up. Notable: Moonlights as a professional male model for top fishing magazines.

David Dudley of Manteo, N.C. 2003 FLW Tour champion, 2002 Ranger M1 champion, 2003 EverStart Northern winner, eight-time FLW finalist, six-time EverStart finalist, two-time Ranger M1 finalist. Notable: Recently saved Social Security with a small donation from his FLW Outdoors career earnings.

Carl Svebek III of Siloam Springs, Ark. 1998 EverStart Central winner, 2001 Texas Tournament Trail winner, four-time FLW finalist, three-time EverStart finalist. Notable: When driving his boat, sits on a stack of phone books in order to see over the driver’s console.

Clark Wendlandt of Cedar Park, Texas. Two-time FLW Angler of the Year, three-time FLW winner (1999, 2000, 2001) including two Wal-Mart Open victories (1999, 2001), 16-time FLW finalist, 2003 Picks champion. Notable: Last year, earned more than $10 million in appearance fees while on book tour in support of his international bestseller, “Pundits’ Picks For Dummies.”

Mark Zona of Sturgis, Mich. 2003 EverStart Northern points champion, seven-time EverStart finalist with three runner-up finishes and a third at the 2002 championship. Notable: Like Cher, travels with an entourage that includes a personal moustache stylist and three second fiddles.

The Writer Team

(Who are we kidding? Fishing writers are all the same. All pertinent information is noted below.)

Welcome to all. Now, enough nonsense. Time to get down to business.

Tournament site

The traditional first FLW stop of the season, Lake Okeechobee, is looking pretty productive this season. The water’s up to normal, and the spawn should be in full swing at tournament time. That means the shallow-water specialists look promising. And with the pressure the Big O receives, as always, look for the locals who know the top-secret honey holes to put on a show. Watch out for the weather, though. A testy wind blew EverStart Eastern anglers around the lake quite a bit earlier this month.

Hot picks

We have a lot of pundits, so there are a lot of picks. Anglers earning three or more picks receive mention here.

Two-time AOY champ Clark Wendlandt topped all anglers at the Big O with eight picks. Former FLW Okeechobee champ J.T. Kenney followed close behind with seven mentions. 2003 FLW champion David Dudley earned six, while local pros Scott Martin and Mike Surman earned three. Surging pro Anthony Gagliardi also picked up three votes.

Good luck, fellow Fishing Challengers, and good luck to everybody in South Florida.

– Jeff Schroeder

Editor, FLWOutdoors.com

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Wal-Mart FLW Tour stop No. 1

Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston, Fla.

Jan. 21-24

Pros’ picks

Randy Blaukat

FLW pro, Lamar, Mo.

1) Mike Surman. The undisputed king of Okeechobee is the obvious choice to win here. With January known for bad fronts coming in, this is the time of year in which Surman excels. A mild week could hurt him, but a bad northerner will make him tough.

2) David Walker. Walker is among the group of about 20 anglers who have a lot of experience, knowledge and access to the local information highway that is crucial to doing well on this lake. I have a lot of respect for his fishing ability.

3) J.T. Kenney. Kenney’s experience and past history at Okeechobee earn him a spot here. He is obviously in tune with this Florida lake, and he is one of those “road warrior” anglers who is on the water while a lot of us are working around the house.

4) Randy Blaukat. I’ve finished from about 20th to 40th every year we come here, and I feel I am finally learning how to fish this most intimidating body of water. This is one I would really like to do well in.

5) Scott Martin. It would be foolish not to include Martin. The time he spends on the water here and the local information he can access makes him an almost sure bet to finish well. I will be very surprised if he doesn’t have at least a top-25 here.

David Dudley

FLW pro, Manteo, N.C.

1) J.T. Kenney. You have to go with him since he has dethroned Roland Martin as the new Okeechobee king. Two firsts and a fourth in his last three tournaments shows he can handle the pressure.

2) Anthony Gagliardi. The man from South Carolina. Relatively quiet and unknown, yet he is one of the top sight-fisherman in the world. Very hard work methods. He will be a force to be reckoned with.

3) Clark Wendlandt. Clark is just an all-around good fisherman. He’s strong in every method of fishing and, at this tournament, you need that.

4) Scott Martin. Ball is in your court to take back the title of king from J.T. Do it for your dad! I think he has the knowledge of the lake to adapt to any wind conditions.

5) David Dudley. I love this Florida lake. I think I have learned a lot over the years. I’ve learned both techniques of flipping mats and holes. Plus, the possibility of sight-fishing always excites me.

Carl Svebek III

FLW pro, Siloam Springs, Ark.

1) Mike Surman. Mike won the first-ever FLW tournament on Lake Okeechobee and, having numerous top finishes on his home lake, he is due again. I know Mike pretty well and he has been spending a lot of time preparing for this tournament. Sporting the new Castrol colors this year and looking all pretty, he will come out on top.

2) J.T. Kenney. I had the pleasure of meeting J.T. at the FLW Championship last year. You can see the fire in his eyes. He has had a knack for catching them well on Okeechobee and I really don’t think this year will be an exception. I noticed he did well at the EverStart Eastern on Okeechobee and will have a solid game plan going into the tournament.

3) Clark Wendlandt. Looking at his track record on Okeechobee, only a fool would leave Clark out of the top five. And though they might call me “Too Tall,” I’m definitely no fool.

4) Cody Bird. This Texan is sometimes overlooked, but he can catch them on most lakes under all different conditions. I look for Cody to have a great tournament.

5) Billy Bowen Jr. Billy’s record at Okeechobee is a good one. Fishing in his own backyard should definitely give him an extra edge. Even if it does drop to 30 degrees and starts sleeting, he’ll still find a way.

Clark Wendlandt – 2003 Picks champion

FLW pro, Cedar Park, Texas

1) Alton Jones. Even though Alton is fishing both tours this year, this is the first tournament and I feel he will be ready.

2) Mike Surman. Since I picked him last year, I’m sure the other pundits will copy this pick. But he not only had his best fishing year last year, Okeechobee is his home / favorite lake.

3) Greg Hackney. Greg is from Louisiana and has fished shallow grass his whole life. He is also coming off a great tournament at the James River. I know he is ready to go.

4) Clark Wendlandt. I have had good success at Okeechobee and I love starting the year there.

5) David Dudley. He just flat catches them everywhere he goes.

Mark Zona

EverStart pro, Sturgis, Mich.

1) Randy Blaukat. He’s got that whole, I’m-at-one-with-the-land / Zen-Master thing going on. I hope he’s at one with his flippin’ stick at Okeechobee. If the fish bury up in the thick stuff, he’s my trump card.

2) David Dudley. Truly the most competitive person I know. Anyone who would almost cut their hand off with a chainsaw to win a tournament will always get my vote.

3) Carl Svebek. I believe his height will be a distinct advantage in this tournament. If he gets on some big ones in the bulrushes and cattails, competitors will never find him.

4) Clark Wendlandt. Insane not to pick this one. This is like laying up in golf. It NEVER fails.

5) Chip Harrison. The only friend I’ve ever had who has not taken a swing at me. This shows that he has incredible patience and nerves of steel, which could be critical in this tournament.

Writers’ picks

Patrick Baker

Editor, FLWOutdoors.com

1) Anthony Gagliardi. Though Gagliardi couldn’t make the cut at last year’s FLW event, he made the top 10 in 2002. More importantly, he zeroed in on Big O bass this month at the EverStart opener (sixth place), landing one of the tourney’s biggest sacks on day two.

2) J.T. Kenney. By the same logic, Kenney’s EverStart performance (fourth) this month plus his FLW win in 2002 make him an easy selection.

3) Clark Wendlandt. Sometimes you just can’t argue the numbers: sixth place at the 2003 FLW Okeechobee event, 12th in 2002, 10th in 2000, etc. Makes my job easy.

4) Kelly Jordon. Sometimes the only way to stave off bad luck is to beat it at its own game. Jordon placed unlucky 13th last year with roughly 13-pound sacks on both days one and two. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that luck will be on his side this year.

5) David Fritts. Fritts hasn’t had the best run of luck on the FLW Tour over the last couple years, but he cracked the top 20 at Okeechobee last year and he’s a past Championship winner. He knows how to win, and I’m betting he’s due to revisit his past glories.

Gary Mortenson

Editor, FLWOutdoors.com

1) Clark Wendlandt. As always, Wendlandt will undoubtedly pick himself, but he has every reason to be cocky heading into Florida. He’s finished in the top 20 here all but once in the last five years. On a lake where finalists are as inconsistent as J.Lo. and Ben’s wedding plans, Wendlandt reigns supreme.

2) Mickey Bruce. Hasn’t yet cracked the top 10 at the Big O, but few have been as consistent on the fickle Florida waterway as the man from Buford, Ga. In 2003 and 2001: 14th place. 1999: 15th. 2000: 24th. He’s as steady as they come in the first tourney of the year.

3) Larry Nixon. Nixon hasn’t finished worse than 38th in four years on Lake Okeechobee. In addition to boasting a top-12 appearance in 2000, Nixon is as smooth, steady and savvy as they come.

4) David Lefebre. Not quite a household name yet, but I’d be willing to bet a lot of money that this young gun is going to take the tour by storm this year. Last year, his rookie season, Lefebre finished 27th at Okeechobee and took 15th at the championship. The guy just knows how to fish.

5) David Dudley. Another no-brainer. In my picks last year, Dudley never let me down. As a perennial contender for AOY and last year’s FLW Champion, he’ll pick up right where he left off. Oh, and by the way, Dudley took 11th at the EverStart tournament at Okeechobee earlier this month.

Rob Newell

Contributing editor, FLWOutdoors

1) J.T. Kenney. Don’t argue with Lake Okeechobee success. Two previous wins and a recent fourth in the EverStart means Kenney’s got karma with the Big O. I’m not going to doubt it.

2) Chad Morgenthaler. This FLW Tour rookie has quite a track record on Okeechobee, as well. He had a big fish every day of the recent EverStart, and that’s what it takes to win on Okeechobee.

3) Anthony Gagliardi. Gagliardi has been banging around the top-10 cut of EverStart and FLW events more frequently over the last 12 months. He has a good track record on the Big O and is due for a breakout tournament.

4) David Dudley. 1.6 million and counting.

5) Chad Grigsby. Okay, in case you haven’t figured this out, my picks for FLW Okeechobee are coming straight from the top 20 at the recent EverStart Okeechobee. Grigsby’s hot out of the starting gate and if he could ever get it together for all four days of an FLW, he’d walk away with it.

Jeff Schroeder

Editor, FLWOutdoors.com

1) Clark Wendlandt. Because he’s Clark Wendlandt and you’re not. Plus, since Kevin VanDam took a flyer on Florida, 2004 AOY’s going to be Wendlandt’s to lose. Little secret: He hates to lose.

2) Chad Morgenthaler. He’s a force in Florida, especially at Okeechobee. He finished second at the EverStart tournament here last week, and he’ll do it again next week. Morgenthaler will put up some good numbers throughout his FLW rookie season.

3) Tony Christian. The “Big-Fish Magician” finished 126th at the EverStart here last week – and I don’t buy it. There’s no way the 2003 All-American champ / EverStart Championship runner-up lays such an egg except by design. It’s another one of his mind games. Mark my words, you will see some rookie magic from the crafty Christian on the 2004 FLW Tour.

4) J.T. Kenney. Has quickly established himself as “Mr. Okeechobee” in the last couple years. Funny thing is, he’s from Maryland.

5) Mickey Bruce. Tough call here. Billy Bowen Jr. and Mike Surman deserve to represent the Floridians, and David Dudley, Greg Hackney and David Walker also deserve nods at the Big O. But Georgia’s Bruce is a solid top-20 bet at Okeechobee every year. It’s a points play.

Dave Washburn

Executive Editor, FLW Outdoors

1) Scott Martin. Has yet to live up to his promise on his home water since turning pro in 2000, but he gets my pick at Okeechobee until he comes through. With a respectable showing there during the EverStart this month, I’m betting the Team BFGoodrich Tires pro learned a few things that will pay dividends when the FLW rolls into Clewiston.

2) J.T. Kenney. Kenney first made a name for himself by winning FLW Okeechobee in 2002, his rookie season. That same year, he finished fifth in the EverStart Eastern season opener on the massive lake. This year, he opened the EverStart season with a fourth-place finish. He is dialed into the lake and riding high as a member of the newly formed Energizer Team, so I expect a solid run at the top spot.

3) David Dudley. Mr. Castrol. Since 1996 he has earned more than $1.6 million in FLW Outdoors tournaments, with $1.2 million of that coming in the last two years. He obviously knows how to win when big money is on the line. This year, he just missed the top 10 at the EverStart season opener, so he seems to be primed and ready.

4) Todd Ary. Remember this name: Todd Ary. A member of the newly formed Tyson Team, he is destined to be a fishing superstar. Last year, his rookie season, he finished an impressive 26th in the FLW standings. He also finished 26th at the Lake Okeechobee FLW Tour stop. He may not win, but he is going to crack the top five.

5) Clark Wendlandt. What top-five list would be complete without Mr. Kellogg’s, Clark Wendlandt? He is as competitive as they come, and he dominates almost every statistic that we track. In the seven years that he has fished the FLW Tour, Wendlandt has placed fourth or better in the AOY standings four times, and 10th or better five times. His worst AOY finish: 42nd. Those are incredible numbers.

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