Obviously, the strong finish in the Forrest Wood Cup is yet another reason we’re all fist pumping over the level of Western anglers. (Congrats to Kevin Hawk of Ramona!) But most observers also recognize that an individual’s angling strengths sometimes match-up better with certain waters.
So, just for fun, I thought I’d put it out to viewers to put together their own “Dream Team” of fishermen who they think would be a winning combination, regardless of the water. I’m not talking “Fantasy” fishing, but rather I’m looking for you to make some assessments and pick a team with a maximum of five fishermen (only four would be on the water at one time) in case you choose to put yourself on the team as well.
In other words, you can be the captain, the coach, an alternate, a specialist or a full team member. The circuit I would propose would have six stops: including natural lakes, tidal water, deep water reservoirs, as well as a couple of stops on the Colorado River. You know the scouting reports, so you put your team together.
But just a list of names won’t do. You tell me the reasoning for putting your foursome together, which can come from California or any of the border states. You can also pick any angler even if they have been chosen for another team. But be careful with your choices. You load up with four “Delta rats” and any Callville dockboy with year-old line can beat them at Lake Mead.
Need an example? Okay, here’s my team.
MIKE ANDREWS: Recovering physically, but able to navigate his way around the Delta enough to sustain the whole team.
BILL SIEMANTEL: From float n fly to swimbait, with experience on all kinds of water, his shared expertise makes anyone better.
BRENT EHRLER: Tour-tested, not afraid of clear water or tides and the pressure won’t get to him.
MIKE GOODWIN: I trust his know-how from Havasu, south, but I’ll sub him out on Lake Mead–or Southern California’s only natural lake.
Now give me yours!
10 Responses to “Want to captain your own ‘Dream Team’?”
That’s the spirit, TB!
Thanks George. These are fun little polls to conduct and partake in. I think there’ll be a lot that respond to this.
Terry
Sean Stafford — Blew his shot at winning the U.S. Open but he had eminent company in that regard. His win over Robert Lee at the WON BASS Delta event in early February with 22 pounds the last day in the dead of winter was impressive, considering the only Delta rats who signed up were on big fish (Guyle Sternat’s 14.6 comes to mind). But mainly because he can go from the Delta to the desert and isn’t afraid.
Clifford Pirch — This year’s Open champ might be the best junk fisherman in business.
Paul Bailey — Assuming its an overall weight, the current Angler of the Year leader in WON BASS and Clear Lake local is the glue that will seal the victory with solid limits anywhere.
Brent Ehrler — Choice between him and Cody. He beat Cody at Shasta and finished higher at Mead.
Mike Folkestad — Proved at Havasu and Mohave that no one fishes the spawn transition bite better. His 26.7 pounds for a single day at Havasu was mind blowing. Put one of the tournaments on Mohave and one win is a slam dunk. Was catching huge Clear Lake weights when the lake still only had northerns. Solid coach and go to man. Think he overloaded his schedule this year, so this would be the perfect role.
Rick Clunn for starters; sure he is past his physical prime but he understands how fish think, and he knows all the waters. He is my coach, and he is the missing link for some of the young guns on my dream team. If need be he is ready to sub for any one of the others.
Ron Hobbs Jr. This FLW Cup 6th place finisher can catch ‘em anywhere, on four pound test or 65 pound test. He can catch smallies and spots at will; you can’t find water where he can’t catch the bass. This guy can see bass in dirty water, and convince them to bite. He can pitch a dropshot rig far under a dock, or punch hydrilla. With Clunn’s coaching on forage bases of various waters Ron will dominate.
Bret Hite. For whatever reason, he is in the zone now. He has the intestinal fortitude to dominate tough fisheries, and he is a winner.
Brent Ehrler. He understands how to catch big bass in all water conditions.
Skeet Reese. Nuff said.
ciao,
Marc
By water bodies my team would be as follows:
KVD on the natural lakes. He simply has the experience and um…is frickin’ awesome.
Skeet on the tide waters. He is a threat every time on the Patomic and the Delta. If the classic stays in the LA Delta he should be a threat there as well as the ST.Johns River this year.
Brent Ehler on the reserviors. Super versatile and as of right now he is dominating the FLW all over the country. He has an Aaron Martens like quality for catching spotted bass from the coosa to shasta.
Dobyns on the colorado river impoundments. Lots of experience and these fisheries suit his style. He is another angler that seems to have a bit of magic on his side even if he doesn’t need it.
First of all my dream team would not have me as a captian.
1.) Skeet Reese – El Fuego
2.) Aaron Martens – for when that bite gets tough and finness is required.
3.) Matt Allen – Knows how to Targets the Big Fish and is a heckofa guy just to be around.
4.) John Billheimer Jr. – Youngest FLW Champion, up and comer and will put the whoopin on the guys from Havasu to Disco
5.) Dee Thomas- This guy has forgotten more about fishing then the top 4 know…if there is a flip bite I want Dee to be on my team. Plus with Dee and John it brings the median age back to 37 BA HA
These are some pretty stout teams…wouldn’t you agree? 
By foursome I am guessing you are saying pick 4… Uh ummmm!
ha ha ha
For me –
National Team:
1. Skeet Reese – I’ll quote Ash “En Fuego” Anyone not picking Skeet needs a one way ticket to the funny farm! Skeet catches them coast to coast and lives to win. Skeet shows up to win period! Making the cut or cashing a check is not on his mind at all – he wants 1st place finishes and nothing else matters. Besides just the fishing, Skeet is among the best when it comes to marketing products for his sponsors, only Ike even compares to him.
2. Brent Ehrler – Brent doesn’t have a windpipe – he’s got gills. Brent excels in the toughest conditions but, can catch the big girls when its a slugfest. What separates Brent from the pack week after week is his work ethic. Brent is the hardest working angler bar none! Besides that he can catch a 10 lb bag in a bathtub!
3. Cody Meyer – He’s a stick and we’ve only begun to see what he can do. He’ll lead the way for all spotted bass lakes and can catch them everywhere else as well!
4. Mike Iaconelli – Yeah this would be a good spot for a KVD or maybe an Ish. Where KVD would load up my team for reaction bite tournies and Ish would load the boat at Frog Tournies… but, even with his tough season I gotta go with Ike. He can catch them in those Northern waters like Champlain, the Detroit River and Oneida. He’s also strong in Alabama at Guntersville and Pickwick and the rest of that chain of lakes.
Western Only Anglers
1. Shaun Bailey – Super stick on so-cal waters and the Colorado River chain. But, don’t forget about him on Clear Lake or the Delta either. Give him the $$$ and the time and he’d be top 10 on any circuit nationwide!
2. Randy McAbee – He’d lock my team down on Clear Lake for sure… and he can catch them anywhere else as well. Need a 30 lb bag – Randy’s your guy!
3. Mark Crutcher – Yes its true Mark is one of the best Clear Lake sticks ever – but, Mark’s won on many bodies of water and if he wasn’t too busy patroling the Clear Lake highways he’d be out taking everyone’s money anywhere.
4. Gary Dobyns – If winning 40 boats being the all time winningest angler on the west coast doesn’t mean much to you then maybe winning the U.S. Open in 2009 and placing in the money on every body of water he visits should be. If Gary’s in the tournament and the water is wet – he’s got a chance. One thing about Dobyns that stands out in my mind is that he is mentally tough. He can compete in the worst conditions in fact he thrives on it. When most people pack it in mentally he accels, give him rain, 120 degree heat or a bad back that’s more crooked than the Leaning Tower of Pisa and he’ll still be the most focused dude on the water.
Western Anglers:
Skeet reese
Aaron Martens
Gary Dobyns
Mike Folkestad
National Team:
Skeet Reese
Aaron Martens
Brent Ehrler
KVD
Legends Team:
Rick Clunn
Don Iovino
Guido Hibdon
Gary Klein
( No offense in the legends category as all are still active, but all have strong points on each of the waters listed above).
Here are my picks and reasons George.
Gary Dobyns – Come on, even though you call him Mr. Zip Code” he’s a formidable threat anywhere he goes. He can fish tidal waters, natural lakes and the clear-water river lakes.
Skeet Reese – Arguably (see below) one of the hottest anglers right now, Skeet brings to the table the fact he grew up fishing the deep, clear western waters but he also has become one of the biggest threats anywhere bass are located. His mental focus and tough mind can lift himself out of a bad situation and also lift his team.
Jimmy Reese – Like his little brother, Jimmy has proven he can catch fish anywhere and although he hasn’t been on top in the last year or so, if he’d leave that Mona-Vei stuff alone (jk Jimmy), he’d be out there tearing up the circuits again.
Bret Hite – Having grown up fishing the tough AZ waters, Bret brings to the table shear finesse talent. But, as he proved to the bass fishing community a couple years ago when he won coast-to-coast, he can fish any water.
Brent Ehrler – Like Skeet, this is a no-brainer. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen them compete against each other. Still, Brent is arguably (see above) the hottest angler on the FLW circuit right now and can catch fish anywhere.
Also, congrats Kevin on your win!!!
TB