ESPN Elite Series

Well, well, well.

The Lone Star Shootout at Texas' Falcon Lake turned out to be everything the Elite Series anglers (and the pundits) thought it would be. Record-breaking sacks of fish were recorded in what is sure to go down as one of the most exciting BASS events in history.

Surely it would seem a letdown would be in order on the tour's next stop. But the next event, being Lake Amistad and the Battle on the Border, doesn't figure to offer much of a downturn in angling action.

Cast your memory back two years, when Amistad became the most-talked about freshwater fishery in the U.S. That's when BASS made its first Elite Series stop on the Rio Grande — and the anglers made heads turn.

Ish Monroe won that tournament with a triple-digit haul. Derek Remitz, a tour rookie at the time, followed with another 100-plus pound victory last year.

This year's prediction for Amistad is pretty much the same. Look for huge catches. They may not top the record-setting sacks from Falcon, but may very well come close.

Letdown? What letdown?

Our pundits weigh in with their selections:

James Overstreet, ESPN Outdoors photographer

Ish Monroe — He's won at Amistad once before and finished in the top 12 his second time here. The guy knows what to do to win here.

Edwin Evers — I'm sticking with some Edwin Evers. He's always strong in Texas. Two top 12's at Amistad? Yeah, I'll go with that.

Steve Kennedy — He's going to be fired up after having his record broken. I think he'll whack them down there. He's got that swim bait going for him on Amistad. He's due for another top 12. That's just what the guy does.

Derek Remitz — He'll compete, no doubt. He'll have that deepwater bite going like he did last year.

Todd Faircloth — He's a Texas guy who has a good history on Amistad. He hasn't had a great start to the season, but it's only a matter of time before he shows up. I think it's at Amistad.

Trey Reid, ESPN Outdoors contributor

Byron Velvick — The past two events have instilled confidence, and fishing in his backyard will certainly help him again this week.

Mark Davis — It didn't take long for me to jump on the bandwagon. It's hard to forget just how good Davis is during the post-spawn period.

Ish Monroe — He knows how to catch 'em at Amistad.

Steve Kennedy — His BASS weight record is toast and he won't get it back at Amistad. But he could exact some revenge on those who crushed his year-old mark.

Kevin VanDam — The remedy for an atypical performance at Falcon is a return to a place where KVD has excelled the past two seasons.

Alan Clemons, Huntsville (Ala.) Times, ESPN Outdoors contributor

Terry Scroggins — Riding a wave of confidence after his great finish at Falcon Lake, he should be able to carry it over this week.

Kevin VanDam — Much like he did in Florida, I believe KVD may have figured out a little something on Falcon that he can use at Amistad toward his second win of the season.

Derek Remitz — I'd be remiss if I didn't include last year's Amistad champ, especially after he fared well at Falcon and got an idea that the deep football jig he won with last year could come into play again.

Skeet Reese — A gut feeling on this one. Maybe that's because he hasn't been in sniffing distance this season, and because Amistad sets up well for him and could get him back on track.

Ish Monroe — Not sure what he was throwing at Falcon after the first day, but the 2006 Amistad champ will more than likely be tossing a Snag Proof frog and power baits this week. The fire will be in his belly to shake off a bad mojo.

M.A. Fisher, ESPN Outdoors contributor

Paul Elias — Yeah, yeah. It's just about impossible to go back-to-back on the Elite Series, but the 130-plus pounds he pulled from Falcon have to get your attention. I don't think there's much of a letdown here — from Elias or Amistad.

Byron Velvick — Did well in Florida, had a top-12 showing at Falcon and now comes to Amistad, his relatively-new home base. I think he can get on a good pattern like he did at Falcon. No reason to believe otherwise.

Ish Monroe — He won here in 2006 and is one of the best sight fishermen on tour. Look for Ish to make some noise this week.

Gary Klein — Just missed the cut at Falcon. Texas is home. He should be in the mix again.

Skeet Reese — West Coast guy on a lake that can cater to the strengths of West Coast guys. Something tells me he'll turn it on at Amistad. He is the reigning Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year, after all.

ESPN Outdoors editor

Ken Cook — He's came close here the first time. Plus,this is a vote from one old-timer to another. Besides, if Elias (one of the ultimate old-timers) can do it at Falcon, Cook can do it at Amistad. Last year was the year of the rookie, this year is revenge of the old guys.

Mark Davis — The guy is leading the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race because he's so dang good at catching post-spawn bass. He'll do the same thing this week. It's hard not to like Davis in this deal.

Jeff Kriet — He has consistently said that he will win one of these events soon. I still believe him. He's had his worst start ever this year, which means he's either panicking or buckling down. I expect the latter, which probably means he'll have a jig in hand and be fishing deeper structure. He seems to be pretty good at that.

Byron Velvick — What can you say? He's having an awesome year. He deserves an awesome year. He lives on the lake, when he's actually home. Combine the two and Velvick has to be a favorite. I also pick Mary Delgado to win the co-angler side.

Steve Kennedy — He's come close here as well. Last week, several guys busted up his all-time catch record. Frankly, it was a week where he basically sucked, at least in Kennedy terms. One thing in his favor — his hands and thumb won't hurt as much as some of the others. Sorry Steve-O, couldn't resist poking some fun. But seriously, Kennedy knows the deal and he's one of the best structure fishermen out there. I expect he's tired of not making the final cut. I think he will here.

Visit Bassmaster.com for full coverage of the Elite Series Battle on the Border on Lake Amistad, from Del Rio, Texas, April 10–13, 2008. Daily weigh-ins with live streaming video and real-time leaderboards start at 5:50pm ET. "Hooked Up" will air Sunday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. ET.

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