Kenney Clear Favorite, But Watch Hack And Gagliardi

Let's see. J.T. Kenney leads the FLW Angler of the Year (AOY) race and the Potomac is his home water. And he was close to a win twice this

year at Okeechobee amidst the Monkey Box madness. The Potomac's grass beds and crowded conditions make it seem like a mini-Okeechobee. He's the no-brainer pick – the clear favorite.

But also remember he lost key fish at those Okeechobee events – an FLW and an EverStart. And he lost the Santee Cooper EverStart on a tiebreaker. In other words, he couldn't close the deal. If he slips here, look for other point-pickers to move up big. On that list would be Anthony Gagliardi, who lacks tidal experience, and Greg Hackney, who's a diehard river-rat.

And what about Bobby Lane? Or Matt Herren? Or Virginian David Dudley? Or Larry Nixon, who tore up the Bassmaster Elite 50s and has a history of Top 10s on the Potomac?

The Chevy Open (Potomac FLW) is literally wide-open.

Grass Masses

This tournament will likely be all about the grass. Big milfoil beds are found throughout the system, but the key ones are very crowded. That clearly favors anglers who don't mind the crowd, as well as grass and plastics specialists who can slow down and dissect a grassbed affected by the tides.

Then again, there's the isolation wildcard. Potomac events have been won on "secret" spots before, but that was largely before the explosion in competitive bass fishing. There's probably no more secret spots, but if there is, someone could find 4 days of fish in some isolated, out-of-the-way place.

And don't discount the crankers, or the deep-draggers, who could discover a few key post-spawn rockpiles or ledges.

In all, there's the potential for three or four Top 10 patterns. With that in mind, here's BassFan's recommendation, in no particular order, for the Top 10 to watch at today's Potomac FLW.

Top 10 To Watch

1) J.T. Kenney – Hasn't fished the Potomac much recently, but that actually might help him. He'll have to relearn it a little. Great in a crowd, but has to mature into a finisher. Can do that here with an AOY title.

2) Anthony Gagliardi – He started the year ranked No. 56 in the State Farm-BassFan World Rankings and improved to No. 18. Wow. Only 2 points behind Kenney in the AOY race.

3) Greg Hackney – He's No. 1 in the world and 3rd in the FLW points. He finished 5th in the Bassmaster points this year, and 2nd last year on both tours. Unbelievably hot but uncomfortable in a crowd. Can the Hack Attack wrap up his first-ever AOY title?

4) Dave Lefebre – A Pennsylvania stick used to shallow, northeast rivers. Had a very strong year – he's 7th in the FLW points – and always seems to find them. He improved from No. 52 to No. 20 in the world this season.

5) John Crews – A Virginia angler who tanked on the FLW Tour this season, but rocked the Bassmaster Tour. He's got a good feel for the Potomac – finished 6th at the 2003 Bassmaster Potomac Northern Open – but showed a little worry when he didn't find fish in their true summer pattern yet.

6) Toshinari Namiki – Red-hot with the chance to be the second Japanese angler in as many years to clinch the AOY title. He's made three of five Top 10 cuts so far this year and won at the Ouachita River.

7) Aaron Martens – Fishing out of his mind this year, but due for an FLW breakthrough. Grass? Current? Crowds? No problem.

8) Larry Nixon – The worm king is hot again. He's back in the Classic and fishing hard. Has experience on the Potomac, and after the recent Wissota E50, will likely never see crowds the same again. Who doesn't want to see Nixon make the cut?

9) Bobby Lane – After three consecutive Top 10 cuts to start the year, he slid backward a bit. What's he got?

10) David Dudley – The million-dollar man hasn't been himself this year, but at 55th in the points, he must feel some Championship desperation right now. Look for him to attack the river and gamble.

Others To Watch

> BassFan Big Stick Bill McDonald is not fishing this event. Big Stick John Murray had a "not bad, but not great" practice. Co-Angler Big Stick Chris Koester brought his boat up for practice. To read their reports, click here to go On Tour With the BassFan Big Sticks.

> Chris Daves - A last-minute addition to the field, he's from Hopewell, Va. Has three Top 5s here in BASS competition.

> Art Ferguson – A northerner by trade, finished 4th at the 2003 Potomac Open. He's 59th in the points and needs a big finish to make the Championship.

> David Walker – Currently 48th in the points (the last Championship spot). Ranked No. 7 in the world.

> Todd Ary – Currently 49th in the points – first out of the Championship.

> Takahiro Omori – Has a hot stick after his recent 4th at the Wissota E50. He's 12th in the FLW points.

> Clark Wendlandt – Has he just written the entire season off, or is he more like a coiled snake, ready to strike?

> Matt Herren – He's 5th in the FLW points and a longshot for AOY, but capable or greatness everywhere.

Notable

> Rick Clunn fished five FLW events this season, but is not fishing the Potomac. He's 74th in the FLW points.

> This is the final regular-season Tour event that will affect the World Rankings.