More than half the anglers in the Elite field have fished in Anchor Bay at some point this week, a good idea considering the mindboggling number of quality smallmouth cruising the area. But a few anglers have gotten off on their own, venturing out into the abyss, in search of just a few fish, knowing they need only five.
Of the few that implemented this game plan outside of Anchor Bay, all but one has swung and missed. Joey Cifuentes is the last man standing out in the middle of nowhere, fishing literally in another country over in Canadian waters. He has had far fewer bites per day compared to the anglers fishing in the bay. But his bites have been significantly bigger on average.
Through three days of competition, Cifuentes has put slightly better than a 4-and-1/2-pound bass on the scales on average. The only angler to outpace him (by 12 ounces) is the Day 3 leader Luke Palmer, who is fishing in Anchor Bay. But Palmer too has separated himself from the crowd in there as much as possible.
Palmer sits atop BassTrakk at the moment, Cifuentes on his heels. Separating oneself physically from the competition this week has been the best way to create distance for oneself on the leaderboard as well.
