Unfortunately for him, Dave Lefebre is proving the point he emphasized yesterday. Regardless of his reputation as one of the top sticks in this area, the Erie, Pa., resident is no expert on Cayuga Lake. So far today, Lefebre has one bass, which he measured to make sure it met the 12-inch minimum, according to photographer James Overstreet.
“It’s definitely not one of my favorite lakes,” Lefebre said Wednesday. “I drive around it, and fish Seneca and all the other lakes in this area. I don’t have a lot of history here.”
Lefebre said he’s fished only three tournaments at Cayuga, and the last one was 10 years ago. He did win two of those three, but they were later in the year, when the milfoil was more of a factor in locating fish.
The top eight finishers at Cayuga Lake will qualify for a new Elite Series Classic Bracket event on the Niagara River in late July. It won’t count toward Angler of the Year points, but the winner on the Niagara River will earn a Bassmaster Classic berth. That location makes Lefebre’s eyes light up.
“There’s nothing I can do about it,” he said. “I can’t fish any harder here. But, yeah, I want to get to the Niagara River. I’ve fished there a lot. But I could name 50 lakes better than this one this week, as far as I’m concerned. I just don’t have a lot of history at Cayuga.”