There are six anglers currently predicting their weights in the double digits. Kenta Kimura, Chad Pipkens and Alex Wetherell are three of them and they’re currently in a three-way tie for first with 11 pounds, 9 ounces. Jacob Powroznik sits an ounce back of this trio, then Hunter Shryock and Larry Nixon sit a few more ounces behind.
Pipkens holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead at the moment, with a good one weighing 4 pounds, 8 ounces. There are a few more bass in the 4-pound range sprinkled around: Hunter Shryock (4-0), Steve Kennedy (3-14), Mike Huff (3-12) and Ray Hanselman Jr (4-0). These big bites have those anglers all sitting in 12th place or better, comprising half their total weights at times.
There’s another half dozen to a dozen 3-pound-plus fish on the leaderboard, and then a decent number of 2-pounders in the mix. Considering how fickle and crowded this fishery can be, the weights are looking pretty solid with just under three hours remaining on Day 1. What will lead after the scales settle today? Fourteen pounds seems like a reasonable guess, with 11 pounds stretching back to 10th. Any anglers who can meet this mark will be ecstatic with their Day 1 performance.
