“Don’t think of it as Friday the 13th,” Tommy Sanders said this morning. “Think of it as Valentine’s Day eve.”
Well, Lake Martin is singing the love language of one Brock Mosley, still the lead dog in this race.
But he’s hanging on by a thread.
What Joey Cifuentes did Thursday was not a case of all hat, no cattle. In fact, after tallying 12-15 yesterday to land in 4th, he caught 13 even today and jumped up to the runner-up position, just 7 ounces behind Mosley.
“The goal for me today was to make the cut and not screw up the tournament,” the Cowboy said. Mission accomplished, at least for one more day. However, there are two anglers within 9 ounces of Cifuentes and 20th place is only 4 pounds behind 1st. It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway – someone is going to end up with a sad, lonely holiday tomorrow.
On a brighter note, they’re still biting like crazy. As Brad Whatley (77th, 18-11) said: “I actually had fun getting my butt kicked.”
Here’s a Whitman’s Sampler of news, notes and nuggets from the happenings on Lake Martin today:
We Beat Triskaidekaphobia – Yesterday, there were three bags of 13 pounds or more, but today smelled a little bit more like Teen Spirit, as we had seven of them. In fact, the upgrades were more prevalent than that. While Brock Mosley and Drew Cook (7th, 24-2) were the only two who skipped the 13-pound range completely yesterday, today we had four bags of 14 or greater, although none topped 15. Emil Wagner’s 14-10 was the best of the day, proving once again that knowledge is good. He’s in 3rd with 25-11.
Cole Sands (14th, 22-14) — “You’ve gotta fish Day 3 before you can fish Day 4.” He caught 3-10 less than he did yesterday, but easily made the cut.
The Double Double – Thirty-two of the top 40 anglers had 10 pounds or more both days. Drew Cook (7th, 24-2) is the only member of the top 10 who did not have two double-digit bags. No one who missed the 50 cut had 10 pounds or more both days. Matt Messer (52nd, 20-1) missed 10 pounds by 4 ounces today, making him the closest of the also-rans.
Cut Weight Math – The 50th place cut position after Day 1 was a three-way tie with 10-1, which put the estimated weight to get to Saturday somewhere between 20 and 21 pounds. The two-day cut weight turned out to be just a hair under twice that amount at 20-1.
Austin Felix – “Every ounce counts and I didn’t catch enough ounces today.” He caught 10-6 yesterday, 8-4 today, and fell from a tie for 39th to 79th.
Ups and Downs – Five members of today’s top ten had more weight than they did yesterday, while five had less. Biggest jump: Caleb Hudson, 10-10 to 14-0. Biggest fall: Drew Cook, from 14-11 to 9-7. He fell to 7th as a result of that drop of 5-4. Leader Brock Mosley caught 4-8 less than he did yesterday but had built up enough of a cushion to hold the top spot.
Carl Jocumsen (18th, 22-12) on fishing in 55 feet of water — “Every 2-pounder I catch here is a 2-pounder I don’t have to catch on a swimbait.”
Pitching a Perfect Game – All 101 anglers turned in a limit yesterday, while the angler collective fell one short of a perfect scorecard today. Carl Jocumsen was the lone outlier, but his four bass for 10-1 kept him in the hunt in 18th place, down from 5th yesterday.
Davy Hite on Brock Mosley – “Good to see the old spinnerbait in action.” Between Martin and Guntersville, it may be time to dust off your 1986 Bass Pro Shops master catalog and call in an order. Shoestring Dubois beckons.
First Years – Six of the ten “true rookies” (excluding Russ Lane) made the cut. It would have been seven, but Matt Messer lost a tiebreaker to Scott Canterbury for the 50th spot. Pake South (4th, 25-6) is the top ranked among them and Caleb Hudson (5th, 24-10) and Fisher Anaya (6th, 24-3) are also in the top 10.
What Worked Before – When Mosley won at the Sabine in 2023, he power-shotted and Texas rigged a 4” Yamamoto Senko, added in a Rebel Pop-R and also used a ½ ounce white double willow spinnerbait.
Jason Christie — “We’re gonna pick up cans.” He severely damaged his lower unit today, and with no $10,000 check this week he’s looking for ways to pay for the repairs. He finished 101st with 14-12 after closing out last season and starting this season with a total of three consecutive Elite checks.
Snack Food of the Day – Rivet family King Cakes.
Keith Combs (82nd, 18-6) — “The part of the world I come from a spotted bass is a baitfish.”
Just A Bit Outside – Eighteen anglers missed the 50 cut by a pound or less.
Ike’s Pearly Whites – Last season all too often it seemed like Mike Iaconelli would rather be getting a root canal than weighing in a subpar bag of fish, but when he weighed in a 5-3 largemouth today, we were reminded of the passion that he brings to the sport. Sometimes we have to tolerate the abrupt and wordless departures to appreciate the greatness. His 13-12 bag rocketed him from 79th to 17th, his first 50 cut since last April on the Pasquotank.
Stop, Collaborate and Listen – Another big day for the dice, dice, baby, but Opens pro Lucas Lindsay warned that they giveth and then taketh away: “The dice is not all it’s cracked up to be when it comes to landing fish,” he said.
Olympic Glory – Six of nine international pros made the cut to Saturday, with Australia being the only country that sent all of it’s competitors (one) to the podium. Four of the international anglers are inside the top 21, but none are ranked above 13th. That spot is held by Cory Johnston, who caught 14-0 today and jumped from 67 spots from 80th.
Home Cooking – Our 17 Alabamians, whether they prefer to yell “Roll Tide” or “War Eagle,” produced a mixed bag of results. Fisher Anaya (6th, 24-3) is the only one inside the top 10, while Jordan Lee (11th, 23-6) is just 2 ounces out. They’re two of the nine who made the cut. Scott Canterbury was the last man in, winning a three-way tie with Drew Benton and Matt Messer. However, six Alabamians finished 80th or worse.
Struggling for Consistency – Half of the ten anglers who made the top ten at Guntersville will continue competing tomorrow, although only Trey McKinney is currently in the top 10. Four of those who missed the cut finished 88th or worse.
Reversing Course – Seven of the 10 anglers who finished in the bottom 10 at Guntersville missed another cut. Two notable exceptions are Cifuentes and Wagner, who find themselves in 2nd and 3rd. The third member of their club is Austin Cranford (41st, 20-10)
The Hunt for AOY – Nine of the top ten finishers from last year’s AOY race made the cut to Saturday, with the lone exception being Chris Johnston (57th, 19-10), the angler who actually won the trophy. He also won it the year before that. It’ll be a major uphill climb to make it three for three.
Brock Mosley – “First time in 11 seasons on the Elites that I’ve made the first two cuts.”
Cliff Pace (54th, 19-15) — “Y’all should just consider renaming this lake ‘Grind.’”
One prominent cowboy hat, but other than that, it was a low-fashion day. No Starter Jackets, no MC Hammer pants, no leg warmers, no acid-washed jeans. Just straight bassing and balance beaming. Two more days to go.
