Elite

AdvBassStats: Lake St. Clair 2023

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The 2023 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair jumped straight into the ranks of great smallmouth events, hitting a 19-pound average bag on Day 1, then beating that on Day 2. The 20-pound bag count was a big talking point, with 33 bags of 20-plus the first day with 48 more weighed in on the second. Taku Ito crossed over the 25-pound barrier on Day 2.
The spectacular weights called back to last year’s historic Elite Series event at the St. Lawrence River. This chart compares 2022 St. Lawrence Day 1 (top) with 2023 St. Clair Day 2 (bottom). In the comparison, St. Lawrence retains the title of “best smallmouth event ever,” but St. Clair gave a solid challenge.
After Day 3, Luke Palmer held a small lead on the strength of three bags over 22 pounds. We had a closely bunched group at the top of the tournament standings, with some smallmouth heavyweights (Ito, Schmitt, Gallant) chasing down a couple of anglers less associated with smallies (Palmer, Cifuentes). 
The final day belonged to Joey Cifuentes. Starting from second, he caught the biggest bag and leap-frogged Luke Palmer for his second Elite Series win of the season. Cifuentes’ strategy relied on the open waters of Lake Erie to deliver a slightly bigger class of fish than Anchor Bay, where the majority of the field was fishing a giant concentration of fish.
The updated Progressive Bassmaster Anger of the Year standings got a light shuffle. The same five anglers have occupied the top five for the last three events, with some re-sorting. Brandon Cobb has moved back ahead of Kyle Welcher by one point for the lead. Those two have a healthy lead over the rest of the field which is led by Tyler Rivet and John Cox, tied in points and holding third and fourth. Cifuentes’ victory jumped him from 15th to sixth. Look out for Jay Przekurat making a charge as the Northern Swing continues.
Looking at the per-event finishes for the AOY top five, we can see that Brandon Cobb has collected four Top 10s and would be running away with the AOY crown if not for an ambush at the Sabine. Kyle Welcher has kept himself inside the Saturday cut and out of the 50s or worse all season.

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