Louisiana's Mark Smith caught a 14-06 bag from the muddy waters of the Atchafalaya Basin to take the early lead in the third and final Bassmaster Central Open out of Morgan City, La. He has an 11-ounce lead over Texan James Biggs.
Smith caught all of his fish pitching to flooded cypress trees in about 2 feet of water. He said he culled three times from the best of four areas he identified during practice.
“There were other anglers in two of my areas, so I went to my best area and fished it exclusively,” he said.
The race for the Central's two Bassmaster Classic berths could be headed for a shakeup. Points leader Todd Castledine weighed just three fish for 5-02 and is in 54th place. James Niggemeyer, 2nd in the points, caught a 6-05 bag and is in 43rd.
Niggemeyer has already earned a Classic spot through the Bassmaster Elite Series points.
Here's a look at the current Top 10:
1. Mark Smith: 14-06
2. James Biggs: 13-11
3. Duane Pittman: 13-01
4. Gary Klein: 12-00
5. Kyle Fox: 11-14
6. Steve Gulloto: 11-12
7. Takahiro Omori: 11-11
8. Wade Leblanc: 11-03
9. Dennis Tietje: 11-00
10. Billy Billeaud: 10-12
