Hite Bags 24-06; Hackney's Lead Down To 10

By BassFan Staff

Coming into the Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year (AOY) Championship, everyone in the field of 50 competitors had something riding on this event, some far more than others. In particular, there were two distinct areas of interest in terms of the points standings.

On one hand, there was points leader Greg Hackney and the five other anglers who mathematically had a shot at running him down for the AOY title. That plot thickened somewhat on day 1 at Lake Michigan, but it still appears to be Hackney's crown to lose even though his cushion eroded a bit.

On the other hand, there were the 25 or so other anglers vying for the final precious berths in next year's Bassmaster Classic. That subplot won't be settled until the scales close Sunday, and the pressure on this group only figures to intensify considering the movement that took place among those on the Classic bubble today.

Brett Hite, winner of the Lake Seminole Elite Series back in March, is already locked into next year's Classic, but after a 79th-place finish at Cayuga Lake last month, he was bent on getting back on track. He did that today with a 24-06 bag of smallmouth that has him in the lead, 4 ounces clear of 2nd-place Brandon Lester, who needed a big start to stay on the right side of the Classic cutoff.

Jacob Powroznik, another Classic automatic qualifier thanks to his win at Toledo Bend, also broke the 24-pound mark and sits an ounce behind Lester in 3rd with 24-01.

Nine other anglers cracked the 20-pound plateau – Dean Rojas is 4th with 22-00 and Skeet Reese is 5th with 21-11 – including the trio of Andy Montgomery, Brian Snowden and Tim Horton, all of whom improved their points position by at least seven spots and now sit inside the projected Classic cutoff.

Here's a look at the Top 12 after day 1 of competition, with deficit margin from Hite indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Brett Hite: 24-06
2. Brandon Lester: 24-02 (00-04)
3. Jacob Powroznik: 24-01 (00-05)
4. Dean Rojas: 22-00 (2-06)
5. Skeet Reese: 21-11 (2-11)
6. Chris Lane: 21-03 (3-03)
7. Andy Montgomery: 21-02 (3-04)
8. Brian Snowden: 21-01 (3-05)
9. Tim Horton: 21-00 (3-06)
10. Todd Faircloth: 20-15 (3-07)
11. Ott DeFoe: 20-06 (4-00)
12. Mark Davis: 20-04 (4-02)

Hackney still has plenty of work to do after an 18-pound stringer put him in 17th place at Escanaba. Three of his AOY challengers caught heavier bags, the most noteworthy being Todd Faircloth (10th, 20-15), who shaved seven points off Hackney's lead and now trails by 10 points in the updated standings. Hackney can lock up the title with a 15th-place finish or better.

Entering the event, the projected Classic cut was 39th place and following sub-15-pound days, Bernie Schultz (36th to 42nd), Takahiro Omori (37th to 43rd) and Alton Jones (39th to 46th) all dropped beneath the cut line. Kevin Short currently occupies 39th, five points ahead of Chris Zaldain.

The one subplot nobody has control over is the weather and while it was as nice and calm today, as it's been all week in Escanaba, Mich., the forecast for tomorrow will certainly give pause to tournament director Trip Weldon, who will make the call whether or not to turn the field loose in the morning. The National Weather Service marine forecast for Thursday night is predicting winds shifting to the south at 12 to 17 mph before building to 17 to 28 mph on Friday with gusts to 40 mph. Waves are expected to be in the 4- to 7-foot range by Friday afternoon.

Hite Found a Sweet Spot

> Day 1: 5, 24-06

If Hite were to draw up a perfect day on the water, today was it. He returned to a spot where he'd caught a 5 1/2-pounder in practice – he made one cast on the spot – and found the area loaded with similar fish.

"I figured it was a good starting spot," he said. "I went there right away and things started rolling my way. It's just a spot that seems to hold big ones."

By 9 a.m., he had enough weight where he started hunting around for other sweet spots. He tried to boat-flip a 5-pounder around mid morning, but it came off. By then, though, he figured he already had 23 pounds in his livewell. By 11, he was in pre-fishing mode for the rest of the tournament and found other similar areas, including one that produced another 5-pounder that helped him upgrade.

"It was just a real relaxing day when you're starting off catching big ones," he said. "I really like when you go to a tournament and you know you have that spot, but don't know how good it is until you dial it in during the tournament. You try not to pound on those places in practice. It was the perfect stereotype of a spot you want – you catch a big one, go back and find a school of them there."

He said it's a simple contour break where the bottom goes from 6 feet down to 20. He caught about 15 fish today with the biggest approaching 6 pounds.

He said the north wind this morning was a change from practice and conditions overall were the best of the week.

"It was the nicest day we've had," he said. "For low-light conditions and fishing reaction baits, there was enough chop on the water that it was really good for fishing, but it wasn't too much where it was hard to hold on one spot."

He knows tomorrow could be a different story.

"They don't get the wind wrong up here," he said. "It's going to blow tomorrow and it's going to blow from the worst direction possible. There's just no place to hide here. There's no Pelee Island (Lake Erie) where it's calm on one side and you can get out of it."

2nd: Lester Helps His Classic Cause

> Day 1: 5, 24-02

Lester was 33rd in points entering competition and his big bag pushed him up seven spots, but he's not going to breathe easy until it's over.

"I still have to catch them for 2 more days," he said. "Nothing's a guarantee. I maybe don't have to catch that much, but I have to catch some fish. It still feels pretty dang good, though."

He was among the first flight of boats and opted to stop on an area not far from the take-off point.

"It was a pretty obvious place, a pretty specific piece of structure and I knew it was something these guys would find," he said. "There was one boat on the other side of it when I got there so I pulled in on the other side and just stayed there all day long. I knew if I didn't sit there and catch all I could, someone else would. I had other places to go to, but it was hard to leave this place."

He said the wind blew "pretty good first thing this morning," but after 10 a.m., the waves flattened out and it was as calm as it's been since the beginning of practice. He went through about 25 smallmouth today, switching between two baits mostly.

"There were two key baits," he said. "One, obviously, was a dropshot. Everybody here is throwing one. There's one other bait I'd throw after I would catch a few on a dropshot. I'd throw it in there and it seemed to catch the bigger fish."

3rd: Fast Start For Powroznik

> Day 1: 5, 24-01

Powroznik knew certain things had to fall almost perfectly in his favor for him to make a charge at Hackney for the AOY title. First, he had to be at or near the top of the leaderboard and hope Hackney, Faircloth and Aaron Martens would stumble.

He took care of the first part, but the other scenarios didn't play out in his favor. Still, he was pleased with how things started.

"I caught a couple big fish and it turned into a big bag," he said. "Basically, I came up here to get a check, but I still want the win on my record. I'm going a long time in between bites, but when I do get one it's a big fish."

He said he's fishing a long stretch of bank that has grass along it.

"When one moves up and decides to bite and I come by, that's when I get bit," he said. "It's so random. I had 11 bites and four of them were in the first 30 minutes of the day."

He said the afternoon conditions also allowed for him to do some sight-fishing in the clear water.

"There are a bunch of fish where I'm fishing, but right now, I think they're more in a later summer deal," he said. "I don't think they're quite in the fall pattern. They're not quite ready to feed. It's a weird deal, but it's fun."

7th: Montomgery on the Move

> Day 1: 5, 21-02

Montgomery was the biggest mover in the points today as he advanced nine spots to 36th, firmly inside the Classic cut off. He knows it's far from over, but he'll be looking to build on the momentum tomorrow, should the field be allowed to fish.

"It was a good start," he said. "If I can maintain 20 a day, I should be able to make the Classic. I'm around areas to produce those kinds of bags. I definitely think I'm around the right type of fish."

He said he made a long run today and said it's possible he couldn't reach the same area if the waves kick up.

"It wasn't easy today," he said. "It was a struggle until this afternoon. The wind died down and the sun came out. I don't know a lot about smallmouth, but I think they like the sun."

He said he brought 12 fish into the boat, but the bigger ones all seemed to fall for a different bait later in the day.

9th: Horton's Happy

> Day 1: 5, 21-00

Like Montgomery, Tim Horton did everything he could today to give himself a shot at making the Classic. His execution was spot-on and he was one of 12 anglers to crack 20 pounds.

"It was a fun day," he said after moving up seven spots to 37th in the AOY points. "I didn't get any big bites. Everything I had was 4-plus. I've given myself a chance and that's all I can do."

He didn't mind the calm conditions, but would've preferred the wind not slack off completely like it did this afternoon.

"It got tough when the wind died down," he said. "I got a crankbait bite going today. The water's so clear here that I could see down to the grass I was fishing in 14 feet."

He went through about 20 fish today and figures he needs to catch similar bags from here on out to maintain his place in the points.

"I'm going to need to be on the upper side of 20 again," he said. "I think 18 or 19 will fall out. There's going to be a lot of moving and shaking because the guys that fell out just need an 18- or 19-pound day to get back in."

17th: Hackney's Hopes Still High

> Day 1: 5, 18-00

Hackney doesn't feel any better or worse than he did before the event began, but he's aware he can't afford to slip much further than where he currently sits.

"I'm about in the same spot I was coming into it," he said. "I caught a lot of fish today, but I never had a big opportunity. All of the fish I caught were about the same size. I caught a lot of numbers but I never got a big bite. I'd been getting a big bite in practice, but today I never got one."

He said he entered the tournament with the same mindset as he does every other time and sees no reason to back away from it.

"I came in like I do every other tournament – I want to do as well as I possibly can," he said. "I didn't hold anything back. It's all or nothing this week and I have to fish that way. I have to fish like there's never going to be another bass tournament."

He was second-guessing his first decision today which he thinks cost him a chance to have a quicker start than he did.

"I probably didn't start right this morning," he said. "One reason was the weather. The stretch I started on, the angle of the wind blew me off of it and I wasted a lot of motion on that deal. I will start a little different on it if I go back here. I felt like it hurt me a little and I maybe missed an opportunity there this morning.

"I forced the place a little bit, too, because I hate to start on a place and not catch one. I stayed longer than I should have. I made two passes when I should've left after one."

He also got a sense that bait presentation needs to be very precise, at least in the spots he's fishing.

"You need the bait to be perfect and it needs to be on top," he added. "For me, personally, the strike zone is not that big. The bait needs to be over them or around them. It's not like they're going to come 50 feet to get your bait."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 50 anglers, 45 limits, 1 four, 2 threes, 2 twos.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., Sept. 19 – Cloudy - 62°/57°
- Wind: From the S at 19 mph

> Sat., Sept. 20 – Partly Cloudy - 69°/51°
- Wind: From the WSW at 14 mph

> Sun., Sept. 21 – Partly Cloudy - 58°/42°
- Wind: From the NNW at 11 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 24-06 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 24-06

2. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 24-02 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 24-02

3. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 5, 24-01 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 24-01

4. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 22-00 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 22-00

5. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 5, 21-11 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 21-11

6. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 21-03 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 21-03

7. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 5, 21-02 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 21-02

8. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 21-01 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 21-01

9. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 5, 21-00 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 21-00

10. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 20-15 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 20-15

11. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 20-06 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 20-06

12. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 20-04 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 20-04

13. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 5, 19-14 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 19-14

14. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 18-15 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 18-15

15. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 5, 18-10 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 18-10

16. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 18-01 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 18-01

17. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 18-00 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 18-00

18. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 5, 17-15 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 17-15

19. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 17-09 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 17-09

19. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 5, 17-09 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 17-09

21. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 5, 17-06 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 17-06

22. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, IL -- 5, 17-02 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 17-02

23. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 5, 17-01 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 17-01

23. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 5, 17-01 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 17-01

25. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 16-13 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 16-13

26. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 16-10 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 16-10

27. Brandon Palaniuk -- Hayden, ID -- 5, 16-09 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 16-09

28. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 5, 16-05 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 16-05

29. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 16-02 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 16-02

30. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 16-01 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 16-01

31. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 5, 16-00 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 16-00

32. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 15-11 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 15-11

33. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 4, 15-09 -- 68
Day 1: 4, 15-09

34. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 15-06 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 15-06

35. Randall Tharp -- Port Saint Joe, FL -- 5, 15-03 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 15-03

36. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 15-02 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 15-02

37. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 15-01 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 15-01

38. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 5, 14-11 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 14-11

39. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 5, 14-09 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 14-09

40. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 5, 14-08 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 14-08

41. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 5, 14-04 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 14-04

42. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 13-15 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 13-15

43. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 13-12 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 13-12

44. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 12-15 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 12-15

45. Casey Scanlon -- Lanexa, KS -- 5, 12-12 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 12-12

46. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 3, 11-07 -- 55
Day 1: 3, 11-07

47. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 10-06 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 10-06

48. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, Japan -- 3, 09-10 -- 53
Day 1: 3, 09-10

49. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 2, 08-07 -- 52
Day 1: 2, 08-07

50. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 2, 06-01 -- 51
Day 1: 2, 06-01