Hackney Sacks 12 To Stay Comfortably In Front

By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

There was a big shake-up on the leaderboard on day 2 of the Sabine River Bassmaster Elite Series, but no movement whatsoever at the very top. Greg Hackney extended his lead from almost 4 pounds to 4 1/2 with an 11-15 stringer that gave him a 28-02 total at the midway point.

Hackney's stringer was more than 4 pounds lighter than his day-1 haul, but was still big by Sabine standards. However, he's now being pursued by several anglers who followed up mediocre day-1 bags with much larger hauls that catapulted them up the standings sheet.

Steve Kennedy caught a tournament-best 16-05 to jump from 65th to 2nd with a 23-20 total. Keith Poche, who started the day in 54th, climbed to 3rd with a 15-10 effort for a 23-06 aggregate.

Shin Fukae's 14-10 stringer brought him up to 4th from 47th with a 22-10 total. Skeet Reese, who was 3rd after day 1, fell two places to round out the top 5 as his 10-08 bag left him with 22-10.

Here are the totals for the current top 12, with red numbers in parentheses indicating deficit margins from the leader:

1. Greg Hackney: 28-02
2. Steve Kennedy: 23-10 (4-08)
3. Keith Poche: 23-06 (4-12)
4. Shin Fukae: 22-10 (5-08)
5. Skeet Reese: 22-10 (5-08)
6. Bradley Roy: 21-02 (7-00)
7. Matt Herren: 20-12 (7-06)
8. Brock Mosley: 20-05 (7-13)
9. John Crews: 20-03 (7-15)
10. Bobby Lane: 19-07 (8-11)
11. Bill Lowen: 19-05 (8-13)
12. Skylar Hamilton: 19-02 (9-00)

Brock Mosley made the biggest improvement of the day as his 15-13 sack took him from 97th place to 8th. It was topped by a 6-03 brute that stands as the biggest fish of the event.

Meanwhile, nine anglers fell out of the top 12. Only one of those, David Mullins, dropped out of the top-50 cut as his four-fish, 5-01 haul left him in 51st after starting the day in 11th.

Jacob Wheeler, who was in 41st place after day 1, had his day-2 weight disqualified for receiving assistance from his marshal in freeing his boat from a sandbar and ended up with a 103rd-place finish. Wheeler, who self-reported the violation to tournament officials, was making the lengthy run to the Houston area from the take-off in Orange, Texas for the first time – he'd practiced there, but had launched in that same vicinity for that excursion earlier in the week.

The WeatherChannel.com forecast for day 3 calls for more sun, a high temperature of 91 degrees and a 9-mph wind out of the south.

The field will be reduced to the top 12 after Saturday's weigh-in. The winner will be determined Sunday based on highest 4-day weight.

Lighter Day for Hackney

> Day 2: 5, 11-15 (10, 28-02)

Hackney's day-2 action was steady, but he lacked a monster bite (he caught a 5-14 on day 1) and he weighed three fish that were each under 2 pounds.

"I probably caught more keepers today, but yesterday after I had my bag I pulled out of the area and today I stayed," he said. "What I was trying to do was get a feel for whether it'd be worth going back tomorrow."

It's a long, narrow canal that he's been divvying up with two other competitors who also made the cut.

"I don't think it's worth spending the whole day in and I don't know if I'll even start there. It's one of those deals where I'll study the tide tonight and look at the weather in the morning. I might end up running around a little more tomorrow."

He's done the majority of his work with a buzzbait tipped by a plastic toad. He threw a square-bill crankbait during the latter part of day 2 and it brought him one of the two 3-pounders that highlighted his bag.

"All in all, today was kind of a grind, and the water was different, too. We'd been having a big tide and for some reason, today it was cut in half. The water had been going up and down over a foot and today it was only (six-tenths of a foot).

"The water moved a lot slower and it took a lot longer to get to its best stage. Everything was just lagging."

2nd: Kennedy's Fish Cooperated

> Day 2: 5, 16-05 (10, 23-10)

Kennedy's massive bag came from the same area that had surrendered less than 7 1/2 pounds on day 1.

"We got those extra days to pre-practice (due to the tournament being postponed for 2 months due to flooding) and I stopped by on my way back from Travis and found one area that had some fish," he said. "I just kind of hyper-focused on that one area.

"I should've had a better bag yesterday but I broke a big one off and that weren't biting that well and I just didn't catch them. Today my first bite was a 4 1/2 and then I ended up catching a 4-12, a 2-12 and a 2-11 on a different bait than I'd been fishing with. One other guy's in there and he had 7 pounds yesterday and 11 today, so they may have just bit better."

He searched through his tackle and found on bag of the baits that were so productive during the latter part of day 2.

"There's no way those are going to last with all these stupid crabs around – they're chewing up everything. The only guy I know who has some more is probably going to make the top 12."

He said that getting his day off to such a strong start made a huge difference.

"It was a pleasant day. When you catch a big one like that right off the bat, it takes the pressure off and you can focus on fishing."

3rd: New Area Paid Off for Poche

> Day 3: 5, 15-10 (10, 23-06

Poche's big stringer came from a series of backwaters in the northern part of the system that he didn't fish on day 1.

"I didn't think I could get in there yesterday because the water was too low, so I waited until today," he said. "I think the water will stay pretty stable now and I hope I can get back in tomorrow, but we'll see."

He's fishing mostly cypress knees by flipping a crawfish imitation and throwing a square-bill crankbait and a spinnerbait. His biggest fish weighed a little over 5 pounds.

"I'll probably start out close (to the launch) tomorrow – I've been starting close and then going out. Yesterday I stayed close all day and caught the snot out of them, but they were all little knotheads.

"Today I tried to make other things work, but I didn't get any good bites so I picked up the trolling motor and headed north."

4th: Fukae's Swtiched Places

> Day 2: 5, 14-10 (10, 22-10)

Fukae fished a spot on day 1 that got a lot of traffic, so he abandoned that today in favor of another. The move paid off handsomely.

"I just fished the right spot at the right time today," he said. "Yesterday was okay in the morning, but I couldn't get any afternoon bites. There were four guys fishing the same spot and that was too much pressure."

He had a pair of 3 1/2-pounders in his day-2 bag.

"I'm getting most of the good bites on a SPRO Poppin' Frog 60 – I don't get many, but if they bite they're good ones. If they miss it, I throw a (Yamamoto) Swim Senko.

"The place I have I'm fishing by myself – there's nobody else around."

8th: Mosley Settled In

> Day 2: 5, 15-13 (10, 20-05)

Mosley caught a 6-03 (the biggest fish of the tournament thus far) and a 4-03 from a place about 40 or 50 miles from the launch that he seeming has all to himself.

"For some reason that one little area is holding big fish," he said. "I think they're actually eating mullet, even though that sounds off the wall. I haven't seen another competitor there since practice. As tough as it is to get bites – it's not easy, by any means – I think guys just stayed away.

"I'm mainly frogging, but they kept short-striking it later in the day and I made an adjustment, and that's how I caught the 6."

He visited that locale on day 1, when he managed just four fish for 4-08, but it was after he'd spent a fruitless couple hours trying to catch a small limit on the main river. He said he fished it too fast on Thursday and left with just a single 12-incher before returning to the Sabine and catching three more.

He worked at a much more methodical pace on day 2. He boat-flipped the 6-pounder, which in hindsight couldn't have ended in disaster.

"I don't think I realized how big it was until it hit the floor of the boat."

Notable

> Day 2 stats – 108 anglers, 88 limits (four fewer than day 1), 12 fours, 6 threes, 1 one, 1 zero (same as day 1).

Weather Forecast

> Sat., June 9 – Mostly Sunny - 91°/75°
- Wind: From the S at 9 mph

> Sun., June 10 – Thunderstorms - 90°/76°
- Wind: From the SSW at 10 mph

Day 2 Standings

1. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 28-02 -- 110
Day 1: 5, 16-03 -- Day 2: 5, 11-15

2. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 10, 23-10 -- 109
Day 1: 5, 07-05 -- Day 2: 5, 16-05

3. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 10, 23-06 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 07-12 -- Day 2: 5, 15-10

4. Shin Fukae -- Palestine TX -- 10, 22-10 -- 107
Day 1: 5, 08-00 -- Day 2: 5, 14-10

5. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 10, 22-10 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 12-02 -- Day 2: 5, 10-08

6. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 10, 21-02 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 10-03 -- Day 2: 5, 10-15

7. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 10, 20-12 -- 104
Day 1: 5, 12-04 -- Day 2: 5, 08-08

8. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 9, 20-05 -- 103
Day 1: 4, 04-08 -- Day 2: 5, 15-13

9. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 10, 20-03 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 08-07 -- Day 2: 5, 11-12

10. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 10, 19-07 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 10-05 -- Day 2: 5, 09-02

11. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 10, 19-05 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 09-11 -- Day 2: 5, 09-10

12. Skylar Hamilton -- Dandridge, TN -- 9, 19-02 -- 99
Day 1: 4, 06-12 -- Day 2: 5, 12-06

13. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 10, 19-00 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 09-05 -- Day 2: 5, 09-11

14. Ott DeFoe -- Blaine, TN -- 10, 18-15 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 10-05 -- Day 2: 5, 08-10

15. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 10, 18-15 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 09-10 -- Day 2: 5, 09-05

16. Ray Hanselman Jr -- Del Rio, TX -- 10, 18-13 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 11-04 -- Day 2: 5, 07-09

16. Roy Hawk -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 10, 18-13 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 11-04 -- Day 2: 5, 07-09

18. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 10, 18-13 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 08-10 -- Day 2: 5, 10-03

19. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 10, 18-10 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 07-03 -- Day 2: 5, 11-07

20. Jake Whitaker -- Fairview, NC -- 10, 18-05 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 10-02 -- Day 2: 5, 08-03

21. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 18-03 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 10-15 -- Day 2: 5, 07-04

22. Robbie Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 17-15 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 11-06 -- Day 2: 5, 06-09

23. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 10, 17-14 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 10-14 -- Day 2: 5, 07-00

24. Fred Roumbanis -- Russellville, AR -- 10, 17-12 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 05-13 -- Day 2: 5, 11-15

25. Randy Howell -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 17-10 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 07-12 -- Day 2: 5, 09-14

26. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 10, 17-04 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 10-03 -- Day 2: 5, 07-01

27. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 10, 17-01 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 10-05 -- Day 2: 5, 06-12

28. Josh Bertrand -- San Tan Valley, AZ -- 10, 17-01 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 07-09 -- Day 2: 5, 09-08

29. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 10, 17-01 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 08-07 -- Day 2: 5, 08-10

30. Gerald Spohrer -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 16-15 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 10-09 -- Day 2: 5, 06-06

31. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 16-13 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 09-08 -- Day 2: 5, 07-05

32. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 10, 16-13 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 09-06 -- Day 2: 5, 07-07

33. Rick Morris -- Lake Gaston, VA -- 8, 16-11 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 11-02 -- Day 2: 3, 05-09

34. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, TN -- 10, 16-11 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 10-02 -- Day 2: 5, 06-09

35. Chris Zaldain -- Laughlin, NV -- 10, 16-09 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 08-13 -- Day 2: 5, 07-12

36. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 10, 16-09 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 08-00 -- Day 2: 5, 08-09

37. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 10, 16-09 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 08-02 -- Day 2: 5, 08-07

38. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 10, 16-09 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 08-03 -- Day 2: 5, 08-06

39. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 10, 16-07 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 06-14 -- Day 2: 5, 09-09

40. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 10, 16-07 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 07-13 -- Day 2: 5, 08-10

40. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 10, 16-07 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 07-13 -- Day 2: 5, 08-10

42. Jesse Wiggins -- Cullman, AL -- 10, 16-06 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 09-08 -- Day 2: 5, 06-14

43. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 10, 16-05 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 09-13 -- Day 2: 5, 06-08

44. Tyler Carriere -- Youngsville, LA -- 10, 16-04 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 07-05 -- Day 2: 5, 08-15

45. Darrell Ocamica -- New Plymouth, ID -- 10, 16-01 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 08-08 -- Day 2: 5, 07-09

46. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 10, 15-15 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 07-07 -- Day 2: 5, 08-08

47. Brandon Palaniuk -- Hayden, ID -- 10, 15-14 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 06-09 -- Day 2: 5, 09-05

48. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 10, 15-14 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 09-04 -- Day 2: 5, 06-10

49. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 10, 15-11 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 09-07 -- Day 2: 5, 06-04

50. Randy Sullivan -- Breckenridge, TX -- 10, 15-11 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 08-03 -- Day 2: 5, 07-08

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 3.

51. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 9, 15-09 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 10-08 -- Day 2: 4, 05-01

52. Mark Daniels Jr. -- Tuskegee, AL -- 10, 15-08 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 08-10 -- Day 2: 5, 06-14

53. Mike McClelland -- Bentonville, AR -- 10, 15-07 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 09-00 -- Day 2: 5, 06-07

54. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 10, 15-06 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 06-14 -- Day 2: 5, 08-08

55. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 15-05 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 09-01 -- Day 2: 5, 06-04

56. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 10, 15-04 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 07-15 -- Day 2: 5, 07-05

57. Dustin Connell -- Clanton, AL -- 9, 15-04 -- 54
Day 1: 4, 07-12 -- Day 2: 5, 07-08

58. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 10, 15-02 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 06-06 -- Day 2: 5, 08-12

59. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 10, 14-15 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 07-11 -- Day 2: 5, 07-04

60. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 10, 14-14 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 06-15 -- Day 2: 5, 07-15

61. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, Japan -- 10, 14-13 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 06-04 -- Day 2: 5, 08-09

62. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, PA -- 10, 14-13 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 07-05 -- Day 2: 5, 07-08

63. John Murray -- Spring City, TN -- 8, 14-12 -- 48
Day 1: 3, 05-05 -- Day 2: 5, 09-07

64. Chris Groh -- Spring Grove, IL -- 10, 14-11 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 08-13 -- Day 2: 5, 05-14

65. Chad Pipkens -- Lansing, MI -- 10, 14-10 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 08-06 -- Day 2: 5, 06-04

66. Caleb Sumrall -- New Iberia, LA -- 10, 14-08 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 07-15 -- Day 2: 5, 06-09

67. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 10, 14-06 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 08-09 -- Day 2: 5, 05-13

68. Jacob Powroznik -- North Prince George, VA 10 -- 14-06 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 06-08 -- Day 2: 5, 07-14

69. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 10, 14-05 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 08-00 -- Day 2: 5, 06-05

70. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 10, 14-04 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 07-08 -- Day 2: 5, 06-12

71. Matt Lee -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 14-04 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 06-15 -- Day 2: 5, 07-05

72. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 10, 14-03 -- 39
Day 1: 5, 06-11 -- Day 2: 5, 07-08

73. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 8, 14-01 -- 38
Day 1: 3, 03-02 -- Day 2: 5, 10-15

74. Kyle Monti -- Okeechobee, FL -- 10, 14-01 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 06-12 -- Day 2: 5, 07-05

75. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 10, 14-00 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 06-09 -- Day 2: 5, 07-07

76. Alton Jones Jr. -- Waco, TX -- 9, 13-11 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 09-13 -- Day 2: 4, 03-14

77. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, CA -- 10, 13-06 -- 34
Day 1: 5, 07-00 -- Day 2: 5, 06-06

78. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 8, 13-05 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 08-09 -- Day 2: 3, 04-12

79. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 10, 13-04 -- 32
Day 1: 5, 06-15 -- Day 2: 5, 06-05

80. Hunter Shryock -- Newcomerstown, OH -- 9, 13-03 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 08-01 -- Day 2: 4, 05-02

81. Bill Weidler -- Helena, AL -- 9, 12-13 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 07-03 -- Day 2: 4, 05-10

82. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 10, 12-09 -- 29
Day 1: 5, 05-15 -- Day 2: 5, 06-10

83. Jonathon VanDam -- Gobles, MI -- 10, 12-07 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 05-14 -- Day 2: 5, 06-09

84. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 10, 12-04 -- 27
Day 1: 5, 07-05 -- Day 2: 5, 04-15

85. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 10, 12-03 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 06-09 -- Day 2: 5, 05-10

86. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 10, 12-02 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 06-04 -- Day 2: 5, 05-14

87. Gary Klein -- Mingus, TX -- 9, 12-01 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 07-08 -- Day 2: 4, 04-09

88. Kelly Jordon -- Flint, TX -- 9, 12-01 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 06-08 -- Day 2: 4, 05-09

89. Brandon Card -- Knoxville, TN -- 8, 11-15 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 08-01 -- Day 2: 3, 03-14

90. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 9, 11-15 -- 21
Day 1: 5, 07-08 -- Day 2: 4, 04-07

91. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 10, 11-14 -- 20
Day 1: 5, 05-10 -- Day 2: 5, 06-04

92. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 10, 11-13 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 05-12 -- Day 2: 5, 06-01

93. Jordan Lee -- Grant, AL -- 8, 11-12 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 07-06 -- Day 2: 3, 04-06

94. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 8, 11-02 -- 17
Day 1: 3, 04-02 -- Day 2: 5, 07-00

95. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 7, 11-00 -- 16
Day 1: 4, 07-10 -- Day 2: 3, 03-06

96. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 8, 10-14 -- 15
Day 1: 3, 04-03 -- Day 2: 5, 06-11

97. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 8, 09-12 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 06-07 -- Day 2: 3, 03-05

98. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 9, 09-12 -- 13
Day 1: 5, 06-01 -- Day 2: 4, 03-11

99. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 9, 09-11 -- 12
Day 1: 4, 03-08 -- Day 2: 5, 06-03

100. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 6, 09-08 -- 11
Day 1: 2, 02-01 -- Day 2: 4, 07-07

101. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 8, 08-12 -- 10
Day 1: 3, 03-01 -- Day 2: 5, 05-11

102. Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 6, 08-04 -- 9
Day 1: 2, 02-08 -- Day 2: 4, 05-12

103. Jacob Wheeler -- Harrison, TN -- 5, 08-03 -- 8
Day 1: 5, 08-03 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00

104. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 6, 08-03 -- 7
Day 1: 2, 02-01 -- Day 2: 4, 06-02

105. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 7, 07-15 -- 6
Day 1: 2, 02-06 -- Day 2: 5, 05-09

106. Fletcher Shryock -- Dennison, OH -- 5, 07-11 -- 5
Day 1: 0, 00-00 -- Day 2: 5, 07-11

107. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 6, 06-13 -- 4
Day 1: 2, 02-01 -- Day 2: 4, 04-12

108. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 06-00 -- 3
Day 1: 4, 05-00 -- Day 2: 1, 01-00