Hack, KVD Head Up A Star-Studded Top 5

The sun was nowhere to be found on day 1 of the Rayburn Bassmaster Elite Series, but the stars were out in full force. How's this for a first-day leaderboard: The Top 5 includes the 1st-, 2nd-, 4th- and 5th-ranked anglers in the BassFan World Rankings.

What about the other guy? Ah, he's just the BASS record-holder for single-day and 4-day tournament weights, and he's ranked 19th in the world.

Greg Hackney, the former Rankings leader who's now No. 2, caught 22-02 and has a 1-ounce lead over Kevin VanDam, who's back in the top Rankings slot. Fifth-ranked Mike Iaconelli is 3rd with 21-08 and Dean Rojas is 4th with 21-00. Fourth-ranked Edwin Evers completed the Top 5 with 20-12.

Here's the lower half of the Top 10:

6. John Murray: 20-11
7. Rick Ash: 20-07
8. John Crews: 20-06
9. Bill Lowen: 20-01
10. Robert Hamilton Jr.: 19-11

The forecast called for scattered strong storms in the Jasper, Texas area today, but they never materialized. What the 105-angler field got instead were ideal fishing conditions – a warm, overcast day with just a slight breeze.

"It was about as nice of a fishing day as you could ever ask for," Hackney said.

And the anglers took full advantage – only seven failed to catch a limit and no bag contained fewer than three fish. Storied Rayburn has hosted a bunch of tournaments this year, particularly with nearby Toledo Bend out of the rotation due to low water, but this one's shaping up to be a doozy.

The Top 10 is separated by only 2-07, and there's just a 1-08 gap from 10th to 20th. You have to go all the way down to 30th to find someone who's more than 5 pounds out of the lead, and a 5-pound bite is nothing to write home about from here.

The field will be cut to the Top 50 after tomorrow's weigh-in, and then to the Top 12 on Saturday. The winner will be determined by highest combined weight over 4 days.

Hackney's On 'Em

Hackney is full of confidence, and why shouldn't he be? Despite just a day and a half of practice, he caught 15 keepers today and his bag contained three that went between 4 1/2 and 5 pounds.

He's running a pattern, so his fortunes aren't tied to a particular locale. And he has three different ways to catch them, but employed only one today.

"I'm pretty well dialed-in on what the fish are doing," he said. "I felt like I could catch 17 or 18 pounds today, and I got one more good bite than I expected.

"I know I can keep getting bites. They might not be as big as they were today, but then again, they might be bigger. This is Rayburn, and a 7-, 8- or even 10-pounder isn't uncommon."

He wouldn't divulge any pattern information other than to say he's fishing shallow. He said his pattern should hold up no matter what the weather does.

"I don't really see how it would make any difference," he said. "These fish are shallow, so they're just moving up to spawn or they just got through or whatever."

He said his fish were on the lean side, which makes him think they might've already done their reproductive business. "They looked like they'd been shallow for awhile. If they'd have been fat, I would've had 25 pounds."

Because this is a total-weight event, he won't back off tomorrow even if he gets a good limit early. "I'll keep catching them as long as they proceed to bite my hook."

VanDam Reserved

VanDam brought in just 1 ounce less than Hackney, but he wasn't quite as ebullient about his day.

"I caught a few decent ones, but I hadn't been catching very many (in practice)," he said. "I just got on the right little deal today. Whether it'll hold up, I don't know.

"With all the locals out there fishing around, it's going to be a challenge. We'll see. All I can do is go out and do my best."

He's on post-spawn fish, and his biggest was a 6-pounder.

"The fish are changing a lot by the day, but I'm not going to slack off. You need to catch as much as you can because you don't know what anybody else is going to do."

Like Hackney, he said the weather conditions were ideal. "The rain didn't show up and it was warm, muggy, calm and overcast. That probably helped."

Rojas Met Expectations

Rojas, who's 4th, had a good practice and expected to bring in a solid day 1 bag.

"I figured I could catch 20 pounds today," he said. "I located a lot of fish in practice and we had good conditions out there. Things went very smoothly."

He caught 15 keepers, including a 5-pounder. He was hesitant to divulge pattern information other than to say that "the fishing suits my style," which probably means he's either looking at them or throwing a frog.

Does he have enough fish to hold out for 4 days? "I'm going to find out. I'd like to think that I do, but it's a matter of getting a couple of key bites every day to sustain the pace that I'm on. But I'm excited and very optimistic."

He's not sure how hard he'll hit his primary spots tomorrow. "There's a couple areas I might stay away from or just breeze over, but I need to see how it's going first. I want to make sure I get into the finals – that's the main deal."

He's got fish pegged down in several different places and more than one way to catch them.

"I've got plans B, C and D, so I'm prepared. I'll run out of time before I run out of spots, and I can catch them three or four different ways. I think I have a good chance to catch another 20 pounds."

He noted the recreational traffic wasn't a problem for him. "There's a lot of people around, but they're either not fishing, or else not doing what I'm doing. It really doesn't concern me."

Big Ones Helped Murray

BassFan Big Stick John Murray said he didn't do well in practice, but found a couple of promising spots on the final day. He exploited them for a bag that included 6- and 5-pounders, and he's in 6th place.

He's sight-fishing at times and blind-casting at other times. In either case, a Yamamoto Senko is on the end of his line. He throws it weightless in shallower water and adds weight to go deep.

"They're really biting it – it's just a matter of getting the good ones," he said. "I've got a couple of areas that are full of fish. There's some locals in there, but not many tournament boats."

He said he found the 5-pounder yesterday, but caught the 6 on a blind cast. He had 20 keepers for the day.

He'll be back pounding those same fish again tomorrow. "I'm going to beat on them because I want to get that $10,000 check," he said. "I have to make sure I get in the Top 50. I don't want to come up short."

He's not sure what he'll do if his Senko bite goes south. "I don't really have anything else – this is the strongest thing I've found."

Rowland Couldn't Cull

Texas veteran Zell Rowland had a limit before the last boat left the launch, but he couldn't improve on it. He's in 91st with 11-03.

"I had five in the boat in 35 or 40 minutes," he said. "I just went fishing the rest of the day, but I never ran into an area that had a bunch of big fish. Tomorrow I'll go get another quick limit, then I'll go try a different area of the lake."

He caught one that weighed about 3 pounds, but the others were all in the 2-range. He figures he'll need at least 15 pounds tomorrow to make the Top 50 cut.

"I'm definitely going to change water. I've got to go to an area where there's some fish up and that gives you the capability to catch a good bag. I'm going to need a bunch."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 105 anglers, 98 limits, no zeroes.

> Gerald Swindle is 51st, one spot out of the day 2 cut. He was the first angler out of the Top 12 cut last week at Amistad.

> The only angler in the Top 5 of the World Rankings who's not in the Top 5 here is No. 3 Anthony Gagliardi. He's an FLW-only pro.

> BassFan News is brought to you by Rapala.

Weather Forecast

Here's the Weather Channel's forecast for the remaining tournament days:

> Fri., March 17 – Partly Cloudy – 72°/51°
- Wind: From the NE at 9 mph

> Sat., March 18 – Rain/Thunder – 66°/54°
- Wind: From the E/NE at 8 mph

> Sun., March 19 – Scattered Thunderstorms – 69°/60°
- Wind: From the E/SE at 9

Day 1 Standings

1. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, La. -- 5, 22-02 -- 305
Day 1: 5, 22-02

2. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 5, 22-01 -- 295
Day 1: 5, 22-01

3. Michael Iaconelli -- Runnemede, N.J. -- 5, 21-08 -- 290
Day 1: 5, 21-08

4. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu, Ariz. -- 5, 21-00 -- 285
Day 1: 5, 21-00

5. Edwin Evers -- Talala, Okla. -- 5, 20-12 -- 280
Day 1: 5, 20-12

6. John Murray -- Phoenix, Ariz. -- 5, 20-11 -- 276
Day 1: 5, 20-11

7. Rick Ash -- Pottstown, Pa. -- 5, 20-07 -- 272
Day 1: 5, 20-07

8. John Crews -- Salem, Va. -- 5, 20-06 -- 268
Day 1: 5, 20-06

9. Bill Lowen -- Cincinnati, Ohio -- 5, 20-01 -- 264
Day 1: 5, 20-01

10. Robert Hamilton Jr -- Nashville, Tenn. -- 5, 19-11 -- 260
Day 1: 5, 19-11

11. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, Calif. -- 5, 19-03 -- 257
Day 1: 5, 19-03
12. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, Texas -- 5, 18-14 -- 254
Day 1: 5, 18-14
13. Jason Quinn -- York, S.C. -- 5, 18-12 -- 250
Day 1: 5, 18-12
13. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, Ky. -- 5, 18-12 -- 250
Day 1: 5, 18-12
15. Randy Howell -- Springville, Ala. -- 5, 18-07 -- 244
Day 1: 5, 18-07
15. Dave Smith -- Del City, Okla. -- 5, 18-07 -- 244
Day 1: 5, 18-07
17. Chris Lane -- Winter Haven, Fla. -- 5, 18-06 -- 241
Day 1: 5, 18-06
18. Peter E Thliveros -- Jacksonville, Fla. -- 5, 18-04 -- 239
Day 1: 5, 18-04
19. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, Ala. -- 5, 18-03 -- 236
Day 1: 5, 18-03
19. Terry Scroggins -- Palatka, Fla. -- 5, 18-03 -- 236
Day 1: 5, 18-03
21. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, Okla. -- 5, 18-02 -- 233
Day 1: 5, 18-02
22. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, Okla. -- 5, 17-11 -- 230
Day 1: 5, 17-11
22. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Mineola, Texas -- 5, 17-11 -- 230
Day 1: 5, 17-11
24. Morizo Shimizu -- Murrita, Calif. -- 5, 17-10 -- 227
Day 1: 5, 17-10
25. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, Fla. -- 5, 17-07 -- 225
Day 1: 5, 17-07
26. Mike Wurm -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 5, 17-05 -- 223
Day 1: 5, 17-05
27. Jeff Connella -- Bentley, La. -- 5, 17-04 -- 220
Day 1: 5, 17-04
27. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, Texas -- 5, 17-04 -- 220
Day 1: 5, 17-04
29. William Smith, Jr -- Somerset, Ky. -- 5, 17-03 -- 217
Day 1: 5, 17-03
30. Alton Jones -- Waco, Texas -- 5, 17-00 -- 215
Day 1: 5, 17-00
31. Rick Morris -- Virginia, Va. -- 5, 16-15 -- 213
Day 1: 5, 16-15
32. Shaw E Grigsby, Jr -- Gainesville, Fla. -- 5, 16-14 -- 211
Day 1: 5, 16-14
33. Steve Daniel -- Clewiston, Fla. -- 5, 16-01 -- 209
Day 1: 5, 16-01
34. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, Calif. -- 5, 16-00 -- 206
Day 1: 5, 16-00
34. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, Texas -- 5, 16-00 -- 206
Day 1: 5, 16-00
36. Paul Hirosky -- Guys Mills, Pa. -- 5, 15-14 -- 201
Day 1: 5, 15-14
36. Russ Lane -- Prattville, Ala. -- 5, 15-14 -- 201
Day 1: 5, 15-14
36. Keith Phillips -- Calera, Ala. -- 5, 15-14 -- 201
Day 1: 5, 15-14
39. Jarrett Edwards -- Page, Ariz. -- 5, 15-11 -- 197
Day 1: 5, 15-11
40. Grant Goldbeck -- Gaithersburg, Md. -- 5, 15-07 -- 193
Day 1: 5, 15-07
40. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, Texas -- 5, 15-07 -- 193
Day 1: 5, 15-07
40. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, Ark. -- 5, 15-07 -- 193
Day 1: 5, 15-07
43. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, Okla. -- 5, 15-05 -- 189
Day 1: 5, 15-05
44. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, Mo. -- 5, 15-04 -- 187
Day 1: 5, 15-04
45. Byron Velvick -- Boulder City, Nev. -- 5, 15-02 -- 185
Day 1: 5, 15-02
46. Jon Bondy -- Windsor, Canada -- 5, 14-14 -- 182
Day 1: 5, 14-14
46. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, Calif. -- 5, 14-14 -- 182
Day 1: 5, 14-14
48. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, Ohio -- 5, 14-13 -- 179
Day 1: 5, 14-13
49. Chad Brauer -- Osage Beach, Mo. -- 5, 14-11 -- 177
Day 1: 5, 14-11
50. Brooks Rogers -- Quitman, Texas -- 5, 14-09 -- 174
Day 1: 5, 14-09
50. Gerald Swindle -- Hayden, Ala. -- 5, 14-09 -- 174
Day 1: 5, 14-09
52. Kurt Dove -- Warrenton, Va. -- 5, 14-08 -- 171
Day 1: 5, 14-08
53. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, Ark. -- 5, 14-06 -- 169
Day 1: 5, 14-06
54. Rick Clunn -- Ava, Mo. -- 5, 14-05 -- 167
Day 1: 5, 14-05
55. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Okla. -- 5, 14-04 -- 162
Day 1: 5, 14-04
55. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 5, 14-04 -- 162
Day 1: 5, 14-04
55. Mike Reynolds -- Modesto, Calif. -- 5, 14-04 -- 162
Day 1: 5, 14-04
55. Darrin Schwenkbeck -- Silver Spring, Md. -- 5, 14-04 -- 162
Day 1: 5, 14-04
59. Lee Bailey -- Boaz, Ala. -- 5, 14-02 -- 157
Day 1: 5, 14-02
60. Vince Hurtado -- Waterford, Calif. -- 5, 14-00 -- 154
Day 1: 5, 14-00
60. Britt Myers -- Mt. Holly, N.C. -- 5, 14-00 -- 154
Day 1: 5, 14-00
62. Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Okla. -- 5, 13-15 -- 150
Day 1: 5, 13-15
62. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, Ala. -- 5, 13-15 -- 150
Day 1: 5, 13-15
64. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, Calif. -- 5, 13-13 -- 146
Day 1: 5, 13-13
64. Conrad Picou -- Scott, La. -- 5, 13-13 -- 146
Day 1: 5, 13-13
66. Mark Tucker -- Saint Louis, Mo. -- 5, 13-11 -- 143
Day 1: 5, 13-11
67. Ray Sedgwick -- Cross, S.C. -- 5, 13-07 -- 141
Day 1: 5, 13-07
68. Mark Tyler -- Scottsdale, Ariz. -- 5, 13-06 -- 139
Day 1: 5, 13-06
69. Elton Luce Jr -- Brookeland, Texas -- 5, 13-04 -- 136
Day 1: 5, 13-04
69. Preston Clark -- Palatka, Fla. -- 4, 13-04 -- 136
Day 1: 4, 13-04
71. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, Ark. -- 5, 13-00 -- 133
Day 1: 5, 13-00
72. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, Ky. -- 5, 12-15 -- 131
Day 1: 5, 12-15
73. Dave Wolak -- Warrior Run, Pa. -- 5, 12-14 -- 129
Day 1: 5, 12-14
74. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, Kan. -- 5, 12-12 -- 127
Day 1: 5, 12-12
75. Marty Stone -- Linden, N.C. -- 5, 12-09 -- 125
Day 1: 5, 12-09
76. Pete Ponds -- Madison, Miss. -- 5, 12-07 -- 123
Day 1: 5, 12-07
77. Jimmy Mize -- Ben Lomond, Ark. -- 5, 12-06 -- 121
Day 1: 5, 12-06
78. Doc Merkin -- Downers Grove, Ill. -- 5, 12-05 -- 119
Day 1: 5, 12-05
79. Terry Butcher -- Talala, Okla. -- 5, 12-03 -- 116
Day 1: 5, 12-03
79. Joe Thomas -- Milford, Ohio -- 5, 12-03 -- 116
Day 1: 5, 12-03
81. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, Ala. -- 5, 12-02 -- 113
Day 1: 5, 12-02
82. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, Texas -- 5, 12-01 -- 111
Day 1: 5, 12-01
83. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, S.C. -- 5, 11-15 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 11-15
83. Jeremy Starks -- Charleston, W.Va. -- 5, 11-15 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 11-15
85. Ken Cook -- Lawton, Okla. -- 5, 11-13 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 11-13
85. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Calif. -- 5, 11-13 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 11-13
85. Jeff Reynolds -- Idabel, Okla. -- 5, 11-13 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 11-13
85. Mark Rogers -- Naples, Fla. -- 5, 11-13 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 11-13
89. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 5, 11-11 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 11-11
90. Paul Elias -- Laurel, Miss. -- 5, 11-08 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 11-08
91. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Texas -- 5, 11-03 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 11-03
92. Kevin Langill -- Terrell, N.C. -- 5, 10-12 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 10-12
92. Mike O'Shea -- Westlake Village, Cali -- 5, 10-12 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 10-12
92. Bink Desaro -- Boise, Idaho -- 4, 10-12 -- 89
Day 1: 4, 10-12
95. Guy Eaker -- Cherryville, N.C. -- 5, 10-11 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 10-11
96. Bradley Stringer -- Huntington, Texas -- 5, 10-05 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 10-05
97. Ken Brodeur -- Niantic, Conn. -- 5, 9-14 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 9-14
98. Fred Roumbanis -- Auburn, Calif. -- 5, 9-02 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 9-02
99. Charlie Youngers -- Oviedo, Fla. -- 3, 9-01 -- 77
Day 1: 3, 9-01
100.Jami Fralick -- Martin, S.D. -- 5, 8-14 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 8-14
101.Randy Yarnall -- Womelsdorf, Pa. -- 5, 8-07 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 8-07
101.Frank Scalish -- Cleveland Heights, Ohi -- 4, 8-07 -- 74
Day 1: 4, 8-07
103.David Gliebe -- Benton, Ky. -- 4, 7-07 -- 73
Day 1: 4, 7-07
104.Charlie Weyer -- West Hills, Calif. -- 3, 6-05 -- 72
Day 1: 3, 6-05
105.Terry Segraves -- Kissimmee, Fla. -- 4, 6-01 -- 71
Day 1: 4, 6-01

Big Bass

> Day 1: Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, Tx -- 8-03 -- $1,000