Big Bite Gives Hackney Substantial Early Edge

By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

A 6-pound fish is a game-changer at just about any tournament venue. At the Sabine River, it's pretty near a decent bag all by itself.

Greg Hackney caught a bass that was just 2 ounces shy of that mark on day 1 of the delayed Bassmaster Elite Series derby in eastern Texas to establish a big early lead. His 16-03 haul put him nearly 4 pounds clear of the field at the fifth stop on the nine-tournament schedule.

"It weighed more than I thought it did," Hackney said of his 5-14 specimen that was easily the biggest brought to the scale on opening day. "It was kind of a skinny fish and I knew it was a good one, but I didn't know it was that big.

"Plus, I had another competitor pretty close by, so I got it in the box pretty quick and I didn't spend a lot of time looking at it."

Matt Herren sacked 12-04 to grab the No. 2 position with 12-04, followed by Skeet Reese with 12-02. Robbie Latuso, like Hackney a resident of Gonzales, La., was 4th with 11-06 and first-year Elite competitors Ray Hanselman and Roy Hawk shared 5th with 11-04.

Here's a look at the initial top 12 (deficit margins from the leader are indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Greg Hackney: 16-03
2. Matt Herren: 12-04 (3-15)
3. Skeet Reese: 12-02 (4-02)
4. Robbie Latuso: 11-06 (4-13)
5. (tie) Ray Hanselman: 11-04 (4-15)
5. (tie) Roy Hawk: 11-04 (4-15)
7. Rick Morris: 11-02 (5-01)
8. Justin Lucas: 10-15 (5-04)
9. Jamie Hartman: 10-14 (5-05)
10. Gerald Spohrer: 10-09 (5-10)
11. David Mullins: 10-08 (5-11)
12. (tie) Ott DeFoe: 10-05 (5-14)
12. (tie) Bobby Lane: 10-05 (5-14)
12. (tie) Aaron Martens: 10-05 (5-14)

Just 17 competitors caught 10 pounds or more on the always stingy tidal fishery. Weights are up slightly from the circuit's two previous visits earlier this decade, but that's primarily due to the minimum-length requirement having been reduced from 14 inches to 12.

Anglers reported that the fishing got tougher as the day wore on. Much of the field is concentrated in only a few areas (Louisiana waters are off-limits this time) and all of the boat activity pushing waves toward the bank seemed to dampen the mood of the shallow-dwelling fish.

Limits were weighed by 92 of the 10 competitors. Among those who came in with short sacks were 2015 Sabine winner Chris Lane (96th with four fish for 5 pounds) and current BassFan World Rankings kingpin Jason Christie (99th, three for 4-02).

The day-2 weather forecast for the Orange, Texas area predicts partly cloudy skies, a high temperature of 91 degrees and an 8-mph wind from the south/southeast.

The field will be reduced to the top 50 after Friday's weigh-in. Only the top 12 will survive Saturday's cut, with the winner determined Sunday based on highest 4-day weight.

A Hawg for Hackney

> Day 1: 5, 16-03

Hackney gave almost all of the credit for his stellar day to the one monstrous bite, but the fact is that he would've had a strong showing with just the other four fish and a 12-incher in place of the bruiser.

"I'd caught some decent fish in practice, and by decent I mean 2-pound-plus bites," he said. "I knew from being here in the past that what you need is a limit with like a 4-pounder and I got fortunate to catch one bigger than that."

The big one was his second fish of the day.

"I didn't get the bites I thought I'd get numbers-wise – maybe 10 or 12 keepers. The other ones were all pretty decent and after I had my weight I spent the rest of the day running stuff where I thought I had a chance of catching a better one. I caught some more keepers, but nothing that helped."

In all likelihood, he'll make the 50-cut even if he zeroes on day 2.

"I do expect it to be tougher tomorrow – a lot of stuff gets blown out with boats running around in it on low tide and just getting bites gets hard. My plan tomorrow is to just fish for five because I know it's always a grind here, regardless."

2nd: Herren a Little Bummed

> Day 1: 5, 12-04

Herren had a good practice and thought he'd be able to weigh a better bag than the one he brought to the scale on day 1.

"I'm actually a little disappointed; I thought I was really going to catch them," he said. "It took me a long time to catch what I did – I struggled this morning.

"I figured out a little deal where I can get a bite, but this places is like the wind – you never know what's going to happen tomorrow. I'll go back to where I'm fishing and grind some more and see what happens."

His bag didn't contain any kickers – all five were in the 2 1/4- to 2 1/2-pound range.

"I've made my bend and now I have to lay in it – it'll either work or it won't. I saw some better quality in there (in practice), but I only stuck one fish. There were a couple other boats in there today, but it was manageable."

4th: Two Good Ones for Latuso

> Day 1: 5, 11-06

Latuso's best fish (4 1/2 pounds) wasn't nearly as big as Hackney's, but combined with a 2 1/2-pounder, it was enough to push him into the top 5.

"I caught one 4-pounder in practice, but that was it," he said. "I was catching 30 or 40 a day that were a pound and a half or less, but the big ones were really hard to find. They were today, too."

His biggest bite came out of the blue.

"I was catching short fish, short fish, short fish, then that one bite. I caught five within 15 minutes – four non-keepers and that one. As long as you're getting bit, you have a chance for a good one."

He focused on deep trees and laydowns in an area that drew about two dozen other competitors.

"I think when the boat traffic washes out the bank, the fish kind of go out. I went behind a lot of people and caught fish.

"I'll probably change things up a little bit tomorrow. It took me until 9:30 to catch a small limit that wasn't going to do me any good and I caught all my better ones after that. I still think I can get five, but I might get another big one early if I start in a different place."

5th: Hawk Upgraded Steadily

Hawk went through about 10 keepers and approximately 20 short fish to compile his stringer.

"It was a great bag compared to practice – I probably had one day that was close to that, but other than that I was only catching 6 or 7 pounds," he said.

He caught an early limit on a Duo Realis Pencil 110 topwater bait, then upgraded throughout the day flipping a jig with a Yamamoto Double Tail trailer or a Yamamoto Stretch 40 Grub (like a Senko with a curly tail).

His bag was topped by a pair of 3-pounders.

"I caught one of the big ones at 10 o'clock and the other at about 2. I don't have anything secluded – there's people everywhere.

"I may go to other areas tomorrow depending on how things go – I just fished one big area today – but it'll be hard to leave an area where I know there's quality fish."

90th: No Quality for Lintner

> Day 1: 5, 5-15

Jared Lintner figured he was in store for a better day that the one he had coming out of practice.

"It's not like I really tore it up or anything, but I had a couple areas where I got a couple of way better than average bites and they were for sure bass bites," he said. "The main thing in my mind was how many boats would I be fishing around.

"One other guy made a quick pass through the area today, but other than that I had the whole thing to myself. It just never materialized."

He caught about 10 fish, but nothing that was much over a pound.

"From my experience at the California Delta, I know the tide is everything to these fish and the bigger fish won't bite until the tide is right. There are little windows when they feed and for whatever reason, I didn't hit them. I just didn't get a good bite.

"I'm throwing the right baits to catch the big ones; I don't know how these small fish are getting hooked. It's almost impossible."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 108 anglers, 91 limits, 6 fours, 5 threes, 5 twos, 1 zero.

> Fletcher Shryock (last place with no weight) caught a limit, but had to take a zero when he was more than 40 minutes late to check-in. He said on stage that he'd forgotten to reset the clocks on his depthfinder to the Central time zone.

Day 1 Standings

1. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 16-03 -- 110
Day 1: 5, 16-03

2. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 12-04 -- 109
Day 1: 5, 12-04

3. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 5, 12-02 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 12-02

4. Robbie Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 11-06 -- 107
Day 1: 5, 11-06

5. Ray Hanselman Jr -- Del Rio, TX -- 5, 11-04 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 11-04

5. Roy Hawk -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 11-04 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 11-04

7. Rick Morris -- Lake Gaston, VA -- 5, 11-02 -- 104
Day 1: 5, 11-02

8. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 10-15 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 10-15

9. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 5, 10-14 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 10-14

10. Gerald Spohrer -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 10-09 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 10-09

11. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 5, 10-08 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 10-08

12. Ott DeFoe -- Blaine, TN -- 5, 10-05 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 10-05

12. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 10-05 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 10-05

12. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 5, 10-05 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 10-05

15. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 10-03 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 10-03

15. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 5, 10-03 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 10-03

17. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, TN -- 5, 10-02 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 10-02

17. Jake Whitaker -- Fairview, NC -- 5, 10-02 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 10-02

19. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 09-13 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 09-13

19. Alton Jones Jr. -- Waco, TX -- 5, 09-13 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 09-13

21. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 09-11 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 09-11

22. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 09-10 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 09-10

23. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 09-08 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 09-08

23. Jesse Wiggins -- Cullman, AL -- 5, 09-08 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 09-08

25. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 5, 09-07 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 09-07

26. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 5, 09-06 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 09-06

27. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 09-05 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 09-05

28. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 5, 09-04 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 09-04

29. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 09-01 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 09-01

30. Mike McClelland -- Bentonville, AR -- 5, 09-00 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 09-00

31. Chris Groh -- Spring Grove, IL -- 5, 08-13 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 08-13

31. Chris Zaldain -- Laughlin, NV -- 5, 08-13 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 08-13

33. Mark Daniels Jr. -- Tuskegee, AL -- 5, 08-10 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 08-10

33. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 08-10 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 08-10

35. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 5, 08-09 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 08-09

35. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 5, 08-09 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 08-09

37. Darrell Ocamica -- New Plymouth, ID -- 5, 08-08 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 08-08

38. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 5, 08-07 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 08-07

38. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 08-07 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 08-07

40. Chad Pipkens -- Lansing, MI -- 5, 08-06 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 08-06

41. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 08-03 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 08-03

41. Randy Sullivan -- Breckenridge, TX -- 5, 08-03 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 08-03

41. Jacob Wheeler -- Harrison, TN -- 5, 08-03 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 08-03

44. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 08-02 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 08-02

45. Brandon Card -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 08-01 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 08-01

45. Hunter Shryock -- Newcomerstown, OH -- 5, 08-01 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 08-01

47. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 08-00 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 08-00

47. Shin Fukae -- Palestine, TX -- 5, 08-00 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 08-00

47. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 5, 08-00 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 08-00

50. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 07-15 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 07-15

51. Caleb Sumrall -- New Iberia, LA -- 5, 07-15 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 07-15

52. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 07-13 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 07-13

52. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 5, 07-13 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 07-13

54. Randy Howell -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 07-12 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 07-12

54. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 5, 07-12 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 07-12

56. Dustin Connell -- Clanton, AL -- 4, 07-12 -- 55
Day 1: 4, 07-12

57. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 07-11 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 07-11

58. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 4, 07-10 -- 53
Day 1: 4, 07-10

59. Josh Bertrand -- San Tan Valley, AZ -- 5, 07-09 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 07-09

60. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 07-08 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 07-08

60. Gary Klein -- Mingus, TX -- 5, 07-08 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 07-08

60. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 5, 07-08 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 07-08

63. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 07-07 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 07-07

64. Jordan Lee -- Grant, AL -- 5, 07-06 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 07-06

65. Tyler Carriere -- Youngsville, LA -- 5, 07-05 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 07-05

65. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 07-05 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 07-05

65. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, PA -- 5, 07-05 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 07-05

65. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 07-05 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 07-05

69. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 07-03 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 07-03

69. Bill Weidler -- Helena, AL -- 5, 07-03 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 07-03

71. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, CA -- 5, 07-00 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 07-00

72. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 5, 06-15 -- 39
Day 1: 5, 06-15

72. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 5, 06-15 -- 39
Day 1: 5, 06-15

72. Matt Lee -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 06-15 -- 39
Day 1: 5, 06-15

75. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 5, 06-14 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 06-14

75. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 5, 06-14 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 06-14

77. Kyle Monti -- Okeechobee, FL -- 5, 06-12 -- 34
Day 1: 5, 06-12

78. Skylar Hamilton -- Dandridge, TN -- 4, 06-12 -- 33
Day 1: 4, 06-12

79. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 5, 06-11 -- 32
Day 1: 5, 06-11

80. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 06-09 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 06-09

80. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 06-09 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 06-09

80. Brandon Palaniuk -- Hayden, ID -- 5, 06-09 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 06-09

83. Kelly Jordon -- Flint, TX -- 5, 06-08 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 06-08

83. Jacob Powroznik -- North Prince George, VA -- 5, 06-08 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 06-08

85. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 06-07 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 06-07

86. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 06-06 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 06-06

87. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 5, 06-04 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 06-04

87. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, Japan -- 5, 06-04 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 06-04

89. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 5, 06-01 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 06-01

90. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 5, 05-15 -- 21
Day 1: 5, 05-15

91. Jonathon VanDam -- Gobles, MI -- 5, 05-14 -- 20
Day 1: 5, 05-14

92. Fred Roumbanis -- Russellville, AR -- 5, 05-13 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 05-13

93. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 5, 05-12 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 05-12

94. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 5, 05-10 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 05-10

95. John Murray -- Spring City, TN -- 3, 05-05 -- 16
Day 1: 3, 05-05

96. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 4, 05-00 -- 15
Day 1: 4, 05-00

97. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 4, 04-08 -- 14
Day 1: 4, 04-08

98. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 3, 04-03 -- 13
Day 1: 3, 04-03

99. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 3, 04-02 -- 12
Day 1: 3, 04-02

100. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 4, 03-08 -- 11
Day 1: 4, 03-08

101. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 3, 03-02 -- 10
Day 1: 3, 03-02

102. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 3, 03-01 -- 9
Day 1: 3, 03-01

103. Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 2, 02-08 -- 8
Day 1: 2, 02-08

104. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 2, 02-06 -- 7
Day 1: 2, 02-06

105. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 2, 02-01 -- 6
Day 1: 2, 02-01

105. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 2, 02-01 -- 6
Day 1: 2, 02-01

105. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 2, 02-01 -- 6
Day 1: 2, 02-01

108. Fletcher Shryock -- Dennison, OH -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

Weather Forecast

> Fri., June 8 – Partly Cloudy - 91°/73°
- Wind: From the SSE at 8 mph

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

> Sun., June 10 – P.M. Scattered T-Storms - 88°/75°
- Wind: From the SSW at 10 mph