Hackney and Crochet both make 53-man cut, will fish on Saturday
Friday started just like the first day of competition at the Bassmaster Elite Series stop on the Sabine River – and ended the same way, too.
A two-hour fog delay once again greeted the anglers at the Orange Boat Ramp, and Chris Lane of Guntersville, Ala. was still leading Friday afternoon when the weigh-in for Day 2 wrapped up.
Lance caught five more bass that weighed 12 pounds and 13 ounces, and pushed his two-day total to 28-7.
Greg Hackney, of Gonzales, caught five fish weighing 8-12, and finished in sixth place heading into the weekend. Cliff Crochet, of Pierre Part, caught two fish for 3-09, and is in 43rd place with a total weight of 13-09. Roanoke angler Dennis Tietje just missed the Top 53 cut, finishing 54th with a two-day total of 11-08.
Aaron Martens (25-14), Shaw Grigsby (24-6), Todd Faircloth (23-8) and Scott Rook (21-6) are trailing Lane.
“I really think I’m going to need 13 to 15 pounds each day the next two days to win,” Lane said. “Aaron is catching them, Shaw is catching them — and they’re all coming from similar areas. Will that hold up to win? That’s going to be the question.”
Lane continued targeting spawning fish in water less than 2 feet deep — and once again, his best fish came during one brief period of the day. He said it started between noon and 1 p.m., and was influenced heavily by tidal flows.
“I pulled in to where I was yesterday, and there were five or six boats in the back,” Lane said. “So I stayed out, and I caught one as soon as I got there — my first flip. Then I caught another one, caught another one, caught another one and then I culled one. It happened just that fast.”
After Saturday’s round, only the Top 12 anglers will advance to Sunday’s championship. Saturday’s weigh-in will begin at 4 p.m.
For the complete leaderboard, click here.
