If you watched much of “Bassmaster LIVE” yesterday, it seemed like Greg Hackney was struggling. There was that one bright spot at 1:20 p.m. when he landed a 3 1/2-pounder. But it was mostly cast after cast after bass-less cast.
Then came the Day 3 weigh-in and for the third day in a row, Hackney had expanded his lead in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River presented by Econo Lodge. Hackney also had the heaviest 5-bass limit of the 50 anglers remaining in the competition – 12 pounds, 14 ounces.
To put this in perspective, Hackney has yet to “struggle” on the Sabine. He has methodically tightened a choke-hold on the rest of the field. On Day 1, he had a 3-pound, 15-ounce lead over Matt Herren. On Day 2, Hackney upped his lead to 4-8, and Steve Kennedy was in second place. After Day 3, Keith Poche was the new guy in second place, and Hackney was leading by 8 pounds, 7 ounces.
Yes, anything can happen today. But who would bet against more of the same?