If you look at the winning weights from the three Elite Series tournaments that have been held here since 2012, it’s easy to see what the target winning weight should be this week – 64 pounds.
Ott DeFoe won with 63-10 in 2016. Tommy Biffle won with 64-2 in 2013. And Todd Faircloth won with 62-4 in 2012.
“I feel like the weights will be identical,” said Greg Hackney. “I fished the (Red Man) All-American here in 1998. There were a lot of 2-pounders then, there are a lot of 2-pounders now. It seems like there are about the same number of 3- and 4-pounders then as there are now.
“I figured 63 pounds might be the winning weight this week. I thought it might be a pound off. But other than that, it’s just the same size fish. The whole deal here is catching 3-pounders, and it’s not easy to do. Somebody that catches 16 pounds here four days in a row – that’s a feat. You can go through 50 bass and not catch 16 pounds. It’s not easy to catch the better ones here. It never has been.”