Down the final stretch
Hackney, Gagliardi, Namiki all gunning for AOY Thursday; championship berths on the line
LA PLATA, Md. – A brisk wind agitated the waters of the Potomac River Thursday morning as Wal-Mart FLW Tour anglers launched their boats for the second half of the opening round of the Chevy Open. Perhaps nature, too, was feeling the nervous energy of the day to come, with so much riding on just a few hours of fishing.
The 2005 Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year will likely be decided Thursday, though, after Wednesday’s events, the outcome is hazier than ever. J.T. Kenney, the pro standings leader coming into the event, left the door wide open for his challengers by posting an uninspiring 70th-place weight on day one at his home lake.
Rushing in to fill the void was new top contender Greg Hackney, who posted a fourth-place weight yesterday and now leads Kenney by 50 points. Hackney, who came close to winning FLW Angler of the Year last season, finishing second, was justifiably thrilled about the prospect of finally being able to close the deal.
“I didn’t feel all that great about it when I started today, but things worked out,” Hackney said Wednesday. “I had to have a great day today, and I managed to do that. I have no complaints.”
Even if he had a complaint – which he almost never does – few could blame Hackney, particularly since he theoretically should be running away with the points title. At Beaver Lake earlier in the season, Hackney accidentally left a fish in his livewell and failed to weigh in the full limit that he caught on day two that week.
“It still bothers me. I figure, at most, it cost me 20 points. At the least, it cost me 16 points,” he said. “But I called my daddy that night, and he gave me the best advice I ever had. He said, `Now you’ve got to overcome it.’ And that’s what I’ve been trying to do every day. Regardless of what happens tomorrow, everything’s going to be all right.”
What’s happening today is that Hackney has his hands full, at least as far as AOY is concerned. Anthony Gagliardi and Toshinari Namiki will push him hard. But they would both likely need to finish the week extremely high to win – say, the top five, depending on where Hackney ends up Thursday. Namiki is in better position to do it than Gagliardi, having placed 13th Wednesday. Gagliardi, sitting in 34th place, has a little more work to do.
If, somehow, those three run into serious trouble Thursday, there’s another trio of contenders in position to win it a little further back. Dave Lefebre, Kenney and Matt Herren are sitting behind Hackney by 41, 50 and 51 points, respectively. They could do it, but they would need a lot of help from the others.
And, with the way the Potomac is fishing this week, anything is possible. Everybody’s catching limits, so the weights are bunched up tight as a rattlesnake. Even though Hackney is currently sitting 64 places higher than Kenney, he only has him beat by a mere 5 pounds, 6 ounces. And everybody else in AOY contention is sandwiched in between them. Yesterday’s big bass weighed 6-9 by itself, so expect major reshuffling on the leaderboard Thursday. This race will come down to a single fish.
Whether it comes down to the one that got away from Hackney is now entirely up to him.
Thursday’s weigh-in, the second half of the opening round, begins at 3 p.m. Eastern time at Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury, Md.
Both divisions will be cut to the top 10 anglers apiece, based on two-day weight, following Thursday’s action. Look for the pro cut weight to hover around 30 pounds. The co-anglers are probably staring at something in the 22- to 25-pound range.
For bass-fishing fans unable to attend the festivities in person, you can catch all the weigh-in action live at FLWOutdoors.com with FLW Live. Show time starts at 3 p.m. Eastern.
Thursday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 5:45 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 64 degrees
Expected high temperature: 83 degrees
Water temperature: 79-83 degrees
Wind: E at 7 mph
Maximum humidity: 52 percent
Day’s outlook: sunny