Riding off into the sunrise
Final takeoff of 2005 regular season commences as Hackney, Namiki fish one last time for Angler of the Year
LA PLATA, Md. – The Potomac River once again yielded scores of hefty bass for the final-round anglers yesterday, and with conditions expected to stay the same today, it’s highly likely it’ll be a slugfest down to the end at today’s conclusion of the Chevy Open.
As it’s been all week, anglers are watching the tides to determine when the bite will be at its best. According to No. 3 pro Sam Newby, just about everybody likes the low tide.
“The tide is low and incoming, and if I was in there right now, I’d feel good about it,” Newby said in the minutes before takeoff. “I can catch them on high tide too, so I’m not worried about it.”
Newby said he’s been catching about 12 to 14 keepers a day and looks to perform just as well today. Judging by the direction he headed, he shouldn’t face too much pressure from his fellow FLW Tour competitors, as eight of the top 10 headed one way while Newby and one other angler – No. 8 pro Brent Chapman – took off the other way. They will, however, likely be crowded by a local tournament that also took off from Smallwood State Park this morning.
Also wrapping up this afternoon is the 2005 Angler of the Year race, which has come down to a heated battle between Greg Hackney and Toshinari Namiki. Though Namiki slightly outfished Hackney yesterday, the edge still belongs to the Hack Attack, as Namiki needs to finish eight spots ahead of him to claim the title.
“I feel like he was trying to make it interesting yesterday,” Hackney said of Namiki’s day-three sack that was second only to Hackney in the lowest-weight category.
Namiki then cracked up the crowd by saying, “Hackney is a very nice guy to me and everybody, so I’m sorry if I get 20 pounds this evening.”
Anglers will bring in their final catches – and the Angler of the Year will be crowned – at today’s weigh-in, which begins at 3 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located at 40 Drury Drive in La Plata.
Saturday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 5:45 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 63 degrees
Expected high temperature: 91 degrees
Wind: from the south at 8 mph
Maximum humidity: 56 percent
Day’s outlook: mostly sunny; hot