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Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., takes the lead on the second day of the GEICO Bassmaster BASSfest presented by Choctaw Casino and Resort at Lake Texoma, bringing a two-day total weight of 35 pounds, 12 ounces to the scales Thursday.

                                                       Photo by Seigo Saito/Bassmaster

DURANT, Okla. — “You live by the sword, you die by the sword.”

Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., uttered those words immediately after he weighed in a 20-pound, 2-ounce limit to take the lead Thursday during the GEICO Bassmaster BASSfest presented by Choctaw Casino and Resort at Lake Texoma.

Hackney’s two-day combined weight of 35-12 bumped Wednesday’s leader Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., into second place by 1 pound, 2 ounces.

“Yesterday I fished a pattern that produced some solid fish, and today it was more of the same thing — they were just bigger,” Hackney said. “The bite has been pretty unpredictable, but I’ve been able to narrow it down to one bait. It’s risky business relying on one presentation, because it could pay off big and win me this tournament, or it could end up costing me.”

Hackney came into this event leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race, and he said it was his objective to strengthen that lead by staying consistent on the water.

“I’m a long ways from winning Angler of the Year, but I knew that a good finish here would put me one step closer,” said Hackney, the 2014 Bassmaster Angler of the Year. “I’m not concerning myself with anything other than tomorrow. If I can stay on the pattern and put together another solid limit, then I’ll start thinking about winning the derby. Right now, I’m just thankful for another great day.”

While Hackney increased on his previous day’s weight, Ashley dropped a few pounds with 14-9 for a two-day total of 34-10.

“I caught the right fish early in the day, but things really slowed down during the afternoon, and opportunities to upgrade were hard to come by,” Ashley said.

“Not much has changed since yesterday, but the pattern I’m fishing is largely dependent upon bass that are hanging out in the flooded bushes. With the receding water, the bass might be beginning to move out, but I’m confident my pattern will still produce tomorrow — I guess we’ll see.”

Also making a strong case for the 2016 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title is Gerald Swindle from Warrior, Ala. After today’s weigh-in, he is 30 points behind Hackney. Of course, that may change by the end of the tournament, but you can bet Swindle is focusing on a strong finish.

“I’ve made a asserted effort to slow down this year,” Swindle said after he brought 17-10 to the scale for a two-day total of 32-5.

“I drive slower, I fish slower aiming to be more thorough and catch every fish possible. I caught a lot more bass yesterday because I was moving faster and covering more water. But, my limit today was bigger and I fished slower. That just proves to me how important it is to make every cast count.”

Thursday’s Phoenix Boats Big Bass was caught by Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Ky., and weighed 7 pounds even. If nobody catches a bigger bass during BASSfest, Roy will receive a $1,500 bonus.

Hackney also earned the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $500 for being the second-day leader.

Rounding out the Top 10 are Brandon Palaniuk (30-11), Chad Morgenthaler (30-8), Ott DeFoe (30-5), Rick Clunn (29-6), Edwin Evers (29-0), Keith Poche (28-15) and Bradley Roy (28-11).

Following today’s weigh-in, the field will be cut to the Top 50 anglers for Friday’s semi-final round. Takeoff will be held at Dam Site Park in Denison, Texas, at 6:15 a.m. CT, while the weigh-in will take place at 3:45 p.m. at Choctaw Casino and Resort in Durant, Okla.

There will be no fishing on Saturday, as Bassmaster University will take place at Choctaw Casino and Resort in Durant, Okla., in the same location as daily weigh-ins.

Gates open at 10 a.m., and it’s completely free to the public. Bassmaster fans will have opportunities to visit sponsor booths, attend pro seminars, ask their favorite anglers questions and even gather autographs.

Also on Saturday, the Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team has been invited to participate in a special tournament Saturday on Lake McGee. Each All-American angler will be paired with an Elite Series pro for the one-day derby with weigh-in at Choctaw Casino Resort beginning at 2:30 p.m.

Bassmaster Elite Series competition will resume on Championship Sunday, as the remaining Top 12 anglers battle for the $100,000 grand prize and a berth to the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.

2016 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Toyota, Yamaha, GoPro, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats

2016 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Shimano, Academy Sports + Outdoors, A.R.E. Truck Caps, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, Power-Pole, Rapala, Shell Rotella

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (June 9, 2016) – After winning the Forrest Wood Cup last season, pro angler Brad Knight has been in a bit of a slump. In the four regular-season events held since, Knight has had an average finish of 79^th place and cashed just one paycheck. This week at the Walmart FLW Tour at Kentucky Lake presented by Mercury Marine, Knight looks to be breaking out of that slump.

Knight, of Lancing, Tennessee, caught five largemouth that weighed 23 pounds, 6 ounces to take the lead on Day One, ahead of Yamamoto Baits pro Shinichi Fukae of Palestine, Texas, (23-3) in second place and third-place angler Randy Haynes of Counce, Tennessee, (22-15) in the four-day event that features 162 of the top bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.

“I was covering a lot of water today; not fishing a bunch of big schools, but catching a few here and there,” said Knight, who has two previous top-10 finishes on Kentucky Lake in FLW competition. “I had around 20 stops that I fished and I caught 25 to 30 keepers, cranking with a Strike King plug, working as hard as I can.

“I caught the big one in the last two hours of the day,” Knight said. “I hate to call it luck, so I’ll call it good fortune from working hard.”

Knight was in the first flight of boats to check in Thursday, and was hopeful that his long day of fishing when the flights flip on Friday would be similar.

“The places that have 40 to 50 bass on them will have five boats already on them, and that’s what I’m trying to avoid,” Knight said. “I hope I can go out there tomorrow and catch a quick limit and relax. I don’t really know when the bites are going to come, you just have to hope at the end of the day you’ll have five good ones.”

With upper-90-degree temperatures being forecast over the next few days, Knight is looking forward to the heat.

“When I’ve got sweat running down my back, dripping off of my elbows and my arms are hurting because I’m winding a plug as hard as I can go, I’m happy,” Knight said. ”This is the Tennessee River and I grew up fishing here. I’m pretty comfortable here.”

The top 10 pros after Day One on Kentucky Lake are:

1^st:           Brad Knight, Lancing, Tenn., five bass, 23-6

2^nd:          Yamamoto Baits pro Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas, five bass, 23-3

3^rd:          Randy Haynes, Counce, Tenn., five bass, 22-15

4^th:           Brandon Hunter, Benton, Ky., five bass, 22-11

5^th:           Walmart pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., five bass, 22-10

6^th:           Quaker State pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., five bass, 22-6

7^th:           Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 22-5

7^th:           Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., five bass, 22-5

9^th:           Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 22-1

10^th:        Ramie Colson Jr., Cadiz, Ky., five bass, 21-6

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Knight also weighed in an 8-pound, 9-ounce largemouth to win the Big Bass Award on the pro side Thursday and the $500 prize.

Overall there were 729 bass weighing 2,101 pounds, 12 ounces caught by 159 pros Thursday. The catch included 127 five-bass limits.

Mark Horton of Nicholasville, Kentucky, leads the co-angler division with five bass weighing 21 pounds, 5 ounces, followed by Joe McClary of Kirkwood, Missouri, in second place with five bass weighing 21 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 co-anglers after Day One on Kentucky Lake are:

1^st:             Mark Horton, Nicholasville, Ky., five bass, 21-5

2^nd:          Joe McClary, Kirkwood, Mo., five bass, 21-1

3^rd:          Spencer Howerton, Melbourne Beach, Fla., five bass, 19-14

4^th:           Jay Clary, Slaughters, Ky., five bass, 19-5

5^th:           Maurice Cobb, Kuttawa, Ky., five bass, 18-11

6^th:           Rex Jaeger, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 18-7

7^th:           Nick Loeffelman Jr., Valles Mines, Mo., five bass, 18-2

8^th:           Dave Lauer, McConnelsville, Ohio, five bass, 16-14

9^th:           Otto Hecht, Stafford, Va., five bass, 16-12

10^th:        Mark Myers, Cedar Falls, Iowa, five bass, 16-9

Horton also earned the Big Bass Award on the co-angler side Thursday with a bass weighing 7 pounds, 10 ounces to win the $250 prize.

Overall there were 534 bass weighing 1,377 pounds, 11 ounces caught by 147 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 64 five-bass limits.

In addition to casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the pro division and up to $25,000 cash in the co-angler division, anglers are also competing for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2016 Forrest Wood Cup will be in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 4-7 on Wheeler Lake.

Anglers will take off from Kentucky Dam State Park located at 7792 U.S. Highway 641 N. in Gilbertsville at 6:30 a.m. CDT each day of competition. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the State Park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will also be held at the State Park, but will begin at 4 p.m.

Fans will be treated to the FLW Expo Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at Kentucky Dam State Park before the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes a 100-yard Lew’s Casting Lane, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.

Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at Kentucky Dam State Park Saturday, June 11, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to area youth 18 years of age and younger and Special Olympics athletes. Event goodie bags will be awarded to the first 50 participants who sign up. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. All bait is donated by the DMF Bait Company.

Coverage of the Kentucky Lake tournament will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Sept. 28 from 1 p.m.-2 p.m. EST. The Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.

The Walmart FLW Tour at Pickwick Lake presented by Mercury Marine is hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

About FLW

FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Periscope: @FLWFishing.

CADIZ, Ky. (June 9, 2016) – Jeremy Lawyer of Sarcoxie, Missouri, took the early lead at the BFL All-American on Lake Barkley with a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 6 ounces. Lawyer will begin Day Two of the three-day competition with a 1-pound, 2-ounce lead over second-place angler Drew Boggs of Lebanon, Tennessee, who weighed in five bass totaling 17 pounds, 4 ounces.

Hosted by Cadiz-Trigg County Tourism, the BFL All-American features the top 49 boaters and top 49 co-anglers from across the 24-division BFL circuit and the TBF National Championship casting for cash prizes of up to $120,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division, plus an opportunity to compete for the Forrest Wood Cup Aug. 4-7 on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama.

“I really thought I was going to catch them out there in a couple of key areas, but it was a grind,” said Lawyer, who punched his ticket to the event via his fourth place finish at a BFL regional championship on Kentucky Lake last season. “We’re all rotating through a lot of different cover out there.”

Lawyer said he ran to nearly 50 different areas between the takeoff ramp and the Dover, Tennessee-region throughout the day, targeting fish that were setting up with the current.

“I had a limit by 10:30 a.m.,” said Lawyer. “Of the eight keepers I caught, two of the better ones came from back-to-back casts in an area that I stopped at on a whim. The rest came from different spots. It’s really going to be about timing this week. You’ve got to stop when there’s a fish there, you can’t sit in one place.”

Lawyer said he caught his bass by throwing and dragging multiple different reaction baits.

“I’ve got 10 rods on my deck, each rigged different,” said Lawyer. “Sometimes I get tired of throwing the same thing. I’m not afraid to pick up something new, it helps my confidence.”

Lawyer said he plans to follow a similar route tomorrow, with some new areas mixed in.

“I’m going to make that same milk run,” said Lawyer. “I caught a couple up shallow today, so I’m probably going to try and do that again, too. I’m not going to play it safe, that’s for sure. I’m going to go out there swinging.”

The top 10 boaters after Day One on Lake Barkley are:

1^st:          Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., five bass, 18-6

2^nd:         Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 17-4

3^rd:          John Vanore, Mullica Hill, N.J., five bass, 15-14

4^th:          John Duvall, Madison, Ga., five bass, 15-13

5^th:          Andre Dickneite, Freeburg, Mo., five bass, 15-11

6^th:          Kyle Weisenburger, Ottawa, Ohio, five bass, 15-9

7^th:          Todd Walters, Kernersville, N.C., five bass, 15-1

8^th:          Jim Eakin, Clarksville, Tenn., five bass, 14-6

9^th:          Thomas Helton, Charleston, Tenn., five bass, 14-4

10^th:        Mike Devere, Berea, Ky., five bass, 14-2

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Mike Allen of Crystal Springs, Mississippi, leads the co-angler division with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 5 ounces, followed by Bill Haunert of Blue Ash, Ohio, in second place with five bass weighing 11-12.

The top 10 co-anglers are:

1^st:          Mike Allen, Crystal Springs, Miss., five bass, 16-5

2^nd:         Bill Haunert, Blue Ash, Ohio, five bass, 11-12

3^rd:          Adam Wood, Guyton, Ga., four bass, 10-11

4^th:          Jesse Parks, Avondale, Ariz., four bass, 9-13

5^th:          Matt Webb, Newnan, Ga., three bass, 9-6

6^th:          Wesley Smith, Vinemont, Ala., four bass, 8-15

7^th:          Randy Smith, Fayetteville, Ga., three bass, 8-8

8^th:          March Glenn, Decatur, Ga., two bass, 7-10

9^th:          Steven Dowty, Claremore, Okla., three bass, 7-4

10^th:        Charles Knowles, Canton, Miss., two bass, 6-9

Anglers will take off from the Lake Barkley State Resort Park Marina located at 4200 State Park Road in Cadiz at 7 a.m. CDT each morning. Weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Friday. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held in conjunction with the FLW Tour weigh-in at Kentucky Dam Village State Park, located at 7792 U.S. Highway 641 N. in Gilbertsville, Kentucky, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

Coverage of the 2016 BFL All-American will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 5 from 1 p.m.-2 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.

For a full schedule of events, complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

About Fishing League Worldwide (FLW)

FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Periscope: @FLWFishing.