As we make our way towards the end of Day 1 of the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota, we are fast approaching weigh-in and will soon get a better picture of who has done what today.
BassTrakk is always a guess at best when it comes to gauging how the anglers are doing on the water. Sometimes there are cell service issues that hinder our unofficial leaderboard, other times anglers simply and intentionally underestimate their catches.
Both of these are likely culprits today.
Greg Hackney has been accused once more of sandbagging. And Cory Johnsnton’s BassTrakk has finally updated to show the 13-pound bag we’ve suspected him to have since early this morning. There are lots of questions as to who has what currently. But once the scales settle at the end of the day, the question will be who can duplicate their Day 1 bag tomorrow and beyond? Being consistent is one of the hardest things to do in bass fishing. So much so that the most coveted accomplishment in the sport is becoming a Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year. Yes, the Bassmaster Classic is the win all anglers want, but the consistency it takes to win an AOY is known by all to be a more telling indicator as it pertains to the caliber of the competitor.
Still, to win a Classic, consistency is key. Someone could stumble one day with 12- pounds, catch a solid 15-pound bag and then bust a 20-pound bag to win. That would be hard enough to do.
But being consistent across three days will be even more challenging on this diverse and ever-changing fishery. And if angler can do this, he will almost certainly win.
All eyes are on Jeff Gustafson as the angler who has the best chance to do this after a great start to the event. Gussy has roughly 17- pounds. If he can put a bag like that in the boat two more times, it will be almost impossible for any other angler to run him down. It could be done, but consistency for Gussy will likely result in a Classic win.
