ORANGE, Texas — The Sabine River is known as a stingy fishery, but as they always do the best bass anglers in the world showed it off for all to see. Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., produced a four-day total weight of 48 pounds, 5 ounces to win the 2018 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River presented by Econo Lodge.
Hackney was also the best Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing selection.
As the Fantasy Fishing season wanes on along side the Bassmaster Eltie Series, you’ll begin to see points leaders emerge and separate themselves from the pack. Brent Chapman is leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race, while “tmbeck88” is leading the Fantasy Fishing points race.
The Sabine River is the kind of event that often causes players to stumble because a lot of unexpected results occur.
Not many were surprised to see Hackney at the top of the leader board, as this event fed right into his wheelhouse.
Here’s how the event played out for Fantasy Fishing players.
Sabine River Fantasy Winner: “Leifheit”
Bucket A: Greg Hackney, 320 points
B: Gerald Swindle, 295
C: Todd Faircloth, 241
D: Keith Poche, 290
E: Rick Morris, 191
Total: 1,337
Fantasy Points Leader: “tmbeck88”
Bucket A: Greg Hackney, 320 points
B: Gerald Spohrer, 233
C: Scott Rook, 243
D: Stephen Kennedy, 297
E: Alton Jones, 175
Total: 1,268
Sabine’s Perfect Team:
Bucket A: Greg Hackney, 320
B: Gerald Swindle, 295
C: Jake Whitaker, 280
D: Keith Poche, 290
E: Darrel Ocamica, 213
Total: 1,398
BUCKET A: HACKNEY
Greg Hackney earned his sixth Bassmaster title at the Sabine River, and he was the highest scoring angler for Fantasy Fishing players. Hackney was also tied with Jacob Wheeler for ownership in Bucket A, which was 19 percent. For his ownership, Hackney earned 300 points for the top spot, and five bonus points per day of leading the event, which was all four days. A total of 320 points were awarded to the Fantasy Fishing players who selected Hackney.
Second-best choice: Bradley Roy was a solid pick and earned his 0.3-percent ownership 285 points for his fourth-place finish.
Worst choice: A very surprising Jason Christie was the lowest scoring angler in Bucket A. He earned his strong 17.8-percent ownership 87 points following a tough 94-place finish.
BUCKET B: SWINDLE
Gerald Swindle enjoyed a very solid finish, and made a legitimate run at Hackney on the final day of the event. He earned his 22.2-percent ownership 295 points for a very solid performance that ended in second place.
Second-best choice: Rookie Roy Hawk finished in 15th place as the second highest scoring angler in Bucket B. He earned his 1.3-percent ownership 245 points at the Sabine River.
Worst choice: Chris Lane won this event in 2015, and struggled in 2018. He finished a very uncharacteristic 108th place earning his 9.8-percent ownership 59 points.
BUCKET C: WHITAKER
Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Jake Whitaker surprised Fantasy Fishing players with a stellar performance on the Sabine River. The North Carolina angler earned his 0.1-percent ownership 280 points after a solid fifth-place finish.
Second-best choice: John Crews was the second-best selection in Bucket C having earned his 1.2-percent ownership 276 points for finishing in sixth place.
Worst choice: Fletcher Shryock had a very tough tournament due to a misunderstanding about his Day 1 check-in time, which disqualified his day’s catch. He earned his 1.4-percent ownership 63 points following a difficult 106th-place finish.
BUCKET D: POCHE
Keith Poche finished in 29th place during the 2013 tournament on the Sabine River, and 11th in 2015. It should be no surprise the Alabama resident did well again in 2018. Poche earned his 8.3-percent ownership 290 points for a solid third-place finish.
Second-best choice: Shin Fukae was the second-best selection in this bucket having earned his 1.5-percent ownership 264 points for his ninth-place finish.
Worst choice: Russ Lane endured a difficult event, and was the lowest scoring angler in Bucket D having earned his 4.3-percent ownership 77 points for finishing in 99th place.
BUCKET E: OCAMICA
Darrell Ocamica enjoyed a productive event on the Sabine River, and those who chose him for Fantasy Fishing were glad they did. He earned his 0.1-percent ownership 213 points for a 31st-place finish.
Second-best choice: Tyler Carriere was the second highest scoring pro in this bucket earning his 1.1-percent ownership 205 points after a solid 35th-place finish.
Worst choice: Cliff Prince was the lowest scoring angler in Bucket E earning his 1.2-percent ownership 61 points for a 107th-place finish.