“I’ve fished a lot of tough places in my day,” said Mike Iaconelli. “This one takes the cake.”

On the other hand, James Niggemeyer had fish jumping into his boat. Literally. He thinks it had something to do with the Strike King Sexy Shad wrap on his boat. The fish was only 10 inches long, but under B.A.S.S. rules Niggemeyer would have to throw the fish back even if it had been a keeper.

Anglers expected the Sabine River would be tough on them from a fishing standpoint, but the long runs required to find quality fish took heavy tolls on outboard motors as well.

Local favorite Dennis Tietje had problems 20 miles from the takeoff point. The service crew got him back on track. But he lost more than 3 hours of precious fishing time. He had one fish that weighed 2 pounds, 14 ounces.

Chad Pipkens “got to go swimming today” when he had mechanical issues.

John Murray lost his lower unit . . . 100 miles away.

Hank Cherry continues to ride the momentum that pushed him to a high finish at the recent Classic. “I’m picking up a big jig and throwing it at everything I can throw it at. No rhyme or reason, sometimes you set the hook and the fish goes flying over the boat. Sometimes it’s a good fish.”

Kenyon Hill only caught 1 keeper but it was the right one – 4 pounds, 1 ounce. He actually caught more fish today than he has in practice, but only the biggest one would measure.

One lonely keeper is a very valuable commodity this week. “If these guys don’t weigh a fish, they don’t get any points at all,” noted tournament director Tripp Weldon. “We’ll have some guys come in with no fish and they’ll be in a deep hole when it comes to qualifying for the Classic.”

A bunch of guys simply accumulated valuable points today. Thirteen did not. That’s 13% of the most competitive anglers in the world that failed to catch a 14-inch bass today on the Sabine River.

“I’ve about lost my voice from screaming after I caught my first 14-incher today,” said Jason Williamson.

 “When that 5^th one came over and into the boat I never made another cast,” said Alton Jones.  “I didn’t know if I had enough gas to get back.” Like most of the field, Jones is making a long run and catching a lot of “weekers”- “that means in another week they would be keepers,” explained Jones.

Dean Rojas was all smiles – “What a feeling. I really didn’t think I was going to catch them that well. I just went running 75 miles down the Intracoastal, burning some gas, catching some bass.”

Rojas caught enough of the right bass to take the lead with 15-10, including the big bass on the day, a 5pound, 15 ounce specimen that qualifies as an absolute monster on the Sabine.

Keith Combs made an 83 mile run to fish for an hour without catching anything; he caught all of his fish (3 that weighed 6-15) 10 miles away on the return trip.

Paul Elias did the math and figured that his single 3 pound, 11 ounce fish cost him “50-miles-to-the-pound.”

Brandon Palaniuk (3-1 today) also did some division. “I think that is the most expensive 2 bass I have ever caught in my life. I spent $150 in gas to catch those two fish. Tomorrow I may drop the trolling motor and stay close and see what happens.”

Fish management is critical – Brandon Card caught 6 and left his spot – “I think 5 fish a day will go a long way here this week.”

Then again, saving fish may not help as much as it otherwise would in this here-today-gone-tomorrow fishery. “It’s a day-to-day deal here,” said Greg Hackney. He had an 11-13 limit. “I’m really proud to have that today.”

Some guys, for instance, Kelly Jordon made a long run to find their water “blown out” by wind which can stir shallow, muck-bottomed bayous.

Kevin VanDam and Terry Scroggins both mentioned muddy water due to recent south winds and tidal influx. Scroggins had a slightly better time in the muddy water, 3 fish for 9-11 vs. VanDam’s 3 for 8-2.

Even without 5-fish limits, Scroggins is 12^th, VanDam 19^th. Additionally, Fred Roumbanis is 14^th without a limit (3 fish, 9-5) and Bernie Schultz is 20^th with 4 bass that weigh 8-1. Otherwise, a small limit was golden today as everyone who caught 5 fish (16 anglers) is in the top 20.

Cliff Crochet (currently 3^rd) excited the locals when he put 13 pounds on the scale. Heck, Crochet was just happy to speak in front of a crowd that could understand his Cajun accent.