We just got out on the water. Sexton and I are sitting on the lower end of Chickamauga waiting for Matt Herren.
It will be a few minutes before he gets here and we are discussing all the possibles for the day.
Jacob Wheeler is in the driver's seat. But you have Herren, a seasoned and somewhat grizzled veteran, just about a pound back.
It's most likely this is a two-horse race between youth versus experience. But don't tell that to Kevin VanDam. He's put together bigger comebacks than the 6 of 7 pounds he has to make up. Same for Greg Hackney, who didn't get the "Hack Attack" moniker for nothing. He's been fishing like the Hackney of old lately and in his words, "in attack mode."
The thing to remember is Chickamauga produces big sacks, like the almost 30-pound bag Wheeler caught on Day 2. So every angler in the 12 thinks they have a chance. That's pretty special. This season more than any other, we've seen a good sample of those come-from-behind wins.
This should or could be one of those really cool days. And it's fitting for the first BassFest.