ORANGE — Brock Mosley made the biggest jump of all anglers from Thursday, with some more big bags to come Friday at the Orange Boat Ramp.

“Today’s game plan actually worked out,” said Mosley, of Meridian, Mississippi. “I got two big bites, a 6-pounder and a 4-pounder. With two big bites like that, it can really bump your weight way up.”

Mosley, who only caught four fish instead of the limit of five Thursday, turned in a 15-pound, 13-ounce tote on the second day of the Bassmater Elite Series at Sabine River, catapulting him to eighth place. His 11-5 increase from Thursday is the biggest in the tournament, which is now narrowed to the top 50 for Saturday’s round.

Only the top 12 after Saturday will compete in Sunday’s final round. All weigh-ins begin at 3 p.m. at the Orange Boat Ramp.

Mosley said nothing in the conditions of Sabine River — it was another sweltering, partly cloudy day in Orange — changed that helped him catch on Friday, but his 6-3 catch gave him the lead in the Phoenix Boats Big Bass race. The winner of the Big Bass competition will receive $1,500.

“I was able to go to my area and slow down the way I needed to,” he said. “I was just real fortunate to get my two bites to push my weight where it was.”

Only Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Alabama, brought in a bigger bag Friday at 16-5. That put him second behind first-day leader Greg Hackney of Gonzales, Louisiana, who followed up a 16-3 Thursday with 11-15.

Hackney needed more time to have a solid second round after reaching his limit in his first spot Thursday.

“I probably caught 20 keepers in there today, but I had to burn through them to catch what I weighed in,” Hackney said. “I think I could go back in there and catch another limit, maybe 6 pounds. But that’s not what I’m looking for.

“So, I’m going to move around a little bit tomorrow.”

Hackney’s 28-2 total is more than 4 pounds ahead of Kennedy. Keith Poche of Pike Road, Alabama, is third at 23-6, followed by Shin Fukae of Palestine, Texas, and Skeet Reese of Auburn, California at 22-10 each.

Both Poche and Fukae said the water was higher in the parts of Sabine they fished Friday.

“I couldn’t even fish it in practice because the water was low,” Poche said. “I fished it two weeks ago, and I was able to get in. I caught a few fish, caught some good fish.”

The tournament, which awards $100,000 for first place, is held in conjunction with the Orange County River Festival.

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I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews

 

**CORRECTED to reflect that the tournament was held on Sabine River**