Entry 159-2

February Bass Fishing At Its Best

Diamonds In The Grass

Editor’s Note: $65,000 and the title, Angler-of-the-Year on the Forest L. Woods (FLW) tour, prove that Greg Hackney knows how to catch bass. One of the newest members of the Strike King Pro Staff, Hackney from Gonzalez, Louisiana, has been fishing professional tournament circuits for 5 years. However, he’s been competing in bass-fishing tournaments since he was 11 years old.

Question: What’s the second tactic you like to use the first of February?

Hackney: I like to fish the 1/2- or the 3/4-ounce Diamond Shad. My primary target will be to fish the Diamond Shad over the tops of patches of vegetation, or, above some type of wooden structure. The Diamond Shad has a real-tight wobble, and for some reason bass seem to prefer that tight-wobbling bait to a slow-wobbling bait.

Question: How are you fishing the wood structure?

Hackney: Like everyone else, I like to bang the Diamond Shad, or, crash it into some type of wood structure. But, unlike everyone else, I may crash that Diamond Shad into that same piece of cover four or five times.

Question: Why are you making so many repeated casts into that same piece of cover?

Hackney: The water’s cold at this time of year, and the bass don’t really want to bite. So, I’m trying to irritate the bass into biting. I’m always force-feeding the bass like you feed a hungry child who doesn’t want to eat. At this time of the year, the bass aren’t aggressive, and they’re not going to chase a bait. But, if you continue to bang that Diamond Shad into that wood, they’ll finally get so aggravated that they’ll eat the bait.

Question: How are you fishing the Diamond Shad above vegetation?

Hackney: I try and crash the Diamond Shad into the vegetation, and then rip it up and out of the vegetation. I use a stiff rod and fluorocarbon line to try and pull the bait away from the grass. One important thing to remember when you’re fishing the Diamond Shad over or through vegetation is if you get one small piece of grass on the hook, the rest of your cast will be ineffective. So, to try and solve this problem, this year I’ve started fishing with a more-limber rod and braided line. The advantage of the braided line and the more-limber rod is that I can actually feel that one tiny piece of grass when it gets on the hook. Then I can snatch the Diamond Shad hard with that braided line to blow the grass off the hook and to continue my retrieve. I believe the ability to snatch and rip the Diamond Shad with that braided line allows my lure to be effective much longer through the cast than when I was using the heavier rods with a lighter line.

Question: When are bass taking the bait?

Hackney: Most of the time the bass will attack the Diamond Shad when it breaks free of the grass.

Question: How are you working that Diamond Shad through the grass?

Hackney: As soon as I feel the Diamond Shad touch the grass, I pull hard and rip the bait. And as soon as that bait tears free from the grass, it hesitates just a moment before I start retrieving, and most of the time that’s when the bass will bite.

Question: What color Diamond Shad do you normally use?

Hackney: My favorite is a brown crawfish, which is a brown Diamond Shad with an orange belly. But, I’ll also fish red and chrome. Those are my three favorite colors. I’ll also experiment with chartreuse, but most of the time I fish with my favorite colors.

February Bass Fishing At Its Best

Diamonds In The Grass

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