Entry 319-2

How I won a $1/2-Million in One Weekend with Greg Hackney

Part 2: The First Day of Competition: Three Bass – 3-Pounds Plus – and I’m Still in the Hunt for the $1/2-Million

Question: Greg, what was that first day of competition like at the FLW Cup?

Hackney: The weather was cloudy and hot, and we’d had 8 inches of rain during practice. The river had come-up about 2-feet higher than it was during practice. Too, there was a lot more current and color in the water than we’d had in practice. Although the current helped, the color made the fishing more difficult. Smallmouths like current, but they hate dirty water.

Question: So, you had intended to fish for smallmouths during this tournament; is that right?

Hackney: Yes, I figured that the smallmouth bite would be the only dependable bite I could get, and if I caught a largemouth, it would be a bonus. I did however catch one keeper spotted bass in practice, but every other fish I caught in practice was a smallmouth.

Question: Greg, how were you fishing, and how did you catch bass on that first day of the tournament?

Hackney: I was catching bass on that 3/16-ounce Strike King spinner bait with a No. 3 willow-leaf blade and a pearl skirt, and a 1/8-ounce Strike King Pro-Buzz Buzzbait and a little shad-bodied bait. I had three bass that weighed a total of 3-pounds, 6-ounces. Although I had five keeper bites, I could only boat three of them.

Question: Greg, what did you think about only having three bass when you were heading for the weigh-in?

Hackney: To be honest, I felt pretty good. A 12-inch keeper fish would only weigh about 12 ounces, and just before quitting time I’d caught a bass that weighed almost 2 pounds on the buzzbait. So I realized I might be down the list in the field of competitors, but I still felt like I had a chance to win.

Question: What color buzzbait were you using?

Hackney: The Strike King buzzbait with a pearl skirt and a nickel blade. I fish this buzzbait all over the country and catch a lot of big bass on this little bait. I caught a 2-pound monster (by Three Rivers’ standards) by fishing this bait next to a rock pile below one of the dams.

Question: Going through the line for the weigh-in, Greg, you knew you only had three fish that weighed a little more than 3 pounds. So, how did you place?

Hackney: I finished the first day in 36th place out of 77 contestants. My goal for the first day was to catch a limit of bass that weighed 5 pounds. I stayed in the pool where the tournament began. I knew that my better fish were upriver, and I’d have to go through three locks and dams to get to them. Those fish were on the Allegheny River, and I was trying to save those bass for when I made the top 10. But the dirty water messed-up my plan. I decided the night before day two that I had to catch a big bag if I was going to stay in the hunt. My plan for the second day was to run up the Allegheny and try to catch some of those higher-quality bass.

Next: The Second Day of Competition: From 36th Place to 1st Place in 1 Day

Contents:

• Part 1: A $25,000 Win for a Ticket to Compete for $1/2-Million
• Part 2: The First Day of Competition: Three Bass - 3-Pounds Plus - and I’m Still in the Hunt for the $1/2-Million
• Part 3: The Second Day of Competition: From 36th Place to 1st Place in 1 Day
• Part 4: From Leading the Tournament to Middle of the Pack with 1 Day Left and $1/2-Million in the Balance
• Part 5: Three Ounces for $1/2-Million