Yesterday I spoke with Greg Hackney, who caught 18-1 to take the lead on Thursday.
Hackney’s success came on the strength of one area. “Can you do this again tomorrow?” That was my question. Here was his answer.
“Honestly, I feel like I depleted it,” he said. “I was hoping that it would be more than a one-day deal but I don’t think it will be.”
Hackney went on to explain that he found the spot during practice. He caught a quality bass, then vacated the area to return for the competition. Success came quick when he did.
Hackney actually planned to make the area a first stop on the way to lock through to the next pool. That didn’t happen after he began catching fish.
“I already had three quality fish in the livewell, and when it came time to leave to make the lock, I stayed instead.”
It would be a good move. Hackney had seven bites from the spot and put the best five in the livewell. But the action subsided by midday.
“I had one spot that I could do that deal on, and I just stayed on it, and tried to catch everything that I could,” he continued. “There weren’t that many fish in there, but they were good ones.”
Hackney is smart enough to know not to put all the eggs in the same basket. He also knows that as stingy as this fishery is now, leveraging all the options is a must.
“I’ve got other places to go to, so hopefully I can do well on Friday.”