Along with being one of the best bass anglers on the face of the planet, Greg Hackney is renowned for his matter-of-fact nature. The Hack Attack is a straight shooter on and off the water. So, when Hackney stood on stage at the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair this past weekend and said, “This might be the best a lake has ever fished for one of our tournaments,” his words carry weight.
The 22-year tournament veteran with over $3 million in career earnings has the experience to make such a claim, and like usual, he was spot on with his assessment. Not only did anglers have to average over 19 pounds per day to make semifinal Saturday, but the tournament also had a 100% limit statistic. Every competing angler caught their limit every single day of the event.
Like Hack said, St. Clair is full of fish, and they must be celebrating Shark Week because they are biting in a big way right now.
Hackney weighed-in over twenty pounds of smallmouth every day to the tune of 86 pounds, 15 ounces to ultimately finish this slugfest in ninth place. His finish was good enough to earn an extra $3,000 of Toyota Bonus Bucks for being the highest finisher driving a 2019 or newer Toyota tow vehicle, proving once again that you don’t have to win a supported tournament for it to pay to tow with Toyota.
Hackney didn’t pull any punches when it came to the lures he used on St. Clair. In fact, he point blank told fans and media alike he wasn’t going to show his primary bait at all. Hackney did divulge that it was a prototype Strike King swimbait, but that’s about as much detail as he could go into.
“I’d love to show you this little swimbait, but I have to keep it under wraps for a while longer,” Hackney said with a grin. “I hate to keep a secret, but I’m hoping the smallmouth will keep biting this deal at our next two events, so it’s not all bad. I can tell you I threw the bait on my signature Lew’s Hack Attack Spinnerbait Rod, 12-pound Gamma fluorocarbon and a slower 6:8:1 Lew’s Custom Pro reel to help me slow down while winding that swimmer around.”
The Academy Outdoors pro employed a baitcasting setup more than any other angler in the Top 10 and said altogether it was “just good times” escaping the Louisiana heat in Michigan. While his lips stayed sealed on the prototype swimbait, Hackney was more than willing to talk about his fondness for his 2022 Tundra.
“Man, I have been super happy since buying my truck last February,” Hackney emphasized. “I had an 18.5-hour drive to get here, and that truck is just super comfortable to ride in and tow with, even on a haul like that. I’ve talked about the improved gas mileage and comfort, but I feel like it’s easier to get around in traffic and big cities than my old diesel was. And I really like the Sport Mode for when I’m not towing. It’s nice to be able to Sport around a little bit.”
You don’t have to be an Elite Series pro like Hackney to enjoy the luxuries of the redesigned Tundra or to reap the rewards of Toyota’s popular fishing contingency program. Bonus Bucks pays out on hundreds of events at all levels of bass fishing, as well as select walleye tournaments, and it’s 100% free to register. To learn more or get signed up today, visit www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com.
