Powroznik Claims Victory; Hackney Captures AOY

By BassFan Staff

It took a few extra days than originally planned, but Greg Hackney's journey to the top is complete.

In what will go down as one of the more bizarre pro bass tournaments in history – there were more cancelled days (three) than competition days (two) – there was no stirring comeback or dramatic stumble from any of the Angler of the Year (AOY) contenders and on Monday afternoon, under an autumn afternoon sun in Escanaba, Mich., Hackney cemented his place as one of the top anglers of this era as he secured the Bassmaster Elite Series AOY crown on the shores of northern Lake Michigan.

He did it by finishing 24th in a 50-man field with 35-02, edging perennial contender Todd Faircloth by 14 points in the final standings.

"It's a very surreal feeling. I'm honestly in a daze," he said Sunday evening.

The 41-year-old Hackney is the fourth angler to win AOY titles on both the FLW Tour and Elite Series, joining Denny Brauer, Kevin VanDam and Jay Yelas. He is now a Bassmaster Classic win away from becoming the first man to win bass fishing's grand slam – Classic, Forrest Wood Cup, both AOY titles. David Fritts, Davy Hite, VanDam and Yelas also have three of the four jewels to their credit.

"The break was killing me," Hackney said, referencing the three straight competition days that were cancelled due to high winds. "I thought I was getting sick one day. I don't know what day it was, we were off so many. I've never felt pressure like this before. It hasn't bothered me when I'm fishing. It only bothers me in the afternoon. It did the last hour on the first day. I turned into an emotional wreck. I did the same thing today because I would go long periods without a bite at the end. I didn't have a great practice here and I knew it was going to be hard."

Faircloth, who was never lower than 7th at any point this season in the AOY race, needed another 20-plus pound day to put the heat on Hackney – he'd caught 20-15 last Thursday – but he came in with 15-03 to finish 21st in the event, closing with 36-02. He's now twice finished 2nd in the AOY chase in his career (he was second to VanDam in 2008).

Rookie of the Year Jacob Powroznik walked away with the victory, his second of the year, in the wind-shortened tournament, totaling 47-06 over 2 days. He caught 23-05 today to improve one spot to 3rd in the final AOY tally. He fished his whole tournament in Little Bay de Noc and was mostly protected from the winds that wreaked havoc on the tournament. There was no prize money at stake for the tournament itself, only for the final AOY standings.

Skeet Reese caught the two biggest all-smallmouth bags of his tournament career at this event and his 46-02 total was good enough for 2nd. Mark Davis, who dominated the AOY race over the first half of the season, came on strong with a 3rd-place showing with 44-13 and finished the year 5th in points.

Brian Snowden and Andy Montgomery were the only two anglers to fish their way into next year's Bassmaster Classic with 4th- and 5th-place finishes, respectively.

Snowden, who caught 44-10, was 42nd in points before the event and his first Top-5 finish since 2011 moved him up to 34th, safely inside the cut line. Montgomery finished with 42-12 and came from 45th place in points to 35th, the single-biggest move in the event, thanks his career-best Elite Series finish.

Here's a look at how the Top 12 finished up in the tournament:

1. Jacob Powroznik: 47-06
2. Skeet Reese: 46-02
3. Mark Davis: 44-13
4. Brian Snowden: 44-10
5. Andy Montgomery: 42-12
6. Brett Hite: 42-05
7. Justin Lucas: 41-14
8. Dean Rojas: 40-14
9. Brandon Lester: 40-12
10. Chris Lane: 39-11
11. Brandon Palaniuk: 39-00
12. David Walker: 38-02

As far as Classic berths go, Kevin Short, who finished 27th this week, currently occupies the final qualifying spot via the Elite Series points after factoring in double-qualifiers, of which there are currently nine. He's 39th with 561 points, one ahead of Cliff Prince. With the final Southern Open set for next week at Lake Norman, Prince's only shot to qualify for the Classic is to win it or hope an already-qualified Elite Series pro wins it. That would free up another double-qualifier slot and punch his ticket.

With Snowden and Montgomery moving inside the cut, Bernie Schultz (36th to 43rd) and Alton Jones (39th to 45th) slipped out of Classic contention with finishes of 34th and 32nd, respectively.

The top 29 positions in the AOY points earn automatic berths to the Classic. There are seven double-qualifiers among the Top 29, meaning the cutoff moves down to 36th. Brett Hite is 31st and is considered a double-qualifier thanks to his win at Lake Seminole. That takes the cutoff to 37th, occupied by Ott DeFoe, who won the Douglas Lake Northern Open and is also a double-qualifier. That means Takahiro Omori is in.

The cutoff moved to 39th after Mark Tyler won the Arkansas River Central Open, but couldn't claim the Classic berth that went with it because he didn't fish the whole Central Open schedule. Therefore, the spot goes to the next Elite Series angler in the points – Short.

Here is a look at places 30-40 in the AOY points after Lake Michigan (* indicates double-qualifier):

30. Morizo Shimizu: 585 points
31. Brett Hite: 580*
32. Bill Lowen: 576
33. Bobby Lane: 574
34. Brian Snowden: 567
35. Andy Montgomery: 565
36. Cliff Pirch: 563
37. Ott DeFoe: 563*
38. Takahiro Omori: 562
39. Kevin Short: 561
40. Cliff Prince: 560

After three straight days of small craft advisories and wicked winds from seemingly every direction that whipped Lake Michigan into a froth, the field was sent out today amid a steady west wind that still made for some rough rides and challenging boat control. This wasn't like any other Great Lakes smallmouth tournament where dropshots and tube-dragging are the dominant techniques.

There were a great number of fish caught very shallow (less than 10 feet) and while some finesse tactics worked, reaction baits (spinnerbaits, ChatterBaits, swimbaits) were just as, if not more, effective in triggering bigger fish to bite.

Powroznik Pleased

> Day 2: 5, 23-05 (10, 47-06)

Powroznik came into the event 4th in points with a mathematical shot at winning AOY. He did his part by winning the event, but the other variables that needed to work in his favor (Hackney and Faircloth bombing) didn't go his way.

Still, he was happy to end the season with another win and walk away with the Rookie of the Year award.

"That's all I could do," he said. "We came up here for one reason and I got it accomplished."

He fished a different area today than he had on day 1 and caught 30 fish, all between 3 1/2 and 5 pounds, from 8:45 to 3:45 this afternoon.

"They had been up on top a bit last week, but they had moved out to 20 to 25 feet, which is the deepest I'd seen them in the tournament," he said. "They didn't move very far. There was deeper water close by. They moved down the break instead of being on top."

He felt like the cancellations were a case of bad-luck weather an inopportune time and didn't blame B.A.S.S. for its scheduling.

"Some weeks up north are pretty, some are bad," he said. "We happened to hit it at a bad time. I liked the whole deal. I wished there had been more at stake. A lot of guys couldn't move up or down. If it had been a regular payout on top of the AOY payout, everybody would've been much happier."

3rd: Davis Caught 'Em Better

> Day 2: 5, 24-09 (10, 44-13)

Davis caught the heaviest bag of the tournament today to help him secure his fifth Top-4 finish of the season, but like Powroznik he needed other scenarios to play out perfectly in order to challenge for the AOY crown.

"It's a shame we couldn't fish for three days because my game plan was to fish close where I could manage the wind," he said. "When they canceled all those days, it hurt me, but it is what it is. My strategy was to go for fewer bites and still catch quality fish and still be able to fish in the wind."

He stayed in Little Bay de Noc and caught everything he weighed on a Texas-rigged Strike King Coffee Tube. His kicker was a 6-04 brute that tied for the big fish of the tournament.

"The fishing was better today for me," he said. "I think the cold weather probably put more fish on those areas I was fishing or they just bit better."

He said he caught better numbers today in addition to better quality.

"I never culled anything that would've helped after 11 today," he added. "I just kept catching 3- and 4-pounders. I caught five bass on my last five casts today, but they were all 3 1/2-pounders."

4th: Snowden More than Satisfied

> Day 2: 5, 23-09 (10, 44-10)

The latest shift in the wind worked in Snowden's favor today as it turned the fish back on in the areas of Little Bay de Noc he had fished last week.

His first three keepers were all over 5 pounds and that the set the tone for a stellar day that helped him secure a Classic berth.

"It does feel great," he said. "A lot of times those plans don’t come together. After day 1, I felt real fortunate because I only got six bites all day. I made some adjustments and I think all the cancellations helped me because the wind switched back to where I was comfortable catching them in practice.

"I got the kind of start I needed and it calmed me down."

He went an hour or so without a bite before catching a couple more decent fish. His main technique was throwing a swimbait on a lead head in 4 to 10 feet of water, targeting fish that were keying on bait in the area.

"I caught one more good one and felt like I'd be close to where I needed to be," he said. "With the points, I was surprised with how high I needed to finish here to make the Classic."

5th: Montgomery Stoked

> Day 2: 5, 21-10 (10, 42-12)

Montgomery came into the AOY event feeling like he was a longshot to make the Classic. He was partly right as he faced a 6-point deficit to get inside the cut line, and had to pass five other anglers to get to 39th in points.

"It wasn't until after day 1 that I thought it was realistic for me to make it," he said. "It feels great to know I did it. It turns out I needed everything I had."

With the Classic set for Lake Hartwell, which is just over an hour's drive from his house, it's expected Montgomery will be among the local favorites come February.

"It'll be awesome to be there," he said. "This is my 4th year fishing the Elites and in 2 of the last 3 years I was way inside the cut going into the final event and fell out, so it feels good to be the bubble boy and getting inside the bubble this time."

He was one of five anglers to catch 20-pound bags both days of competition and he benefited today from the southwest wind.

"On day 1, I didn’t finish my limit until around 1 and I caught a few later on to get my weight," he said. "Today, that wind was blowing in on my place and when I got there it was on. I crushed them on a painted-blade Strike King spinnerbait. I think I caught 19 pounds on that bait today."

He also threw a tube and caught a couple bigger fish today on a Strike King Baby Rodent rigged on a dropshot.

"I'd balance-beam the fish, but it was really rough where I was and the last one I was about to throw back I decided to weigh and it was 4 pounds so I decided to head back after that," he said, adding it was a 90-minute commute back to the ramp.

21st: Faircloth Bummed

> Day 2: 5, 15-03 (10, 36-02)

Faircloth said he was having mixed emotions about falling short in the AOY race, but was mostly satisfied with another stellar season.

"In a way, I'm satisfied with it, but in a way I'm a little disappointed at the same time," he said. "Myself and several other guys can look back on certain tournaments or days that we would like to have back. Two stand out to me and they weren't tournaments, but single days where I lost a lot of points."

He pointed to the second day at Lake Dardanelle and day 3 at Table Rock Lake as missed opportunities.

"I dropped the ball on those two days," he said. "Overall, to come in 2nd in points is a good accomplishment. In a way, like I said, I can't be disappointed, but when you're that close you want to come out on top.

"I got out-fished plain and simple. My hat's off to Greg. He came in with all of the pressure on him and he got it done."

He said the fish he'd found during practice and stroked for more than 20 pounds on day 1 absolutely vanished during the days off.

"I caught a ton there in practice," he said. "There were hundreds, maybe thousands, of them there. I never got a bite there today. I don't know if it was bait-oriented or the water temperature dropping had something to do with it. It wasn't a real drastic change and I didn't think it would have much of an effect, but obviously something changed. It was crazy."

All of the fish he caught fell for a Strike King tube dragged along the bottom in 6 to 10 feet of water.

Notable

> Day 2 stats – 49 anglers, 37 limits, 2 fours, 3 threes, 2 twos, 2 ones, 3 zeroes.

> Hackney's wife is flying home to Louisiana with a friend Tuesday, but his sons Andrew and Luke are going to stick around Escanaba with their dad and go chase smallmouth together. "They've never caught a smallmouth before and they're fired up to do it," Hackney said.

> After Kevin VanDam won three straight AOY titles between 2009-11, there have been three different winners of the award over the past 3 seasons.

Final Standings

1. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 10, 47-06 – 100 -- $38,500
Day 1: 5, 24-01 -- Day 2: 5, 23-05

2. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 10, 46-02 – 99 – $24,000
Day 1: 5, 21-11 – Day 2: 5, 24-07

3. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 10, 44-13 – 98 -- $30,750
Day 1: 5, 20-04 – Day 2: 5, 24-09

4. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 10, 44-10 – 97 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 21-01 – Day 2: 5, 23-09

5. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 10, 42-12 – 96 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 21-02 – Day 2: 5, 21-10

6. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 10, 42-05 – 95 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 24-06 – Day 2: 5, 17-15

7. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL – 10, 41-14 – 94 -- $20,000
Day 1: 5, 18-15 – Day 2: 5, 22-15

8. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 10, 40-14 – 93 -- $22,000
Day 1: 5, 22-00 – Day 2: 5, 18-14

9. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 10, 40-12 – 92 -- $12,750
Day 1: 5, 24-02 – Day 2: 5, 16-10

10. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 39-11 – 91 -- $19,000
Day 1: 5, 21-03 – Day 2: 5, 18-08

11. Brandon Palaniuk -- Hayden, ID -- 10, 39-00 – 90 -- $ 14,000
Day 1: 5, 16-09 – Day 2: 5, 22-07

12. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 10, 38-02 – 89 -- $14,000
Day 1: 5, 18-10 – Day 2: 5, 19-08

13. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC – 10, 38-00 – 88 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 16-05 – Day 2: 5, 21-11

14. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL – 10, 37-14 – 87 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 21-00 – Day 2: 5, 16-14

15. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC – 10, 37-12 – 86 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 14-11 – Day 2: 5, 23-01

16. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL – 10, 37-04 – 85 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 16-02 – Day 2: 5, 21-02

17. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA – 10, 37-01 – 84 -- $23,000
Day 1: 5, 19-14 – Day 2: 5, 17-03

18. Randall Tharp -- Port Saint Joe, FL – 10, 36-06 – 83 -- $18,000
Day 1: 5, 15-03 – Day 2: 5, 21-03

19. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 10, 36-05 – 82 -- $25,000
Day 1: 5, 16-13 – Day 2: 5, 19-08

20. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ – 10, 36-04 – 81 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 16-10 – Day 2: 5, 19-10

21. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX – 10, 36-02 – 80 -- $55,000
Day 1: 5, 20-15 – Day 2: 5, 15-03

22. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX – 10, 35-14 – 79 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 14-04 – Day 2: 5, 21-10

23. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ – 10, 35-08 – 78 -- $13,000
Day 1: 5, 17-09 – Day 2: 5, 17-15

24. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 35-02 – 77 -- $101,250
Day 1: 5, 18-00 – Day 2: 5, 17-02

25. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL – 10, 34-06 – 76 -- $17,000
Day 1: 5, 17-01 – Day 2: 5, 17-05

26. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC – 10, 34-05 – 75 -- $21,000
Day 1: 5, 15-02 – Day 2: 5, 19-03

27. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR – 10, 33-14 – 74 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 15-06 – Day 2: 5, 18-08

28. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR – 10, 33-05 – 73 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 15-11 – Day 2: 5, 17-10

29. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL – 10, 15-09 – 72 -- $35,750
Day 1: 5, 17-06 – Day 2: 5, 32-15

30. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX – 10, 32-03 – 71 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 17-09 – Day 2: 5, 14-10

31. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA – 10, 32-01 – 70 -- $13,000
Day 1: 5, 17-15 – Day 2: 5, 14-02

32. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX – 10, 31-03 – 69 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 14-08 – Day 2: 5, 16-11

33. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, FL – 10, 30-10 – 68 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 13-12 – Day 2: 5, 16-14

34. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL – 10, 29-08 – 67 -- $13,250
Day 1: 5, 13-15 – Day 2: 15-09

35. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL – 9, 28-06 – 66 -- $15,000
Day 1: 5, 16-01 – Day 2: 4, 12-05

36. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA – 10, 28-04 – 65 -- $14,000
Day 1: 5, 18-01 – Day 2: 5, 10-03

37. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR – 10, 28-00 – 64 -- $14,000
Day 1: 5, 12-15 – Day 2: 5, 15-01

38. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL – 10, 26-12 – 63 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 14-09 – Day 2: 5, 12-03

39. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, IL – 8, 26-05 – 62 -- $14,000
Day 1: 5, 17-02 – Day 2: 3, 9-03

40. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL – 7, 25-04 – 61 -- $12,000
Day 1: 4, 15-09 – Day 2: 3, 9-11

42. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN – 6, 22-11 – 60 -- $12,000
Day 1: 2, 06-01 – Day 2: 4, 16-10

42. Casey Scanlon -- Lanexa, KS – 8, 21-00 – 59 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 12-12 – Day 2: 3, 8-04

43. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 20-06 – 58 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 20-06 – Day 2: 0, 00-00

44. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA – 5, 17-10 – 57 -- $13,000
Day 1: 3, 11-07 – Day 2: 2, 06-03

45. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 5, 17-01 – 56 -- $13,000
Day 1: 5, 17-01 – Day 2: 0, 00-00

46. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK – 4, 16-08 – 55 -- $16,000
Day 1: 2, 08-07 – Day 2: 2, 08-01

47. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 5, 16-00 – 54 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 16-00 – Day 2: 0, 00-00

48. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 15-01 – 53 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 15-01 – Day 2: 0, 00-00

49. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, Japan – 4, 13-15 – 52 -- $12,000
Day 1: 3, 09-10 – Day 2: 1, 04-05

50. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK – 6, 12-15 – 51 -- $13,000
Day 1: 5, 10-06 – Day 2: 1, 02-09