It was nearly a year for the record books. Greg Hackney rose from the middle ranks of pro fishing to become one of the most recognizable faces in the sport. He finished 2nd in both the Bassmaster and FLW points and notched eight Top 10s in Tour-level events – three of them in the Elite 50s.

His success also stretched into the AAA leagues, where he finished 2nd at the Okeechobee Southern Open, 3rd at the Eufaula Open and 2nd at the Open Championship. Oh yeah, he won the Southern Open points too, and is currently ranked 6th in the world.



Given his newfound fame, has his life changed? "Not much," he said. "My life is still pretty hectic. I don't think anything has changed."

Solid Ground

But that's not completely true. Hackney has enjoyed a sizable upswing in sponsorship contracts. First, he moved from Ranger to Triton after Triton contacted him. "I feel like I'll fit in a lot better with Triton than I did with Ranger," he said.

And after a second thought, he noted his sponsor situation has improved significantly. "My sponsorships have really gotten better, and that's been the biggest change for me. I've acquired some new ones, and it's a really good group. I was using some of their stuff anyway, so I was already familiar with their product. Some of them approached me and it just really worked out right.

"I'm really satisfied with all of them because it's not a situation where someone said they'd sponsor me. They're companies I wanted to be with. I'll help promote the products better if I'm with a company, and products, I really like."

One company that came knocking was Strike King. The company maintains a compact, but powerful pro staff with names like VanDam, Brauer, Cochran, Davis and Grigsby. Add Hackney to that list now too. "That puts a little pressure on me," he said. "Strike King has such an elite pro staff – it's the best of the best."

In addition to Strike King, he just signed a deal with Berkley fishing line. "This is the first contract I've signed with (Berkley). I've used their line since I was 15, and in the past they supplied me with product, but now I'm technically on the Berkley pro staff. It's another deal I kind of fell right into. I was really fortunate."

Steady Product Stream

With Hackney's newfound sponsor base, he'll benefit from the monthly stipend. That should relieve some financial pressure. "It really takes some of the burden off you," he said. "Also, maybe in a way, it might mean I can gamble a little more. In the past, I've always been a big gambler. I always took some chances – I'm just that type of person.

"But (the new sponsorships) will make it a little easier to do that. There's been times in the past when I haven't gambled because I wanted a check. So it's hard to say, but if I find big bites and little bites, chances are I'll go with the big bites."

He said another important thing for him is the reliable flow of product those contracts, like Strike King, will deliver. "With a couple sponsors, I was using their stuff before, but the only change is that now they sponsor me. That helps in a lot of ways. When I'm in a bind, I can pick up the phone and get stuff quickly.

"It used to be, when I was at a tournament and (the fish) were locked onto one bait, I might be in a place where they weren't selling it at a tackle shop. I had to get by with what I had. Now I can pick up the phone and say hey, can you send me some more? I don't know if that will be a factor, but it will keep me a little more confident."

Although it was too soon for him to predict, he did note that the Strike King products are designed by pro staff members. Will anglers see Hackney signature products in the future? "We haven't really gotten into that," he said. "But Strike King said if I have any ideas, they want to discuss it."

The new sponsorships will mean promotional commitment too – a career phase he said he's ready for. "I'll have to go to work for these people, so that means more time. But I'm getting in on a part of the business that I didn't know anything about. Before, I'd really just been fishing. I'd fish, then come home, then go back fishing. Now I have to work for the companies, but it's a part I really needed to get into.

"I don't think it will be a distraction for me. I see it as a positive."

Old Reliables

As the tour season approaches, Hackney said he hasn't looked at the schedules too closely. "I've looked over the schedules, but I haven't really studied each place. It looks to be similar to last year – pretty diverse. I don't think the season will be dominated by one technique.

"In years past, we had tournaments that ran right to where one technique dominated. But last year you had to be more versatile. I think you'll have to be versatile this year too because of the changing bodies of water. We start in Florida, then go to Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia. We go from vegetation to rock back to vegetation.

"And there's some new bodies of water nobody's really been to recently. I kind of like that – there will only be a handful of guys who have been to some places. That leaves it wide open for everybody. I really like the thought of going to a new body of water."

And he plans to keep things the same. "I'll throw a lot of the stuff I've thrown for a long time," he said. "Last year, everything was dominated by baits I've thrown over the past 10 to 12 years. I didn't really do anything new – I just basically fished the way I've always fished. And I'll do the same thing this year."

And what about the pressure of trying to follow up a great year with another one? "In a way, anytime you have success you want to keep it there and keep it going, so you put a lot of pressure on yourself. I can't really fish any harder this year than I have in the past. All I can do is keep on fishing as hard as I can."

Notable

> Hackney said his main goal for this year is just to have a good year. "As far as winning anything, I feel that will come when it's time. There were a couple of times last year when I got caught up in that – trying to win something. I want to be more open-minded this year so when I look back, I can say I fished as well as I could. If I do that, when it's time for me to win, it's time for me to win."

> He'll fish both the Bassmaster and FLW tours again.

> He said his family (his wife and three children) won't travel with him as much this year. "We just recently had a little girl, Hannah, so my family won't be able to travel as much with me. That will be a really big burden. Last year I was really blessed because (his wife) Julie was with me 67 days. Every night when I laid down, I had a peaceful, easy feeling and wasn't worried about what was happening at home."