Hackney's 21-07 Leads Tightly Packed Top 4

By BassFan Staff

Change is coming to Sturgeon Bay in the form of a different wind direction Friday and that may lead to some shuffling on the leaderboard and, in turn, the race for the final Bassmaster Classic berths.

For now, Greg Hackney occupies the top spot at the Elite Series Angler of the Year Championship after bagging a 21-07 stringer of smallmouth today. Those who are closest to him on the leaderboard were also closest to him on the water today as the Top 4 competitors all fished within approximately 500 yards of each other.

“That’s pretty wild if you think about it,” Hackney said. “As big as this place is, the Top 4 stringers were all caught with us all looking at each other. What are the odds of that?”

The odds are pretty good that they’ll all be heading back to that area Friday morning as they look to move up as far as they can in the AOY standings and collect as much money as they can.

Hackney is 3 ounces clear of Bobby Lane, who was the only other competitor to crack the 21-pound mark at Lake Michigan. Jason Christie caught 20-15 and sits in 3rd while Jacob Powroznik, who won this event last year, is 4th with 20-01. Matt Herren is 5th with 18-07.

Here's a look at the Top 12 after the first day of competition, with deficit margin from Hackney indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Greg Hackney: 21-07
2. Bobby Lane: 21-04 (00-03)
3. Jason Christie: 20-15 (00-08)
4. Jacob Powroznik: 20-01 (1-06)
5. Matt Herren: 18-07 (3-00)
6 (tie). Josh Bertrand: 18-05 (3-02)
6 (tie). Todd Faircloth: 18-05 (3-02)
8. Chris Zaldain: 18-02 (3-05)
9. Chad Pipkens: 18-01 (3-06)
10. John Crews: 16-00 (5-07)
11. Bill Lowen: 15-12 (5-11)
12. Boyd Duckett: 15-11 (5-12)

While those in the Top 5 all secured their Bassmaster Classic berth today or had already sewn up a spot, about a third of this week’s field still has something to fish for, namely a spot at Grand Lake in the Classic next March.

The biggest mover of the day was Ish Monroe, who was the last man to qualify for the AOY Championship. He caught 15-03 today and sits in 13th, which moved him from 50th to 41st in points, one spot – and one point – out of the Classic.

Ott DeFoe and Mike Iaconelli both came to Sturgeon Bay below the Classic cutoff (Top 40 in points), but both helped their cases today. DeFoe is 25th and moved up seven spots in points to 36th while Iaconelli overcame mechanical issues and finished the day in 27th, good enough for a seven-spot jump up to 38th in points.

Scott Rook caught two keepers today and is 42nd, dropping him eight slots to 46th in the points and out of the Classic while Brandon Card zeroed and slipped from 33rd to 50th.

Here’s an updated look at the points standings from 35th to 45th:

35. Marty Robinson: 476
36. Ott DeFoe: 476
37. Billy McCaghren: 473
38. Mike Iaconelli: 470
39. Brett Hite: 470
40. Brandon Coulter: 469
41. Ish Monroe: 468
42. Stephen Kennedy: 466
43. Mark Menendez: 466
44. Gerald Swindle: 465
45. John Murray: 463

The drama will continue to play out amid changing conditions at Lake Michigan, which was stingy through 3 days of practice as the lake seems to be going through its fall turnover. What has been a stiff south wind will shift to the northwest on Friday before moving to out of the northeast later in the day. A small craft warning is in effect through Friday morning for all of Green Bay.

Hackney Takes Relaxed Approach

> Day 1: 5, 21-07

This week has been a different experience for Hackney compared to last year’s AOY Championship. At that tournament, Hackney was the points leader going in, but had to sweat out three cancelled days before finally clinching the title on the final day. This week, he came in knowing he’d be headed to the Classic, but he didn’t want to lose any ground in this year’s points.

“It was a good feeling coming in,” he said. “I’d never been in a position like that. It’s a totally different event for me. I knew I couldn’t move much regardless. I could fall, but I can’t move up much. I really feel like the tournament is at the bottom for those last nine guys in and first nine guys out. That’s the exciting part.”

He’s also excited about the prospect of catching 20-plus pounds again on an area that’s clearly loaded with solid fish.

“Practice was pretty tough so I felt fortunate when I got a bite that it was a good one,” he said. “I felt like Bobby and Jacob, when they caught their fifth, they backed off of them.”

Hackney tallied six keepers bites and moved off the key area once he finished his limit.

2nd: First One Was a Relief for Lane

> Day 3: 5, 21-04

Lane said his practice for this week’s event was the worst of his career – he caught three bass in 3 days of practice – and he had very few options as to where to start today.

“I didn’t know if I would go left or right,” he said. “I made up my mind last night around 7 that I’d go start where I caught the biggest one from practice and it worked out.”

It just so happened that spot also produced for Hackney and Powroznik.

“I did see quite a few more out there,” he said. “Nobody will come in on us, but the area is just big enough for three people. We’re all doing the same thing.

“It was a great day. Catching that first fish to secure the Classic was awesome. Once that fish was in the boat, it was like a big weight had been lifted off me and I was like, ‘Okay, let’s keep fishing. I could’ve come in with one fish or 21 pounds. It didn’t matter. It’s amazing what goes through pro fisherman’s heads after a horrible practice and then you come in with 21 pounds.”

He’s hoping the area continues to produce for he has little in the way of a Plan B.

“My backup plan is 19 miles away and if I’m lucky, I could catch three or four on a great day for 9 pounds,” he said. “They’re so finicky right now, but I was fortunate to stumble on one of the best spots on the whole lake.”

3rd: Wind Has Christie Worried

> Day 3: 5, 20-15

Christie said he’s not sure what to expect with the wind coming from a different direction Friday. He caught seven fish today and isn’t positive he’ll catch even one tomorrow.

“It was work,” he said. “I’m a little worried. I caught them off two or three different places and I think it’s going to be tougher. When it changes I’m afraid the fish will move around. I have to do the best I can and keep moving.”

He said it’s been hard to get dialed in on a certain bait or presentation. Not much of anything is working with much consistency.

“There wasn’t one bait that was way better than the others,” he said. “When I’d get tired of throwing one thing I’d pick something else up and throw it.”

The Oklahoma native came into the week with the Classic already clinched as he was 11th in points. He moved up to 8th after today’s effort.

“I don’t know if I can catch one (tomorrow),” he said. “You just go one day at a time. The good thing for me is there’s no Classic on the line. That might help. I can just go fish and do crazy stuff and keep trying to get a bite and learn something.”

4th: Powroznik Thinks More are Coming

> Day 3: 5, 20-01

Powroznik said the area he’s fishing with Hackney and Lane is the same area that produced the 6-11 smallmouth he caught in practice.

“Just a little above where we’re at,” he said. “She didn’t bite today, but maybe tomorrow.”

He’s confident the change in wind direction won’t have a negative impact on where he’s fishing simply because it seems to be a gathering spot for the fish. He had seven bites today and landed five.

“There are more fish coming to the area than fish that are leaving this spot,” he said. “They’re still in their summertime pattern, but if it were to be a high of 40 tomorrow, they’d be up there (shallow) eating. We’re not even near that, though.

“I started shallow in practice and worked all the way out and this is the last place they could be and, by golly, that’s where they are. It’s the winning spot. It’s not like it’s a specific spot, though. It’s just an area and the fish are scattered out.”

6th (tie): Faircloth Made Right Move

> Day 1: 5, 18-05

Faircloth made a lengthy run to the north today and it paid off with a solid bag of fish. It’s still not near what he figured he’d be catching at Sturgeon Bay.

“The fishing, overall, is definitely not what I was expecting coming up here,” he said.

He came into this week 40th in points and continued his surge up to 33rd, well inside the Classic cut line. He was 81st in points prior to the Chesapeake Bay Elite Series and in one of the worst slumps of his career. Now, he’s back in the groove of making what appear to be all the right decisions.

“I think I’m getting a little lucky, too,” he said. “At my first spot today, they weren’t where I expected them to be. I moved around a little and found a few. If I go to the right 100 yards or left maybe I don’t catch what I caught today.”

He’s a little concerned about the change in wind tomorrow as it may make it difficult to fish his key area effectively.

“I’m running a long way and it’s so rough and you can’t really gauge the wind until you start running back and you don’t know what you’re going run into,” he said. “It’s not supposed to blow as hard tomorrow, but if it’s out of the northeast, I should be okay. Anything out of the north or northwest could be an issue.”

13th: Monroe Still Piecing it Together

> Day 1: 5, 15-03

Monroe didn’t think he’d caught enough to make a significant move in the points standings, but when he realized those just ahead of him had struggled his situation improved greatly.

“I felt still like I’d be in 45th or 46th,” he said. “The deal is I need to go fishing. I’m on them somewhat and have an idea of how to catch them, but I still have to catch them.”

He caught a 3 1/2-pounder on his fourth cast and his next fish was a 5-pounder.

“After I caught those, I was thinking, ‘There’s a shot here,’” he said. “I caught them pretty steady through the day.”

He’s hopeful that the wind is calm enough in the morning that B.A.S.S. officials will let them fish on the Sturgeon Bay side, but he expects to see some changes in how the lake fishes. He said the sun is a key component to how he’s fishing and that if there’s any sort of prolonged cloud cover, he’ll have to make adjustments.

“It’ll be blowing into areas I have been fishing and areas I haven’t had a chance to fish won’t have wind on them,” he said. “That’ll change things as well.”

Despite a small craft advisory being in effect today, there was plenty of fishable water.

“It wasn’t that bad,” he said. “If you take your time, you got to the area you wanted to get to and when I got to my area, it was completely fishable.”

50th: Card Comes Up Empty

> Day 1: 0, 0-00

Practice was a struggle for Card, but he didn’t expect to come in with a bagel today. He said the only keeper he caught today was hooked outside the mouth (on a jerkbait) and he had to throw it back.

“It was a weird day,” he said. “I fished through some good-looking areas and was in the same general areas as guys who caught them.

“It’s a humbling sport, especially on a day when you zero. I fished my guts out for 8 1/2 hours and wasn’t successful at catching a keeper.”

He believes a 35th-place finish or better this week will be enough to get him in the Classic. Based on today’s weights, that’ll require him to catch about 27 pounds over the next 2 days of competition.

“I’m still not out of it, but I have to catch them tomorrow,” he said. “If I screw up again, it’s ‘bye bye, Classic.’ The cool thing about this tournament is we’re guaranteed 3 days. I’m going to try some new areas. I think I have the right baits, but I maybe have to slow down a little.”

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 50 anglers, 27 limits, 7 fours, 7 threes, 3 twos, 5 ones, 1 zero.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., Sept. 18 – Mix of Clouds, Sun - 68°/54°
- Wind: From the NNE at 10 to 15 mph

> Sat., Sept. 19 – Mostly Sunny - 68°/52°
- Wind: From the NNW at 10 to 15 mph

> Sun., Sept. 20 – Mix of Clouds, Sun - 71°/53°
- Wind: From the SSW at 5 to 10 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 21-07 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 21-07

2. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 21-04 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 21-04

3. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 5, 20-15 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 20-15

4. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 5, 20-01 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 20-01

5. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 18-07 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 18-07

6. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 5, 18-05 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 18-05

6. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 18-05 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 18-05

8. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 5, 18-02 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 18-02

9. Chad Pipkens -- Holt, MI -- 5, 18-01 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 18-01

10. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 16-00 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 16-00

11. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 15-12 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 15-12

12. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 15-11 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 15-11

13. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 15-03 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 15-03

14. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 5, 14-11 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 14-11

15. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 5, 14-05 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 14-05

16. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 14-02 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 14-02

17. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 13-13 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 13-13

18. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 5, 13-08 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 13-08

19. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 5, 13-04 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 13-04

20. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 13-02 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 13-02

21. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 12-13 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 12-13

22. Jordan Lee -- Vinemont, AL -- 5, 12-03 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 12-03

23. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 12-00 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 12-00

24. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 5, 11-15 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 11-15

25. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 11-11 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 11-11

26. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 5, 11-10 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 11-10

27. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 4, 11-07 -- 74
Day 1: 4, 11-07

28. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 4, 11-04 -- 73
Day 1: 4, 11-04

29. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 4, 10-10 -- 72
Day 1: 4, 10-10

30. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 3, 10-03 -- 71
Day 1: 3, 10-03

31. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 3, 10-00 -- 70
Day 1: 3, 10-00

32. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 3, 09-11 -- 69
Day 1: 3, 09-11

33. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 4, 09-10 -- 68
Day 1: 4, 09-10

34. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 5, 09-09 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 09-09

35. Morizo Shimizu -- Suita, Osaka JAPAN -- 4, 09-00 -- 66
Day 1: 4, 09-00

36. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 4, 08-11 -- 65
Day 1: 4, 08-11

37. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 4, 08-07 -- 64
Day 1: 4, 08-07

38. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 3, 08-04 -- 63
Day 1: 3, 08-04

39. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 3, 07-08 -- 62
Day 1: 3, 07-08

40. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 3, 06-02 -- 61
Day 1: 3, 06-02

41. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 3, 05-11 -- 60
Day 1: 3, 05-11

42. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 2, 04-15 -- 59
Day 1: 2, 04-15

43. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 2, 04-13 -- 58
Day 1: 2, 04-13

44. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 1, 04-06 -- 57
Day 1: 1, 04-06

45. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 2, 03-14 -- 56
Day 1: 2, 03-14

46. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 1, 03-00 -- 55
Day 1: 1, 03-00

47. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 1, 02-10 -- 54
Day 1: 1, 02-10

48. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 1, 02-05 -- 53
Day 1: 1, 02-05

49. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 1, 01-13 -- 52
Day 1: 1, 01-13

50. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00