By NPFL Communications Staff
After weigh-in on Day 2, Greg Hackney predicted that the consistent weather would improve the bite at Lake Norman across the board, and his forecast proved true. Catching his biggest bag of the week – 17 pounds – on the final day, the veteran from Gonzales, La. secured his first NPFL victory with a total weight of 47-11.
Finishing second, North Carolina angler KJ Queen began the event with 15-8, added 14 pounds on Day 2 despite a big lost fish that hurt his chances at victory, and then delivered the second-largest bag of the tournament on Friday with 17-9. His total weight of 47-1 ounce left him 10 ounces shy of Hackney.
Kyle Welcher, who won a Bassmaster Elite Series event the previous week, overcame a slow Day 1 and came back strong with 19-13 on Day 2. However, a tougher Day 3 (12-8) gave him a 45-1 total and dropped him to third.
Patrick Walters, who started and finished in fourth, totaled 44-13 44 pounds, securing another NPFL Top-5 finish and a solid payday. Seth Ellis rounded out the Top 5 with 42-14.
Welcher's 5-10 largemouth on Day 2 was the big bass of the event.
Largemouth Seal the Deal
Leading after Day 1 with 16-6, Hackney struggled to find largemouth on Day 2, finishing with a limit of spotted bass weighing 14-5. But the largemouth returned in full force on the final day, and Hackney found his rhythm when it mattered most.
“I went to my spotted bass holes this morning to try and get a solid start, and the largemouth showed up again,” Hackney said. “I looked in the same area yesterday, which was a great day for sight-fishing, and only saw one fish. Today was slow and steady – one good one here, one good one there – and I never got shaken up.”
By the time live coverage wrapped up at 1 p.m., Hackney made his final cull – a 4-pounder that sealed the deal. However, in his mind, it was a bass he fished for two hours, hooked several times, and nearly caught that he thought might cost him the victory.
“It was time-consuming, but I knew if I caught it, it would have won the event, so I stayed. I was sure she was going to cost me the event, but overall, I fished extremely well today. I had no anxiety at all, and when you catch that many fish, you know, not having to grind for bites, it makes it easier.”
As the day progressed, Hackney had one of those “it’s your time” moments. While fighting one of his keeper largemouth to the boat, a massive spotted bass followed it in and almost made the ride to the weigh-in.
“It was 4 to 5 pounds, easily the best spot I’ve seen here,” Hackney said. “I touched it, and I thought I was going to be able to grab it. I almost had it. I got the largemouth in the boat, and at that point, I had one of those feelings like it was going to happen for me.”
Hackney’s efforts were focused below the main bridge, in the bottom third of Lake Norman. Using his Lowrance C-Map with 6-foot and less depth highlighted, he quickly found productive water where fish were spawning in the pockets and navigated Norman with no problem.
“Today, and this whole week even, I fished almost every dock, and I caught fish, but the best fish were between the docks, sitting on a piece of brush or a stump,” he added. “I burned the majority of my practice water on Day 1, so I ran new water the last two days, and it was key to finding the same type of productive areas using the C-Map.”
His two-pronged attack included Strike King Finesse Worms – a 4-inch worm fished on a shaky-head and a 6-incher rigged weedless. On Day 1, the bass were relating more to the bottom, but as the water warmed, they moved higher in the water column, and the wacky-rig presentation proved clutch.
“Our (Strike King) green pumpkin color is the most natural on the market, and the baits are more slender than other worms,” Hackney said. “I caught a bunch of fish on beds, and I got most of them on the first cast or the next cast back in. Those baits are the real deal.”
Queen Falls Just Short
When the event began, Catawba, Queen knew he would focus on spawning fish. Falling just less than a pound shy of victory, a few lost fish in a tight race made all the difference. Despite the disappointment, Queen considers the event a success.
“I fished in the mid-lake section and focused 100-percent on spawning fish,” he said. “On Day 1, I caught some fish while strolling a Queen Tackle Jig Head with Zoom bait, weighing in three bass that day. After that, I locked in and everything else was sight-fishing.”
Queen kept his approach simple, sticking to an area he believed had potential. He executed a 1-2-3 punch with Zoom plastics, finishing with the Queen Tackle Jig in MR craw color, almost to perfection.
“It couldn’t have been any simpler for me,” he said. “I kept my Lithium Pro Batteries working and covered a ton of water each day. I’m not going to lie, I’m disappointed about the big one I lost yesterday, which ended up costing me. It kind of sucks, but it is what it is. Overall, it was a great finish on my home waters.”
Welcher Falls to Third
With a major comeback on Day 2, jumping from 30th after Day 1 to the outright lead, Kyle Welcher was playing with house money on Friday. Despite the lack of new fish moving into his primary area, it was hard for him to complain after the last couple of weeks.
“I mean, if you told me after practice I’d end up in third, I would have been happy,” he said. “I had no history here at all, and regardless of where I went on the lake, I figured the chances of catching a big one were tough, so I settled into an area where I caught them good on Day 1 and focused on that.”
Day 3 saw the same quality of bass, but not nearly as many. With big spawners, depending on how aggressive they were, having numerous chances at a big fish is always better. But today, there were fewer to choose from.
“I found a few good ones, but overall they were not as catchable as yesterday, and I didn’t catch the big ones I did see,” he said. “I just looked and threw the Rapala Crush City Bronco Bug at everything I could find. It was a great week.”
The bottom half of the Top 10 consisted of Drew Cook (41-13), Jason Burroughs (41-10), Tim Frederick (39-15), David Williams (39-12) and J. Todd Tucker (39-3).
For full standings, click here.
