Greg Hackney's Pattern, Baits & Gear
Greg Hackney said he had to modify his mindset for Redcrest compared to previous trips to the upper Mississippi River. It didn't take him all that long to get that done. "Every time I've been here before, I've always caught individual fish because we were fishing for five," he said. "I spent all practice fishing for schools, and I found four or five different places that I felt brought 15 bass to the plate. It got better each day and I felt like I got better, too." What was unique about how Hackney fished Redcrest was that he had a crankbait in his hand most of the time on Pool 8. He located schools in shallow water and also deeper. "I didn't bring a bunch of plugs, but I graphed them and they got deeper each day," he said. "I had schools in three feet and my best two places they were in 12 to 15 feet."
After posting a solid showing in the Shotgun Round, he got more clued in during the Ellimination Round, when he finished ninth to sew up a spot in the Knockout Round. "That's when I figured out the 5XD and that helped my chances to make the top 10," he said. "I figured out the lineups and angles and having the day off (between the Elimination Round and Knockout Round) was perfect. It allowed those schools to bunch back up." He was able to be efficient during the second Knockout Round as he piled up 71-11. "I went to the sweet spots each time," he said. "I didn't have to fish in between."
In the Championship Round, he chose to fish an area that he recalled having a strong population of bass from his previous visits to the area. He just couldn't keep pace with Evers. "Even Sunday, I felt like I was getting better," he said. "The more days you spend on the water, between the two days' of practice and four days' of the tournament, the better you get. The days on the water helped. I felt like I moved well and made good decisions. It just wasn't in my cards (to win)."
Gear:
Cranking gear: 7' medium-action Lew's Custom Pro Hack Attack Speed Stick cranking rod, Lew's BB1 Pro Speed Spool Series casting reel (6.8:1 ratio), 14-pound Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line, Strike King KVD 1.5 square-bill crankbait (black back chartreuse), Strike King Pro Model 5XD crankbait (chartreuse perch).
He favored the chartreuse perch color for deeper water due to the tannic hue of the water where he was fishing.
When the crankbait bite tailed off, he followed up with a Texas-rigged Strike King Rage Cut-R Worm (junebug).
In the Championship Round, he relied on a 3/8-oz. Strike King Hack Attack Heavy Cover swim jig (black/blue and white) tipped with a matching Strike King Rage Rage Craw in the morning. In the afternoon, when conditions got cloudy and warm, he went with a 3/8-oz. Strike King Hack Attack Select Buzzbait (black and white) with a Rage Craw threaded on as a trailer.
MLF/BPT Tour RedCrest 2-5 Patterns BassFan 8/29/19 (Todd Ceisner)
