Greg Hackney has a keen eye and mind for his ambient surroundings while in the heat of battle. It’s one reason why he’s so successful.
His reasoning for the bite being best early, at least for him, is the timing of when the bass are feeding on blueback herring. His belief is the bite is nocturnal and the bass are rising up behind the roaming schools of baitfish in the wee hours of the morning. As the day grows, the bite subsides. Another reason why the bass might be more active and on the move in general is that blueback herring biologically begin feeling the urge to spawn when the water temperature reaches the mid-50s. It’ on the verge of that mark here.
Hackney developed a fascination with the blueback herring through years of fishing on Clark’s Hill Reservoir and Lake Murray. We’ll see today how his hypothesis holds true.