Hackney ready to finish

Although he's flush with adrenaline, Greg Hackney didn't need to worry about overheating during Monday's first practice day for the Bassmaster Elite Series Toyota Angler of the Year tournament on Lake Michigan.

Although he's flush with adrenaline, Greg Hackney didn't need to worry about overheating during Monday's first practice day for the Bassmaster Elite Series Toyota Angler of the Year tournament on Lake Michigan.

"I was cold," Hackney said. "After I took off my rain suit, I never came out of a sweat shirt, and I had long underwear on under my blue jeans."

That's despite the temperature warming into the 60s Monday. Hackney reported it was 39 degrees Tuesday morning as he prepared for another practice day. Fall is in the air.

Hackney hadn't been to this area on Michigan's upper peninsula before this week.

The top 50 Elite Series anglers in the season-long point standings will fish three days this week to decide not only the AOY title, but a bunch of Bassmaster Classic entries as well. The competition will be Thursday, Friday and Sunday in Little Bay de Noc and Big Bay de Noc.

Hackney starts the week with a 15-point lead over Aaron Martens and a 17-point lead over Todd Faircloth – his two main challengers in the AOY race. With each place in the standings worth one more point than the next one below it, Hackney needs to finish within 16 places of Martens and 18 places of Faircloth to keep them from overtaking him in the finale.

Further back are Jacob Powroznik and Keith Combs (41 points). Mark Davis is technically still in the AOY picture, but he's 46 points behind Hackney. And with four other anglers between them, it would take a perfect storm of events for Davis to win.

"This isn't like the (Bassmaster) Classic," Hackney said. "I don't necessarily have to catch 'em the first day. I've got to be pretty solid. But I guarantee you this won't be decided until the final day."

Although there are boundaries in this event that limit the anglers to the Michigan waters on the western part of Lake Michigan, Hackney said there is plenty of room for 50 anglers to spread out. But, in a sense, every Elite Series event "fishes small."

"I had a hard time getting on something good that didn't have another boat on it," said Hackney of his first practice day. "These are the top 50 bass fishermen in the world. They know where to look.

"Everywhere I went, I'd see somebody. It's looked like a 'who's who' of bass fishing."

This is Hackney's 11th year on the B.A.S.S. circuit. The Gonzales, La., resident almost won the AOY title in his rookie season before finishing second to Gerald Swindle.

"It was probably best I didn't win it that year," Hackney said. "I'd just got started. I wouldn't have appreciated how much of an accomplishment it is. But I do now."

Hackney laughed and added, "I could have appreciated it about four or five years ago."

He's well aware of the AOY championship's significance now. Hackney knows he's in a rare position with three competition days remaining.

"I've had a great year, and I really, really want this," he said. "I think it's getting harder and harder to win AOY. It's amazing how good all these guys are now.

"The group is so much better than it used to be. Now you learn from everybody. There used to be only a handful of guys you learned anything from.

"This sport is evolving so fast. Will it continue to do this? I don't know, but it's amazing right now."

It would be especially amazing if Hackney caps this season with an AOY title considering how it started for him. After the first day of the first tournament of the year – at Lake Seminole – Hackney weighed-in two bass that totaled 5-0 pounds. He was in 100th place in the standings.

"Mentally, I was pretty beat down," Hackney recalled. "I was catching 30-pound sacks in practice. And then I start off the year like that. I just couldn't understand it."

Hackney weighed 23-15 on Day 2 at Seminole and made the two-day cut in 42nd place. He would finish 38th at Seminole.

"That salvaged my year," Hackney said.

And oh what a year it has been.