It was a week that was. This year’s postseason was marked by high wind, big waves, cold weather, delays and lots of fun fishing for big smallmouth bass.
From a personal point of view, I’m fairly pleased with my performance. I finished the tournament in the Top 10. When a Florida native, now living in Alabama, manages to do that as he fishes for smallmouth against the 50 best competitive bass anglers in the country he has no complaints. You’ll not hear me complain about finishing the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race in 12th place, either.
The thing I really want to talk about, however, is the Greg Hackney and Todd Faircloth battle. When I say that, I’m not slighting Aaron Martens or any of the other guys. I’m just saying that those two guys put on a show that’s something to remember.
First off, congratulations have to go to Hackney. What a year he had. In his toughest event he finished 48th. That’s still inside the Friday night cut. We call it the money cut. It’s the place where you get a check or you don’t.
In his next two toughest events he finished 38th and 34th. The rest of the season he finished better than that. And, let’s not forget that he won on Cayuga Lake in August.
This is another milestone in his career that shows us he can fish anywhere, against anybody. That’s impressive, and it shows us that he has what might be the most important thing in this business — consistency.
Well done, Greg.
As much as I congratulate Hackney on his AOY win I have to say I feel for Todd Faircloth. This is the second time he’s finished in the bridesmaid spot. That has to be a disappointment, although you’ll never hear him complain. That’s not his style.
His style is, like his fellow angler Greg Hackney, consistency. You can look at the leaderboard in almost any tournament and you’ll see his name up near the top. And, you’ll usually see his name near the top of the AOY points. He’s that kind of day in and day out competitive bass angler.
Our industry is served well by these men, and all the others like them. So long as we have anglers of that caliber bass fishing will be in good shape. It’s one of the things I’m most proud of when I say I’m a professional bass angler.
I also want to say congratulations to all the guys who earned a place next February on Lake Hartwell in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic. And what about that Kevin Short! Talk about coming back from adversity…
The last thing I want to do is say congratulations to Jacob Powroznik, our Elite Series Rookie of the Year. That’s no small thing given the level of competition he was facing all year. He’s also the first place angler in our postseason tournament and a winner on Toledo Bend back in early May. My hat goes off to you, Jacob. You’re one heck of a good angler.
Chris Lane’s column appears weekly on www.twitter.com/ChrisLaneFish and www.facebook.com/chrislanefishing or visit his website, www.chrislanefishing.com. Chris Lane’s column appears weekly.