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Greg Hackney’s road to the Bassmaster Toyota Angler of the Year title was a roller coaster ride ending with a grand bang.
Photo: James Overstreet
The first event of the year at Lake Seminole found him in 100th place after Day 1, but a strong Day 2 would move him into 48th place and he would finish the event in 38th place.
Photo: Darren Jacobson
His come from way behind, with a strong limit on Day 2 would start to define how his year would go.
Photo: James Overstreet
It would be the lowest he would sit in the AOY standings for the rest of the season.
Photo: James Overstreet
The next event was at the St. Johns River, where flipping and pitching to grass is one of his strengths.
He put together a respectable 16th place finish at the St. Johns River and his climb up the standings was cemented.
Photo: James Overstreet
By the third event at Table Rock, he was flirting around the top of the standings with a third place finish. Even though the AOY race appeared to be in the hands of Mark Davis, who finished second there.
Photo: Seigo Saito
With all eyes on Davis, Hackney finished in 34th at Toledo Bend in the fourth Elite Series event and it appeared as if he was on his way to having a good year by Elite Series standards.
Photo: Darren Jacobson
Lake Dardanelle, though, turned the tide for the Arkansas native, fishing in his birth state in the fifth event.
Photo: James Overstreet
Hackney had spent much of his early tournament years on the lake.
Photo: James Overstreet
That knowledge helped him salvage days in an event that many of the anglers said was not indicative of Lake Dardanelle.
Photo: James Overstreet
Another third place finish there and a huge stumble by Davis put Hackney in second place in the AOY standings.
Photo: James Overstreet
He kept up his roll of good, strong finishes going at BassFest on Chickamauga with a 6th place finish.
Photo: David Hunter Jones
But he would stumble in a way at the Delaware River having his worst finish of the year in 48th place.
His saving grace was that for all the AOY leaders in the race, the stumble was contagious and it left Hackney in the lead with one regular season event left, plus the AOY championship.
Like the first day at Lake Seminole, Hackney viewed Lake Cayuga like he was in a hole and needed to fight his way out.
Photo: James Overstreet
He did more than that. By targeting fewer, but larger bites
Photo: James Overstreet
But it didn’t turn into fewer. Instead he caught lots of them.
Photo: James Overstreet
Over and..
Photo: James Overstreet
over again he brought in big fish.
Photo: James Overstreet
Once again targeting grass beds.
Photo: Ken Golub
Hackney put together big stringers every day of the event.
Photo: James Overstreet
Winning that event by more than 10 pounds.
Photo: James Overstreet
It was his second Elite Series championship.
Photo: Seigo Saito
Midway through the contest you could see Hackney was making a serious run at the AOY title.
Photo: James Overstreet
Firmly in the driver’s seat.
Photo: James Overstreet
The win gave him a 15-point lead going into the AOY Championship on Bay de Noc.
Photo: James Overstreet
That event was marked by three days of wind cancellations.
And Hackney was able to catch enough to stave off a charge by Todd Faircloth in the two days of fishing.
Photo: James Overstreet
But the fishing wasn’t easy.
Photo: James Overstreet
But he fared well enough to win the AOY title with a 14-point cushion.
Photo: James Overstreet
The roller coaster ride of the year left Hackney speechless and in tears in one of the more emotional trophy ceremonies BASS has ever seen.Much of that emotion was directed to his family, who he said, “had sacrificed so much.”
Photo: James Overstreet
They were rewarded in their own way with an exceptional smallmouth trip the next day. A fitting end for a fishing family with the world’s best as the patriarch
Photo: Greg Hackney
