Strike King Journal - How Ill Fish the Classic with Greg Hackney/title> <meta name="Description" content="Strike King Journal - How Ill Fish the Classic with Greg Hackney" /> <meta name="Keywords" content="Strike King Lure Company, fishing, bass, Bassmaster Classic, Greg Hackney" />  <link rel="stylesheet" href="/stylesheet.css" type="text/css">   <script type="text/javascript" src="/skl_js_library.js"></script> </head> <body> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="container"> <tr> <td class="header"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" background="http://www.strikeking.com/images/gui/header_top_bkg.jpg"> <tr> <td width="188"><a href="http://www.strikeking.com/"><img src="http://www.strikeking.com/images/gui/headshots/rotator.php" width="188" height="125" border="0" /></a></td> <td width="572"><a href="http://www.strikeking.com/"><img src="http://www.strikeking.com/images/gui/header_top_static.jpg" width="572" height="125" border="0" /></a></td> <td width="100%"> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr valign="top"> <td width="170" class="menu"> <div> <img src="/images/gui/header_menu_allstar.gif" width="170" height="30" /> <ul> <li><a href="/team/chad_brauer.php">Chad Brauer</a></li> <li><a href="/team/denny_brauer.php">Denny Brauer</a></li> <li><a href="/team/george_cochran.php">George Cochran</a></li> <li><a href="/team/mark_davis.php">Mark Davis</a></li> <li><a href="/team/randy_dearman.php">Randy Dearman</a></li> <li><a href="/team/clay_dyer.php">Clay Dyer</a></li> <li><a href="/team/shaw_grigsby.php">Shaw Grigsby</a></li> <li><a href="/team/greg_hackney.php">Greg Hackney</a></li> <li><a href="/team/debra_hengst.php">Debra Hengst</a></li> <li><a href="/team/mark_menendez.php">Mark Menendez</a></li> <li><a href="/team/mark_rose.php">Mark Rose</a></li> <li><a href="/team/emily_shaffer.php">Emily Shaffer</a></li> <li><a href="/team/roger_stegall.php">Roger Stegall</a></li> <li><a href="/team/kevin_vandam.php">Kevin VanDam</a></li> <li><a href="/team/mike_wurm.php">Mike Wurm</a></li> </ul> <img src="/images/gui/header_menu_bottom.gif" width="170" height="5" /><br /> <img src="/images/gui/body_bkg.gif" width="170" height="15" /><br /> <img src="/images/gui/header_menu_saltwater.gif" width="170" height="30" /> <ul> <li><a href="team/saltwater/jack_conway.php">Jack Conway</a> </li> <li><a href="/team/saltwater/tom_rowland.php">Tom Rowland</a></li> <li><a href="/team/saltwater/rich_tudor.php">Rich Tudor</a></li> </ul> <img src="/images/gui/header_menu_bottom.gif" width="170" height="5" /><br /> <img src="/images/gui/body_bkg.gif" width="170" height="15" /><br /> <img src="/images/gui/header_menu_info.gif" width="170" height="30" /> <ul> <li><a href="/contact/contact.php">Contact Strike King</a></li> <li><a href="/dealers/index.php">Dealer Locator</a></li> <li><a href="/contact/regional_sales.php">Regional Sales Team</a></li> <li><a href="/catalog/2008/index.php">2008 Strike King Catalog</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.costore.com/strikeking">Strike King Clothing</a></li> <li><a href="/press/press_releases/index.php">Press Releases</a></li> <li><a href="/products/ads/index.php">Print Ads & Commercials</a></li> <li><a href="/info/history.php">Company History</a></li> <li><a href="/info/Strike_King_Credit_Application.pdf">Strike King Credit Application (pdf)</a></li> <li><a href="/press/pressroom/">Strike King Pressroom</a></li> </ul>  </div> </td> <td width="100%"> <div id="content"> <div id="journalEntry"> <p>Entry 187-1</p> </div> <div id="journalBody">  <h1>How I’ll Fish the Classic with Greg Hackney</h1> <h2>Part 1: Why I Don’t Pre-Fish Tournaments</h2> <div class="editorsNote"> <p>Editor’s Note: Greg Hackney of Gonzales, Louisiana, a competitive fisherman for 6 years, never has won a Bassmasters Classic, but he’s won two tour events, one open tournament and the FLW Angler-of-the-Year title. If he wins this year’s Classic in Birmingham, Alabama, he’ll reach one of his most-highly-anticipated fishing goals. "I have only two major titles left to win – the B.A.S.S. Angler-of-the-Year title and the Bassmaster Classic championship," Hackney says. This week, we’ll learn why Hackney’s praying for 20-degree weather, muddy water and high winds for the Classic.</p> </div> <p><strong><img src="/images/journal/00187/01a.jpg" alt="Greg Hackney" width="150" height="200" border="0" class="imgRight" />Question:</strong> Greg, have you fished Lay Lake before?</p> <p><strong>Hackney:</strong> I’ve been on the lake twice for one of my sponsors, but I’ve never really fished it. </p> <p><strong>Question:</strong> Did you go to the lake and check it out before the cut-off time for the Classic?</p> <p><strong>Hackney:</strong> No, I didn’t. I don’t pre-fish any tournament, and I definitely won’t pre-fish the Classic. </p> <p><strong>Question:</strong> Why didn’t you pre-fish the Classic?</p> <p><strong>Hackney:</strong> I pre-fished my first three Classics, and it seemed to have a disastrous effect. I made the decision after my third Classic that I’d never pre-fish again. So, last year, I didn’t pre-fish, and I had the best Classic I’d ever had. I don’t pre-fish for any tournament. </p> <p><strong>Question:</strong> Why?</p> <p><strong>Hackney:</strong> I fish better when I’m fishing in the moment. I want to arrive at a tournament and fish the conditions I find on that day, or in the pre-practice tournament days just before the tournament. I don’t want to start with preconceived notions about where I’ve found fish in the past and return to those spots because I’ve caught bass there previously. When you go into a tournament without pre-fishing, you really have to depend on your intuitive instincts, and you have to look for the places and the lures to fish that should be right for those weather and water conditions and the annual migration of the bass. </p> <p>I really get messed-up when I fish a lake where there will be a tournament one month before the tournament. <img src="/images/journal/00187/02a.jpg" alt="Greg Hackney" width="150" height="200" border="0" class="imgLeft" />I don’t want to look at or see any lake I’ll be competing on until the three-day practice before each tournament, because that’s when I’m the freshest and the most ready to fish the tournament. After 2-1/2-days of practice, I’m ready to fish the tournament. I perform better with 2-1/2-days of practice before the tournament than if I go to the lake a week or even a month before the tournament. </p> <p>The reason I’ve developed this philosophy is I’ve found that I have a tendency to go back and try to fish spots I’ve locate before the cut-off date, even though the time of year and the weather and the water conditions have changed, and the bass are further along on their annual migration. Normally, the lake will have a totally-different look when you go there to practice than it will the week of the tournament. I don’t want to fish based on past history. I want to rely on my decisions I make based on the moment I’m fishing. Everything that happened yesterday is past history. I have to fish the conditions I find the day I’m fishing and the moment just before I cast. That’s when all the information on how to catch bass is the best. </p> <p><strong>Question:</strong> How did you develop this philosophy, Greg?</p> <p><strong>Hackney:</strong> Through trial and error. If I look back over all the tournaments I’ve pre-fished, only one time did pre-fishing help me. The rest of the time, pre-fishing hurt me. </p> <p><strong>Question:</strong> Greg, are you more of an intuitive fisherman, betting on your instincts, than a planner and a statistician?</p> <p><strong>Hackney:</strong> Absolutely. I’ve learned that I can rely on my instincts to do the best I can do. Right now, I don’t have any idea how I’ll fish the Classic. <strong><img src="/images/journal/00187/03a.jpg" alt="Fishing with Strike King Lures" width="200" height="150" border="0" class="imgRight" /></strong>I don’t have any preconceived notions that one or two techniques will help me win the Classic. I have about four or five tactics I’ll probably use, but I won’t make a decision on where I’ll fish, what baits I’ll use, what line I’ll need, and what rods and reels I expect to be the most effective until I get to the Classic. I intend to fish to my strengths at that time of year under those weather and water conditions. But I don’t know yet which of my strengths I’ll use. I can’t tell you whether I’ll be cranking, flipping, dragging a jig or throwing a Carolina rig. Those decisions are all decisions I have to make when I’m out on the water and start catching fish. </p> <p>By not pre-fishing, I build up a lot of anticipation and excitement for the Classic. I know that when I get to Lay Lake, I’ll have to go out, find the bass and develop the pattern that will make them bite. I really believe that not knowing what will happen at the Classic is the biggest advantage I have going into this year’s Classic.</p> <p><strong>Question:</strong> What are you thinking about this year’s Classic?</p> <p><strong>Hackney:</strong> Here’s the way I see it. For the 2007 Classic, we’ll be fishing in February, in the South, in the wintertime. We don’t know when we get there if it will be raining with 70-degree temperatures and warm waters coming in from the back pockets. We don’t know if it will be 20 degrees the week of the Classic, and we don’t know if it will be 20 degrees one day, and the next day, warm up to 50 degrees or more. <img src="/images/journal/00187/04a.jpg" alt="Greg Hackney" width="150" height="200" border="0" class="imgLeft" />Because I’ve lived in the South all my life, I know that if you don’t like the weather, just wait 20 minutes, and it will change, especially in February, the most-unpredictable month of the year in the South. </p> <p>Normally, in the area around Birmingham in February, you’ll find some of the worst cold weather of the year. During February, we’ll usually have two or three of those arctic clippers come down from the north and totally shut-down fishing. You can have 80-degree weather one week and 20 degrees the next week. When I go to this year’s Classic, I’ll take tennis shoes, shorts and t-shirts, and I’ll have a snowmobile suit, goggles and gloves, because on any given day, I may need one or the other. We can have both types of weather during the Classic. We can start off the morning at 20 degrees, and by midday, have 50 or 60 degrees. I think that the guy who wins the Classic will have to be extremely versatile, unless we have really cold weather all week. Then one or two patterns can win. You may have to fish for largemouth one day and spotted bass the next day in this Classic.</p>  </div> <div id="journalNext">  <h4>Next: <a href="http://www.strikeking.com/journal/00187/2.php">Shorts and T-Shirts</a><a href="http://www.strikeking.com/journal/00186/2.php"></a><a href="2.php"></a></h4>  </div> <div id="journalLinks"> <h4>Contents:</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Part 1:</strong> <a href="http://www.strikeking.com/journal/00187/1.php">Why I Don�t Pre-Fish Tournaments</a></li> <li><strong>Part 2:</strong> <a href="http://www.strikeking.com/journal/00187/2.php">Shorts and T-Shirts</a></li> <li><strong>Part 3:</strong> <a href="http://www.strikeking.com/journal/00187/3.php">Snowmobile Suit Weather</a></li> <li><strong>Part 4:</strong> <a href="http://www.strikeking.com/journal/00187/4.php">Switch Hitting</a></li> <li><strong>Part 5:</strong> <a href="http://www.strikeking.com/journal/00187/5.php">I�m Praying for Bad Weather</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </td> <td width="170" class="menu"> <div> <img src="/images/gui/header_menu_fans.gif" width="170" height="30" /> <ul> <li><a href="/forums/">Strike King Forums</a></li> <li><a href="/gallery/amateur023.php">Amateur Photo Gallery</a></li> </ul> <img src="/images/gui/header_menu_bottom.gif" width="170" height="5" /><br /> <img src="/images/gui/body_bkg.gif" width="170" height="15" /><br /> <img src="/images/gui/header_menu_journal.gif" width="170" height="30" /> <ul> <li><a href="/journal/00268/1.php">Mark Davis on Fishing the BASS Elite Circuit and Preparing for the 2009 Bassmaster Classic</a></li> <li><a href="/journal/00267/1.php">Doing It All with Shaw Grigsby</a></li> <li><a href="/journal/00266/1.php">Kevin VanDam Does It Again and Wins Angler of the Year for 2008</a></li> <li><a href="/journal/00265/1.php">Catch Fish in August and September with Roger Stegall at Pickwick Lake</a></li> <li><a href="/journal/00264/1.php">Fishing Isn’t Just About Tournaments with Chad Brauer</a></li> <li><a href="/journal/00263/1.php">Greg Hackney on His 2008 Bass Fishing and Strike King’s New Lures</a></li> <li><a href="/journal/index.php">More journal entries...</a></li> </ul> <img src="/images/gui/header_menu_bottom.gif" width="170" height="5" /><br /> <img src="/images/gui/body_bkg.gif" width="170" height="15" /><br /> <img src="/images/gui/header_menu_links.gif" width="170" height="30" /> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.wired2fish.com/">Wired2Fish</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.collegebass.com/">College Bass</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.anglerslegacy.com/">Anglers’ Legacy</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.costore.com/strikeking">Strike King Clothing</a></li> <li><a href="http://espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/">BassMaster</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.bassfan.com/">BassFan</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.brauerbass.com/">BrauerBass</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.shawgrigsby.com/">Shaw Grigsby</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.kevinvandam.com/">Kevin VanDam</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.fishpickwick.com/">Roger Stegall</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.bobdillow.com/">Bob Dillow</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.nighthawkpublications.com/">Night Hawk Publications</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.smallmouthquest.com/">Smallmouth Quest</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.tgifoutfitters.com/">TGIF Outfitters</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.easyviewtackle.com/">Easy View Tackle Systems</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.debrahengst.com/">Debra Hengst</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.fishersofmenministries.com/">Fishers of Men</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.bluebankresort.com/">Blue Bank Resort</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.anglerschannel.com/">AnglersChannel.com</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.adventurelake.com/">Adventure Lake</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.toddwitt.com/">Todd Witt's Pro Guide Service</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.saltwaterexperience.com/">Saltwater Experience</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.mikewurm.com/">Mike Wurm</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.cochranoutdoors.com/">Cochran Outdoors</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.teamdyer.com/">TeamDyer</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.lebaron.ca/">Le Baron Outdoor Products</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.reellifeoutdoors.com/">Reel Life Outdoors</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.fishincountry.net/">Fishin’ Country</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.flatsclass.com/">FlatsClass</a></li> </ul> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="170" valign="bottom" class="menu"><img src="/images/gui/header_menu_bottom.gif" width="170" height="5" /></td> <td width="100%"> </td> <td width="170" valign="bottom" class="menu"><img src="/images/gui/header_menu_bottom.gif" width="170" height="5" /></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <div class="footer"> <p>© 1996-2008 Strike King Lure Company</p>  </div>  <script type="text/javascript"> var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? 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