Entry 212-5

Greg Hackney’s Saltwater Tactics for Catching Bass

Part 5: What I’ve Learned

Question: Greg, what did you learn from fishing this tournament in New York State?

Hackney: I learned that I can fish offshore structure with confidence. In the places I fish, I don’t get a lot of opportunities to fish offshore or to fish a drop-shot rig. Generally, when I’m fishing this type of rig, I’m live-bait fishing for speckled trout, redfish, snapper or grouper in Louisiana. I learned from fishing Lake Erie that I could trust my electronics in clear, deep lakes like we fished in New York, just like I could trust my electronics fishing offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Tournaments like this one really intimidated me at one time. But now, I’ll look forward to fishing tournaments in deep, clear water because I’ve fished that type of water previously. My electronics are so good, and I can see the fish so well that I can now catch bass offshore in deep water as well as anyone else. I’ve learned that offshore fishing still is just bass fishing, but you’re simply fishing deeper than normal.

When I first made a pass around one of the rock piles and saw bass staked around there, I said to myself, “Greg, this isn’t a new or a different way for you to fish. You’ve fished your entire life out in the Gulf of Mexico like this, and you know how to fish deep water for snapper and grouper. The only difference is that these are smallmouth bass. The same tactics you’ve used in the Gulf will work up here using lighter lines and smaller baits.” After that first day of practice, I started believing in myself and built a lot of confidence in fishing offshore.

The only time smallmouth in Lake Erie come to the bank is when it’s time to spawn. The rest of the time, they live offshore and don’t even know the banks exist. Another thing I’ve learned is that if I’m going to survive as a tournament fisherman, I’ve got to stay versatile. In years past, I’ve mainly been a power-bait fisherman, flipping jigs and tubes and running spinner baits and crankbaits. But now, I feel just as comfortable fishing 6-pound-test fluorocarbon line as I feel fishing 65-pound-test braided line. Fishing so many different lakes with a variety of tactics has helped me to learn a range of ways to catch bass. I want to be consistent, and I want to regularly finish in the top 20. To do so, I can’t be afraid to adapt to new ideas and techniques.

Question: How big was the field in the tournament on Lake Erie?

Hackney: There were 109 anglers, and I finished in 5th place.

Question: Which lake did you fish after this tournament?

Hackney: I went to Oneida Lake, which is also in New York. I finished in 24th place out of 56 anglers.

Question: What did you learn in this tournament?

Hackney: In the Oneida Lake tournament, I caught smallmouth in water 4-foot deep or less. The smallmouth in Oneida seemed to be a completely-different breed of fish than the smallmouth we were catching in Lake Erie. The smallmouth in Oneida Lake were holding in shallow water and were grass-oriented. I caught my fish on the new Strike King Coffee Tube, which smells exactly like a cup of coffee, in the Great Lakes Gobi color. When I set the hook on a smallmouth with this tube, the fish would jump 6 feet into the air. I kidded with my partners that the smallmouth were jacked-up on the caffeine in the Coffee Tubes.

Question: Why did you decide to try this new tube?

Hackney: Mark Rose, another Strike King pro, told me before that he’d been really successful using it. So, Chris Brown at Strike King sent me a few to try. This tube is short and fat and resembles the crawfish that live in the northern lakes. I put a lead-headed jig inside the tube and fished it.

Question: What did you think at first about a tube jig that smelled like coffee?

Hackney: I didn’t know what to think. No one’s ever fished a jig like this. However, as soon as I started fishing it, the smallmouth bass began eating it. I also learned that when the fish stop biting the Coffee Tube, I could put on a new one and they’d instantly start biting it again.  

Question: How were you fishing the Coffee Tube?

Hackney: I was fishing it on a 1/4- to a 1/2-ounce jighead, pitching it in the grass and shaking it or dragging it on the bottom. The fish in Oneida Lake aren’t nearly as big as they are on Lake Erie, so the biggest fish I caught was 3 pounds. If you catch a 5-pound smallmouth on Oneida, it’s a giant. I missed making the final cut on Oneida Lake by 1 pound, 1 ounce. To make the final 12 cut, you had to have 27 pounds, 10 ounces. I had 26 pounds and 9 ounces. I lost the biggest smallmouth I had on my line all week on the last day before the final cut. If I’d caught that fish, I would’ve made it to the top 12.

Question: Where is your next tournament?

Hackney: It’s at the Potomac River. I feel confident about fishing that tournament. I’ve fished the Potomac twice, finishing in 4th and 9th places there. The Potomac River has tidal waters like we have where I live in Louisiana, and there’s a lot of grass there. I’ll either fish over the grass, or in the grass, depending on the tide. If I’m fishing over the grass, I’ll fish a buzzbait, a frog or a big walking bait. If I’m fishing in the grass, I’ll fish with Strike King 3X plastic lures, primarily with a worm or a tube. If I’m flipping, I’ll flip a tube or a Strike King Wild Thang. If the fish are aggressive, I’ll fish the Wild Thang, but if they’re not aggressive, I’ll flip a tube.

Contents:

• Part 1: How to Learn About a Lake You’ve Never Fished
• Part 2: How I Fished During Day One of the Bassmasters Lake Erie Elite Tournament
• Part 3: How I Fished During Day Three of the Bassmasters Lake Erie Elite Tournament
• Part 4: How I Fished During the Final Day of the Bassmasters Lake Erie Elite Tournament
• Part 5: What I’ve Learned