Entry 250-3

Fishing Lake Amistad with Greg Hackney and the New Shadalicious and the Ocho Stir Stik

Part 3: Day 2 of the Competition

Question: Greg, on the second day of competition, the field had been cut from 250 to 50. Tell us about this day.

Hackney: The second day went pretty much like the first day. However, after I caught 20 pounds of bass, then at about 3:00 pm, I started fishing the 5-1/2-inch Shadalicious swimbait. I’ve been fishing the Shadalicious since the beginning of this year.

Question: How did you gain the confidence to fish the Shadalicious?

Hackney: I needed a really-big bite, and the way to get a big bite is to fish a big swimbait. Since the lake homed 7- to 10-pound bass, the Shadalicious would give me the best chance to catch a bass that size. I fished the 5-1/2-inch Shadalicious on 20-pound-test Gamma fluorocarbon line in standing timber with the treetops in 6 to 8 feet of water. I got about eight bites on the Shadalicious, and I caught an 11-pound 11-ounce largemouth bass on this bait. I also caught giant stripers that weighed 10- to 12-pounds each.

Question: What was catching an 11-pound 11-ounce largemouth bass like?

Hackney: It was an unbelievable experience. I felt like I wasn’t even in a fishing tournament. The only way I can explain the thrill of catching that bass would be to put it in deer hunter’s terms and say that this bass would be like taking a 170-inch buck with a bow. This bass was the fish of a lifetime. Catching a fish that big in a tournament when you really need it generally never would happen, but it did. What a blessing it was.

Question: What did you think when you first took that bass?

Hackney: I thought it was an 8 pounder. The instant the fish bit the line, I knew it was a largemouth and not a striper. I knew the bass was at least an 8 pounder, and it would be the fish I needed to get me to the top-12 cut. But when the bass came out of the water, I thought for certain it was a 13 pounder. When I got that fish in the boat, I had the most-unbelievable feeling. I thought I should just stop fishing and go to the weigh-in, because there was no way I’d ever catch a bass bigger than this one.

Question: On what color Shadalicious did you catch this bass?

Hackney: I believe it was green-gizzard shad, which resembles the greenback herring. I took all my Shadalicious lures out of their packaging and put them in a giant Ziploc bag. Then I could carry a bunch with me to fish. I just know it had a green back.

Question: How did that big bass take the bait?

Hackney: It hit the bait so hard that it nearly knocked the rod out of my hand. I let the bait hit the water and sink until a three count. Then I made about three turns on the handle, and the bass unloaded on the bait.

Question: Did you have a weight inside the Shadalicious?

Hackney: No, I fished the bait on a 1/4-ounce weighted hook.

Question: Why did you decide to fish the Shadalicious?

Hackney: The wind was blowing, and the lake had ideal conditions for fishing a swimbait.

Question: Was that the last fish you caught?

Hackney: Yes, that was the last fish I caught that day.

Question: So, what did you weigh-in on the second day of competition?

Hackney: I weighed 28 pounds and 13 ounces, which was the biggest bag of fish brought in on that tournament day.

Question: To what position did that move you?

Hackney: I moved from 32nd to 7th, which meant I made the 12 cut to fish on the final day.

Question: What were you thinking that night after the competition?

Hackney: I knew the last day of the tournament would be the last day of the cold front, and the air temperature would be about 47 degrees. We’d have a bluebird day, the wind would be dead calm, creating a really-tough day to fish, and my crankbait bite would be eliminated. So, I’d have to slow-down and fish with plastic lures on the last day of competition.

Next: Day 3 of the Competition

Contents:

• Part 1: Day 1 of the Tournament
• Part 2: The Actual First Day of Competition
• Part 3: Day 2 of the Competition
• Part 4: Day 3 of the Competition
• Part 5: Lessons from the Shadalicious and the Ocho Stir Stik