(Editor's note: Here's another short feature from longtime industry rep Alan McGuckin.)
Greg Hackney is returning to his bass fishing roots in an effort to connect with the numerous 3- to 5-pound bass that find themselves swimming in exceptionally dirty Bassmaster Classic waters this week at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees.
“A spinnerbait is the bait I learned to fish with, but sadly, I could count on one hand the number of bass I’ve weighed in on it the past 10 years,” reflected the shallow-water expert from Louisiana. “But this week, a heavy spinnerbait with that giant No. 7 hubcap-sized Colorado blade just seems to make sense on Grand.
“This one is a really heavy 1-ounce Strike King Hack Attack, so I can get it deep enough to where those pre-spawners are suspended, and that giant gold blade produces about as much vibration as anything you could tie on in this muddy water.
“I started with a No. 6 size willow-leaf blade in practice, but I’ll be honest with you, it just wasn’t providing enough thump to give me confidence the fish could feel it in that dirty water, so I changed over to that big Colorado blade instead, and I’ll promise you they can sense that rollin’ past ‘em."
As far as the gear required to tow such a heavy, high-vibration beast, Hackney uses a Quantum 7’ 4” TourKVD heavy action rod and a large EXO 200 reel spooled with 20-pound Gamma fluorocarbon line.
“It just seems like we seldomly ever have an Elite Series event anymore that sets up perfectly for spinnerbaits, but with the water being dirty and 46 degrees, this could be it. And if that water warms up to the low 50s – look out!”
