BASS REPORT: Hackney takes a chance, vaults into top spot at FWC Day 2
NEW July 31, 2009 / 9:35 p.m EST

PITTSBURGH, Penn - Finally, after two days of competition and four days of practice, the Three Rivers of Pittsburgh showed us a glimpse of what lies beneath her rain-muddied waters.

Louisiana pro Greg Hackney put in an early-morning run that would make some Columbia River anglers proud, locking way, way, way up the Allegheny River on Day 2 of the Forrest Wood Cup in search of a bag of smallmouth that would pull him out of 36th place and into the Top 10.

Mission accomplished, and then some.

Hackney dropped 11 pounds 12 ounces of Allegheny smallmouth onto the scales at Mellon Arena this afternoon, simultaneously vaulting into the lead with 14-13 and alerting the rest of the bassin’ world that the Three Rivers fishery isn’t quite as moribund as we all thought it was.

“I got one today about 3 ¾, another about 3,” Hackney said of the two biggest fish in his five-fish bag. "I ran quite a ways today. I fished pretty conservative yesterday, but my back was against the wall today. I had to make it happen. The water (today) didn’t dirty up like it did yesterday. It was still clean, you know, green like smallmouth like."

Hackney wouldn’t reveal his baits – “I’m fishing three different baits,” he said – but admitted that he plans on making another long run through three locks tomorrow on the Allegheny. As he did today, he’ll hit his primary spots hard in the morning, and cherry-pick his way back down through some productive spots on the lower pools.

"I'm running a pattern, not a spot,” he said. “I caught two of my fish today on two different pools (on the way down)."

Lefebre lurks: Local favorite Dave Lefebre throttled down a little today, leaving his pair of Day 1 points alone and instead working a nearby shoreline for the majority of the day. He brought 5-11 to the scale to settle in with 14-8, but the buzz on the arena floor is that Lefebre hasn’t even touched his best spots on the Three Rivers.

“I think there are going to be some even bigger weights (than Hackney’s 11-12) caught here the next two days,” Lefebre said. “I hope I’m the one who catches them.”

Meyer mixes it up: Redding, CA angler Cody Meyer jumped off the Monongahela, where he bagged 6-3 on Day 1, and ran two pools up into the Allegheny. The change worked out well for him: Meyer vaulted to fourth place with 7-7 today, giving him a two-day total of 13-10.

“"It was tough out there, but I had a good day ... a better day than I thought I would," Meyer said. "I fished the Allegheny all day today and then went back to look at my spots on The Mon(ongahela). It looked pretty bad, pretty muddy.”

Nixon sticks with it: Tournament legend Larry Nixon struggled to find the bite early this morning, spending the first couple of hours of the day moving from spot to spot in search of active fish.

“The way the current swirls here, the further you are from the bank the worse you are,” he sais. “I never got a bite for 2 hours, locked up into that Pittsburgh pool and hit 7-8 spots before I caught a fish. Smallmouth don’t like cloudy days as much as largemouth. They’re down deep, it’s hard for them to see."

Nixon managed a four-fish bag for 3-9, putting him in 7th place.

Ike confident in Day 3 & 4 spots: Mike Iaconelli was only 7 ounces away from missing the Top 10 after weighing four fish for 4-2 today, but heading into Day 3 and 4 – when all weights are zeroed and the Top 10 start from scratch – Iaconelli plans to ditch his Day 1 & 2 spots on the Allegheny. Where will he fish Saturday and Sunday?

“I don’t really know yet,” he said. “I really feel like you have to fish in the moment, so I’m just going to go fishing tomorrow. I have good confidence in all three rivers, so wherever I fish tomorrow, I’ll have as much confidence as any place in the system. It’s a struggle when you go out and you’re fishing for 5 keeper bites. It’s a mental challenge. I come home and I’m exhausted. It’s not from lifting weights, it’s just mentally draining.”

A pattern emerges: Oregon pro Jay Yelas, who weighed in only one fish (a 1-7 smallie today), revealed more information about a pattern that’s developed on the Allegheny around the river’s enormous mayfly hatch. Idaho Ranger pro Ken Wick made reference to the hatch after Day 1, but Yelas went into greater details, explaining that properly working the hatch has been critical for a handful of anglers.

“It’s definitely a pattern bite," Yelas said. "Guys are fishing around lowhanging willows, skipping little crankbaits in there to get in where the mayflies are. Some of them are purposely hanging up and shaking the branches so the mayflies fall in, and they’ll come back around and fish on the fish coming up for mayflies. I didn’t figure that out in practice. That’s just my fault."

Three Rivers acting a little more rivery: Part of the reason for the general improvement in the quality of the fish on Day 2 can be attributed to increased current and slightly clearer water than the 77 pros and their co-anglers encountered on Day 1. Hackney, for instance, fished relatively clear water all day.

Michael Bennett, who won the $1 million check at last year’s Forrest Wood Cup, completely changed his gameplan from Day 1 and fished closer to the bank in more favorable current. He weighed in 6-7, which was the 8th-biggest bag of the day, but couldn’t overcome his 1-3 performance on Day 1.

“Yeah, I just fished it like I new I should’ve on Day 1,” Bennett lamented. “I locked up to a pool I hadn’t even fished. Yesterday I fished the stuff I fished in practice, against my better judgement.
I was out in the middle (on Day 1) in the wrong kind of current.”

 -JS

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