Hackney wins FLW finale

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August 3, 2009

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PITTSBURGH — Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., caught a final-round total of nine bass weighing 9 pounds, 9 ounces Sunday to win $500,000 in the $2 million 2009 Forrest Wood Cup — the World Championship of Bass Fishing — on the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh.

Hackney topped his closest rival, Michael Iaconelli of Runnemede, N.J., by 3 ounces to earn the historic win before a capacity crowd at Mellon Arena.

"This is by far the highlight of my career," said Hackney, who won the 2005 Land O'Lakes Angler of the Year title. "Words don't describe it. It's one of those things that's going to take years to soak in. I was thinking all day and I didn't have a clue I was going to win."

Hackney opened the tournament Thursday in 36th place with three bass weighing 3-1. Incredibly, he jumped to first place Friday with a five-bass catch weighing 14 pounds, 13 ounces to advance into the final round of 10 pros with a two-day total of four bass weighing 4 pounds, 3 ounces. On Saturday, weights were cleared, and Hackney caught four bass weighing 4-3 to advance to the final day of competition in sixth place. Hackney added another five bass weighing 5-6 to his final-round total Sunday.

Hackney said he relied on a golden shiner-colored 1/4-ounce Strike King Premier Pro spinnerbait for the majority of his smallmouth fishing. Seventeen-pound-test fluorocarbon allowed Hackney to fish the light spinnerbait faster than monofilament line would have.

Iaconelli caught a final-round total of nine bass weighing 9-6 to claim second place and $100,000. Iaconelli qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup through the FLW Outdoors' Stren Series.

"You have to look at the positives in everything," said Iaconelli, who won the 2003 Bassmaster Classic title. "I'm walking out of here with $100,000 and I never fished a FLW Tour or FLW Series event."

Rounding out the top 10 pros were Cody Meyer of Redding, Calif. (eight bass, 7-15, $75,000); Team Folgers pro Scott Suggs of Bryant, Ark. (six bass, 7-10, $60,000); Rusty Salewske of Alpine, Calif. (six bass, 7-4, $50,000); David Curtis of Trinity, Texas (six bass, 7-2, $45,000); Team BP pro David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn. (six bass, 5-11, $40,000); Team Kellogg's pro Dave Lefebre of Union City, Pa. (two bass, 5-3, $35,000); Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C. (five bass, 4-9, $30,000) and Team Chevy pro Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Ark. (three bass, 1-7, $25,000).

Overall there were 29 bass weighing 29 pounds, 8 ounces caught in the Pro Division Sunday. The catch included three five-bass limits.

Brad Roberts of Nancy, Ky., won the Co-angler Division and $50,000 Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces followed by Michi Oba of Tokyo, Japan, in second place with two bass weighing 1-13 worth $10,000.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are Greg Schultz of Wayzata, Minn. (two bass, 1-11, $9,000); Ron Fabiszak of South Bend, Ind. (one bass, 1-6, $8,000); Blaine Bucy of Wellsburg, W.V. (one bass, 0-12, $7,000); Lynn Baciuska Jr. of Afton, N.Y. (zero bass, 0-0, $6,000); Tommie Goldston of Gardnerville, Nev. (zero bass, 0-0, $5,000); Teddy Bradley of Mishawaka, Ind. (zero bass, 0-0, $4,000); David Lauer of South Bend, Ind. (zero bass, 0-0, $3,500); and Kevin Hawk of Ramona, Calif. (zero bass, 0-0, $3,000).