Experience, Even Keel Approach Keep Propelling Hackney Towards the Top

With years of fishing experience under his belt, Jack Links Major League Fishing pro Greg Hackney is always on the lookout for a can’t miss, sure-fire winning pattern out on the water.

Hackney – known as Hack Attack to millions – hopes that will be the case this week as the 2017 MLF Summit Cup is contested on the bass rich waters in and around Grand Rapids, Minn.

By week’s end, Hackney wants to leave the North Country only after obtaining one of the rare trophies that is missing from his expansive trophy case.

In short, he wants to become a MLF Cup champion.

Given his sparkling career resume – which includes being the 2014 B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year, the 2006 FLW Tour Angler of the Year, the 2005 Forrest Wood Cup champion and the 2004 B.A.S.S. Rookie of the Year – and such a lofty goal certainly seems attainable for the likable Gonzalez, La. pro.

With five B.A.S.S. wins, five FLW triumphs, 13 Bassmaster Classic appearances, five Forrest Wood Cup berths and more than $3 million in career earnings and it certainly seems apparent that there are few other anglers out there higher up in the bass fishing game than the Hack Attack.

One reason for such success and career accolades is that Hackney seems to always be smiling, to always be confident and to never go into panic mode.

“It doesn’t really help you (to do that),” Hackney said. “This is the deal – I’m going to give 100-percent (each day). If it turns out in my favor, then good, and if it doesn’t, then that’s good too.

“You just have to be satisfied with your decisions (on the water) regardless of the outcome.”

While Hackney might seem cool and collected on the outside, he acknowledges that there is a lot of inner drive and motivation that propels him to keep pushing for the top of his chosen sport.

Add in the wealth of knowledge that he has acquired over time and it’s easy to see why he has ascended to the top of the sport.

“I’ve gained a lot of experience over time,” Hackney said. “I’ve been doing it for so long, just fishing in general.”

As he has gained that experience, has anything changed for the Louisiana pro?

“I’m probably a little bit more open minded than I once was,” he said. “I just let (the fish) tell me what they want (each day) and I don’t ever tell them what I want to do.”

Because of that approach, the Hack Attack seems almost immune to the effects of the pressure packed SCORETRACKER LIVE! that can easily derail an MLF angler.

Whether that’s true or not, the Louisiana pro is able to remain the consistent fisherman that he is in part because he’s like a kid on Christmas morning most days, all but whistling as he steps onto the front deck of a bass boat and goes to work.

“You’ve got to enjoy it every day, that’s the main thing,” smiles Hackney. “That’s typically what happens when you’re not doing well is that something is going on up here (in your head) and you’re not enjoying what you’re doing.”

For Hackney, there’s simply nothing else that he’d rather be doing than getting in a boat, roaring out into a day of intense MLF competition and seeing what the round might hold.

“And I’ve enjoyed it (every step of the way),” Hackney said. “I look forward to getting up every morning and going to work. I think that’s the biggest thing (for me).”

With one of the best resumes in the sport’s history – and one that keeps growing as it did in the summer of 2016 when Hackney captured the BASSfest title on Lake Texoma – and that would certainly appear to be the case.

And then some as Hackney keeps aiming for the pinnacle of professional bass fishing, a lofty place where rarefied air and a MLF Summit Cup championship awaits.