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Hackney's last day heroics best KJ Queen by 10 ounces. (Photo: by Tanner & Travis Lyons/ NPFL) |
By Justin Brouillard, NPFL Press Release
After weigh-in on Day Two, Gonzales, Louisiana pro Greg Hackney predicted that the consistent weather would improve the bite across the board, and his forecast proved true. Catching his biggest bag of the week—17 pounds—on the final day, Hackney secured his first NPFL victory with a total weight of 47 pounds, 11 ounces.
Finishing in second, North Carolina angler KJ Queen began Day One with 15 pounds, 8 ounces, added 14 pounds on Day Two despite a big lost fish that hurt his chances at victory, and then delivered the second-largest bag of the event on Finale Friday with 17 pounds, 9 ounces. His total weight of 47 pounds, 1 ounce kept him just shy of Hackney’s lead.
Kyle Welcher overcame a slow Day One and came back strong with 19 pounds, 13 ounces on Day Two. However, a tougher Day Three weight of 12 pounds, 8 ounces, and a total weight of 45 pounds, 1 ounce, moved him to third. After his Bassmaster Elite win in North Carolina the week before, Welcher continues to build on his momentum.
Patrick Walters, who started and finished in fourth, earned 44 pounds, 13 ounces, securing another NPFL top-5 finish and a solid payday. Seth Ellis rounded out the top five with a total of 42 pounds, 14 ounces.
Kyle Welcher’s 5-pound, 10-ounce largemouth on Day Two was the big bass of the event.
Largemouth Seal The Deal
Leading after Day One with 16 pounds, 6 ounces, Greg Hackney struggled to find largemouth on Day Two, finishing with a limit of spotted bass weighing 14 pounds, 5 ounces. But the largemouth returned in full force on the final day, and Hackney found his rhythm when it mattered most.
“I went to my spotted bass holes this morning to try and get a solid start, and the largemouth showed up again,” Hackney said. “I looked in the same area yesterday, which was a great day for sight fishing, and only saw one fish. Today was slow and steady—one good one here, one good one there—and I never got shaken up.”