Greg Hackney Wins 2014 Bassmaster Elite Cayuga Lake!

Hackney leaves best for last to dominate in New York. 

By Deb Johnson

bass press release

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. — Greg Hackney was floating higher than a reel-peeling, skyward cast that seems to be held aloft by the sun itself.

Unlike a lure, he may not come down anytime soon.

In one fell swoop, the Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Gonzales, La., won the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake — and held tight to his lead in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race.

Hackney is on a role with 2 wins
this year and leading AOY in
the Elites!
(Photo: Seigo Saito BASS)

“I’ll ride this as long as I can,” Hackney said Sunday just after he took the trophy and was sure no other angler had busted into his AOY lead. “There are not too many times you get to do this. It’s pretty awesome.”

Hackney slapped the 12-man field in Sunday’s final round with a catch of 23 pounds, 15 ounces. That pumped his four-day total to 85-0. His margin of victory was 9 pounds, 3 ounces over Todd Faircloth, who weighed 15-6 Sunday to finish in second place at 75-13.

The Cayuga trophy was the fourth for Hackney in his B.A.S.S. career. Coming more than eight years after his only other Elite win in March 2006, the Cayuga victory broke his Bassmaster winner’s drought. He won an FLW Tour in June, and also owns the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup trophy.

Hackney collected $100,000 and an instant qualification for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic. He virtually has a Classic entry in hand through his standing in points, so the Cayuga title will double-qualify him.

Taking third place at Cayuga was Chris Zaldain of San Jose, Calif., with 74-12. Fourth place was claimed by Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., with 72-9.

Anchoring the Top 5 was Jared Lintner of Arroyo Grande, Calif., with 71-6. Lintner weighed a 6-2, tying him with Hackney for the largest bass of Sunday.

2014 Bassmaster Elite Cayuga Lake Day 3: Greg Hackney Continues to Lead But Fail to Limit Out.

Hackney controls tournament and AOY points 

By Deb Johnson

bass press release

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. — Who could be happy after not catching a limit in what is likely the most important bass tournament of your career?

Greg Hackney.

He was grinning ear-to-ear Saturday after weighing only four bass instead of the allowed five in the third round of the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake.

Greg Hackney on monsters but not many of them.
He only had four today but still kept his lead.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

But those four were solid largemouth bass that tipped the scales at 17-11. It was enough to keep a 10-ounce lead over his biggest threat, Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas.

2014 Bassmaster Elite Cayuga Lake Day 1: Palaniuk Edges into Lead in Tight Field.

"Community Holes" are holding them big time. 

By Deb Johnson

bass press release

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. — August is Brandon Palaniuk’s charmed time of year. New York is his state of magic.

Last August, the pro angler from Rathdrum, Idaho, won a Bassmaster Elite Series event on the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York. At age 25, he pocketed the $100,000 prize and achieved his goal of qualifying for the 2014 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro.

Brandon was one of seven to weigh
20lbs today.
(Photo: Seigo Saito BASS)

Thursday, just as focused on ensuring he’ll get into the 2015 Classic, Palaniuk led the 106-angler Elite field in the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake out of Union Springs, N.Y., where, once again, the first prize is $100,000 and an automatic qualification for the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing.

Palaniuk brought in 20 pounds, 10 ounces, enough to stay 3 ounces ahead of the pack in the first of four rounds.

“It was a magical day,” Palaniuk said. “I caught fish pretty early. I think I had a limit within the first 45 minutes, and slowly culled up from there. Every move I made, I seemed to catch a good one.”

The 26-year-old does not have one challenger behind him in second place, but two. In a tournament peppered with ties throughout the leaderboard, Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark., and Mike Kernan of Wylie, Texas, were neck-and-neck at 20-7 for second place.

Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., claimed fourth place by himself at 20-5. It was more than good enough to help him in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race, and an important move in keeping the lead he took over from Davis about two weeks ago.

2012 BASS Northern Open Cayuga: Gluszek Swept Tournament

By Ken Duke

BASS Press release

AUG 18, 2012

Seneca Falls, N.Y. — New Jersey’s Pete Gluszek hasn’t fished a Bassmaster Classic since 1999, but he’ll be back in 2013 after winning the Bass Pro Shops Northern Open on New York’s Cayuga Lake. Gluszek went wire-to-wire at the event, posted the best catches in the field on each of the first two days and a finishing with a three day total of 56 pounds, 1 ounce. It was good enough to outdistance second-place finisher Stephen Browning of Arkansas by 4-12.

Victory!
(Photos: James Overstreet BASS)

Gluszek fished two patterns to catch his bass — starting deep and finishing shallow, contrary to conventional bass fishing wisdom.

“Early in the morning I was flipping and pitching milfoil in 10 to 16 feet of water,” Gluszek said. “I was using a black 5-inch Yamamoto Senko behind a 1/2-ounce Round Valley tungsten sinker. Later in the day, as the sun came up, lots of bass were moving shallower and I caught them by skipping a weightless black Senko underneath boat docks.”

Gluszek focused his attentions on a 15-mile stretch of water in the central part of Cayuga Lake. He made the switch from his deep pattern to his shallow water pattern at about 11:00 each morning.

For the win, Gluszek earned $4,800 in cash and a Triton/Mercury boat and motor package worth more than $45,000, but the automatic berth in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake has him excited, too. He last fished the championship in 1999 when he finished 31st on the Louisiana Delta.

2012 Northern Open Cayuga Day 2: Gluszek Grabs Day 2 Lead

By Ken Duke

Bass Press Release

AUG 17, 2012

Seneca Falls, N.Y. — Conditions on New York’s Cayuga Lake were different today — overcast and cooler than yesterday — but not different enough to shake the first round leader in the Bass Pro Shops Northern Open. For the second straight day, New Jersey’s Pete Gluszek, a two-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, brought in the heaviest catch of the round. His Day 2 limit weighing 20 pounds, 14 ounces gives him a 4-7 lead over Brian Bylotas (35-11) of Pennsylvania. Arkansas Elite Series pro Stephen Browning is third with 35-7.

Pete game plan is working overtime.
(Photos: James Overstreet BASS)

“Everything changed today for me,” Gluszek said. “I had to change up the depths I was fishing and used completely different methods today. The areas that were red hot yesterday were cold today.”

2012 Northern Open Cayuga Day 1: Gluszek's 19 pounds Takes Lead.

By Ken Duke

AUG 16, 2012

(Bass Press Release)

Pete Gluszek takes lead of Cayuga.
(Photos: James Overstreet BASS)

Seneca Falls, N.Y. — Two-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Pete Gluszek of Mount Laurel, N.J., is ready to make it three Classics. Gluszek leads the Bass Pro Shops Northern Open on Cayuga Lake with an opening limit of five bass weighing 19 pounds, 3 ounces. Just six ounces back is Bassmaster Elite Series pro James Niggemeyer of Van, Texas.