Superbowl of fishing begins tomorrow at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Greg Hackney is hoping 13 is his lucky number as the Gonzales angler prepares for tomorrow’s start of the 2016 Bassmaster Classic being held on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees outside of Tulsa, Okla.
He is the only Louisiana angler to make the B.A.S.S. championship.
The host of Sportman TV earned his 13th ticket to the Superbowl of fishing by placing eighth in the 2015 Elite Series’ Angler of the Year competition.
The longtime pro bass angler is a perrenial favorite, with four Bassmaster wins and 46 Top 10 finishes. He was the 2014 Bassmaster Angler of the Year.
Hackney’s top Bassmaster Classic finish came in 2008, when he landed in fifth during the Lake Hartwell event. He ended the 2013 Classic at Grand Lake in 13th place.
He has earned almost $2 million since fishing his first B.A.S.S. event in 1998. His biggest paycheck came in 2006 when he pocketed $116,000 by winning the Bassmaster Tour stop at Table Rock Lake.
The Classic kicks off Friday when the 55 competitors blast off in search of their first stringers of fish, with every angler hoping to earn the Classic title and the $300,000 first-place check at the end of the event on Sunday.
You can follow the Classic daily with a live Bassmaster feed, which runs from 7 a.m. until 1:30 p.m Friday through Sunday, and weigh-ins will be streamed live daily beginning at 3 p.m.
LouisianaSportsman.com will post daily results, so be sure and check back each evening.