MINNEAPOLIS (Aug, 2009) — The $2 million Forrest Wood Cup presented by BP and Castrol, an all-encompassing championship featuring 77 pros and 77 co-anglers, took place on the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pa. With continually changing conditions, the Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela proved to be the perfect venue to test the skills of the best bass fishermen in the world. In the end, former Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year Greg Hackney made the right adjustments and walked away with the title. Complete coverage of the event will air Aug. 30 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. ET on VERSUS as part of the weekly “FLW Outdoors” program.
At the 2005 Bassmaster Classic on the Three Rivers, Hackney failed to catch a keeper bass in two days of competition. Four years later he arrived in Pittsburgh with a singular focus of targeting 12-inch fish. At the Classic, Hackney gambled on largemouths and came up empty-handed. This time around he fished for smallmouth bass, and the end result was a $500,000 payday, the largest in his eight-year career. The Gonzales, La., pro finished the final round with nine bass weighing 9 pounds, 9 ounces. Three ounces behind him was Michael Iaconelli with 9-6.
To catch his fish, Hackney traveled through three locks up the Allegheny River and worked an area just below the dam. This area had a mix of everything a river angler could want including drains, lay-downs, rocky banks and current seams. Flowing in from the east was the Kiskiminetas River, and where the Kiski met the Allegheny was a perfect seam of clean and dirty water. Hackney had nearly a dozen rods on the deck of his boat, but his best lure was a 1/4-ounce spinnerbait in golden-shiner color.
Iaconelli caught a limit on the final day, but he managed only four bass on day three. That afternoon he lost a small keeper that would have made up the difference between him and the pro winner. Ultimately, that fish cost him $400,000, and placed him second – the same spot he finished at the 2009 Classic on the Red River. He earned $45,000 for taking second at the Classic. For finishing second at the Cup, he earned $100,000.
Hackney, competing against some of the best anglers in the world, fought off the star-studded top 10 for the title. The top 10 included: David Curtis; Iaconelli; Team Kellogg’s pro Dave Lefebre; Cody Meyer; Team Chevy pro Larry Nixon; Team Folgers pro Scott Suggs; Rusty Salewske; Bryan Thrift; and Team BP pro David Walker.
VERSUS Country broadcasts “FLW Outdoors” in high-definition (HD) Sundays from 12:30-1:30 p.m. ET. FLWOutdoors.com also provides an online guide listing upcoming episodes of “FLW Outdoors.” In addition, each episode of “FLW Outdoors” will be available on demand in its entirety on FLWOutdoors.com.
“FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide, including internationally through agreements with WFN (World Fishing Network) and Matchroom Sport to such countries as Canada, Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also has taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for to get your edge and win.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.
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