Greg Hackney caught most of his Day-1 fish from a "community area" at Lake Norman.
April 16, 2025
By NPFL Communications Staff The bite is steady at the second event of the NPFL season on North Carolina's Lake Norman, with most of the field putting together a five-bass limit – but quality is hard to find. The fish are chewing across the lake, but the tail end of a cold front is making it tough to generate better-than-average bites.
With a jig locked in hand, veteran Greg Hackney’s 16-pound, 6-ounce Day-1 limit was enough to take the top spot. A last-minute decision to try for a big fish from practice paid dividends, as he added a 4-10 largemouth to his box just 30 minutes before check-in.
In second, Greenback, Tenn. angler Ricky Robinson fished against the grain, bringing 16 pounds even to settle into the second-place spot, just six ounces behind Hackney. In third, Catawba, North Carolina angler KJ Queen relied on history to catch his 15-8 bag.
The big fish of Day 1 – a 5 1/2-pounder – was caught by fifth-place angler Richard Cooper, anchoring his 15-2 limit. Of the 114 anglers weighing a fish on the day, all but four had a limit.
Advertisement
Patience Key for Hackney
After a slow trek to fill a limit in the morning, where most of his better fish from practice had vacated the area, Hackney settled in and made use of a locale that he felt held a good population of bass.
“This morning, I just kind of went fishing and tried to take advantage of the dark and get a big bite – without luck,” said Hackney. “Then I made a move to some fish I knew were there, but I was in a bad rotation to start, and those fish had either been caught or moved off.”
Advertisement
His next spot was more of a "community area", a place known to hold fish. To his surprise, he had it to himself and filled a limit, with one fish going nearly 4 pounds. It was enough to calm his nerves.
“I got settled and worked through a few places I had planned to fish and the fish were there, but they were mostly new fish that had moved in,” he said. “I was rotating several baits – a swimbait and a jig mostly, both swimming and flipping produced. I had a decent limit and decided to fish for a single bass I saw on (the second day of) practice.”
To his surprise, the big female was still there – and had a male with her. With only 30 minutes left before check-in, he connected with the male and worked on the female, which wasn’t locked on a bed and was circling a treetop.
“I picked up a wacky rig and tried to get it in front of her, but she kept circling and wasn't stationary,” he added. “She swam up towards the bait but quickly turned and darted away. I figured she saw the boat and got spooked, but next thing you know, my line went tight and I fought her to the boat. It took me from a decent bag to a big bag, and that is the key to this place.”
Hackney had more than 30 bites on the day, with four being decent keepers and no lost fish that mattered. He’s anticipating the bite to get better over Thursday and Friday with the weather stabilizing and temperatures rising.
“We are here at a good time,” he said. “The cold fronts, I had ice on my cover in practice and it was chilly. My goal was 13 pounds today, which will keep you in the hunt here.”
Robinson Needs Wind
Robinson might be the only angler in the field praying for wind. Throughout practice, while others were hiding from it, Robinson was using a technique he perfected back home in Tennessee for smallmouth – replicating it on Norman to catch big spotted bass.
“Practice was fantastic for me, having never been here, and I have a way I catch them back home that I figured out would work,” he said. “Every day in practice I caught 15 or 16 pounds, and that was one here, one there.”
He located a total of 28 places to rotate through during the three-day tournament, and only fished a couple on Day 1, bringing in 16 pounds of spotted bass. And if it weren't for some misfortune, he would have upped his start.
“On my second spot, I made nine casts and landed all but two, and those two were over 3 pounds,” he said. “The wind keeps them grouped up, and when it stops blowing, they leave. Today I had enough wind, but tomorrow I’m worried. You don’t know how happy I’ll be if it blows 10 to 15 miles an hour tomorrow.”
Queen Keeps it Simple
Local ace Queen knows Norman as well as anyone, living just up the road in Catawba. He opted to focus his practice without a rod and reel in hand, using just his eyes to scan for shallow fish. Coming into Day 1, he had several fish marked, but as was the case for Hackney, a lot of them were caught or had left.
“There were not a lot of bass left in my areas where I had found them,” he said. “Really I just swapped to light line and a Queen Jig Head with a Zoom bait and pitched it around some key areas I know should have fish.”
His 15 1/2-pound limit will keep him in contention as the event progresses, but he’s hopeful the rising water and water temperatures will stabilize and some new fish will move in.
“I just sort of got into some historical areas and felt like a lot of fish were, or are, coming to me,” he added. “Throughout the event, more and more should move in.”
Here's a look at the Top 10:
1. Greg Hackney: 16-6
For full results, click here
