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Greg Hackney won the 2014 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race by doing things his own way. The fishing reels he uses are no exception. The spools Hackney prefers are larger than those of pretty much every other Elite Series angler on tour, and most likely the ones you’re using too.

Thirty years ago, most all baitcasting reels were comparatively larger than present day. Then the fishing industry got on a weight loss program achieved mostly by designing sleeker, lower profile, reels that also feature smaller spools.

That’s where Hackney’s do-it-my-way mentality motivates him to seek something the rest of us often don’t – like using much larger spooled-reels with the same incredible lightweight comfort.

“Honestly, when Quantum came out with the EXO reel in 2011 it changed the way I looked at reels, because now I could get a really large spooled reel that was lighter than a lot of the smaller reels, and I knew that could offer some serious advantages,” reflects Hackney.

“There’s three huge advantages to using a larger, 200 size spool, versus a 100, or even a 150,” explains Hackney. “You’ve got everything to gain and nothing to lose with a bigger reel.”

“First, you’ll cast more accurately with a larger spool. Second, you can feather a larger spool with your thumb easier, and it’s not gonna burn your skin on a long hard cast, and because of that, you’ll cast harder and further without hesitation,” Hackney explains. “Most importantly, you can retrieve a lure a lot faster with a 200 size EXO or Smoke that you can a smaller reel.”

“Now, what a lot of people don’t realize, is that a reel is only at its true retrieve ratio if the spool is full. I don’t care what reel your talking about – the spool needs to be full in order for it to perform optimally,” warns Hackney.

“That said, a larger 200 size reel is always going to retrieve faster than a smaller spool,” says Hackney. “I can use a 5.3:1 in a 200 EXO, and it’s got more power, casts further, and still retrieves as fast or faster than a 6.6:1 reel with a 100-size spool.”

Sometimes, Even a 200 isn’t Big Enough

Most consider a 300-size baitcasting reel to a perfect fit for musky or steelhead. Not Hackney, he packs one as his ideal winch for big swimbaits and Alabama Rigs. “As a rule of thumb, anything I’m throwing that weighs more than an ounce is gonna get tied to a 300 EXO.”

“If you try to throw an Alabama Rig or a big swimbait on a 200 or 100 size spool, you’ll burn your thumb, and you might run out of line, so you’ll hold back. But with a larger spool, it’s not turning as fast on the cast, so you can throw it as far as you want,” Hackney explains.

Spins with a Fifty

Hackney is best known for his shallow water power fishing dominance, but he’s not afraid of spinning reels – and when he reaches for one – it’s a big one! Hackney is currently using size 50 spinning reels like one he held for cameras in the attached photo the day he won the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title on Lake Michigan. Most anglers, including top pros, only use a size 30, sometimes, a size 40.

“Spinning reels have always been comparatively heavier than casting reels, but with new super lightweight reels like the size 50 EXO that I use, weight is no longer an issue,” says Hackney.

Less weight is wonderful, but the undisputable advantage of using a large spinning reel is the elimination of tangles and nasty loops that seem to be an inherent frustration. The larger spool simply leads to far less line memory.

Hackney not only loves larger spinning reels for the improved line behavior they bring to his game, but also because he can use larger, stronger, fluorocarbon, and eliminate the necessity of using a knot to join thin braid to a fluorocarbon leader.

“Fluorocarbon by its nature is difficult to manage on a spool – especially a size 20, 25, or 30 spool. If you use anything larger than about 8 pound fluoro as your main line on a standard sized spinning reel you were asking for problems, so we’d always use thin braid as the main line, and then have to tie a knot to a fluorocarbon leader,” reflects Hackney.

“By using a size 50 spinning reel, I can use stronger 10 or 12 pound fluorocarbon as my main line, with no issues, and eliminate a leader knot that always carries some level of risk,” adds the 2014 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year.

If Hackney Were a Farmer

“Here’s the bottom line – most people fish for fun – I fish for a living,” Hackney says in unapologetic, matter-of-fact tone. “If was a farmer, I’d want the biggest equipment I could get to help me plant and harvest my fields as efficiently as possible. Big reels help me do that. They make me the most efficient angler I can possibly be.”

Learning as much as you can about the fishing lures that you use is critical to consistently catching good bass! John Crews’ class is an incredible in-depth look into two of his most reliable lures with specifics on the why, when, how, where, and when questions. Click here for more–>http://bit.ly/11kjeFd

I know a bunch of y’all are obsessed with whitetails right now. Nothing wrong with that, but I gotta tell ya, November may just be ‘the perfect month’ for bass fishing. So be real careful in your treestand, and also, be real careful not to miss out on some of the best shallow water bass fishing of the year.

I’m always a little hesitant to talk about specific water temps, because obviously, water temps vary greatly in any given month depending on where your favorite body of water is located. But I gotta tell ya, surface temps are between 50 and 60 degrees are the green flag to the start of largemouth putting on the feedbags in fall.

Very few lures are better matched to November than shallow-running square bill crankbaits. Largemouth are feeding really shallow on shad around visible cover in one to five feet of water. Whether you’re fishing around laydowns, docks, rip rap, or shallow rocky points, a square bill is the perfect tool.

Not only does a square bill crankbait resemble shad, but one of its greatest benefits is its natural way of deflecting off shallow habitat to instigate bass to eat it, without you having to impart much action on it. Spinnerbaits are hard to beat in November too, but they sometimes require a little more effort spent making them jerk and deflect to make a bass bite them, compared to a square bill.

In the same way that whitetail activity can occur all day in November because of the rut, bass will bite a square bill all day too. However, I will tell you, this is one time that I really believe lure color makes a huge difference depending on water color, and on sunny versus cloudy days.

If it’s cloudy and windy, and the water is off colored or slightly dirty, I throw a chartreuse crankbait with a black back. If you have a sunny day, or you’re fishing in fairly clean, clear, water, then I prefer a more natural color like “ghost” – or a silver body with a black back colored square bill.

As far as my favorite square bill tackle; I use 15-pound fluorocarbon line, on a 6.3:1 baitcasting reel, on a 6’ 10” casting rod with a relatively soft tip.  I like a slightly faster retrieve this time of year, because the bass are eating so aggressively, and the shad are really active too.

A 6’ 10” rod with a fairly soft tip will allow you to cast more accurately around shallow habitat than a longer rod will, and a forgiving rod tip is critical to avoiding pulling the treble hooks out of their mouths once you hook ‘em.

You might notice the flat-sided lure with the round lip in the middle of the three crankbaits I have hanging on the antler. That flatter-bodied lure is great as we move into early December, and water temps get really cold. Its round lip slides around shallow cover in a more subtle way than the square bill, and its tighter wiggle seems to get more bites in real cold water.

Whether you choose the whitetail woods, or shallow water crankbait fishing, you can’t beat November.  So until next month, be safe, and enjoy this one to the fullest.