Louisville,
KY – May 19, 2019 – Crappie anglers from several states traveled to Monroe Lake,
Bloomington, IN to participate in a Crappie USA (CUSA) event. The May 18, 2019
event is presented by Bass Pro Shops Cabela’s. Local and traveling anglers fished
for cash, prizes, and an opportunity to compete at the 2019 CUSA Classic which
will feature a guaranteed payout of $125,000 in cash and prizes.
Crappie
anglers were greeted with a beautiful day at Monroe Lake. Air temps in the 80’s
and light wind made for comfortable fishing. The water level is still high at
11 feet over pool, but falling. The tournament produced a large number of
crappie over the one-pound mark.
“We
saw some of the best quality male white crappie I have ever seen,” observed
Darrell Van Vactor, CUSA Operations Manager. “All our 2.0-pound plus fish
were
males. The females have most likely spawned and males are guarding the nest and
feeding.”
A
total of 41 boats fished the Monroe Lake event—16 in the Pro Division and 25 in
the Amateur Division. A total of $7,650 was distributed to the winners.
Pro Division Results
Bill Egan from Bloomington, IN and Ron Ritter from Bedford, IN teamed
up to win the Pro Division on Lake Monroe. They brought a bag that weighed 11.91
pounds to earn the top spot and a check for $2000. They added an additional $500
for the Ranger Cup Bonus and $250 for the Talon Bonus.
“We
were fishing on the east end of Lake Monroe in Middle Fork,” reported Ritter. “All
of our fish came out of 3 to 5 feet of water. We were casting jigs to cover,
tipping our jigs with various makes and colors.”
The
team observed that the water had visibility to five feet. As the day got
lighter it was obvious to them that some changes would have to be made.
“We
rotated through 5 or 6 areas throughout the day,” continued Ritter. “Seemingly,
as the wind picked up the areas with the most wind had the more active fish. I
lost 2 big fish in the first dozen casts. That was very hard to overcome
mentally. But you just have to try putting it out of your mind and keep
fishing.”
Egan
and Ritter included blue/white chartreuse Jenko jigs in their arsenal to catch
more than 100 fish on the day with 60 weighing more than one pound.
The
runner-up spot went to Tom Hankins and Ron Bilbrey. Hankins from Indianapolis,
IN and Bilbrey from Bedford, IN weighed 11.33 pounds to earn $800.
Hankins
and Bilbrey fished between Middle Fork and Pine Grove areas. They were vertical
jigging Crappie Magnet jigs in pink/pearl in 6 feet of water. The team caught
more than 20 fish that went over the pound mark
Patrick
Stone and Aaron West from Anderson, IN joined Murray, KY’s Ashley Adams to
claim the third-place spot. The threesome brought 10.54 pounds to earn their
place and a check for $500.00.
Stone,
West and Adams fished close to the bank in the Pine Grove area. They were
targeting male fish in 4 to 6 feet of water. The team used bluegrass colored
Jenko and Long Legs jigs to catch more than 30 one pound and over for the day.
In
a Facebook post Adams said, “What a fun lake! Sure surprised me. It sure is
hard to throw back 1 1/4-pound crappie when culling.”
The
6th place Pro team of Jim and Rob Raymer caught the 2nd Place Big Fish, a
2.21-pound slab. The big crappie earned them $240.00.
Amateur Division
Results
Robert
Williams from Ladoga, IN and Tim Guard from Waynestown, IN grabbed the top spot
in the Amateur Division. They brought 11.92 pounds to the scales to earn a
check for $1,000.00.
“What
a beautiful day,” said Williams. “The water temp was 68 degrees. The crappie we
found were in 4- to 6-feet of water. Casting plastic jigs around trees seem to
be best for us.”
Williams
and Guard fished up Pine Grove until about 11:00 am. They spent the rest of the
day up Middle Fork.
“We
had problems with trolling motor. It kept sticking on high and changing speeds
on me. My partner Tim Guard and I kept busy pushing off trees,” joked Williams.
“I
love fishing CUSA,” said Williams after catching more than 20 fish on the day.
Tony
and Theresa Williams from Bloomington IN weighed a bag of 8.72 pounds to claim
the second spot. The husband/wife team earned a check for $500.
Tony
and Theresa used Christmas lights and pumpkin/chartreuse colored jigs in 4 foot
of water to catch over 100 fish for the day.
Gretchen
and Tony Sherrill traveled from North Vernon, IN to take the third spot. They
weighed 8.17 pounds to earn $400 plus the $125 Ranger Cup Bonus.
Gretchen
and Tony fished Middle Fork with chartreuse jigs on an orange jig head in 4
feet of water. They “went for broke” using 3-inch grubs to avoid so
many smaller fish. The team caught a total of 10 crappies for the day.
Gleen
and Scott Gill weighed 7.32 pounds to claim the third spot. The Indianapolis,
IN team earned $300 for their day of fishing.
Gleen
and Scott used pink/white Crappie Magnet lures in 6 to 7 feet of water to catch
a total of 50 fish for the day.
Ricky
Baker and David Gibson from Lancaster, KY took the 4th place spot
with 6.49 pounds. Their bag included the big fish of the tournament at 2.29
pounds. They earned a check for $200 plus $560.00 big fish.
Baker
and Gibson fished along the rocky bluff across from the weigh-in site. They
were vertical fishing various jigs trying to target 6 to 8 feet of water. They
said the color was not as important as getting the jig in front of the
suspended fish.
Epilogue
Darrell
Van Vactor, CUSA Operations Manager, sent special thanks to Perry-Clear Creek
Fire Dept for hosting the seminar and to all the anglers who participated in
the event.
The
CUSA Classic Championship will be held October 23 – 26, 2019 on Old Hickory
Lake, Gallatin, TN. It features a guaranteed payout of $125,000 in cash and
prizes.
National Sponsors
National
Sponsors of Crappie USA are: Bass Pro Shops Cabela’s, Ranger Boats, Mercury
Marine, Mustad Hooks, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Talon, Lake Master Maps, Gamma,
B’n’M Poles, Driftmaster Rod Holders, Ego Nets, Xtreme Bait Systems, Cumberland
Crappie Double Seats, Brushpile Crappie, Charlie Brewer Slider, Crappie Now
Magazine, Church Tackle Co., Jenko Fishing, Big Bite Baits, Lake Cumberland CVB,
Crappie Magnet, AWD Baits, EFX Graphics, Fin n’ Frames, Crown Trophy, JR Madd
Breading, and Freaky Franks Tackle.
For
more information on the Classic and other CUSA events visit the website at www.crappieusa.com and Crappie USA Tournament Trail Facebook Page. The CUSA office is
available by phone at 502-384-5924.
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