Category: Crappie USA

Louisville, KY – February 14, 2021 – Crappie anglers from several states traveled to the Lake Harding at Opelika, AL to participate in a Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Crappie USA (CUSA) Region 2 event. Local and traveling anglers are competing in the $50,000 points race and an opportunity to compete at the Regional Championships and the 2021 Crappie USA Classic on Lake Hartwell, Anderson, SC. 

Competing anglers were met with rain and cool temperatures as the tournament day started. A morning low in the high 40s and breezy winds kept the day feeling cool. 

“The weather was challenging in every way,” said Tournament Director, Darrell Van Vactor. “We had rain all day Saturday with winds blowing 10-15 from the NE. The water conditions changed from clear to muddy in many areas giving anglers an added challenge. The anglers definitely faced Mother Nature at her worst all day for the Lake Harding event.” 

A total of 27 boats fished the event,10 in the Pro Division and17 in the Amateur Division. Halawakee Creek was the hot area on tournament day. 

Pro Division Results

First Place

The top spot at Lake Harding Matthew Williams and Nick Dowda from Batesburg-Leesville South Carolina. They teamed up to bring 10.54 pounds to the scales and claim the $3,000 top prize. They added $200 for the Crappie Magnet Bonus, $300 for the Drift Master Bonus, $100 for the Jenko Bonus, and $190 for the second big fish. 

“We started our day with rain and cool temperatures that lasted for most of the morning,” Williams said. “We focused on the mid-lake area targeting fish that were suspended 10-12 feet deep in 30-40 feet of water. We were one pole fishing using the Jenko Fishing Trick Stick Light.” 

The team used a combination of Slab Slayer Jigs Willow Tail and Crappie Magnet products. They indicated gray colored combinations performed best. 

“We started out fishing towards the back of Halawakee Creek,” reported Dowda. “We were catching a lot of small fish. Around 12 o’clock we moved out towards the mouth in 30-40 feet of water and caught all our weigh-in fish after lunch.” 

“The fish were suspended all the way from 5 feet down to 30 feet,” added Dowda. “We used a mixture of jigs over the day. Anything grey worked and we caught some on straight minnows. We used LiveScope and caught around 30 fish total for the day.” 

Second Place
The runner-up spot went to Forrest Walker and Jacob Walker from Byron, GA. They caught a 9.96-pound bag of crappie to claim the second-place cash award of $1,500.00. 

They also found their fish in Halawakee Creek. They fished with one pole in hand, using hair jigs in natural colors. The crappie were found suspended at 8 feet deep in 30 to 50 feet of water. 

“The best bite was early morning,” reported Jacob. “We caught about 20-25 fish on the day.”

Third Place
Morristown, Tennessee angler Scott Bunch teamed up with Neal Alvis from Rogersville, Tennessee to earn the third-place award of $500. The Crappie Magnet team’s tournament day bag weighed 8.95 pounds. 

Bunch and Alvis also fished Halawakee Creek, finding the fish suspended at about 20-30 feet deep in 30-50 feet of water. They fished Crappie Magnets on a heavy jighead. An assortment of colors did the trick to catch a total of 20-30 crappie on the day. 

Other Awards

In other awards, the Talon Bonus of $250.00 went to Robert Harris and Richard Greer Jr. who finished in 5^th Place in the Pro Division. 

Amateur Division Results

First Place Amateur Division

Richard Malcom from Madison, GA, and Joey Dickens from Waynesboro, GA brought 10.31 pounds to the scales to claim the top spot in the Amateur Division. They earned a check for $3,000 for first place and added $435.00 for catching the Big Fish of the tournament. Their big Lake Harding slab weighed in at 2.01 pounds. 

Malcom and Dickens also fished Halawakee Creek. They were one poling in 30 foot-plus water and catching their fish suspended at about 12 feet deep. The team used black and gray Jiffy Jigs in clear water. The result was around 25 to 30 fish on tournament day. 

Second Place Amateur Division

Mike Nipper from Perry, GA, and Ethan Nipper from Gray, GA showed up at the scales with a bag weighing 7.46 pounds to claim the runner-up spot and earn the second place award of $1,500.00. 

The team fished Halawakee Creek in much shallower water than other competitors. They were also one poling, but in 4 feet of water. They used live bait to catch around 20 Lake Harding crappie on tournament day. 

Third Place Amateur Division

Brian Stacey from Bostic, NC, and Jeff Lowdermilk from Morgantown, NC teamed up to bring 6.68 pounds to the scales to earn third-place and a check for $500. 

Stacey and Lowdermilk fished Halawakee Creek in 30 feet of water. They also used the single pole technique to catch their crappie. They were rigged with Cajun Cricket colored jigs to catch 10 fish on the day. 

Other Awards

In other awards the $125 Ranger Cup Bonus in the Amateur Division went to Bob Denen from Youngstown, Ohio. 

Epilogue 

Darrell Van Vactor, CUSA Operations Manager, sent special thanks to Anthony and his staff at Auburn-Opelika Tourism Bureau for hosting the event and the Comfort Inn for allowing our TV crew to use their beautiful den area for filming.

The 2021 CUSA Classic Championship will be held October 14th – 16th at Lake Hartwell, SC at Anderson, SC. The 2021 Crappie USA Classic presented by Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s features a guaranteed payout of $165,000 in cash and prizes.

Louisville, KY – January 12, 2020 – Crappie anglers from several states traveled to the Harris Chain of Lakes at Tavares, FL to participate in the January 11, 2020 Crappie USA (CUSA) event. Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s presented the tournament for local and traveling anglers. Competitors were vying for cash, prizes, and an opportunity to compete at the 2020 CUSA Classic which will feature a guaranteed payout of $125,000 in cash and prizes.

High winds greeted Crappie USA anglers for their third trip to Florida in the young 2020 season. The temperatures settled in the high 70’s while the water temps registered 64 degrees. Those are normally good numbers for crappie fishing, but challenging winds out of the SE at 15 to 20 added another element to the days fishing. Otherwise, it was another beautiful Florida day.                                

“We have caught so many crappie while here practicing for the tournament,” said tournament participant Jim Carmen. “It is truly a fantastic fishery.”

A total of 16 boats fished the Harris Chain event—5 in the Pro Division and 11 in the Amateur Division. A total of $4,450 was distributed to the winners.

Pro Division Results

The top spot on the Harris Chain of Lakes went to George Parker from Okeechobee, FL, and Tim Eberly from Fort Lauderdale, FL. They teamed up to bring 8.76 pounds to the scales and earn the first-place check of $1,400.

The Florida team fished the upper part and east side of Lake Dora where they shot docks for a while before switching to spider rigging. The team caught more than 70 fish on the day.

“We  caught four of our fish of docks in 7 foot of water,” reported Eberly. “We used 1/32-ounce Crappie Stingers with black and white heads and a yellow tail.”

“We caught our other three weigh-in fish pushing Skipper’s ice jigs,” continued Eberly. “We found spawning fish in a cove in 3-4 feet of water. Needless to say, the fishing was tough due to the twenty mile per hour winds.”

The runner up spot in the Pro Division went to Stephen Durden from Umatilla, FL, and Larry Durden from Tavares FL with a bat that weighed 8.55 pounds and included the second big fish of the tournament. They earned a check for $600 and added $115 for second big fish.

The team of brothers used two of the Harris Chain lakes to claim their spot. They fished lake Dora pushing live bait. They used double minnow rigs with a 3/4-ounce weight in 8 to 10 feet of water to catch more than 30 fish on the day. As the wind increased it pushed them off of Dora and they finished their day on Lake Carlton.                                  

The third spot went to Jim Carman and Sharla Fondaw from Fruitland Park, FL. Their bag of 8.23 pounds earned them a check for $400.

Carman and Fondaw spider-rigged in Lake Eustis where they pushed handmade Moon and “B” jigs in pink and bright yellow. They used very light jigs so they would fall slowly. The team tipped with minnows to catch more than 60 crappies on the day.

Amateur Division Results

First place went to Jamie Logan from Ellaville, GA, and Steve DeHart from Oakman, GA. They had a seven fish limit that weighed 8.86 pounds to earn a check for $700.

The Georgia team fished Lake Dora to catch more than 50 fish on the day. They were shooting docks to claim the top spot in the Amateur Division.

“We fished the boat docks on NE side of the lake,” reported Logan. “We were targeting the docks that had 5- to 6-feet of water underneath them. The 1/16- and 1/32-ounce Grandpa hair jig in white was the key. The bigger fish were underneath the docks hitting the jig on the drop.”

“We also caught fish on Skipper’s Jigs,” continued Logan. “Again, the white colored bodies worked the best. We caught more than 25 crappie that were over one pound out of the 50 to 60 we caught on the day. The wind actually helped up by blowing the boat into the docks where we let the jig drop slowly.”

Check out Fishing with Stealth Rod Holders on Facebook for more information. You can view a video of the team prefishing and see the fishing methods that they used.

Youngstown, OH angler Robert Denen fished solo to claim the runner-up spot in the Amateur Division. He had a bag of 7.83 pounds to earn a check for $300. His weight included the Big Fish of the tournament to add $260 and he added another $125 for the  Ranger cup bonus.

Denen fished Lake Harris close to Dead River. He was spider rigging in 8 to 10 foot of water targeting humps with grass on them. He pushed double minnow rigs to catch about 60 crappie. His Big Fish slab weighed 1.65 pounds.

The third spot went to Evan and Stephen Dallas from Florence KY. Team Dallas weighed a seven fish limit of 7.61 pounds to earn $200.

The Kentucky team pushed Crappie Magnet Jigs on Lake Dora. White/chartreuse jigs in 4 to 6 foot of water helped them catch a total of 60 fish for the day.                                                                                

Epilogue

Darrell Van Vactor, CUSA Operations Manager, sent special thanks to Cheri and Bob with the city of Tavares, Florida for hosting the event.

“What a great job Tavares has done with their City Park property on the banks of Lake Dora,” Van Vactor said. “They have so many amenities in a beautiful setting for folks of all ages to enjoy while visiting downtown Tavares.”

The CUSA Classic Championship will be held October 22 – 24, 2020 at Green River Lake, Columbia, KY. The 2020 Classic, presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, features a guaranteed payout of $125,000 in cash and prizes.

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 4^th 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.

Louisville, KY – April 28, 2019 – Crappie anglers from several states traveled to Grand Lake/St. Marys, St. Marys, OH to participate in a Crappie USA (CUSA) Super Event. The April 26 and 27 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.

A total of 53 boats fished the St. Marys event—14 in the Pro Division and 39 in the Amateur Division. A total of $12,950 was distributed to the winners.

Crappie anglers were greeted with a flooded weigh-in site and closed roads around the area. Nevertheless, the schedule Kids Rodeo on Saturday was blessed with a letup in the rain and the kids actually caught a few fish and had a great time.

The Friday highs were around 48 degrees with rain all day and winds at 25 to 40 mph.

The city started closing all roads around weigh-in by noon and anglers had to find a way to get to the new weigh-in site under a picnic shelter in a different area of the park.

Flooded streets and roads continued into Saturday but the rain let up for the morning with temps in low 40’s. The rain returned around 1:30 pm and continued through the weigh-in.

“Overall it was the worst water and weather pattern we faced in 34 years of running events,” said CUSA Operations Manager Darrell Van Vactor. “I am glad to know all our anglers are safe and sound and the crew is home.”

Day one in the Pro Division ended with Jason Koesters and Jake Hengstler in the lead with 6.64 pounds. Mark N. Puthoff and Mike Shroyer led in the Amateur Division with 4.72 pounds. The stage was set for day two.

Pro Division Results

When all the weights were tallied in the Pro Division Koesters and Hengstler had held on to their day-one lead to take top honors. Koesters from New Bremen, OH and Hengstler from Botkins, OH teamed up to bring a two-day total of 10.68 pounds to the scales.

Their rainy encounter earned them $3,000 for first place, 250 for the Gamma Line Bonus, $300 for the Driftmaster Rod Holder Bonus, and $280 for second place Big Fish.

The team fished the south end of the lake using 2.5-inch stinger jigs in silver/black and silver chartreuse. In a tough bite, they caught 8 crappies on Friday and 5 on Saturday.

Kerry August and Mike Deiters claimed the runner up spot with 10.05 pounds. The Ohio team earned $2,000 for the placement and added the $250 Ranger Cup Bonus.

Their fishing covered several creeks on the south end of the lake. They targeted docks in shallow water. They were shooting chartreuse/pearl jigs and minnows. August and Deiters caught a total of 25 fish for the weekend.

Third place went to Zack and Mike Fishbaugh from St Henry, OH. They weighed 9.4 pounds to earn a check for $1,000.

Team Fishbaugh fished the south end of the lake in 6 feet of water. They were targeting channels and creeks with clearer water. The result was catching the females that were holding in deeper water. They used minnows to catch about 30 fish for the weekend.

Robert Denen from Youngstown, OH and Anthony Domitrovuch from Dubois, PA took the fourth spot with 8.66 pounds. They earned a check for $200.

The team found a brushpile on the south end of the lake in 8 feet of water. They noted that the water was fairly clear.

“We sat on that brushpile for both days,” reported Denen. “We fished live bait to catch about 24 fish for the weekend.”

The Big Fish winners were local anglers Jeremiah Moyar and Jack Ray. The St Marys, OH team, who also placed eighth in the Pro Division, weighed a 1.26-pound crappie to earn a check for $740.

Amateur Division Results

Marvin Yeakle and Jeff Duncan made a move from 8^th place on day one to take the win in the Amateur Division on Saturday. The Marion, IN team brought 8.64 pounds to the scales in some of the worst weather in CUSA history. They earned a check for $1,600.

Yeakle and Duncan fished the east side of the lake in 4 to 5 foot of water. They found a beaver hut to target with live bait. They caught about 25 fish for the two days of tournament fishing.

Second place went to Ryan Wendel from Maineville and Randy D Wendel from Celina, OH. They brought 8.31 pounds to the scales to earn a check for $1,000.

Team Wendel fished the south side of the lake in shallow water. They were making casts just off the bank with darker color jigs. They mainly use purple to catch about 13 crappies for the two-day event.

Dominic Dugic from Warren, OH, and Jeffrey Lee from Newton Falls, OH took the third spot with 7.31 pounds and earned a check for $500.

Dugic and Lee fished the south end until it got muddy due to all the rain. Those conditions convinced them to move to the north end. They were spider rigging minnows

in shallow water to catch 15 fish for the weekend.        

Fourth place went to Carl McAdams from Fredonia, PA and Monte Martin from W. Lafayette, IN. They weighed 5.59 pounds to earn $400. They added the Ranger Cup Bonus for another $125.

McAdams and Martin fished the south end of the lake in the 12 Mile Island area. They trolled in 8 feet of water. They were pulling live bait and white Jenko jigs to catch about 15 fish during the two-day Super Event.

Rounding out the top five was Dustin Fast from Fort Loramie, OH and Phil Stone from Sidney, OH. They teamed up to bring 4.84 pounds to the scales and earn a check for $300.

Fast and Stone fished the south end of the lake in 8 feet of water. They spider rigged minnows to catch 13 fish for the weekend.

Epilogue

Darrell Van Vactor, CUSA Operations Manager, extended a special thanks NK Telco and Brushpile Fishing with Russ Bailey for all their help hosting the event and covering it with a live feed. He also thanked Mayor Hazel for presenting the Mayors trophy to Mayson Lietchfield for winning the Kids Fishing Rodeo.

“Our anglers faced the toughest conditions I have seen in years,” said Van Vactor. “They fished with high winds, constant rain, muddy water, and severe flooding. They are the toughest of the tough!”

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, and JR Madd Breading.

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.