02-24-2007, 04:02 PM
Fifty-two teams of crappie fishermen competed in the Crappie USA Super Event on Lake Talquin Saturday, with outstanding results.
Nearly all the teams weighed in limit catches of seven fish. Some of them were quite large.
This tournament was the first of a series of Crappie USA big-money tournaments throughout the country (not to be
with the Crappie Masters tour on Talquin last month). Panfish tournaments like this are becoming more popular every year. Turns out these midget marauders of southern waters are nearly worth their weight in gold.
Fishing in tournaments for what is arguably the most popular panfish in the country isn't exactly done by slack-jawed mouth breathers waiting hour after hour for their bobber to, well, bob.
Instead, today's participants chase down their quarry with the aid of sophisticated electronic fish finders that search side to side and straight down. They have GPS units with built in topo maps of the bottom, and boats bristling with up to eight fishing rods. Many of the boats look like giant spiders floating on the water.
The rods and rigs have changed too. Instead of the traditional telescoping rod with a piece of line tied to the tip, a bobber and a minnow, today's tournament crappie angler uses specialized 15-foot rods and ultralight spinning reels. Lines are thin as spider webbing and made of invisible fluorocarbon.
Multi-colored 1/16th ounce jigs are fished in tandem at various depths until fish are found. Then all the lines are adjusted to the correct depth and the boat is loaded with crappie. Neat, huh? At least that's the way it's supposed to work. And it did work, for some better than others. Semi-Pro division results
Taking first place was the team of David Stancil of Oxford, Ala., and Earl Brink Jr. of Cummings, Ga., with a weight of 13.44 pounds. They were fast trolling Bubblegum/chartreuse Show Down jigs in deep water near the middle of the lake.
Second place went to the Muscadine, Ala., team of Kevin and Stephen McElroy with a weight of 13.2 pounds. Kevin and Stephen were fishing up the river fast trolling blue/chartreuse and black/yellow jigs in 20 feet of water.
In third place were George Parker of West Palm Beach and Dennis Tittle of Umatilla with 12.97 pounds. George and Dennis were fast trolling blue/chartreuse and pink/chartreuse Bab Flys and Charlie Brewer sliders in 14-16 feet of water. Amateur division results
In first place in the amateur division were Danny Cannon of Toomsboro, Ga., and Bill Williams of Cochran, Ga. They caught a very impressive 15.02 pounds. The Georgia team was fishing the river channel and adjoining ledges in the middle of the lake, in 18-20 feet of water. That's where they found fish suspended 10 feet deep. The team was using acid rain and Tennessee shad colored jigs.
Second place went to Larry Davidson of Bonaire, Ga., and Brian Greene of Perry, Ga., with a weight of 13.71 pounds. Davidson and Greene were fast trolling in 15-20 feet of water using chartreuse/white jigs. They said the fish were biting much better after the wind started blowing.
Taking third place was the Cochran, Ga., team of Jason Little and Wade Green, with 13.22 pounds of fish. They were fast trolling bubblegum colored jigs in 15 to 20 feet of water up river, with the fish suspended at 10 feet deep.
Tallahassee anglers William T. Roberts and Sam Smith finished 10th in the amateur division. They used jigs of black/chartreuse, red, green and yellow, some tipped with live minnows. They were the only local anglers to finish in the top 20, in either division. Big Fish award
Taking big fish of the event was the team of John King and Jared Leverette, both of Dothan, Ala. They caught a 2.43 pound crappie. The big fish was actually caught by Jared Leverette, son of Lake Talquin Lodge owner Rusty Leverett. He caught the fish on a trolled Tennessee shad jig running at 12 feet, in 18 feet of water.
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Nearly all the teams weighed in limit catches of seven fish. Some of them were quite large.
This tournament was the first of a series of Crappie USA big-money tournaments throughout the country (not to be
with the Crappie Masters tour on Talquin last month). Panfish tournaments like this are becoming more popular every year. Turns out these midget marauders of southern waters are nearly worth their weight in gold. Fishing in tournaments for what is arguably the most popular panfish in the country isn't exactly done by slack-jawed mouth breathers waiting hour after hour for their bobber to, well, bob.
Instead, today's participants chase down their quarry with the aid of sophisticated electronic fish finders that search side to side and straight down. They have GPS units with built in topo maps of the bottom, and boats bristling with up to eight fishing rods. Many of the boats look like giant spiders floating on the water.
The rods and rigs have changed too. Instead of the traditional telescoping rod with a piece of line tied to the tip, a bobber and a minnow, today's tournament crappie angler uses specialized 15-foot rods and ultralight spinning reels. Lines are thin as spider webbing and made of invisible fluorocarbon.
Multi-colored 1/16th ounce jigs are fished in tandem at various depths until fish are found. Then all the lines are adjusted to the correct depth and the boat is loaded with crappie. Neat, huh? At least that's the way it's supposed to work. And it did work, for some better than others. Semi-Pro division results
Taking first place was the team of David Stancil of Oxford, Ala., and Earl Brink Jr. of Cummings, Ga., with a weight of 13.44 pounds. They were fast trolling Bubblegum/chartreuse Show Down jigs in deep water near the middle of the lake.
Second place went to the Muscadine, Ala., team of Kevin and Stephen McElroy with a weight of 13.2 pounds. Kevin and Stephen were fishing up the river fast trolling blue/chartreuse and black/yellow jigs in 20 feet of water.
In third place were George Parker of West Palm Beach and Dennis Tittle of Umatilla with 12.97 pounds. George and Dennis were fast trolling blue/chartreuse and pink/chartreuse Bab Flys and Charlie Brewer sliders in 14-16 feet of water. Amateur division results
In first place in the amateur division were Danny Cannon of Toomsboro, Ga., and Bill Williams of Cochran, Ga. They caught a very impressive 15.02 pounds. The Georgia team was fishing the river channel and adjoining ledges in the middle of the lake, in 18-20 feet of water. That's where they found fish suspended 10 feet deep. The team was using acid rain and Tennessee shad colored jigs.
Second place went to Larry Davidson of Bonaire, Ga., and Brian Greene of Perry, Ga., with a weight of 13.71 pounds. Davidson and Greene were fast trolling in 15-20 feet of water using chartreuse/white jigs. They said the fish were biting much better after the wind started blowing.
Taking third place was the Cochran, Ga., team of Jason Little and Wade Green, with 13.22 pounds of fish. They were fast trolling bubblegum colored jigs in 15 to 20 feet of water up river, with the fish suspended at 10 feet deep.
Tallahassee anglers William T. Roberts and Sam Smith finished 10th in the amateur division. They used jigs of black/chartreuse, red, green and yellow, some tipped with live minnows. They were the only local anglers to finish in the top 20, in either division. Big Fish award
Taking big fish of the event was the team of John King and Jared Leverette, both of Dothan, Ala. They caught a 2.43 pound crappie. The big fish was actually caught by Jared Leverette, son of Lake Talquin Lodge owner Rusty Leverett. He caught the fish on a trolled Tennessee shad jig running at 12 feet, in 18 feet of water.
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