Crappie anglers from 12 states traveled to Old Hickory Lake to participate in a Crappie USA (CUSA) event. That was a record turnout for the number of states to compete in a local Crappie USA tourney. The March 30 event was 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.
Lake water was stained as winds at 18 to 30 mph challenged anglers. The skies threatened rain all day long but held off just until the weigh-in was complete.
”Teams braved the wind and threat of rain all day,” said CUSA Operations Manager Darrell Van Vactor. “Yet they posted decent weights for Old Hickory. “Plus, since most fish were taken from deeper waters, they had to take really good care of them to be able to make the weigh-in on time with fish that were alive and healthy. I want to commend all teams for taking good care of their catch”
A total of 59 boats fished the Old Hickory event, 20 in the Pro Division and 39 in the Amateur Division. A total of $19,355 was distributed to the winners.
Pro Division Results
Top honors in the Pro Division went to Rodney Talley from Riverside, AL and John Baker from Rell City, AL. They weighed a total of 9.85 pounds to earn $1,800. They added a Ranger Cup Bonus of $500.
Talley and Baker fished mid-lake boat docks. They targeted the deeper docks with 20 or more feet of water around them. Their chosen method boated them about 25 crappies for the day.
“We had to fight the wind all day,” confirmed Baker. “All our fish were caught under deep water docks. We used homemade chartreuse jigs.”
Second place went to Dale Thompson from Greensburg, KY and Eddie Milby from Summerville, KY. They brought 9.23 pounds to the scales to earn a check for $1,000.
Thompson and Milby fished Station Camp Bay in 13 feet of water. The team trolled blue/chrome crankbaits to catch 11 fish for the day. They reported that the fish quit biting after the sun went behind the clouds and they never did start back.
Harold Maddux and Brian Oldham claimed the third spot with 9.09 pounds. The team from Mr. Juliet, TN earned a check $700.00.
Maddux and Oldham fished multiple areas of the lake. They were vertical jigging, one pole in hand over cover. They used Crappie Magnet’s Fly Magnet and Crappie Wizard Poles to catch about 50 fish for the day.
The fourth-place spot went to Andy Godwin and Chris Waldrop from Burnsville, WV. They were in the money with 8.93 pounds. They earned a check for $500.
The Big Fish winners were Burl Estes and Ronald Walls of Hustonville, KY. They added a 2.01 crappie to their bag to earn $835.00.
Second Big Fish went to the team of Ronald Barker of Eubank, KY and Donald Dolby of Yazoo City, MS. Their slab hit the scales at an even 2.00 pounds and earned a check for $355.00.
The Talon Bonus of $250.00 went to Steve Jeffers and Bob Land of Wabash, IN.
Amateur Division Results
Johnny Clary from Greenbrier, TN and Dwayne Craig from Cottontown, TN claimed the top spot in the Amateur Division. They weighed a 9.13-pound bag of crappie to take the first-place honors and earn a check for $1,300.00.
Clary and Craig fished mid lake in 30 feet of water. They were vertical jigging Slab Magnets in lemon meringue color. They were targeting manmade cover to catch a total of 40 fish for the day.
Wally Littrell and James Baxter from Jackson, TN finished second with 8.96 pounds. They earned a check for $700,00 plus the125.00 Ranger Cup Bonus.
The team fished Station Camp Creek in 18 to 20 feet of water. They were spider rigging chartreuse jigs and minnows to catch a total of eight fish for the day.
The third-place spot went to the team of Neal Alvis from Rogersville, TN and Scott Bunch from Morristown, TN. They had a total weight of 8.56 pounds to earn $500.00.
Alvis and Bunch fished mid lake in 20 to 25 foot of water. They were single poling in heavy cover. The bait that worked for them was Slab Magnet jigs in the therapist color. They boated a total of 15 fish for the day.
Fourth Place went to William Snyder from Bell Buckle, TN and Mark Travis from Murfreesboro, TN. They brought 8.46 pounds to the scales to earn $400.00.
The team spider rigged the lower end of the lake. They targeted 12 to 18 feet of water using live bait to catch 15 crappies for the day.
Rounding out the top five was Kenny Douglas from Barlow, KY and Brian Fondaw from Kevil, KY. The claimed the fifth spot by weighing 8.39 pounds to earn $300.00.
Douglas and Fondaw spider rigged in Spencer Creek. They targeted 10 to 12 feet of water using double minnow rigs. They caught a total of 9 fish for the day.
Epilogue
Darrell Van Vactor, CUSA Operations Manager, sent special thanks to Barry Young and his staff at Sumner County Tourism for hosting the event.
“We are already looking forward to being back in the fall,” said Van Vactor. “As Old Hickory Lake and Gallatin, TN is the location of the 2019 Classic on October 23 – 26. 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.
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