Lake Shelbyville played host to the Crappie USA Event this past Saturday, June 24, 2017. Temperatures in the mid 70’s and 10 – 20mph winds greeted more than 80 anglers from several states. They were competing for $6,665.00 in cash and prizes and a chance to advance to the prestigious Cabala’s Crappie USA Classic.
This year’s classic will be held October 26 – 28, 2017 on Kentucky & Barkley Lakes at Paris, Tennessee.
Pro Division Results
Ivan Yourk, Jr. of Decatur, Illinois and Andy Roberts of Sullivan, Illinois took first place in the Pro Division with a total weight of 4.93 pounds and earning $1,400.00, plus an additional $380.00 Big Fish Bonus.
Yourk and Roberts fished hand-made hair jigs made by Andy in a white sparkle color. The team fished in the Finley Bridge area, over natural cover, in 15 – 20 feet of water to catch 25 fish for the day. Their bag included Big Fish of the tournament weighing .91 pounds.
Steve Ferguson of Puryear, Tennessee and Joey Briggs of Dexter, Kentucky took second place with a total weight of 4.68 pounds. They earned $600.00, plus an additional $250.00 Ranger Cup Bonus and $160.00 for 2nd Big Fish of the event. The team fished the north end of Lake Shelbyville, spider rigging live bait in 20 feet of water over cover. They landed 40 fish for the day. Their 2nd place Big Fish weighed .86 pounds.
Taking third place were Shawn and Lee Gore, both of Almo, Kentucky. They weigh in at 4.51 pounds and earning $400.00. The team spider rigged live bait in the north end of the lake in 17 feet of water to catch 25 fish for the event.
Joe and Janette Carter of Gilbert, South Carolina took fourth place with a total weight of 4.34 pounds. They earned the $250.00 Talon Bonus. Team Carter long-lined trolled the north end of Lake Shelbyville in 17 – 20 feet of water using various color jigs, targeting an area 35 feet off the bank. They reported catching all their 30 fish in a small area, passing over it repeatedly.
The fifth-place spot went to John Carr of Macon, Illinois and Joe Carr of Alton, Illinois. They weighed in at 3.81 pounds. The team spider rigged live bait in the mid-section of the lake, in 15 – 18 feet of water, to catch over 75 fish on Saturday.
Amateur Division Results
Brian Cleland of Decatur, Illinois and Clint Cleland of Tuscola, Illinois took first place in the Amateur Division with a total weight of 4.56 pounds. They earned $1,100.00 plus an additional $250.00 Ranger Cup Bonus. The team fished the north end of the lake in 20 – 25 feet of water over wood cover. They spider rigged with live bait to land well over 125 fish for the day.
Taking second place was Daniel Kash of Bonnie, Illinois and Barry Kash of Waltonville, Illinois. The team weighed in 4.34 pounds and earned $600.00. They started out on the north end of the lake fishing 20 – 25 feet of water before moving to the middle area of Lake Shelbyville in the same depth of water. They used live bait to catch a total of 25 fish for the event.
Terry Davis of Bloomington, Illinois and Rick Montooth of Springfield, Illinois took third place in the amateur division. They weighed in 4.20 pounds and earned $400.00. The team fished mid-lake in 14 feet of water using silver/chartreuse jigs. They spider rigged over cover to land between 50 – 60 fish for the day.
In fourth place was Mike Wantz of New Castle, Indiana and Rusty Byard of Muncie, Indiana with a total weight of 4.18 pounds. They earned $300.00. The team spider rigged mid-lake in 24 feet of water using red/chartreuse jigs to catch 25 – 30 fish for the event.
Roger Claywell of New Castle, Indiana and Dean Rogers of Eaton, Ohio took fifth place with 4.08 pounds and earned $200.00. The team fished the Bridle area, spider rigging assorted color jigs to land 50 fish on Saturday.
National Sponsors of Crappie USA are: Cabela’s, Ranger Boats, Mercury, Mustad, B ‘n’ M Poles, Minn Kota, Humminbird Electronics, Gamma, Adventure Products EGO Nets, J.R. Mad’s, Charlie Brewer’s Slider Co., Big Bite Baits, TTI-Blakemore Road Runner, Driftmaster Rod Holders, World Fishing Network- WFN, Cumberland Crappie Double Seat Mounts, Church Tackle Company, Crappie Now on-line Magazine, Talon Shallow Water Anchors, Humminbird/Lakemaster Maps, Sunsect Sunscreen & Insect Repellent, Digital EFX Wraps, Gill Rainwear, AWD Baits, Tentnology, Crappie Magnet, Crown Trophy and Jenko Fishing.
The following companies furnish product to help make these events possible:
Kodiak Fish Attractants, Rigrap and Keep Alive.
For more information please call Crappie USA at 502-384-5924. Be sure to check out their website at www.crappieusa.com and like their Crappie USA Tournament Trail Facebook Page. Both sites contain new and exciting information on Crappie USA events along with special information for crappie anglers everywhere.
