Crappie anglers competed for $12,900.00 in cash and prizes in the 2-Day Crappie USA Super Event this past Friday and Saturday on Lake of Egypt. Cold temperatures, high winds and even snow did not stay these dedicated anglers from the completion of their appointed task. Crappie fishing that is!
More than 100 anglers from seven states were also vying for 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
Steve Hess of Cambria, Illinois and Dan Lutchka of Carterville, Illinois claimed the first-place spot in the Pro Division with a total weight of 19.82 pounds. Their bag earned them $3,000.00, plus an additional $500.00 Talon Bonus, $500.00 Gamma Line Bonus and $300.00 Driftmaster Rod Holder Bonus. The team fished in 35 – 40 feet of water on the bottom in cover to catch all but one of their biggest fish, which they caught earlier from shallow water. The team stated that 3” tube jigs worked best to land their fish.
Doug Sikora and Michael Bledsoe, both of Noblesville, Indiana took second place with a total weight of 19.54 pounds and earned $2,000.00, plus an additional $750.00 for Big Fish. The team fished several locations all over the lake, spider rigging bluegrass and blue/orange glow colored jigs in shallow water to catch over 40 fish for the weekend, including a 2.41 pound Big Fish of the event.
We had a tie for third place. Sean Hawkins of Goreville, Illinois and Michael Renfro of Coseyville, Illinois weighed in at 19.09 pounds and earned a check for $800.00. The team fished the north end of Lake of Egypt in shallow water around 7 feet to land 75 – 80 fish using BrushPile jigs. Also taking third place, weighing in at 19.09 pounds were Sean Drury of Carondeler, Illinois and JP Onhiser of Salem, Illinois. The team fished multiple locations, spider rigging live bait in 20 feet of water to catch a total of 25 fish for the tournament and taking home a check for $800.00.
Joe Long of Edinburgh, Indiana and Brandon Meltzer of Fountaintown, Indiana took fourth place weighing in at 18.19 pounds and earning $400.00. The team fished the middle area of the lake in 8 – 10 feet of water over heavy cover, spider rigging with live bait to land over 300 fish for the two day tournament.
Amateur Division Results
Daniel Kash of Bonnie, Illinois took first place in the Amateur Division with a total weight of 19.48 pounds and earned $1,500.00. Daniel fished from the south end to mid lake in 12 – 14 feet of water over heavy natural cover, vertical fishing live bait to catch over 100 fish for the weekend.
In second place were Patrick Vowell and Patrick Stone, both of Anderson, Indiana with a total weight of 17.87 pounds and earning $1,000.00. The team fished all over Lake of Egypt targeting 7 feet of water and spider rigging live bait to catch a total of 40 fish for the event.
Taking third place was Josh Hess of Carbondale, Illinois and James Gentry of Anna, Illinois weighing in at 17.31 pounds and earning $500.00. The team fished half way down the lake targeting points and casting a float with a jig or minnow in 2 feet of water to land around 70 fish for the weekend. The team stated that they had more males on Friday and heavier females on Saturday.
Brian and Duffy Cleland took fourth place of the tournament with a total weight of 16.64 pounds and earned $400.00, plus an additional $125.00 Ranger Cup Bonus. The Decatur, Illinois team fished the south end of the lake early, moving north later in the day casting a float and BrushPile jig at first, then switching to live bait and spider rigging later in the day in deeper water to catch 60 – 70 fish for the weekend.
Reggy Cox of Karnak, Illinois and Rickey Bunch of Metropolis, Illinois took fifth place, weighing in at 15.06 pounds and earning $200.00. The team vertical fished with on pole in mid lake area targeting 10 feet of water with jigs and live bait to land 30 – 40 fish for two day tournament.
A special thank you to Shannon Johnson and her staff at Williamson County Tourism for hosting the event and all their hard work making the tournament and Crappie Kids Rodeo a success!
The next CUSA event will be Weiss Lake, Centre, AL. The Local Event (one day) will be held on 03/18/17.
For more information please call Crappie USA at 502-384-5924. Be sure to check out the website at: www.crappieusa.com and like Crappie USA Tournament Trail Facebook Page. Both sites contain new and exciting information on CUSA events along with special information for crappie anglers everywhere.
