No matter what species they’re fishing for, nothing beats the joy of introducing a youngster to fishing.
As often as not, the teacher gets as much joy as the student. (Photo: Richard Simms)
TTI Blakemore – Working for Crappie Anglers
by Terry Madewell
For decades the legendary fishing tackle company, TTI Blakemore, has been providing some of the most popular products on the market, especially for crappie fishermen. As the marketing line says, “Road Runner – catching smiles since 1958.”
Ron Stallings, marketing manager for TTI Blakemore, says one of the company’s primary messages to anglers of all species of fish for 2022 is the importance of attracting kids to the sport of fishing.
“We need to get kids focused on fishing so they’ll experience the joy fishing brings while building the bond to keep them active in the sport for a lifetime,” Stallings said. “For many kids, the key is simply getting the opportunity to be exposed to fishing, to have that great outdoor experience that generates the desire to learn more.”
Stallings said a focal point right now is getting experienced anglers to share the sport of fishing with youngsters.
“We’re urging experienced anglers to take kids fishing right now to show them how to fish,” he said. “With hands-on teaching while providing tips and techniques to make the fishing more enjoyable we can generate enthusiasm. Plus, by teaching conservation, kids today will have the opportunity to fish with their kids in the future.”
Ron’s brother, TJ Stallings, partnered with publisher Dan Dannenmueller to start CrappieNOW magazine. Sadly, TJ passed away in 2017.
A lure that catches more crappie but snags less on heavy cover… you’ve got to read this right now!
But Ron continues to carry the mantle for his brother, and crappie fishermen. He said a key component is to ensure kids have the opportunity to enjoy success.
“Nothing instills the pure passion of fishing into a kid quicker than actually catching fish,” Stallings said. “That’s something every adult angler in the sport can do, regardless of their favorite species. Crappie, bass, walleye, catfish and sunfish are all equal to a kid catching their first fish. These are things we can all do to promote our sport, all-the-while enjoying the adventure ourselves when taking kids fishing.”
Stallings said another focal point for 2022 is the introduction of an exciting new bait called the Crappie X-TRACTOR.
“We feel this is going to be a phenomenal new lure for crappie anglers,” he said. “It meets multiple needs that crappie fishermen have expressed to us and early results are that the lure delivers on all aspects.”
Dannenmueller said the new lures checks all the boxes to become a legendary crappie-catching lure.
“This is the new bait professional fishermen have been seeking to take crappie-catching to the next level,” Dannenmueller said. “We wanted a lure of this basic design to have bigger and sharper wide-gap hooks and this lure fills that need perfectly. The lure comes in 1/16- and 1/8-ounce head sizes with hook sizes in 1/0 and 2/0. This sickle hook design is extremely sharp and designed to prevent snags as much as possible and my extensive testing has proved it performs fantastically.”
Dannenmueller said the bait also has a scale profile, with a slimmer head, adding to the realism of the new lure. A ‘keeper’ is a standard part of the design for securing plastic trailers.
“All of the lures come with a nickel blade and run incredibly true, and that’s essential for consistent crappie success,” Dannenmueller said. “The lure is also highly effective in deep water as well as around shallow cover. Another excellent feature is anglers can get just the heads if we wish, so we can custom rig the lure to our personal taste to meet the challenge of any target or situation we fish.”
Dannenmueller said all anglers have to do to be successful is find the crappie. The Crappie X-TRACTOR will do the rest.
For more information on this lure and other TTI Blakemore products check out their web site at www.ttiblakemore.com or call them at 1-800-77HOOKS.
(Award-winning writer and photographer Terry Madewell of Ridgeway, S.C., has been an outdoors writer for more than 30 years. He has a degree in wildlife and fisheries management and has a long career as a professional wildlife biologist/natural resources manager.)
