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Southern Crappie Association
2010
2009
Summer Crappie Hunters Hit High Rock
July 18, 2009
By Melissa Hinson and Fishbyte.net Staff
All Photos Courtesy of Melissa Hinson
As the opening of the regular season schedule draws closer and closer for the Southern Crappie Association, members are getting anxious. Months have gone by without a gathering and a few more will pass before their fall and winter events begin. It was no wonder that a wildcat crappie tournament emerged, even though it was only July. Although the event was not affiliated with any organization, most of those participating were regular members of an affiliated group. The “pre-season” tune up used High Rock as a re-acquainting spot.
Touted as the NC Wildcat Summer Crappie Tournament, numerous boat teams from North and South Carolina converged on the Dutch Second Creek Access for a safelight take off. The event boasted a 100 percent payback on the $40 entry fee at the 1 PM weigh in. No Big Fish award was used in the seven fish, sixteen rod limit. Organizers Randy Pope and Will Hinson used Southern Crappie Tournament Trail and DNR rules.
After nearly seven hours of fishing High Rock, David and Phenice Perrell managed the best take for the day. The pair brought 8.59 pounds of crappie to the scales, beating their closest competitors by nearly three pounds. From Germantown, NC, the anglers won $160 for their efforts and let all others know they were geared up and ready for the coming season.
Randy Pope and Darryl Wilson of Hickory, NC found second place with their 5.8 pounds. They took home $96.
Third placers, David Swaringen and Lee Ford were only a half pound out of second, scoring 5.34 pounds of crappie. That slight difference cost them about $32, the difference between a second place purse and the $64 they won. If that race wasn't close enough, co-organizer Will Hinson was a mere three-tenths of a pound behind third. His fourth place, 5.2 pounds was just out of a paying spot. For fifth placer, Dale Willard and his 5.03 pounds, the message was the same... great day, but no pay.
For more information about the event, contact Randy Pope at 828-244-2544 or Will Hinson at 803-432-4342 or 843-250-5062.
Information about the Southern Crappie Tournament Trail can be found at the organization's web site at www.southerncrappie.com. Melissa Hinson presides over that group. She can be reached at 803-432-4342.
Southern Crappie Association Kicking Off 2009-2010 Trail
October, 2009
If you enjoy competition crappie fishing, the Southern Crappie Association is about to kick off its 2009 – 2010 trail across South and North Carolina lakes. Heralded as one of the largest competition crappie trails in the Southeast, the club will fish from mid-October to the first of April.
Melissa Hinson, president of the Association this season, announced the trail earlier last month. The group will begin its fishing October 10th at Stumpy Pond Fishing Creek, using the Highway 21 Access Ramp. They will also fish Badin and Tillery, Jordan, High Rock, Wateree, Bluett Falls, and Clarks Hill lakes. A two-day Classic will finish the season at Greenwood April 2 and 3. The group began in 2000.
Complete information can be found at the Association's web site at www.southerncrappie.com. Melissa Hinson can be emailed at melissa@southerncrappie.com. A schedule of events can be viewed on the Fishbyte.net Calendar and Forums.
Branham Team Wins Southern Crappie Opener On Stumpy Pond Creek
October 11, 2009
Forty two crappie teams of the Southern Crappie Tournament Trail turned out for the 2009 – 2010 season opener at Stumpy Pond Creek and no one went home without feeling some success and hope for the new season. Heralded as the largest gathering of crappie anglers across South and North Carolina, the organization boasts an eight-event season that draws boats from all across the region. www.southerncrappie.com
Joe Branham and “Little” Joe Branham of Lugoff, SC managed to find the best fishing in the crowd of boats and hauled 10.03 pounds of crappie to the scales. Their catch included the second biggest solo fish of the day, a 1.82 pounder. The pair walked away with $1,236 plus prize shirts and trophies.
Near Great Falls , SC, Stumpy Pond is part of the Catawba River and is a hydro dam operated by Duke Power Company. The 800-acre lake is actually a combination of Rocky Creek and the Cedar Creek Reservoirs. It is a favorite fishing stop for crappie fishermen and runs along the fall line in South Carolina.
George Cooper and Gary Phillips found themselves in second place at the end of the day. Their 8.37 pounds earned them $546 and trophies. Third place went to Sam Kennington and Marty Kennington, who barely missed a better finish with 7.95 pounds. The angling team won $289 and the SC Rods Bonus of $100.
Fourth place belonged to Robbie and Steve Cockrell. Their 7.85 pounds put $257 in their pockets. The fifth place winners, Charles Knight and Robert Jackson, had the Big Fish of the tournament in their total weight of 7.71 pounds. The 1.92 pounder upped their earnings to $556.
Additional winners, weights and money awarded included:
6th - James R. Hinson and James C. Hinson of Heath Springs, SC, 7.67 - $192; 7th – Tom Sprouse and Steve Gentry, 7.61 - $160; 8th – Rod Wall and Braxton Wall of Ninety Six, SC, 7.57 – Adult/Youth Award $50 and B&M Poles $144; 9th Wayne Medlin of Lugoff, SC, 7.49 - $120 AND Brain and Brett Davis of Leeseville, SC, 7.49 - $120; 11th – Will Hinson and Kevin Moore of Cassat, SC, 7.10 - $96. Twelfth place finisher, David and Phenice Perrel, who caught 6.62 pounds won the Male/Female Aware of $50 given by WM Rods.
The Southern Crappie Tournament Trail moves on to a two-lake tournament October 31st. The group will make its tournament headquarters at the Swift Island Access Area off Highway 24/27 in Montgomery County, NC on Lake Tillery. Anglers will be allowed to fish both Tillery and Badin Lake.
For more information about the series, contact Melissa Hinson, president, at 803-432-4342or email her at melissa@southerncrappie.com. A complete schedule and details can also be found on the Fishbyte.net Calendar and Forums.
Fesperman Team Wins Second Event On Southern Crappie Schedule
October 31, 2009
Take twenty five angling teams and split them between two lakes and you're bound to have some interesting results. For the second of eight events on the Southern Crappie Tournament Trail 2010 schedule, crappie fishermen had their choice of Lake Tillery or Badin Lake to fish. Choose the wrong body of water and your club lead can be turned upside down in a day.
Early morning check-ins began at Tillery's Swift Island and all teams ended up back at that ramp for weigh ins. The S.C.T.T. (www.southerncrappie.com) draws anglers from across southeastern United States and uses a seven fish limit with a maximum of sixteen poles per boat. Either single anglers or pairs can qualify as a team.
For Heath and Harold Fesperman of China Grove, NC, the Yadkin waters proved to be the charm, as the partners worked through dense fog and drizzle to find the largest total weight. Averaging over one pound per fish, the duo netted 8.10 pounds to capture first place plus the $885 prize and trophies. According to Fesperman, the pair used only tight lining with double-minnow rigs in about 15 to 23 feet of water and right on the ledges.
Kevin Hawkins and Wayne Niece, both of Ramseur, NC, drew 7.77 pounds of crappie from the waters and locked in second place. Their largest fish nearly took solo honors for the day, a 1.74 pounder. The pair won a $100 certificate from SC Rods plus $430 in prize money. Their finish Saturday saw them jump from eleventh overall to seventh place in the point standings. Hawkins and Niece reported casting clear jigs in about seven feet of water on Lake Tillery.
Third placers, Tom Sprouse and Steve Gentry put a one-month lock on the point standings when they weighed in 7.66 pounds. Their catch included Second Big Fish for the day, a sizable 1.78 pounder. The anglers came into the event third in the Trail's point race, but made up ground easily when leaders Chip Knight and Robert Jackson pulled off a twenty-eighth position finish Saturday. Rod and Braxton Wall hung on to their second place points spot with a fifth in the Tillery and Badin event. Sprouse and Gentry earned $133 for the solo honor and $240 for the third place finish.
Bobby and Michael Jacobs, of Lacrosse, VA, won the Big Fish award with a 1.87 pounder that earned them $240. They finished twenty fourth with 3.28 pounds overall. The event paid eight places and a variety of fishing-related prizes were donated by the numerous sponsors of the Trail. A complete listing of results and point standing can be located on their web site. Melissa Hinson serves as president.
For more information about the club, or if you are interested in joining in, contact Hinson at 803-432-4342 or email her at melissa@southerncrappie.com.