Crappie USA Inc., “America’s Premier National Crappie Fishing Tournament Organization” will return to Florida’s Lake Orange, Lochloosa and Newnans January 31, 2015. This is the opportunity for local anglers to compete for cash, prizes and a chance to advance to the 2015 Cabela’s Crappie USA Classic. This year’s Classic event will be October 7 – 10, 2015 on Patoka Lake at Jasper, Indiana. Be sure to check out our website at: www.crappieusa.com and like our Crappie USA Tournament Trail Facebook Page. Both sites contain new and exciting information on our events along with special information for crappie anglers everywhere.
Registration and Seminar
A pre-tournament seminar will be held on Friday evening January 30 at the Paramount Plaza Hotels & Suites, 2900 SW Street in Gainesville. Sign up will begin at 5:00pm with the meeting and a National Sponsor Field Test Product Drawing starting at 7:00pm local time. This seminar is open to the public. For those not fishing the event, we encourage you to come out to this meeting and meet the top crappie anglers in the region.
The Weigh In Site
The tournament weigh-in will be held on Saturday the 31st at the Newnans Lake Public Boat Ramp, Hwy 20, Gainesvillebeginning at 3:00pm. This is the perfect opportunity for non-competitors to come and learn how the big ones are caught. Interviews of the top 5 teams will be conducted after the weigh in.
Charlie Brewer, Slider Lures, has a very nice crappie fishing Grenada Lake in Miss.
Sponsor and Host Lodging Site
The Gainesville Sports Commission welcome all Crappie USA anglers and their guest to the area and hope they take the opportunity to enjoy the many attractions. Orange Lake is the largest lake in the North Central Region at 12,550 acres. It is designated as a Fish Management Area and is located about 20 miles southeast of Gainesville. Orange Lake has an extensive aquatic vegetation community, dominated by spatterdock (lily pads) and periodically hydrilla. Shallow marsh areas are inaccessible to anglers due to the dense growth of vegetation. Bluegill, redear sunfish, black crappie and largemouth bass are generally caught in the deeper spatterdock, emergent grasses and hydrilla. For more information on the area call: (352) 338-9300 or visit their website at: www.gainesvillesportscommission.com. Host lodging for the event will be the Baymont Inn & Suites, 6901 NW 4th Blvd, Gainesville, Florida. For reservations call: (352) 332-8292. Rooms may be limited so make your reservations early and mention Crappie USA.
How to Enter
You can enter our tournaments by filling out and sending in an entry form or by registering on our website at www.crappieusa.com before the deadline listed on the form. Teams may also enter at the pre-tournament seminar on Friday night. All late entries will be subject to a $20.00 late fee.
ACA membership is required to fish in our tournaments and a space is provided on our entry form for you to become a member. Teams may consist of one or two partners. Teams may have a third partner if third partner is under the age of 16. Pole limits for three-partner teams will be the same as two-partner teams.
Entry fees in all qualifying tournaments are $100.00 per team in the Amateur Division and $200.00 in the Semi-Pro Division. There is an optional $10.00 (Per Team) Big Fish Pot. All participants must be a member of the American Crappie Association to fish in these events. American Crappie Association membership is $25.00 for adults and $10.00 for spouse and youth memberships. Each membership will include a subscription to the official publication of Crappie USA, one of the top crappie fishing publications in the nation.
New for 2015 – Kayak Division
Kayak anglers compete against other Kayak anglers only. Entry fee $50.00. There is an optional $10.00 Big Fish Pot. For individual anglers, one angler per Kayak. People powered Kayaks only, no motors. PFD to be worn at all times while on the water. Three (3) live fish limit. Awards in the Kayak division will be 100% of entry fees, paid to the top three places. Big Fish in the Kayak division will pay back 100% of the Big Fish Pot. Awards in the Kayak division at the Classic will be completely rigged Kayaks and cash to the top 20% of the Kayak field. Top three placing Kayak anglers at local and super events will advance to the Classic in the Kayak division. ACA membership is required to fish Crappie USA event.
Crappie USA “Free Crappie Kids Rodeo”
Held in conjunction with the tournament will be the Crappie Kids Fishing Rodeo to be held Saturday morning at the Newnans Lake Public Boat Ramp. Sign up for the Kids Rodeo will be at 8:00am with the rodeo from 9:00am till 11:00am. The Crappie USA Kids Fishing Rodeo is a chance for children of the area to get out and enjoy nature, do a little fishing and win some prizes. The event is free to all children 12 and under with all participants eligible for a chance to win one of the six, Crappie USA $1,000.00 scholarships to be awarded at the Cabela’s Crappie USA Classic.
Crappie USA and our anglers have contributed nearly $310,000.00 to the “Crappie Kids” Scholarships since 1997. We are very proud to be a part of the education process for the youngsters who participate in our tournaments as adult/youth teams and those who fish in the Crappie USA “Kids Fishing Rodeos”.
The Crappie Kids Free Fishing Rodeo has grown in many cities to be a major attraction drawing as many as 350 or more children from surrounding areas to compete for prizes and the chance at the $1,000.00 “Crappie Kids” Scholarship. All participating children must be accompanied by an adult.
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, Southern Pro Tackle, World Fishing Network-WFN, Cumberland Crappie Double Seat Mounts, Church Tackle Company, Crappie Now on-line Magazine, Stubby Steve’s, KAYAK KABOOSE, The Quick Cleat and Sunsect Sunscreen & Insect Repellent.
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 Inc. at 270-395-4204. Please visit our website at www.crappieusa.com.
