shockley32

Crappie Slayers Tournament Series Pomme De Terre Pittsburg State Park 7:00 AM - 1:00 PM $25 per person Weigh 7 Hope to see you there!

Trailering is very common in crappie tournaments, Crappie Masters and Crappie USA, the two largest circuits allow it. We run our trailering the very same way. In our series, as well as the others, the entry fee is paid the night before or the morning of. The boats are allowed to trailer to any ramp on the LAKE THE TOURNAMENT IS ON to launch and cannot start fishing until the allotted time. They are not allowed to fish any other body of water including farm ponds, if discovered such was the case they would immediately be disqualified and never allowed to fish the series again. If there is ever any suspicion of cheating the winners are, at the tournament directors discretion, required to take a truth analysis test over the phone with a retired highway patrol. This is common in crappie tournaments and does not cause any problems. No one is allowed to pay the entry fee and just show up to weigh a bag of fish. Pomme is a small lake and every boat is seen by other competitors in the tournament. I personally will see 80-90 percent of all boats during the tournament, I fish both arms of the lake will stop and ask other competitors how the day is going and if they need anything. We are a small group of guys and gals who have a great time. We do not and will not tolerate cheating. At the last tournament of the year I ask the group if any rules need to be changed, it is discussed and voted on. Such was the case last October when we changed the entry fee amount. The trailering rule was added to the series several years ago in the same format. We invite you to come participate in the series and see what it is all about. It is more like a gathering of family and friends who go fishing, give one another a hard time and have a lot of enjoyment. Many lasting friendships have been made through this series and we want to continue in that way. Brad

There are a set of rules for the tournament and trailering is allowed. The trailering is conducted the exact same way all crappie tournaments handle it. Crappie Slayers, as well as all other crappie tournaments, reserves the right to give a lie detector to any or all winners if deemed necessary.

I wouldn't be nearly as concerned about the price of the rod, for all the money you spend on your truck, boat, electronics, gas, oil, etc... the rod will be the cheapest, arguably the most important, piece of equipment for the trip. I have used nearly every rod manufactured for both bass and crappie, some I love while others I wouldn't even give to an enemy. Buy the best rod you can possibly afford and take care of it - how it rides in your truck, boat, stored in the garage, etc... will have a lot to do with the longevity of the rod. You cannot compare apples and oranges, or rods to rods, for the material used, the blank, the eyelets as well as many other factors come into play. Not only do the components used make a difference, the way it is constructed, the type of line used, weight, hook, style of bait/jig will all act accordingly. I have had several custom rods built on the same blank, constructed differently with various grades of components, there is a tremendous difference in the same blank! The outcome of your fishing, depending on the bite and aggressiveness of the fish, can be determined by your ability to pay close attention to the "small stuff". There are days where the sharpness of the hook have determined going home with just a couple of keepers verses a limit. With all that said, comparing only blanks to blanks, currently the most sensitive blank on the market (according to professional rod builders) is the St Croix SCV. I love mine, however they are pricy. I highly recommend the highest grade St Croix or Loomis you can afford. Another option, it will be cheaper but require more work, is to contact a rod builder. I order my blanks through Mudhole. They carry a house brand, the MHX series, that are excellent. I own several and have been very impressed with their sensitivity, performance and durability. Depending on the length and number of guides you should be able to find a quality rod builder to construct one for about $80-100. Visit with them and ask for recommendations on which brand of components are the best bang for your buck. I recommend a lite action over an ultra light while crappie fishing, however others will disagree. If you feel these are too expensive there are some nice rods in the moderate price range of $50-70, Everhart's in Clinton will carry several different brands and models, they also have the knowledge to help you pick out one that will work for you. This is probably more information than you wanted, however you can never be too informed when making an important decision. In the past I never gave the rod much consideration, however several years ago I started fishing with a couple of retired professionals, they clued me in on a number of things. There is a reason why they saying goes, "90% of the fish are caught by 10% of the fisherman." Good luck in your search! Brad

On the Pomme arm you can launch in the back of Cooper cove, a ton of trees to fish in the summer. On the Lindley you can launch in Haverstick and have excellent fishing - you can fish here every day for a year and not exhaust it. There are numerous gravel launch sites all up and down the lake, take a look at google earth (maps) to pinpoint them, most coves, if any size at all, have somewhere to put in. Good luck and give us some reports! Brad

Crappie Slayers Tournament Series Lake Pomme De Terre 2017 Schedule March 18th April 15th May 20th June 17th July 15th Aug 19th Sep 16th Oct 21st New this year - Entry fee is $25 per person, as many people in the boat as you wish. If you want a hard copy of the flier please send me a pm with your full name and address. Hope to see you there! Brad

In the last week or so it has gotten a little dirtier, however it is still pretty clear. On the Pomme arm 8 miles from the dam you can see 2' deep pretty easy, a week and a half ago you could see 4'. Brad

I was able to get out for a little while over the weekend. The fishing was still good, however it has started to slow considerably. Fished the same pattern all three days, we had two limits on Thursday, two limits Friday and three limits on Saturday. The fish on Thursday were big, Friday and Saturday they were average. Details: Fished under shad balls (the shad balls are smaller thus fewer fish per ball), focused on the edge of the channel, both the inside and outside, in 35-38 feet of water. Most fish were caught 18'-22' deep. All were caught using 1/8th ounce jigs - used gray, blue, pink and white. The bite was very subtle and you had to pay close attention. Not sure this pattern is going to hold out much longer, if the weather continues to stay fairly warm they should start moving to a pre-spawn pattern very soon. Good luck! Brad

Great job! I'm looking forward to getting back after them. What's the projections on the water level? Drove over Pomme river on Hwy 32 yesterday, bank full and rolling. Brad

The crappie fishing has been outstanding the last couple of weeks. I've been 9 times in the last 11 days with my limit every time. Been fishing shad balls anywhere from 20' of water to 40' of water, they move everyday, just have to find them. I've been using an 1/8th ounce jig with a smoke or blue colored jig. Depth is different everyday, however probably average 20'. If it is a small school of shad I can get a couple of crappie, a large school usually produces 10. I just keep moving down the bluffs until I find a school of shad and then it is game on! Good luck and hope 2017 is a great fishing year! Brad

I normally try to post a fishing report every few weeks. Unfortunately I had surgery on my ankle in May and have not had the opportunity to be on the water. The few times I have been were very short trips, about an hour, and had physical issues. I did fish Saturday, however based on one trip I don't have much to share. Although I fished, it was painful, I discovered I still need more time to recoup. Report: It was slow, very slow, about one keeper every 30-40 minutes. I think we ended with 14. No real pattern, caught a few on brush, both shallow and deep. Caught a few on trees, both shallow and deep. To be blunt, if it were not a tournament, the fishing was so slow I probably would have called it good after a couple of hours. Hopefully in the near future I'll go again. Brad

Crappie Slayers Tournament Series Oct 15th, 2016 Lake Pomme De Terre 7 Crappie 1. D Wilson 6.61 2. Shockley/Bacon 6.53 3. K Wilson/Presley 6.11 4. Sprague/Matthews 5.27 5. Farrell/Farrell 4.95 6. Hall./Reth 4.37 7. J Wilson/J Wilson 3.88 8. Loveland/Loveland 3.40 Big D Wilson 1.34 2016 Points Championship 1. Sprague/Matthews 2. Hall/Reth 3. Farrell/Farrell Congrats to all on a great year. See you again next year!

We appreciate the info. I'm going to try to fish in this one - it's been a long time!

Crappie Slayers Tournament Oct 15th, 2016 Lake Pomme De Terre Pittsburg State Park 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM Boat $40 Big Crappie $10 Weigh 7 This is the last tournament of the year - hope to see you there!

I would love to see more action on this forum. I try to post fishing reports every few weeks as well as upcoming crappie tournaments and results. Unfortunately I had to have ankle surgery earlier this year and have not been on the water. Hope to get back to fishing soon - reports to come! Brad

Crappie Slayers Tournament Series Pittsburg State Park Lake Pomme De Terre September 17th, 2016 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM Boat $40 Big Crappie $10 Weigh 7 Hope to see you there! Brad

Skyline Alumni Association Crappie Tournament Aug 27th Pittsburg State Park 7 Crappie 1. Farrell/Farrell 5.51 2. Shockley/Bacon 5.39 3. Presley/Presley/Williams 5.18 4. Schrimsher/Schrimsher/Schrimsher 4.93 5. Matthews/Matthews/Sprague 4.26 6. Hallemeier/Reth/Roy 4.07 7. Green/Green 3.00 8. Wilson 2.59 9. Cheek/Logan DNW Thanks for all who came out and supported the cause! Hope to see you next year.

Skyline Alumni Association Crappie Tournament Fundraiser Pittsburg State Park August 27th, 2016 Entry Fee $60 boat - up to three people 7:00 AM - 1:00 PM Funds raised will go toward Skyline Alumni scholarships. If you need additional info please send me a private message.

Still not fishing, I started physical therapy this week. Hope to get out there soon. Brad

Crappie Slayers Tournament Series Aug 20th, 2016 7 Crappie 1. Loveland/Loveland - 6.15 2. Presley/Presley - 5.89 3. D Wilson - 5.04 4. Hallemeier/Roy - 4.89 5. J Wilson/J Wilson - 3.75 6. Sprague/Matthews - 3.52 7. Farrell/Farrell - 3.51 8. Wilson/Presley - 1.77 9. Schrimsher/Hogue Big 1. D Wilson - 1.26

Crappie Slayers Tournament Series August 20th Lake Pomme De Terre Pittsburg State Park 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM $40 boat $10 Big Crappie Weigh 7 Crappie Hope you see you there! Brad

We had four, a number a people had prior engagements, it happens! Not back to fishing yet, looks like another 2-4 weeks. I need to get back at it! Brad

Crappie Slayers Tournament Series Lake Pomme De Terre Pittsburg State Park July 16th Weigh 7 Boat $40 Big Crappie $10 Hope to see you there. Brad

I have not been, still working on getting this ankle better. It should be good to great, depends on the water level. Brad

I had to sit out. Hoping I can fish the July tournament.