If you're a crappie angler looking for a local repository of competition and knowledge, you might take a look at the Central Arkansas Crappie Association.
Jason Westerberg of Conway is president of the organization, which activated in 2014. The group holds a tournament circuit that visits waters around the state, but Westerberg said the tournaments are geared more toward sharing tips, tactics and fishing knowledge than they are for actual competition.
National organizations like Crappie Masters are better venues for hard-core competitors, Westerberg said. The Central Arkansas Crappie Association is relevant locally because of the group's collective knowledge of waters in the state. That's a valuable resource because crappie fishing is becoming increasingly popular, but detailed information is comparatively scarce.
"At our tournaments, the top three teams have to tell where they fished, how they fished, what they fished with and what they did different that other teams did not do," Westerberg said. "We quiz them pretty hard.
"We do it with big fish [winners], too. We do it to learn so that when we go to different lakes in the United States, we can use that information."
Most crappie fishing books and magazine articles are too general to be useful, Westerberg said. They cover basics, but serious anglers are looking for information that is available only in real time.
"Somebody who's catching fish might be using a one-sixteenth-ounce jig, but I didn't catch fish because I was using a one-eighth-ounce jig," Westerberg said. "I was overfishing because I used too big of a bait and didn't account for water temperature making water more dense and causing a jig to fall more slowly.
"Those are the kinds of things people want to know, and that's what we talk about."
Spider rigging is another technique for which information is scarce. It's a popular way to fish for crappie, but it is also very specialized with a unique suite of tactics. The Central Arkansas Crappie circuit is a good place to get educated.
"There's a lot to setting up a boat for spider rigging," Westerberg said. "You can read about it all day long, but if you haven't sat in a spider rig boat or put your hands on a spider rig, it's a totally different deal. A lot of our guys do it, and they explain it."
People can get defensive when they are pressed to divulge brush pile locations and other hot spots. If you're successful in a Central Arkansas Crappie Association tournament, you'll have to chirp.
"People do get anxious about that," Westerberg said. "They're secretive about their spots, but we've found that if somebody has five brush piles, he'll tell you about one of them. It might not be his best spot for jumbo crappie, but it's information that can help put a newcomer on crappie."
You don't have to hock the family car or take a second mortgage on your home to fish the Central Arkansas Crappie circuit. The entry fee is $60 per tournament, and first place pays about $400.
More information is available online at centralarkansascrappieassociation.com.
TRAP TOURNAMENT
The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation will hold its second annual trap tournament March 28 at the AGFF Shooting Sports Complex in Jacksonville.
Chuck Dicus, president of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, said the tournament's goal is to raise money for the foundation's projects. The inaugural tournament in 2014 attracted about 50 participants. Dicus said he would like to double that number, which he said would net the foundation about $20,000.
"At the moment, the bottom line is a secondary issue," Dicus said. "We want to see more participation, more corporate sponsorships and more youth teams. The more people we can get, the money will take care of itself.
"We do want to generate revenue, but it's more important to see this event take off and see it get better each year."
Teams can enter at several sponsorship levels, starting with the $500 supporting level and topping at the $10,000 platinum level. Gold sponsorship will cost $5,000, followed by silver ($2,000) and bronze ($1,000). Ascending sponsorship levels include expanded perk packages.
First prize for winning the open division will be $1,000. Second place will pay $750, and third place will pay $500.
New this year will be a separate division for youths who participate in the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Division. The first-place team will win $500, followed by $300 for second place and $200 for third place.
More information is available by calling (501) 223-6468.
Sports on 02/19/2015