Indiana anglers did well in the Crappie USA Northern Regional Event on June 5-6 at the Hoosier Hills Marina on Patoka Lake. Crappie fishermen from 14 different states competed for cash and prizes and a chance to advance to the Cabela’s Crappie USA Classic to be held in Columbus, Miss., in the fall.

Semi Pro Division: Taking first place was the Ft. Branch team of Craig and Steve Money, weighing in a two-day total of 15.14 pounds and earning $4,000.

Craig and Steve were fishing above Walls Ramp slow-trolling flats and stumps using combinations with chartreuse and vertical jigging in 5-12 feet of water. Craig and Steve also won the Ranger Cup Award of $500, and second biggest fish of the event.

Second place went to another well-known southern Indiana team, Doug Laake of Ferdinand and Ryan Rohl of Birdseye, earning $1,300 with a total weight of 14.94 pounds. Doug and Ryan spider-rigged stumps and flats using double drop rigs with shiners.
Third place went to Jim Raymer of Noblesville and Robert Raymer of Greenfield, earning $750 with 11.35 pounds. Jim and Robert were fishing above Walls Ramp vertical jigging stumps and brush using yellow/chartreuse jigs 6-7 feet deep, taking fish holding tight to cover.

Mike Walters of West Milton, Ohio, and Rick Solomon of Piqua, Ohio, took fourth place and $700 with a weight of 10.35 pounds. Mike and Rick concentrated their efforts above Walls Ramp, spider-rigging jigs in 6-11 feet of water, picking up fish holding tight to cover.

Fifth place and a check for $600 went to the Oakley, Ill., team of Tim and Dean Benson for a weight of 9.9 pounds. Tim and Dean slow-trolled red and chartreuse jigs tipped with minnows over river channel edges above Walls Ramp in 6-8 feet of water.

Amateur Division: In first place and earning $3,000 were Brian Cleland of Decatur, Ill., and Duffy Cleland of Tuscola, Ill., with a two-day total of 12.79 pounds. Brian and Duffy were fishing the Walls ramp area using chartreuse baits on in 6-8 feet of water.
Second place and $1,000 went to the local team of Kent and Anita Besaw of Jasper, for 10.95 pounds. Kent and Anita were slow-trolling the Walls/Osborne area using shiners and catching more than 300 fish in the two-day event.

Taking third place and $600 was the Martinsville, Ohio, team of Rick and Glenn Spence, with a weight of 10.55 pounds. Rick and Glenn were also fishing above Walls Ramp using black/chartreuse jigs tipped with minnows in 5-12 feet of water.

In fourth was the father/daughter team of Rick and Cassandra Barnes of Maroa, Ill., weighing in 8.35 pounds and earning $550. Rick and Cassandra fished the Sycamore creek area in 8 feet of water for fish suspended 4-5 feet deep, with red/purple tubes tipped with shiners.

Rick and Cassie started fishing Crappie USA tournaments together when she was 11, and they still fish together now that Cassie is a sophomore in college.

Fifth place and $500 went to the team of Tom Housh of Mt. Orab, Ohio, and Jay Housh of Elizabethtown, Ky., for 7.3 pounds. Tom and Jay were jigging and slow-trolling blue/white hard body baits above Walls Ramp in 4-8 feet of water.

Big Fish of the event and $1,400 went to the team of Clint Taylor of Mt. Vernon, Ill., and Jason Dudley of Bonnie, Ill., for a 2.08-pound Patoka Lake crappie. Second place and $350 went to the team of Craig and Steve Money of Ft. Branch, for a 1.85-pound Patoka Lake crappie.

Bluegill fishing is hot

The full moon, along with the warm days, brought on another round of fabulous spawning bed fishing for bluegill. The past two weeks have been very productive in lakes and ponds.

My good friend and neighbor for years, Willie Miller, cashed in on a great bluegill opportunity. He was fishing a steep-walled lake with a minimal shallow water area that concentrated the biggest bluegill in the lake. The result was some of the fastest bluegill fishing of his career and a cooler full of bragging-size bluegill slabs.

I had the opportunity to try my hand this past weekend. My brother-in-law, John Malady, of Lafayette, Ind., and I fished for bluegills on the bed and were able to put 24 keepers in the cooler in about an hour and a half. We caught our fish on small jigs tipped with waxworms or with small cuttings of Berkley PowerBait.

Project WILD training June 20

Home educators, scout leaders and instructors are invited to learn new ways to teach youth about wildlife and the environment at a Project WILD training workshop June 20, at Salamonie Reservoir’s Interpretive Center.

The workshop will provide leaders with new and exciting ways to captivate youth interest in nature. Participants will take home two books full of well-researched and easy-to-use indoor and outdoor learning activities.

Adult participants are invited to register their children. Interpretive staff will lead active learning sessions for children in the morning hours. Parents will practice using the activities with their children in the afternoon.

The program runs from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and there is a $2 per person participation fee. Register by calling 260-468-2127. Park entrance fees are waived for registered workshop participants.
The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments may contact Jack Spaulding by e-mail at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.