Issue #6 - the Magnolia Crappie Club

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MCC NEW SLETTER
2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
MCC NEWSLETTER
662-907-4080
2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
MCC - Lake Washington Tournament - Just Don’t Get No Better!!
Brad Taylor & Carl Mangrum - Tournament Winners
Hometown partners Carl Mangrum & Brad Taylor win at Lake
Washington with 16.60#’s. Now that’s almost a 2.4# per fish average. That’s awesome fish, but average for Lake Washington.
Y’all ever been fishing on a day when you didn’t want the day to end?
Well that’s what the fishing was like at Lake Washington on Friday and
almost as good on Saturday. At one point during Friday’s pre-fishing I
noticed at least 10 of the 12 boats in site netting a fish. I’m not talking
about hand-sized, I talking about 2#’s or better. Huge fish, you know, the
kind that look like footballs, loaded with big sacks of roe almost ready to
burst. Yes, I will say, Lake Washington is my premier Crappie Lake in the
country.
It’s hard to beat a man on his home lake. B’n’m ProStaffer Brad Taylor &
Carl Mangrum proved just that on Saturday. This Greenville team meant
business, bring 16.60#’s to the scales. They were on the big fish most of
the day. I saw them cull fish most of us could have weighed. Brad says
they found the fish Friday afternoon on the south end of the lake in a 100
yard stretch of water about 6 to 8 feet deep. They used double minnow rigs
on 16’ B’n’M BGJP poles. They fished about 4’ deep with small to medium
minnows, moving about .2 to .3 mph. They landed at least 20 or more fish
during the day. Water temps on Friday ranged around 58 to 60 degrees,
on Saturday it ranged about 53 to 56 degrees with overcast skies. The
winds ranged from 8 to 12 mph most of the day.
Coming in 2nd was the B’n’m ProStaff team of John Harrison and Kent
Driscoll with 16.32#’s. These guys were on the water well before daylight,
they quickly found the pattern for Saturday morning, the fish were about 2’
deeper than on Friday. They fished the north end of the lake in 4 to 5 feet
of water, about 3’ deep. They pushed double minnows and double 1/8 jigs
tipped with minnows. They quickly downsized the minnows and jigs and
BAM! They were on. These guys fished in a group of about 8 to 10 boats
and nobody noticed the adjustment these guys had made. Everyone else
was fishing the Friday pattern, 1 to 2 feet below the surface.
Richard Sanders and William Tyer finished 3rd with 15.43#’s. These
guys also slow-trolled double minnows in 5’ to 6’ of water. They weighed a
2.64# big fish, good job guys. That’s an excellent weight for any day. BW
Big Fish Winners - Steve & David White
The “White Boys”, no pun intended, blew us away with a 3.17#
& a 3.00# slabs. That’s right Steve & David, former Washington
Winners, from Monticello AR, love fishing MCC Tournaments.
David & Steve White are no amateurs when it comes to competitive
fishing, they love the river lakes. David says they’re new to slow-trolling or
spider-rigging. They’re long-liners strictly, no minnows, just jigs. That all
changed at Washington. Steve & David, slow-trolling is not my favorite
either. But when you have 50 degree water, that’s not favorable to our style
of fishing. Ok, our day is coming, soon and very soon.
I tried my best to interview these guys, no specifics, just general answers. Seems they’ll be back next week for CrappieMasters. All I could get
out of them was, they were moving real slow and fishing real deep. Guess
that will have to do for now. No one else broke the magical 3# mark. For
you non-crappie anglers, a 3# crappie ranks in the 10# bass range. I will
say they saved both fish for wall-hangers, they were trophies for real.
We had 43 teams, we weighed 263 fish for a total weight of 451#’s. The
average team weight was 10.24#’s fish and average fish per team was
6.12. The average fish weight was 1.71#’s. That is awesome numbers for
any lake and especially February. We had 4 teams that left early or didn’t
weigh in. In my opinion, there’s no better lake in the country for crappie
fishing than Washington. Guess I’m not the only one who believes that,
CrappieMasters is having it’s spring tournament and National Championship on Washington.
Gotta hand it to Ken & Larry, this is the 2nd year in a row that the weighin fish were returned to the lake. They returned well over 200 fish back to
the lake. I think that’s wonderful. We showed everyone that it’s not the fish
we’re after, just the fishing. Thank you Carley Middleton for helping.
Next up, Big Bad Grenada, that’s right MCC will invade Grenada March
15th for our 2nd Annual Spring Big Mama Open and MCC’s 7th Regular
Season Tournament. If you love crappie fishing like I do, you better get
your gear in order and join us for what we predict will be the biggest and
best BMO in the history in MCC. Better get your reservations soon, we’re
expecting a huge crowd. Y’all know them boys up north of the Mason-Dixon
line will be there, you better not miss this unique opportunity. Bernard
MCC NEW SLETTER
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2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
From the Tournament Director’s Desk - Michael Nowell
Lake Washington!!!
Lake Washington produces again! WOW! What a weigh in. It says
something about what a special place Lake Washington is when all
those 2.60 lb pigs were just nice fish compared to what the White boys
brought to the scales. They had two 3#’s! Numerous top teams had
buckets packed with 2.50# to 2.85# Crappie-Zellas. Way to go guys
but I am telling you that you are burning thru lives. If you could have
seen the monster crappie me and MS Paula was pulling in Friday. You
guys got lucky. Thanks to everyone who helped with the live fish recovery. This is very important to places like Lake Washington that we want
to see continue to be the best places in the country to crappie fish.
Next up is the Big Mama/ Grenada Lake tournaments. This is gonna
be another blowout tournament with a chance at a new record weight.
Please, every team we ask you to really do your best to keep
your fish alive. We need to be able to release as many of the big feMichael Nowell, Tournament Director
males as we can. Some teams need to do a better job of this. We do
not require our teams to weigh live fish yet but please make your best effort to keep them alive. Don't
be surprised if boat and cooler checks are in the near future. Please be Safe & Courteous on the
Lake...Mike
The Weigh-Master’s– Larry Nipper
Lake Washington !!!
Larry Nipper Weigh-Master
I’ve been crappie fishing a long time, been to
all the “Big Named” lakes, but Washington never
ceases to amaze me. The fish grow so fast, so
big, it’s just awesome. Listen people, this is my
home lake. I can throw a rock from my house
and hit the lake. I love crappie fishing and Lake
Washington, that’s why we had the recovery
tank, we wanted to keep the big females alive
and return them to the lake. Thank you MCC for
doing just that. It may not mean much to some
of you, but it means the world to MCC. I’ve seen
lakes get over fished or just plain fished out, but
we (MCC) will do our best to conserve our crappie resources on any lake we fish. That’s just
our way of doing things. We only get one
chance to do the right thing, we’re just taking
Carley Middleton putting back over 200 fish.
We need to thank her when we see her.
Good job young lady. Larry days are numbered fishing with Ken, we already know.
advantage while we can.
Well it’s on to Grenada for the Spring Big Mama Open and our 7th MCC Tournament. Should be a great one, the
SPAWN SHOULD BE ON. If I were you, I wouldn't miss this one for no reason. We’ll be signing up at Lakeway Archery
Friday afternoon and Saturday Morning. Our weigh-in will be at the Grenada Lake Pavilion starting at 3pm. Ok, that’s my
take. We’ll see you at Grenada. Last but not least, Be Safe, Be Courteous, and may God Bless Each of you. Larry
MCC NEW SLETTER
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2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
From the President’s Desk - Kenneth Middleton, II
What would happen if…..
If MCC fished a tournament on Lake Washington
in good weather? Now we know. The teams will put on
a extravagant show.
Kenneth Middleton, II, President MCC
A great turnout, 43 teams and beautiful weather
equals an outstanding weigh-in at Roy’s Store. Congrats
to the father/son team from Arkansas for bringing in
two 3#+ fish. I have no idea just how many females
over 2.5lbs were weighed in, I saw plenty. It seems most
of the teams fishing had at least one large one in the
basket.
Thanks to Pam at Roy’s Store for the buffet Friday night and coming in early to provide a great breakfast. A great job by all who
helped at the weigh in to make it as smooth as possible.
Now it’s on to Grenada and the Big Mama Open. We’ll see who will take
home the $1500 big fish prize. Shelton, David, Ricky & Jimmy Smith, all have their
titles on the line. It’s also another chance for teams to make a points move and get
in the big mama splits for the second half of the season.
More to Come, Ken
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MCC NEW SLETTER
2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
Lake Washington Tourney ~ Top Teams
In the Running
Carl Mangrum & B’n’M ProStaffer Brad Taylor of Greenville MS, Lake Washington 1st place
winners with 16.60#’s. Good job guys, guess y’all don’t believe in that “ Can’t Win on the
Home Lake” philosophy. Grenada is next, we may hire a spotter for you guys. Just Kidding.
6th C HORTON / K HORTON
14.53#’s
7th B WILLIAMS / D TERRY
14.40#’s
8th V FINKLEY / K GRAY
14.29#’s
9th R ROGERS / P JEFFCOATS
14.11#’s
10th S WHITE / D WHITE
13.82#’s
11th C HEMPHILL / S HILL
13.72#’s
12th J SMITH / J L SMITH
13.43#’s
13th G LADNER / G LADNER
13.26#’s
14th R WOMACK / K WOMACK
13.13#’s
15th M PORTER / J FOOSHEE
13.06#’s
16th K MIDDLETON / L NIPPER
12.91#’s
17th M NOWELL / P NOWELL
13.63#’s
18th P VONCIL / D ABERNATHY
12.36#’s
19th B CHAPPELL / B HUDSON
11.90#’s
20th L EVANS / J SAXTON
11.88#’s
Lake Washington Stats
Total Teams: 43
Total Fish Weighed: 263#’s
Average Fish Weighed: 1.71#’s
Average # Fish per Team: 6.12
Average Team Weight: 10.24#’s
Total Big Fish over 3.00#’s: 2
Total Big Fish over 2.75#’s: 7
Total Big Fish over 2.50#’s: 33
Total Big Fish over 2.25#’s: 40
Big Fish—MCC
Kent Driscoll & John Harrison (not-pictured) Richard Sanders & William Tyer finished 3rd
finished 2nd with 16.32#’s. Way to go guys. with 15.43#’s. Good job guys, that’s 2 top 5
finishes in the last 2 tournaments. Way to Go!!!
We all know y’all can fish, you proved it.
4th place was captured by David Thornton &
Shelton Culpepper with 15.23#’s. You just
can’t count these Ole-Timers out. Good Job!!
David & Steve White from the Pine Bluff, AR
area won both big fish, 3.17#’s & 3.00#’s. This
Finishing out the top 5 was Matt Collier &
father-son team consists of two excellent fishChaney Starnes with 15.07#’s. Way to go
ermen. Congratulations on your Wall-Hangers.
guys. Y’all did excellent, good job guys!!!!
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2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
spawn. Expect male crappie to be in
about two feet of water or shallower. If
TOURNAMENT
the water temperature is below 65 deTRAIL
grees don’t look for males to have
turned black but they may still be
2003 & Updated for 2014
spawning. Turning black is a metamorBy the Rabbit phous the male crappie go through durGrenada Reservoir is a flood control ing the spawn when water temperature
impoundment and heavy rains affect it warms.
drastically. It is not unusual to have this What is going to be our best bet at
reservoir rise several feet in a short peri- winning the Grenada Tournament? Say
od of time because the Corps of Engi- it is at a pool level of 204 ft. (which is
neers will not release water if the
my favorite level) you can still tell where
Mighty Mississippi is close to flood
the creek banks are and Grenada crapstage. Be prepared for crappie to move pie love to spawn up-the-creeks. If levwith changing water levels, so as a gen- els are about 215 ft. then things change
eral rule, fish go shallow toward the
drastically and crappie will be harder to
bank on a rise and retreat to deeper wa- find. Search very shallow water around
ter on a fall.
brush, grass, stake beds, and cedar tops.
Our tournament is scheduled March
15 and just maybe we can catch this old
impoundment in a spawn mode with
the Big Mama extremely shallow. Naturally that will depend on Mother Nature
to furnish us several days of warm 80
degree days & 60 degree nights in a
row. Some females may be shallow on
a early spawn run because crappie don’t
all do it at the same time.
Trollers and drift fishermen with 6
poles & 2 hook sets fishing in deeper
water most always catch the winning
weights, but jiggers still have a chance
when the spawn is on.
Hopefully a big four pound (it’s a
whale) mama will give us a run for our
money. One-of-these-days somebody will
catch a truly monster wall hanger in a
tournament.
Grenada has three water levels that are
very important. First is the Conservation (Winter) Pool 193 feet, Recreation
(Summer) Pool 215 feet, and Flood
Level 231 feet. In 2002’s tournament on
March 30 Grenada was at flood stage.
Guess what the crappie were doing?
Yep, right next to the bank trying to
ally a complete waste of time.
Use 8 or 10 pound test colored line
(especially-us-old-folks) because when
jigging it’s very important that you can
see your line.
2002 WINNERS
March 30th
The winning team of Shields and
Renfro from Glen Allen (Lake Washington) were no strangers to Grenada
Reservoir. They were raised in that
neck-of-the-woods and have a cabin on
Enid. They said, “The fish we’d been catching all week were constantly moving because of
the rising water. We were lucky to find them
out from Torrance Landing about 2 hours
before the tournament was over. Man, it was
fast and furious, What-a-Rush!”
Try your luck on the banks close to the
creeks just as long as you find structure. Winning Weight:
If it’s flood time (231 ft.) get as close 10 fish 17.35 lbs. (all males) caught in
to the bank as possible and don’t worry 2 feet of water in the grass.
about brush because it is plentiful-aplenty. I have a saying about Grenada
crappie spawning shallow. “They get so
shallow if they tried to get any shallower they'd
be on the bank.” During the spawn I
don’t worry about lure color or finesse
fishing at all. Spawning crappie will hit
anything that moves (just like a frog).
TOURNAMENT TIP
It would be wise to carry a short 9
or 10 foot B’n’M Jig pole for fishing
under trees and in heavy brush if Grenada is close to flood stage. In muddy water it’s not that important to get your
bait very far from the boat.
Grenada was rising all week from
heavy rains and was extremely muddy
and at peak flood stage (231 ft.) on
tournament day.
Note:
Drift fishermen have made significant
improvements since 2002 finding and
catching the bigger females (even under
similar difficult conditions).
“Good Luck!”
When jig fishing use a durable hair jig
or glue on your rubber skirts. When
fishing with only 2 foot of line out it’s a
pain in the rear to straighten up your
rubber skirt every few minutes.
Also when jigging in shallow water
(during the spawn) adding a minnow or
nibblet is not only troublesome but usu-
Charter Members Rabbit & Jane Rogers. Excellent, well written article, thanks for the tips.
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MCC NEW SLETTER
2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
Sponsor In the Spotlight
MCC is proud of our members and our sponsors. We were elated to see Grenada
Tourism Commission come on board as a Exclusive Event Sponsor. They recognize the
fact that MCC brings bodies to town. With most CVB’s they want you to purchase motel / hotel rooms and food.
With a lot of hard work from Paul Johnson, Tommy Moss, Patrick Stone & Brandon
Fulgham Grenada TC was convinced that MCC was worth the investment. Let’s show
them they were right. Book your rooms in Grenada and dine in Grenada. Show your
appreciation. We need the funds for the finals. When you see someone associated
with Grenada Tourism Commission, thank them on our behalf.
I plan to send them as many pictures as I take. Maybe we can become apart of
their website and brochures. Let’s help them help us. That’s the best advertisement
MCC could receive. Again I say Thank You Grenada Tourism Commission & Grenada
County Board of Supervisors, from all of us to your great organization and Board.
Don’t hesitate to let us know if we can be of service to y’all in any fashion. May God
Bless and Keep Each and Every One of You!!! …. Bernard
M C C N EW S L E T T E R
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2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
MCC 2013 - 2014 POINTS STANDINGS
Place Team Team. Grenada Wolf 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 K.DRISCOLL / J.HARRISON R.ROGERS / P.JEFFCOATS D.MCWILLIAMS / R.NIVEN J.ALDRIDGE / C.EGBERT *** S.CULPEPPER / D.THORNTON R.SANDERS / W.TYER T.SCHERER / D.ABERNATHY *** R.WOMACK / K.WOMACK C.HORTON / K.HORTON J.SMITH / R.SMITH C.LINDSAY / C.LINDSAY, JR V.FINKLEY/ K.GRAY C.STARNES / M.COLLIER T.MOSS / B.CALHOUN B.WILLIAMS / D.TERRY B.TAYLOR / M.TAYLOR T.STEWART / T.STEWART M.NOWELL / P.NOWELL D.FERGUSON / C.SMITH T.GARRETT / S.MARQUIS R.WADE /N.WADE / B.CHAPPELL / B.HUDSON K.MIDDLETON / L.NIPPER J.CARR / J.GROSS J.WALKER / J.SAUERSWEIN M.EVANS / J.SAXTON M.PORTER / J.FOOSHEE P.JOHNSON/G.WOODIS K.HOLMES / D.PRAYTON E.OSWALT / L.GRICE / J.ROBERSON M.BLOUNT / K.SULLIVAN G.LADNER / M.BILBO R.CLARY / P.KIRK B.FULGHAM / P. STONE H.KRUTZ‐S.STEVENSON S.STEEN / S.STEEN B.BURNETT / C.MULLINS R.BOUCHILLON / J.LOWREY J.WARD / C.HARTMAN T.TINDLE / R.BURROUGHS C.CRISWELL / J.NICHOLS D.COLLINS / C.EPPS J.CARPENTER / T.CARPENTER *** *** Denotes Rookie Team 9 7 53 73 5 44 67 3 36 34 10 20 65 11 8 59 26 37 46 69 22 19 23 12 30 71 77 1 24 54 4 55 25 27 35 28 60 6 18 29 2 51 40 21.24 20.29 15.53 22.34 12.53 10.00 18.46 18.53 14.77 11.66 11.77 16.84 13.25 13.73 13.73 13.17 18.27 10.00 11.69 12.46 13.90 12.34 14.05 20.67 11.95 10.00 16.20 16.72 16.22 15.42 13.93 11.93 11.75 10.00 0.00 14.48 15.00 10.00 17.09 10.00 10.00 0.00 0.00 14.85 16.62 17.26 10.00 17.84 17.03 15.75 16.62 10.85 17.70 17.10 10.00 10.76 14.72 12.92 10.00 14.88 15.23 18.11 12.09 16.16 10.00 14.13 10.00 10.88 12.71 17.23 17.17 14.38 13.46 17.92 0.00 0.00 10.00 0.00 12.61 0.00 15.99 16.33 0.00 15.78 10.00 10.00 Eagle / Chotard Wash Chotard 21.16 22.30 18.93 26.32 20.59 19.72 20.18 24.11 20.19 20.83 21.06 21.87 22.15 20.67 22.00 18.80 19.77 20.76 18.92 25.23 20.65 21.44 19.66 25.43 21.08 21.95 14.37 22.36 21.14 20.04 14.14 23.13 22.99 21.85 16.87 24.53 21.02 21.62 15.39 23.43 16.35 23.17 21.29 20.60 22.87 23.38 12.85 24.29 21.64 22.32 14.84 25.07 20.76 22.00 19.62 16.99 20.58 20.11 13.52 24.40 21.31 22.26 10.00 26.60 21.18 17.18 13.52 18.30 19.13 18.71 16.60 22.63 20.93 21.26 14.11 14.69 21.05 21.75 12.88 20.07 19.14 15.17 14.35 20.64 22.91 22.06 10.00 21.90 22.03 10.00 14.77 22.91 22.15 17.40 10.00 16.95 21.33 18.52 13.26 17.65 10.00 21.13 13.67 21.88 12.82 0.00 16.99 23.06 10.00 10.00 10.00 20.64 0.00 20.16 14.24 19.53 10.00 20.36 10.00 10.00 16.12 0.00 10.00 19.95 0.00 23.01 10.00 23.26 0.00 22.41 10.00 20.09 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 19.14 20.76 0.00 19.76 10.00 0.00 0.00 19.68 20.18 0.00 0.00 21.45 20.22 0.00 0.00 10.00 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 23.23 0.00 0.00 10.00 16.41 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 21.00 10.00 0.00 14.72 0.00 0.00 15.46 Sardis Total 124.80 121.51 116.74 115.96 115.05 114.21 113.97 113.60 111.86 110.82 110.28 110.23 107.88 107.82 105.26 103.34 103.33 102.30 100.79 100.30 99.36 99.21 97.89 97.17 93.59 89.39 86.30 84.53 84.53 79.24 77.92 68.20 64.25 60.00 59.66 56.77 56.63 56.21 43.42 43.23 42.19 41.00 40.18 MCC NEW SLETTER
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2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
MCC 2013 - 2014 POINTS STANDINGS - Continued
Place Team Team. Grenada Wolf Sardis Eagle / Chotard Wash Chotard Total 44 S.WHITE / D.WHITE 78 15.17 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 23.82 38.99 45 C.PATTERSON / J.FORD 76 17.07 0.00 20.78 0.00 0.00 0.00 37.85 46 C.MATTHIESEN / J.CRIGGER 75 11.58 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 19.34 30.92 47 C.KOESTLER / G.GREY 32 12.81 13.49 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 26.30 48 C.HEMPHILL / S.HILL 80 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 23.72 23.72 49 D.NICHOLS / A.NICHOLS 14 10.00 0.00 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 20.00 50 P.ALPERS / M.VALLENTINE *** 41 12.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.00 51 C.WRIGHT / H.ADAIR 79 0.00 0.00 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 51 R.MOODY / S.MOODY 49 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 51 M.KING / D.MAYOR 68 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 51 J.DANIELS / D.MACHIRAN *** 74 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 51 J.CORMAN / D.BEASLEY 17 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 51 D.MCCMORMICK / J.MCCORMICK 62 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 51 B.CLELAND / D.CLELAND 63 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 51 A.TACKETT / W.CLARK 61 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 *** Denotes Rookie Team Page 9
MCC NEW SLETTER
2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
Page 10
MCC NEW SLETTER
2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
Page 11
MCC NEW SLETTER
Ricky Smith - Get Well Soon
2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
MCC wishes Ricky Smith a Speedy Recovery
Ricky, we all wish you a speedy recovery. We hear you’re mending pretty fast from
your recent surgery. We gonna need you to hurry up and get back in the boat with Jimmy. You gotta defend your Spring Big Mama Open Crown. You need to show us that
was not a fluke, even though we know it was nothing but luck.
This was from last year’s newsletter: “Terry interviewed Ricky and asked where and
how did they catch that 3.19# fish. Ricky’s answer was “I told Jimmy when I put that 4”
minnow on the hook, we ain't gonna have to measure the fish that hits this one. Its
gonna win the whole thing”. Well Ricky, guess you hit the nail on the head. It did win
the whole thing.” Well Ricky, you should not have told your secret. Don & I will have at
least 4” maybe 5” shiners, gold-fish, bream or whatever it takes to entice them big mamas at Grenada. Thanks for the tip.
We also know the ledge that y’all fish on, we’ll be there before day. I hate to say
“We’re gonna be following y’all, but we’re gonna be close by or just behind y’all”. We
have no 50’ rule, “All’s Fair In Love & Fishing”. Somebody has got to stop you guys, I’m
working on a blocking committee. Any volunteers can call or text me, y’all got my number. See you later my friend, get well soon and my God Bless You and Keep You.
Bernard
Dear MCC members and former members,
I Would like to thank each and every one of you folks for your prayers, concerns, cards,
and visits during my recent surgery and two hospital stays. I am proud to say that i am
a member of a club that has members that’s always there and never quits giving and
offering help when someone is in need.
Its too many names to list. I am getting better and looking forward to being able to fish
again soon.
Ricky Smith, Veteran MCC Member, displaying the
BMO Trophy from 2013 Spring Big Mama Open
win. Team 34 weighted a 3.19# slab.
God bless each of you!!
Ricky Smith
MCC Team # 34
Page 12
MCC NEWSLETTER
2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
MCC NEWSLETTER
MCC’s Business Plan
2013-14
Issue 6
February 22, 2014
Page 13
Feb 25, 2014
It is certainly uplifting to see the new faces every year on our club’s fishing roster. Welcome, new friends. We’re glad to have you join the club and fish with
MCC.
I have marveled at the “churn” of membership for more than 22 seasons. I think that Rabbit Rogers and I are the only “Charter Members” left who actively
participate in every tournament—please correct me if I omitted any names of members who began participating in our first season. To the best of my recollection, MCC was chartered in 1992, and Rabbit and I were instrumental in the formation of this Club. Did you know that Rabbit was our first President?
All that is to say this…With the influx of new members every year we sometimes forget that you may not understand exactly how MCC operates. So, I’m taking
this opportunity and space to “bring you up to speed”. Having been on the Board of Directors (that’s the elected Leadership Group for MCC) every year in
capacities including, President, Immediate Past President, Sec-Treasurer, and Director, I feel somewhat qualified to offer the following insight to our “business
plan”.
Yes, some things have been added, changed, dropped, and amended along the way. For the most part, our Leadership Group (and over the years that has
included dozens and dozens of MCC members) has done a great job setting the standards, goals, rules, financials and every variable that goes into producing
such a strong product as MCC. Friend, you’re a member of one of the oldest and largest non-profit, local crappie clubs in the country!! We’ve
stood the test of time, I believe.
We’re as strong now, if not stronger, than at any other time in our club’s history!!!
Please keep in mind that MCC has no paid employees. Every elected or appointed Board member does his/her part gladly as a volunteer, and, friend, some of
the leadership jobs require a great deal of time and dedication. But, I’ll address those jobs and those individuals at a later time. Here, I want to share how I see
MCC’s Business Plan.
Expenses--we have 3 categories of expenses which we must manage and fund each year.
1--Fixed Operating Expenses--These are expense items that we know how to plan for. These include Newsletter, Postage, Office Supplies, Insurance, Lake
Permits, and other normal "doing the club's business" items. These tend to run pretty much the same year-to-year with, of course, some costs increasing over
time. But, all in this category are basic operating expenses that we fund every year.
2--Pay-as-we-go Expenses--These expense items include regular tournament payouts, Big Fish payouts at each tournament, and Big Mama Splits.
3—Discretionary Expenses—Most of these are post-season payouts and annual carryover money, but in some years these also include things like one-time or
long-term purchase of equipment like new scales, tournament trailer, other club equipment items.
Some basic funding principles-- The following principles have been used 20 + years and are still viable today.
Principle 1--Membership dues should cover cost of newsletter including printing, postage, prep and related office expense incurred writing
the newsletter. Additionally, club liability insurance should be covered by our membership dues.
Principle 2--Regular tournament payouts are covered by entry fees.
Principle 3—Sponsorship funds, Splash for Cash, BMO profits, and, new this season, $10 per boat per tournament end up paying for what the
first two sources of revenue don’t cover.
Here’s where we need every MCC member’s help. You can “increase the bottom line” by bringing in sponsors. They start at $150 and go up to $2500 per year.
We need you, every one of you, to bring in sponsorship money. Every dollar you bring in as sponsorship money ends up directly impacting in a positive fashion
our bottom line and therefore our ability to pay you back more during the season and at the end of the season.
Look at the Sponsorship Page in this newsletter to see who generates the sponsorship money for the club. Shake their hands and say “thank you” because that
money they have raised can end up in your pocket at the end of our season.
Unfortunately, the list of MCC members who help by getting sponsorships gets a little smaller every year. I figure that may be because we have so many new
members, and you may be unaware of how and where you can “do your part”.
Look, from my point of view, new members bring lots of potential help to MCC. You keep our membership numbers healthy. You bring attention to MCC to all
who know you, including, potentially, more new members. And, some of you bring potential for generating new sponsorship money.
Let me use Roger and Jackie Womack as excellent examples here. Only a few years ago, Roger and Jackie showed up to fish their first MCC tournament. Immediately, they pitched in, got involved by bringing more new members to the club. They’ve helped with weigh-in and other tournament duties without being
asked. They’ve been instrumental in delivering a great atmosphere at our “tailgate get-togethers”. Roger serves as on the Board of Directors. Jackie always
helps with registration and/or scorekeeping. And, they have brought a ton of sponsorship money and other sponsor items for Door Prizes. Friend, you’re one
lucky guy to be associated with go-getters like the Womack's.
And that’s just one example of many teams who have given more than they’ve gotten from MCC. You, too, can help build MCC. We need more sponsors—you
can help—don’t be shy—ask me or any other member of the Board to help you get new sponsors if you need help. We need more and different volunteers at
the weigh-ins—ask Larry Nipper how and where you can help. We always need new members--you can bring new folks into the MCC group by bringing a guest
fisherman or telling your other fishing buddies about MCC. And, finally, get involved with the Board of Directors. Serve as a Director or Officer of the club—our
annual elections will be coming up soon.
It’s time for you to help “row the boat”, friend. We need you!
Paul Johnson
Immediate Past President
Magnolia Crappie Club
Page 14
MCC NEW SLETTER
2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
The Stealth Approach to Crappie Fishing
Most crappie fishermen begin their fishing by lowering the trolling motor, turning on the depth finders
(at least two), turning on the live-wells and whatever other electronic devices, some even turn on a radio. This may be the correct approach when the fish are deep. As in deep, I mean 10’ or deeper. When
fish are shallow, like they are during the spring, these things can be detrimental to your catch ratio.
Crappie become educated quickly, they have to, it’s called survival. Any noise they hear can cause
them to spook. Anglers began using extremely long poles a few years ago with tremendous success. Look
around at most competitive fishermen and you’ll see 14’ to 18’ trolling poles. They do this for a reason, to
get the bait away from the boat. I use two 18’ B’n’M ProStaff Trolling Poles directly in front of the trolling
motor. When the bite is finicky these poles catch most of the fish, especially the bigger fish.
I know some of you are from the ole school, you love those 10’ to 12’ jig poles. I’m not trying to convince you otherwise. However, I’ve tested it, it works. When slow-trolling or long-lining my longer poles
catch the most fish, or they get the most bites. I recently witnessed several of my club mates using the
Stealth Approach to catch a huge 16# plus sack of fish.
Aluminum boats are the world’s worst for making noise. A little carpet under your feet will eliminate
that little noise you make moving around in the boat. Turn off those depth finders in shallow water, you
don’t need them anyway. Turn off those aerators, radios, even those cell-phones. Use drift-socks and
chains and go with the wind. Then watch your catch ratio increase. It’s the really small things that separate 1st place from 3rd place. Believe me I know. So if you want that big mama better not warn her that
you’re coming. She won’t be around when you get there. Bernard
MCC NEW SLETTER
Page 15
2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
Magnolia Crappie Club Sponsors
Sponsor
Ayres-Delta Implement
Bandit Lures, Inc.
B'n'M Pole Company
Delta Ag
Elite Optical
Farm Bureau
Grenda Tourism Commission
Yazoo County Tourism
Water Valley Main Street
Oaks Toyota
Taylor Made Lables
Academy Sports
Washington Co. Convention
Desiccare, Inc.
Emmett's Marine
Gene Larew Lures– BOBBY GARLAND
Rankin First Economic Develop
Tite Lok/Black Hawk
Battery World
Black River Tools, Inc.
Huff-N-Stuff
Lakeway Triple Stop
Lindsay's Machine Works
Peoples Bank
Pete Patrick Tire Service, Inc
TLC Marine
49 Tire & Auto Service
Collins Bait Shop
Don Bass Insurance Agency
Dunns Country Store
Eastside Motel-Grenada
Executive Planning Group
Jeffery Wilson State Farm
Lakeway Archery/Outfitters
Midway Appliance Repair
Roy's Store and Cabins
Slater's Jigs, Inc.
Vans Deer Processing
Husqvarna
Lake Harbor Trading Post
Member
Ken Middleton
Brad Taylor
Kent Driscoll
Ken Middleton
Terry Stewart
Ken Middleton
Patrick Stone
Charles Lindsay
Paul Johnson
Larry Nipper
Rod Womak
Paul Johnson
Ken Middleton
Rod Womak
Jimmy D. Smith
Bo Hudson
Tommy Moss
Ken Middleton
Ray Williams
Brad Taylor
Ray Williams
Vic Finkley
Charles Lindsay
Ray Williams
Hugh Krutz
Vic Finkley
Rod Womack
John Harrison
Rod Womack
Paul Johnson
Johnny Walker
Rod Womack
Michael Nowell
Johnny Walker
Rod Womack
Ken Middleton
Johnny Walker
Ray Williams
Johnny Walker
Charles Lindsay
Current Thru
10/18/2014
9/21/2014
2/13/2014
7/12/2014
9/3/2014
7/22/2014
10/29/2014
11/8/2014
4/11/2014
10/19/2014
8/16/2014
11/19/2014
2/21/2014
8/29/2014
9/21/2014
5/16/2014
5/21/2014
11/19/2014
1/15/2014
1/28/2014
12/30/2013
9/17/2014
1/5/2014
5/20/2013
5/3/2014
9/19/2014
10/15/2014
8/16/2014
10/15/2014
5/20/2014
9/12/2014
10/11/2014
10/4/2014
9/12/2014
9/11/2014
3/15/2014
9/3/2014
1/28/2014
1/1/2015
4/1/2014
Sponsorship Level
EXCLUSIVE EVENT SPONSOR
EXCLUSIVE EVENT SPONSOR
EXCLUSIVE EVENT SPONSOR
EXCLUSIVE EVENT SPONSOR
EXCLUSIVE EVENT SPONSOR
EXCLUSIVE EVENT SPONSOR
EXCLUSIVE EVENT SPONSOR
EXCLUSIVE EVENT SPONSOR
EVENT SPONSOR
SPECIAL SPONSOR
SPECIAL SPONSOR
SPECIAL SPONSOR
EXCLUSIVE EVENT SPONSOR
SPECIAL SPONSOR
PLATINUM SPONSOR
PLATINUM SPONSOR
PLATINUM SPONSOR
PLATINUM SPONSOR
MAJOR SPONSOR
MAJOR SPONSOR
MAJOR SPONSOR
MAJOR SPONSOR
MAJOR SPONSOR
MAJOR SPONSOR
MAJOR SPONSOR
MAJOR SPONSOR
PATRON SPONSOR
PATRON SPONSOR
PATRON SPONSOR
PATRON SPONSOR
PATRON SPONSOR
PATRON SPONSOR
PATRON SPONSOR
PATRON SPONSOR
PATRON SPONSOR
PATRON SPONSOR
PATRON SPONSOR
PATRON SPONSOR
PATRON SPONSOR
MAJOR SPONSOR
If you would like to become a Magnolia Crappie Club sponsor, contact us at [email protected]
or call Ken Middleton, President - 662-907-4080. You can also go to our website at
www.magnoliacrappieclub.com and print a sponsorship form, fill it out and mail your checks to:
Magnolia Crappie Club - 3616 Kim Dr. - Lauderdale, MS 39335
MCC NEW SLETTER
Page 16
2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
13/14 Tournament Season
Regular Tournaments
Sep 21
Grenada + BMO
Oct 19
Sardis Lake
Nov 16
Sardis
Dec 14
Chotard/Eagle
Jan 11
Chotard
Feb 22
Washington
Mar 15
Grenada & BMO
Apr 12
Barnett
May 3
Enid
May 30-31 Championship Sardis/Enid
Minimum participation level for Post-Season qualification is to enter 7 tournaments and earn at least
90 points. You get 10 points for entering and 1
point per pound of weighed in fish.
MCC Governing Board 2013-14
President, Kenneth Middleton
662-907-4080
Vice President, Bernard Williams 601-454-0196
Ok teams, it’s time for Splash-4-Cash. This year we welcome
Kevin & Chris Horton as our S4C Coordinators. These guys have
the tickets and as you know each member is responsible for $125
worth of tickets. Academy Sports is donating a $1,000 gift card.
Don’t wait till the end, we’ll be giving door prizes for early payments.
Kevin & Chris will be glad to answer any questions you may
have concerning Splash-4-Cash. This is one of our few fund-raisers
that we use to fund the MCC Finals. No, the finals location have
not been set but the date has, so plan on fishing it next May. Our
finals are the biggest payouts of the year. Each day of the 2-day
tournament is just like a single day’s tournament, plus if your combined weight if the heaviest, you win another $500. You can contact Chris or Kevin for questions.
Kevin Horton - C: 662-588-5379 - [email protected]
Chris Horton - C: 662-515-1363 - [email protected]
Sec/Treasurer, Paula Nowell
601-917-1787
Tournament Dir., Michael Nowell
601-917-1787
Weigh-Master, Larry Nipper
662-827-7470
Imm Past President Paul Johnson
601-624-0359
Director 2014 - Tommy Moss
601-260-6267
Director 2014 - Andy Tackett
662-299-5763
Director 2014 - Rod Womack
601-942-8907
Director 2015 - Don Terry
601-291-2987
Director 2015 - Brad Chappell
601-317-6681
Director 2015 - Ricky Smith
601-757-5406
Director 2016 - Jimmy Smith
601-757-1142
Director 2016 - John Harrison
662-983-5999
Director 2016 - Charles Lindsay
601-624-6348
Page 17
MCC NEW SLETTER
2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
Page 18
MCC NEW SLETTER
2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
Magnolia Crappie Club - Guide Service Listing
MCC is proud to announce the start of its online & newsletter listing of Professional Crappie
Guides. You must be a member of MCC to be listed in this section and a fee of $50.00 per
year. Your service listing will be included in our monthly newsletter and on our website. If
you are interested contact us by email at [email protected].
•
Vic Finkley - Grenada, Sardis, Enid, Arkabutla
662-417-8690
•
John Harrison - Grenada, Sardis, Enid, Arkabut- • Mike Nowell - Okatibbee - 601-917-1787
la 662-983-5999
Don’t miss out on this great advertisement for your
guide business. Let us get your name out there on
Brad Taylor - Grenada, Sardis, Enid, Washington 662-820-4581
the web. If you want to become a member and be
Brad Chappell - Grenada, Enid, Barnett, Eagle, included in this listing please contact us at:
•
•
Chotard, Washington - 601-317-6681
•
Bo Hudson - Grenada, Barnett, Eagle, Chotard,
Washington - 601-503-6417
•
Bernard Williams - Grenada, Sardis, Enid, Barnett, Eagle, Chotard - 601-454-0196
•
Terry Stewart - Grenada, Sardis, Enid, Barnett,
Eagle, Chotard - 601-502-5699
•
David Thornton - Grenada, Enid, Eagle, Chotard
- 601-218-0007
•
Chris Horton - Grenada, Sardis, Enid, Arkabutla,
Eagle, Chotard, Washington - 662-515-1363
•
Kevin Horton - Grenada, Sardis, Enid, Arkabutla,
Eagle, Chotard, Washington - 662-588-5379
[email protected]
You may call Ken Middleton at 662-907-4080
Page 19
MCC NEW SLETTER
EAST SIDE MOTEL
HWY 8 EAST
GRENADA, MS 38901
662-809-6885 & 662-226-6884
2013-14 Issue 6 February 22, 2014
TLC Marine
680 Air Industrial Park
Grenada, MS 38901
Rooms available from $40
(662) 417-1047
Located across Hwy 8 from
MCC Welcomes
Wolf Creek Landing Entrance
Safe parking for your
Trucks & Boats
Fully furnished Kitchens / Bring
your own food - Why pay for
something you don’t need.
TLC Marine as one of our
new sponsors.
Please contact them for all
your boat repair needs.
MCC recommends you stop by
LAKEWAY ARCHERY
197 Scenic Loop 333
Grenada, MS 38901-8872
Phone (662) 227-9210
Handguns, Shotguns, Rifles, Ammo, Magazines,
Optics, Knives, Parts & Gear
Monday-Friday 8 am-6 pm - Saturday 8 am- 5 pm
We also have a complete Archery Shop and we also
offer Outfitter Service
http://www.lakewayarchery.com/
Magnolia Crappie Club
3616 Kim Dr.
Lauderdale, MS 39335