Page 6 - Crappie NOW - December 2016

The Future of Crappie Tournaments

Darrell Van Vactor says, “Johnson and services for sponsors.
owned Crappiethon and was using the Accomplishments include: first
tournaments for selling their products and largest crappie tournament
like Johnson reels and Mitchell reels. organization; founder of the American
The tournaments gave them a marketing Crappie Association; publication “The
driver for those products. They were Outdoor Journal Magazine”; crappie club
getting rid of product lines so chose to affiliations; and the Crappie Kid’s Fishing
discontinue the tournaments. We knew Rodeos.
this was coming and many of us wanted “We are very proud,” says Van
the tournaments to continue. A group of Vactor, “that we’ve donated $334,000 in
us got together after the last Crappiethon college scholarships. I have met so many
tournament, burned the midnight oil, and wonderful friends in the press, sponsors
decided to form Crappie USA.” and fishermen so for me personally it
Van Vactor says the format of one- has been a great ride. We have national
and two-day tournaments, along with the sponsors who once did not know how
goals, set up in the meeting two decades to spell crappie now making wonderful
ago worked then and still does today. products just for crappie fishermen. Kids
The purpose was to establish a family- scholarships, great crappie products and
oriented, cost effective and competitive promoting the sport are a few of things
arena for amateur and semi-pro anglers. we are very proud of.”
Also, to promote and market products There are typically 16 to 17

6 Crappie NOW December 2016