Page 10 - Crappie NOW | June 2016

By Darl Black

F

or weekend crappie anglers,
the art of fishing has turned into a
potentially expensive science. Similar
to the impact of tournaments on bass
fishing some years ago, the advent
of crappie tournaments appears to
emphasize expensive fish-finding
electronics, expensive wireless-control
trolling motors, expensive electronic
pin anchors and even more expensive
boats.
There is little doubt tournament
crappie anglers are extremely
knowledgeable about how to catch
crappies using all the bells and whistles.
But too often weekend fishermen feel
left behind in the exhaust of high-
powered big rigs.
Well, CrappieNow has asked
several tournament fishermen to
provide some practical tips for everyday
anglers like you and me. These tips do
not require expensive high tech toys;
any equipment mentioned is a nominal
investment.
Up first is Kyle Schoenherr, hailing
from southern Illinois near Rend Lake.
In 2015, Kyle and his tournament
partner won both the Crappies Masters
National Championship and Crappie
USA National Championship – two
majors in the same year! As a hardcore
tournament angler and guide, Kyle has
amassed a repertoire of tricks.
During the spring when fishing
buck brush, willows or tree tops lying
along the bank, Kyle prefers to reach
over the top of the cover with his long
rod and slowly lower the jig down. “I reach through the cover with this
However, when entering or exiting the pole, grab the limb with the big hook,
cover, the jig may become snagged twist the pole and snap the branch.
on small branch. If unable to shake it Then I can retrieve the jig. The long
loose, Kyle breaks out his special 14- pole also functions as a gaff to grab
foot frog-gig pole with a large-gap stout a really big crappie you don’t want to
hook (catfish or turtle hook) screwed risk lifting up through the cover.”
to the tip. “Once the spawn is over and
crappies move to deeper water, I depend

10 Crappie NOW June 2016