Page 15 - Crappie NOW - May 2017

The Future of Crappie Tournaments

Vallentine has made it easy to see
Crappie Master’s view of the importance of Crappie Masters Grenada spring
AOY. The 2017 winner will receive $25,000 tournament with some big slabs being
cash plus a set of Power Poles. The tops displayed. This trail has been in operation
six teams will share $65,000 in cash. These for over a decade with the 2017 National
monies have never been seen in crappie Championship scheduled in September 20-
points systems. 23 at Greenville, MS, Lake Washington and
“Some view Angler Team of the Year nearby oxbows.
as being more important than winning the
national championship tournament,” says
Vallentine. “There seems to be emphasis
on winning the tournament, but winning the
AOY shows fishermen have fished a variety
of techniques on a variety of lakes. It’s a
good measure of who the best fishermen
in the country are due to their consistency
that takes most of the luck factor out of the
equation.”
Morgan says, “Winning the classic
means a fisherman has prepared but he
also had a lot of luck. AOY is different. It
removes most of the luck factor and is also
something many serious fishermen want
to win. Our ACT AOY will receive a new
Ranger boat. Both the AOY and Classic
champs can get sponsors if they want to
work toward that but it’s not for everyone.”

- Tim Huffman

15 Crappie NOW May 2017