Crappie anglers were greeted with low but clear water conditions on Cave Run Lake as they competed for prizes, cash and a chance to advance to the prestigious Cabela’s Crappie USA Classic. This year’s classic will be held October 27 – 29, 2016 on Kentucky & Barkley Lakes at Paris, Tennessee.
Temperatures in the low 50’s warmed to the 60’s with a light SW wind for the Saturday, April 2 event. Sixty-one anglers from 6 states competed for the title.
Cave Run Lake is located in the Daniel Boone National Forest and offers 166 miles of shoreline for the outdoor enthusiast. In this Saturday’s event a total payout of $5,600.00 (including Big Fish pots) was distributed to the winners.
Pro Division Results
The Pikeville, Kentucky team of Tim and Reba Cleary took first place with a total weight of 8.58 pounds. They earned $1,000.00, plus an additional $430.00 for Big Fish of the tournament.
The team fished 18 to 20 different spots around Cave Run Lake using Marabou hair jigs to catch over 100 fish. Tim and Reba fished shallow in 8 feet of water targeting their fish on ledges and the main lake. The teams Big Fish weighed in at 1.73 pounds.
Steve Ferguson of Puryear, Tennessee and Joey Briggs of Dexter, Kentucky finished in second place with a weight of 8.00 pounds. They earned $600.00 for their finish.
The team fished ledges on the main lake using dark colored jigs tipped with live bait to land 125 fish for the day.
In third place were Ron Bilbray of Anderson, Indiana and Tom Hankins of Indianapolis, Indiana. They weighed in 7.53 pounds and earned $400.00. The team fished the main lake ledges and small coves South of the weigh-in. Ron and Tom were using green/chartreuse and white/chartreuse jigs to catch over 100 fish for the event.
Amateur Division Results
Kris and Terry Mann took first place in the amateur division with a total weight of 8.13 pounds. They earned $800.00 plus an additional $250.00 Ranger Cup Bonus. They also won $190.00 for 2nd place Big Fish (1.49). The Mt. Sterling, Kentucky team fished all over the main lake targeting timber on main lake ledges in 12 feet of water. Kris and Terry were using Crappie Magnet green/chartreuse jigs to land over 125 fish on Saturday.
In second place was Luke McCoy of Ashland, Kentucky and Rick Morgan of Catlettsburg, Kentucky with a total weight of 7.66 pounds and earning $500.00. The team fished the North Beaver Creek area and small coves on the South end of the lake in 10 to 15 feet of water on wood cover. Luke and Rick were using red/chartreuse jigs to catch 50 fish for the day.
Taking third place was Mike Lowe of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky and Royce Paynter of Winchester, Kentucky weighing in at 7.31 pounds. The team fished the back of the cove in Cassie Hollow in 10 to 15 feet of water on brush. Mike and Royce were using Crappie Magnet jigs in various colors to land 90 total fish and earning a check for $300.00.
Justin Johnson of Morehead, Kentucky and Jim Greathouse of Lexington, Kentucky took fourth place with a total weight of 7.00 pounds. They earned $200.00. The team fished the Little Cave Run area in 15 to 20 feet of water targeting heavy wood cover using live bait to land over 100 fish for the tournament.
For a complete list of tournament standings and downloadable photos for this event visit www.crappieusa.com then go to Tournament Results.