Having fished crappie tournaments all over the nation, Ronnie Capps has seen more energy for the professional side of crappie fishing the last couple of years than he has ever seen in his entire 30-year fishing career.
“More people are showing up to watch the weigh-ins, and more people are showing up to fish the tournaments,” Capps said. “I’ve seen guys I fished with in high school and who have always crappie fished now entering these tournaments.”
Capps attributes much of this surge in interest to the American Crappie Trail and its expansion into more bodies of waters than just the old typical crappie lakes across America.
“Take the Ouachita River for example,” Capps said. “This river is a treasure for the state without a doubt, and now we’re going to get to showcase what kind of crappie fishing it has. Having lived at Reelfoot in Tennessee and fishing the Mississippi River for as long as I can remember, I consider the Ouachita River a mini version of the Mississippi. It’s the same kind of stuff, just not as wide or as long.”
Keeping it in Louisiana, the American Crappie Trail will have it’s 2018 National Championship on Lake D’Arbonne on March 28 – 30, 2019.
