Whether fishing in a tournament or just for fun, this father-son duo know how to find big crappie
Within minutes of 4-year-old Bryce Acreman taking his first bite of fish, there was trouble. The boy suddenly couldn’t catch his breath and was swelling up. Later, at the local emergency room, the family would learn he was allergic to fish.
Fast forward 17 years later to an unseasonably warm December day on Lake D’Arbonne, and that young man who is still allergic to fish is pulling one large crappie after another into his boat. Now 21 years old, Sterlington’s Bryce Acreman has become one of the region’s top crappie fishermen with a goal of eventually catching a state record.
Alongside his dad, Jeff Acreman, the duo began fishing crappie tournaments in 2021 and have become one of the more competitive teams. But it wasn’t always like that, according to Bryce Acreman.
“The first tournaments we fished, we got beat up,” he said. “In fact, I feel like those early days of losing so badly are what inspired us to keep learning and working hard to become better.”
While sitting in the boat with the Acremans, it was easy to see why they have become successful. As a long suffering crappie fisherman, I took full advantage of my time on the water with the duo, trying to learn as much as possible.
Forward Facing Sonar
Trolling along in 20 feet of water, Bryce Acreman could quickly identify structure and fish below the boat.
“Forward Facing Sonar (FFS) has shown us that fish spend a lot more time away from the shore than we used to believe,” he said.
Suddenly, a large ball appeared on the screen.
“That’s shad,” he said. “That’s what we’re looking for.”
Plainly, I could see several individual, larger marks on the screen following along behind the ball of bait.
“That fish will bite,” Bryce Acreman said, as he pointed out one of the individual marks on the screen.
Suddenly, his ACC Crappie Stix jerked downward and seconds later a nice slab joined us on board.
“You can look at those fish and oftentimes tell which ones will bite,” he said. “In this case, the fish I pointed out had his head up, as if he was searching for bait fish.”
And while FFS certainly has helped crappie fishermen become more efficient on the water, Jeff Acreman warns that before investing in the equipment, anglers need to find someone who fully understands FFS and how each setup is different.
“You need to find someone who has a full understanding of this technology and how to set it up,” he said. “Otherwise, you’re going to waste a lot of time trying to figure out what you need.”
Bryce Acreman then added, “While you can watch YouTube videos on FFS, you’ll never learn as much as just spending time on the water and learning your setup.”
Equipment, bait and tackle
During the spike of COVID-19 back in 2020, Bryce Acreman had a lot of free time on his hands while being quarantined from school. He took that time to really hone his skills on the water using the Garmin LiveScope system. Since then, he has continued to build and perfect his skills — and continues to learn more every time he is on the water. The current setup in his boat is a Garmin 8616xsv with a LVS 34 Transducer. The team is running a PowerHouse 16v lithium battery on the electronics to give a good, clean return on the screen.
The younger Acreman’s favorite offering for clear water, and maybe in general, is a Snacky Lure, FS-200 in the pearl color. He pairs that with a 1/16-ounce jig head from Louisiana jig maker Jimmy Watt. He then places a 1/8-ounce weight from Rougarou Tackle Company above the jig. Spooled on his reels you’ll find 10-pound moss green braided line from Mad Braid.
On overcast days with stained or dingy water, Bryce Acreman will go to a brighter colored jig.
“I’ll try something with some orange on it, something they can see,” he said.
Lessons learned
When I asked Bryce Acreman about his favorite conditions, he told me it changes for each body of water.
“If we’re in deep water chasing cruising fish, I prefer overcast conditions,” he said. “If we’re in the timber targeting fish relating to structure, I like it to be sunny. The fish seem to show up better.”
Jeff Acreman went even further.
“Not only do the best conditions change depending on which lake you’re on, the amount of pressure fish will take is different,” he said.
He then related a story to me about dropping a pair of pliers on the deck, only to see their target fish swim away. While on some bodies of water you can jump up and down on the boat deck without spooking fish.
“You can’t show up to a lake or river and expect to use one set of rules for crappie,” he said.
Another lesson the team has learned is to not spend too much time on one fish.
“If I present the bait and the fish refuses it, I move on to the next one,” Bryce Acreman said. “If it’s a really big fish, I’ll watch its reaction to the bait presentation. If it’s positive, I’ll keep trying.”
Techniques
Regardless of FFS, prime whether and water conditions, or how hot the bite may be one day, crappie can be one of the most finicky fish swimming in Louisiana waters.
“At times, no matter how you present the bait, the fish simply will not move,” Bryce Acreman said. “When this happens, I will set the jig right on the fish’s nose and either shake the rod tip or tap on the rod to cause a vibration.”
This quick bounding action gives the jig more movement that will oftentimes elicit a strike.
In the summer and winter months, when crappie become lethargic due to water temps, the team tries to place the bait right in front of the fish.
“Wide ranges in water temperature can make crappie pretty lethargic,” Bryce Acreman said. “When this happens, they simply don’t want to chase the bait. With FFS, we can get the bait right in front of the fish.”
In the spring and fall, when fish begin to actively feed, the team will use a pitching technique, swimming the bait past the fish.
“There are times where we actively chase fish down, swimming the bait right over their head,” Bryce Acreman said. “If a fish is swimming away from you, when that bait comes over his back and crosses his nose, it will typically get a reaction.”
Future plans
Bryce and Jeff Acreman currently fish with the Pelican Crappie Club around North Louisiana and South Arkansas where they finished the 2024 season in second place for angler of the year.
“We have a great group of people in Pelican Crappie Club that have become a second family to us,” Bryce Acreman said. “We enjoy the fellowship and the competition.”
The duo plans to continue to fish some of the other national crappie tournament trails, such as Crappie Masters, as they have in the past.
The father and son are both business owners in the area of Sterlington. Bryce Acreman is also a licensed guide in both Louisiana and Arkansas, and he is currently in his junior year of college at the University of Louisiana Monroe.
“Fishing is something that we can enjoy together, no matter our age,” Jeff Acreman said. “We have a great time being competitive, but at the end of the day, we just simply enjoy our time on the water together making memories.”
Bryce Acreman has garnered sponsorships from several companies, including Bass Pro Shops, ACC Crappie Stix, Mercury Marine, Phoenix Boats and Ludwig Marine. You can follow Bryce Acreman on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok at bryceacremanfishing.
