In late February, O.H. Ivie in Texas became the hottest fishing lake in the country after anglers landed a 16 pound, 17 pound, and plenty of massive, double-digit bass over a couple week period. The pending world record “meanmouth” hybrid bass was also caught during that stretch.
In mid-March, however, Mississippi’s Grenada Lake may have become the new hottest spot in the country.
Widely considered one of the best crappie fishing lakes in America, Grenada played home to the Crappie Masters National Qualifier on March 11th and 12th. While the organization’s national championship will take place on the lake this Fall, the qualifier may be the event people are talking about for the next several months.
Day One: Settings Records
Unlike most regional or national crappie tournaments that usually see plenty of 2-pound crappie and the occasional 3-pounder, Grenada produced an absolutely crazy number of trophy-sized fish this year, setting a precedent that is unmatched in the organization’s history.
For instance, angler Joey Johnson became the first angler in Crappie Masters history to bring a 4-pound fish to the scales.
His record would be eclipsed within an hour, however, as an incredible four fish ended up broke the 4-pound mark on the first day of weigh-ins.
After the first day, the team of Brett and Robert Luther held the top spot with a massive 22.77 pound bag. Their seven fish held an average weight of 3.25 pounds. Their heaviest was an incredible 4.26 pounds!
Trailing by the slightest of margins was the team of Jeff Schwieterman and James Rains. Their bag was a mere 0.02 pounds shy of the lead at 22.75 pounds!
The third place team of Matthew and Bruce Rogers were trailing in a close third place with 22.69 pounds.
In all, eleven teams finished the first day with an average weight of over 3 pounds!
Day Two: The Winds of Change
Intense winds led to a considerable change of fate on day two. At the weigh-ins, it was clear that many anglers were bringing in lighter bags than there were on day one.
That said, many still maintained well above a two-pound average despite the inclement weather.
On the second day, the total number of bag averages above three pounds went down considerably. Still, a couple teams managed that feat.
The father-son duo or Bruce and Matthew Rogers brought in a second day bag of 22.02 pounds, bringing their tournament total to an incredible 44.71 pounds. That brings their average to a staggering 3.19 pounds! This secured the win and a nice $10,000 grand prize.
Brett and Robert Luther finished day two with a bag of 19.23 pounds, giving them 42 pounds even across both days. Their average sits at 3 pounds even and their total secured them second place in the overall standings.
The duo also won an additional $5,000 for landing the tournament’s big fish at 4.26 pounds!
Final Standings
The following teams made up the top five finishers in the tournament:
- Matthew and Bruce Rogers: 44.71 pounds
- Brett and Robert Luther: 42.00 pounds
- Jeremy Aldridge and John Harrison: 41.54 pounds
- Joey Johnson: 40.74 pounds
- Hayden and Dan Jeffries: 40.53 pounds
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