This weekend, the American Crappie Trail is coming to Lake D’arbonne for their national championship. The top 100 teams in this series are qualified for this event. The tournament started on Thursday with the top 100 and will be knocked down to the top 50 to fish on Friday (day 2). After Friday, the top 25 teams will be fishing on championship Saturday. Weigh-in will begin at Rhett’s Tails and Shells at 3PM on Thursday and Friday. Saturday, the top 25 will weigh-in will be in downtown Farmerville.
Fishing conditions have been tough this week, plagued with wind and storms. The lake has risen and the gates at the dam have been opened, adding current as another challenge to any team’s gameplan. The fish seem to be somewhere in the middle of the spawn, which adds even more challenges. The big females that the anglers target, have mostly spawned out but the smaller females seem to still have eggs.
Josh Starkey and I teamed up last year in hopes of qualifying for this event and were successful. Unfortunately, he has to have a minor surgical procedure, so I am fishing solo this weekend. This was a slight kick to the gut, as Josh has been fishing really well in the tournament trails all year and I was going to lean on him a lot, but his health has to come first.
Josh gave me all of his spots that have been producing, and I have my spots, but the wind is going to keep me out of 98% of the water that we have prepared for. This weekend I’m essentially starting from square one. I have one spot that I should be able to fish…. Will that get me past day one into the top 50? I believe so. Are there enough fish there to get me to championship Saturday? That I’m not sure of. This place is going to get a lot of pressure, so I will just have to out-fish those near me.
What will it take to win? We weigh in our seven best fish each day. If the weather would cooperate, I’d say a 2-pound average would win it. However, with the brutal winds, I don’t think 14 pounds per day each day will be attainable. I think around 12.5-13 pounds each day will win it.
What kind of fish am I on? Ones that are big enough for a really good fish fry! I wish I was totally kidding here, but I think I can catch 11 pounds the first day. After that, your guess is as good as mine. I’m hoping I can ride the luck truck through championship Saturday, but that has never panned out for me.
Here is the silver lining in all of this! If I get knocked out on Friday, I will be going turkey hunting Saturday here in Lincoln Parish. This will be a lose/win in a sense (if there is such a thing) …. although I lost, lest not forget I am a turkey hunter #1.
Area 2 Youth Turkey season begins in our area this Saturday, and expectations are high. There will be 3 generations of McGehees hunting together in Lincoln Parish (My dad, myself, Anders) and we are all looking forward to it. How do I feel about a successful youth turkey hunt? It’s already a success with the 3 of us hitting the woods, but how do I feel about a successful harvest? I feel much better about that than winning the fishing tournament.
The greatest outcome would be me hoisting a fishing trophy beside my boy holding a trophy turkey. Reality is, I just hope to catch some fish, letting the chips fall where they may, and my oldest boy get his turkey. No matter what, we will all have a great time. For all the youth out there hitting the woods this weekend, I hope you have a safe and successful opener. Email me some pictures and let me help tell your story!
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Dusty McGehee is a native of Downsville and a 2006 graduate of Louisiana Tech University with a bachelors in wildlife conservation. He is currently employed by WestRock and serves as an environmental engineer at the Hodge Mill. Dusty is an avid hunter and crappie fisherman, fishing crappie tournaments with his son when he is not in the woods. He and his wife Rachel have three young outdoorsmen/women: Anders (9), Ridge (7) and Mae (5). If you have a story idea or question about the great outdoors, you can reach Dusty at dusty.mcgehee@westrock.com.
