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Big Slab Crappie Challenge at Indian Lake
April 28, 2018
Presented by:
View Final Results on Tourney X
Prizes
Over $300 worth of prizes donated by Lakeside Pro Bass Shop will be raffled! Prizes will be raffled off to anglers who didn't win 1st place, 2nd place, or win big fish. It is the goal of the Trail to encourage new anglers into the sport. To accomplish this we structure the payouts and prizes so that new anglers or anglers who had a tough time on the water are eligible for raffle prizes while the top placing anglers are not eligible for raffle prizes but take home a pile of cash!
Cost & Registration
$30 entry Fee.
$5 of the entry fee pays for Tourney X, $5 goes into the Big Fish pot (angler with longest crappie during this tournament will win the pot), and the remaining $20 will be paid out to the top placing anglers.
To sign up and pay for this event go here:
Identifier
You can print off identifiers HERE. The identifier code will be released on Facebook & Twitter the night before the tournament (between 8 and 10PM), and also at the morning captain's meeting. An identifier with no code written in will not be accepted.
Tournament Day
6:45AM - Captain's Meeting located at Lakeside Pro Bass Shop on the corner of SR 235 and Duff Rd.
SR235 North
Lakeview, Ohio 43331
The captain's meeting will only take 10-15 minutes and will start promptly at 6:45AM. We will only highlight a few of the rules, so be sure you read and know every rule HERE. Don't force us to DQ a fish because you didn't know the rules! After the captain's meeting anglers can launch at any PUBLIC location around the lake.
7:15AM No lines hit the water until 7:15AM. Tourney X will reject any fish caught prior to 7:15AM. When you catch a fish DO NOT WAIT TO UPLOAD THE FISH until later in the day.
2:00PM - Tourney X standings will disappear, but you can still submit fish.
2:30PM - If you are unable to upload photos into the Tourney X app you must be back at the measure-in location no later than 2:30PM. It is possible you will wait for BKFT staff to show up to help you with the uploads. To avoid this situation upload fish as soon as you catch them and do not wait until the last minute or hour of the tournament.
3:00PM - Fishing ends and no submissions will be accepted.
4:00PM - All anglers should be at the measure-in. It will be held at the same location as the Captain's Meeting - Lakeside Pro Bass Shop
Eligible Fishing Waters
Indian Lake - Entire lake - Lake Map & Information
Rules & Format
The Rules and format for this event can be found HERE
Event Specific Rules
*This event is a crappie only event. It includes white and black crappie.
*This is event does allow live bait to be used and more than one rod at the same time (Ohio regulations are still followed).
Camping/Meet & Greet
Indian Lake State Park has 400+ electric campsites. The campground has many sites located right on the banks of the lake. Many of those sites will be empty this time of the year and allow for easy launching for the tournament after registration. Often times large groups of anglers will camp Friday night before the event as well as through the weekend.
The measure-in is also a good oppurtunity to meet & greet fellow kayak anglers of all skill levels and talk about our mutual love of kayak fishing.
Be sure to join the Buckeye Nation Kayak Anglers group on Facebook to see what anglers are planning for each event.
Everyone who registers for this event will receive a
FREE Buckeye Kayak Fishing Trail Sticker at Measure-in!
Event History
2018 will mark BKFT's 6th stop at Indian Lake for the Big Slab Crappie Challenge. In most years the weather has 100% dictated where the anglers have searched for big slabs. In 2013, the wind was gusting 25+ mph and forced anglers into many of the coves and channels to find the bite. Chase Bateson came out on top with a 3 fish total of 37.5" and a monster 14" slab that won big fish. The top 5 in 2013 all eclipsed the 30" mark.
In 2014, anglers not only dealt with wind, but near freezing temperatures. The crappie were slow biting early on in the day and once the sun hit and temperatures warmed up the bite really picked up. In the end, Jeff Bennett made a late push and captured another BKFT 1st place finish with new face on the Trail, Brock Spencer, taking home 2nd place and big fish with an 11.75" slab. In 2015, the weather cooperated which brought out a record amount of anglers. Sean Stone found the winning pattern with 35.5" to edge out Jim Martin (35") and Jeff Bennett (34.75"). In 2016, crappie were caught and lot's of them were caught! The top 15 anglers all had 3 fish totalling over 30". The top 4 eclipsed the 33" mark and in the end long time trail angler, Travis Belcher finished with a whopping 36.75 total. Josh Gallimore only found one fish, but his 13" crappie ended up taking home $220 for Big Fish of the tournament! In 2017, Josh Gallimore found more than one fish and notched a tie for first that would propel him to BKFT Points Leader. Both he and Ryan McCoy nothced a 3 crappie total lenght of 34.5" and Ryan a 13" big fish. Nearly half the field last year didn't catch a fish and the weather was nice, but fishing was tough. Most crappie were tucked tight to cover and very difficult to locate. What will 2018 bring????
