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Big Slab Crappie Challenge at Indian Lake
April 6, 2018
Presented by:
NOTE: If you sign up for the Indian Lake crappie tournament be sure to also check out the Freshwater Slam which runs from Friday to Sunday the same weekend. You can compete in both tournaments at the same time while fishing on Indian Lake; a great numbers and size lake for all 3 required species.
Registration
To sign up and pay for this event go HERE.
Cost
The $35 entry fee includes:
*$5 Tourney X fee
*$5 50/50 raffle (click for details)
*$5 goes to the angler with the longest fish
*$20 goes to the top placing anglers
Guaranteed Payout Schedule
50 anglers 75 anglers 100 anglers
1st Place: $ 1st Place: $ 1st Place: $
2nd Place: $ 2nd Place: $ 2nd Place: $
3rd Place: $ 3rd Place: $ 3rd Place: $
Big Fish: Big Fish: Big Fish:
You can see the full payout schedule HERE.
Rules Changes Specific to this Tournament Only
*This tournament is a Crappie tournament.
*This tournament is a 3 fish limit instead of 5.
*Anything other than a completely closed mouth will result in a 1" deduction.
*8" minimum length
*Live Bait is permitted.
Rules & Format
The other Rules and format for this event can be found HERE
Tournament Day & Identifier
Identifiers can be printed off HERE. The code for the identifier will be released at the Captain's Meeting. An identifier with no code or the wrong code will not be accepted.
6:30AM - The Captain's Meeting is MANDATORY and all anglers should meet at Lakeside Pro Bass Shop: Duff Road and SR 235 North
Lakeview, OH 43331.
We will release the identifier code and do a very quick rundown of the most commonly broken rules.
7:00AM - Anglers can begin fishing and have lines in the water. Any fish caught prior to 7AM will be DQ'd.
12:00-3:00PM - At some point during this time frame the Tourney X standings will disappear to add a little drama to the final standings. Once they go dark you will still be able to submit fish. If you want to verify your fish have been uploaded check the email address you signed up with for Tourney X. DO NOT CALL OR MESSAGE US. If you don't receive an email letting you know the fish was submitted then you need to keep trying. The main reason a fish submission won't upload is because there is no cellular service where you are uploading. Anglers need to be aware of that and head to a spot with service in enough time to upload.
3:00PM - Fishing ends and no submissions will be accepted. If you are unable to upload fish you are required to be back at the measure-in location BEFORE 3PM. If you arrive after 3PM the fish will be disqualified.
4:00PM - All anglers are required to be at the measure-in located at Lakeside Pro Bass Shop: Duff Road and SR 235 NorthLakeview, OH 43331.
If you do not attend the measure-in:
*You forfeit all rights to the 50/50 cash drawing you entered
*You forfeit all rights to all the raffle prizes that are awarded to anglers who didn't finish in the top 2 (or won big fish).
*You are required to get word to the measure in through another angler or:
TO BE DETERMINED.
Eligible Fishing Waters
Indian Lake - Lake Map & Information
The entire lake is eligible if it appears on the map on the link above. Any water not on the map is not eligible. Also any water on the map must be accessible by paddling/pedaling (no dragging) from the main lake.
Remember, you can only use public access to put in and take out. Do not launch/take-out from Private Property as it will lead to disqualification.
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!
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. This event also coincides with the Freshwater Slam online tournament, so you can stay all weekend on Indian Lake and compete in two tourney's at the same time!
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.
Event History
2019 will mark BKFT's 7th 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 notched a 3 crappie total length of 34.5" and Ryan a 13" big fish. Nearly half the field in 2017 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. In 2018, a third of the field was unable to find any slabs, but the top third of the field reached a 3 fish limit. The top 11 all eclipsed 30" on a day filled with cold and drizzle and the top 2 averaged more than 12" per fish! In the end, Sean Stone took home first place with 39.5" and a 14" big slab!
