Crappie Legacy

Crappie fishers all have a legacy, a start, somewhere, some place and time they fell in love with the sport of crappie fishing. Crappie fishing is more like an art. The bite, that thump, the cork sinking slowly under is what crappie fishers live for. My obsession started many years ago. My grandfather, who's nickname was "Catfish Willie," was also a great white perch fisherman from Arkansas. He ran a fish camp on the White River. His knowledge and fishing expertise was ahead of its' time. He never owned a rod or reel. He strictly stuck with a cane pole and live bait. He had moved to Louisiana many years ago for work. His only son, my father "Rex" carried on in his foot steps. After serving 5 years in the marine Corps during WWII, he settled down here in South Louisiana. He had learned his skills from his father and as many great fisherman had taken what he had learned and added to it. My dad graduated from the cane pole to a flyrod and reel. This was before the modern day crappie pole. It worked just the same and still does today. He understood that while the cane pole was effective, a flyrod and reel was more practical and you could also cast with it. Although he stuck with the live bait theory, his knowledge of crappie fishing was unsurpassed. He understood where the fish would be located and how to catch them, depending on the time of year. This was before the modern day electronics. He also was a "sculler". Sculling is a lost art these days. "Sculling" is when you paddle the boat sitting on the bow, paddling with one hand while holding your fishing pole in the other. At least in fishing terms, this is how it is interpreted. My father was the true meaning of a great outdoorsman. He understood nature and its many gifts. Those gifts were passed on to my brothers and I. However, everyone dances to their own beat in life, and while the 6 of us all loved fishing and the great outdoors, some are born to fish. Our DNA code dictates who we are going to be. Seems like the white perch code was handed down to my brother Chris and myself. My story is typical of crappie lovers everywhere. Some have reached the pinnacle of the sport and have become crappie famous. But, if you ask any crappie fisher, it's all about the chase, the ability to locate and catch fish by whatever technique. It can be single pole, pulling cranks, spider rigging, or long lining. Sometimes the love of the sport just can't be explained. It just over takes you, you go to sleep dreaming about the next big fish or that spot that gives up numbers that most never experience. The best crappie fishers may be your local guide, tournament champs or just that person that some call the fish whisperer. But the one thing they all have in common is that they would rather be crappie fishing than catching any other fish out there. Call it a cult, a crappie syndrome, or crappie addiction. It is what drives them to be the best at what they love to do. So this blog is a salute to the many who serve the sport well, who give crappie fishing its' deserving place in the fishing world. May your legacy live on in your family, or as tournament champs, or as known as the best in the world of crappie fishing. Good luck fishing. Hope to see ya on the water.

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