2019 Tournament Results
March 31 Clinton Club Tournament
The first tournament of CICC is in the books. On a chilly Sunday morning, shortly after the advance of a cold front, 20 boats entered the tournament. The consensus at launch was that the weights would be somewhat low. The participants did quite well, however, with more than half of the field weighing in excess of 4 pounds. The winning weight also broke the 5 lb barrier with the team of Rich and John Goodbrake weighing 5.47 pounds. Brian Cleveland and Terry Davis weighed 5.02 lbs of crappie for second-place. Third place went to the team of Josh Nash and Dustin Reynolds with a weight of 4.98 lbs. Andy Roberts brought in 4.59 lbs for fourth place.
The only minor competition of the day was apparently for 10th Pl. with three teams within 0.01 lbs of each other. Unfortunately, the team of Marty Lehew and Kevin Scoles were originally missed and will be rewarded $35 for 10th Pl.
The next club event will be at Lake Decatur on April 14. Hopefully it will be a calm sunny day and participants will break current club records.
April 20 Exelon Clinton Open Tournamen
Before we announce the winners, the Central Illinois Crappie Club sincerely thanks the Exelon Corporation for their tremendous support and sponsorship of this event. Exelon (Kathleen Brewer) provided lunch at the weigh-in and made sure that everything went well for the day.
To say it was a tough day fishing is a gross understatement. Winds generally blew out of the northwest at 15-25 mph but seemed to change directions regularly. Of the 32 registered boats only 17 brought fish to the scales. Only 6 teams presented 7 fish.
Steve Zehr and Dave Nugent were the winners with a 7 fish weight of 4.44 lbs. Second place was not far behind with Terry Davis and Josh Nash weighing 7fish at 4.41 lbs. Third place went to the team of Dave Zschau and Fred Hackney with a weight of 4.40 lbs for 7 fish. Jeff Revell and Phillip Wood had 4.14 lbs for fourth place. There was a tie for fifth place with the teams of Ben Henrich and Luke Storm and Greg Humphrey and Luke Humphrey at 4.07 lbs. The team of Greg and Luke Humphrey also brought in the big fish of the day at 1.59 lbs.
Despite a chilly, windy start to the tournament everyone seemed to enjoy the competition and fellowship. Our next tournament is currently scheduled for Saturday, May 11 at Lake Mattoon.
This is a club tournament with the results adding to the Angler of the Year Competition. The next mega tournament is on Lake Shelbyville on Saturday, May 18 with a $1500 first prize.
2019 Saturday May 11 Lake Mattoon Club
At the start it appeared to be a sunny relatively calm day. Participants weren't that lucky as the weather cooled and a slow drizzle started in the late morning. It was the first time on Lake Mattoon for several boats in the tournament, but there were also some experienced teams. Six boats competed for 3 places in this club tournament. Each team that weighed fish brought in 7 fish. The team of Jim Garrett and Greg Kaiser won with a weight of 6.49 lbs. also taking home big fish at 1.06 lbs. John Carr and Roger Cox were next at 6.25 lbs. Tom Fermanian and Rick Barnes took the last check at third place with 5.73 pounds.
We again ask all participants to notify a director if they are not going to weigh fish. The club is always concerned for the safety of any participants who have not been verified to have left the lake. Please tell a participant or club official that you are not going to weigh fish and plan to leave.
The next club event will be at Lake Shelbyville on May 18 at the Bo Woods ramp. This is one of our major open spring tournaments with first-place guaranteed at $1500. Hopefully it will be a calm sunny day and participants will break current club records.
2019 Sullivan/Moultrie Crappie Classic
It was a wonderful day for fishing on Saturday, May 18 for the second annual Sullivan/Moultrie Crappy Classic. There were 40 boats participating in the tournament with 35 teams weighing 7 fish. The winning team of Shawn and Trent Trudeau had 8.09 lbs. and a big fish of 1.43 lbs. Second place went to the team of Bob Sarko and Rich Clifton with a weight of 7.54 lbs. Frank Jr. and Jeff Revell came in third with a weight of 6.84 lbs. Fourth-place went to the team of Brian Plank and Neil Jones with 6.57 lbs. Brian Carter and Michael Drake came in fifth with a weight of 6.42 lbs. The team of Cody Flanders and Armand Martin weighed the biggest fish at 1.45 lbs. Over 20 teams weighed more than 5 lbs. of crappie despite a relatively strong breeze for most of the day.
The club is trying to return all fish that are weighed back to each tournament lake. More than 90% of the fish that were weighed in this tournament swam away to be caught in future competitions. This will only help to make Lake Shelbyville a premier crappie lake.
We sincerely thank Laurrie Minor, Malinda Calhoun-Hurt and the Sullivan Chamber & Economic Development for all their hard work and support that made this tournament a success. We also think Mike Mounce, Jon Summers and the Shelbyville Corps of Engineers for their continuing support.
The next club event will be at Lake Shelbyville on June 2 at the Bo Wood ramp. This is the last scheduled tournament for the club for this spring.
2019 June 2 SHELBYVILLE Club
While it was a beautiful day to be out on the lake, the fishing part was not so good. Whether it was the weather or post-spawn stress the fish seemed very neutral and tight to cover. The good news is 20 boats participated in the tournament with several boats including a youth. The club encourages youth participation in all tournaments and there are no additional fees. There are usually additional prizes for the youngsters of winning teams.
Thirteen boats each weighed 7 fish. The winning team of Brian Cleland and Dave Birch had 5.88 lbs. Second place went to Shawn Shelby and Mike Hopkins with 5.87 lbs. This is a good illustration of how competitive the club tournaments can be with the runner-up 0.01 lbs behind the winner. Third place went to Jim Garrett and Greg Kaiser with a weight of 5.75 lbs Tony Camden and Jeff Sidwell took 4th place with a weight of 5.20 lbs and also captured big fish at 1.11 lbs. Brian and Jeff Kelly came in 5th with 4.84 lbs. Brian McClure and TJ Hewerdine were sixth with 4.63 lbs. Unfortunately, TJ had an Engel cooler disappear from his boat and would like to hear from anybody that might know more about the incident. Teams that placed from 7th through 10th also received a $35 check.
The club will be sponsoring one more club tournament on June 30, 2019 on Lake Shelbyville
launching from the “Bo Wood” ramp. This will be a shortened tournament ending at noon so we can have a fish fry and social event at the Park Pavilion near the ramp. More information will be announced when we receive the permit from the DNR.
2019 October 20 Decatur Open
It was the pleasant, relatively calm sunny day for the 17 boats that participated in the October 20 Decatur Open Tournament. While it started out a little cloudy it turned into a perfect autumn day. Most participants were quite successful with two teams bringing in over 9 lbs of crappie for 7 fish. The top 9 teams weighed over 6 lbs for their 7 fish. The team of Dave Radecki and Scott Boston weighed the biggest bag at 9.17 lbs. Second place went to Brian and Will Plank weighed 9.06 lbs for 7 crappie. Dave Birch, fishing by himself, took 3rd place with 7.55 lbs. The final payout went to the team of Lee Buehnerkemper and Greg Niebrugge with 6.88 lbs. The team of Sean Shelby and Mike Hopkins weighed the tournaments biggest fish at 2.09 lbs. This now takes over as the biggest single fish caught in CICC tournaments. We congratulate all the winning teams and thank everyone for participating in this tournament.
Our next tournament is a club tournament also on Lake Decatur on Saturday, November 2. As a reminder, all CICC tournaments on Lake Decatur restrict fishing North of the KC park during waterfall hunting season. Additionally, new and renewing memberships for this tournament will provide membership for the 2020 season. Hope to see you all there!
2019 November 02 Decatur Club
Unlike two weeks ago for the open, it was a cold blustery day for fishing. The fishing was slow with lower average weights than for the open. Eleven boats participated in the tournament with 9 weighing fish. The team of Dave Birch and Brian Cleland had 7 crappie weighing 5.72 lbs. for 1st place. Second place went to John Carr and Roger Cox with 5.27 lbs. The final payout was 3rd place at 4.91 pounds of crappie for Shawn Shelby and Mike Hopkins. The team of Brian Carter and Mike Drake brought in the big fish at 1.29 pounds.
Our next tournament is a tournament is an open on Lake Shelbyville on Saturday, November 9. Membership is not required, however, new or renewing memberships at this tournament will provide membership for the 2020 season. Hope to see you all there!
2019 November 09 Shelbyville Open
What started as a cold, calm morning developed into a windy day. Eighteen boats entered the Shelbyville Open Tournament. Thirteen teams weighed fish. The winning team of Matt Jones and Lee Buehnerkemper had 7 fish weighing 7.92 lbs with a big fish of 1.47 lbs. Second place went to the brothers Jeff and Frank Jr. Revell with 7.82 lbs of crappie with a big fish of 1.25 lbs. Fred Brozio and Lee Penn landed the biggest crappie at 1.67 lbs with a total weight of 7.75 lbs for 3rd place. Fourth place went to Dustin Reynolds and Josh Nash with 7.06 lbs and a big fish of 1.4 pounds. Most of the field weighed in over 5 pounds of fish so it was a reasonably good day of fishing.
Our next tournament is a club tournament also on Lake Shelbyville on Saturday, November 16, 2019 at BoWood Ramp. This tournament was originally scheduled for November 24 but was moved due to a conflict at the launch site. Remember, all renewed and new memberships will be good through 2020. There are only two club tournaments left in the year to boost your standings in the BnM Angler of the Year competition. Please join us on Saturday and enjoy a good fall day of fishing.
2019 November 16 Shelbyville Club
Eighteen boats entered the Shelbyville Club Tournament. Seventeen boats weighed fish so it must have been a pretty good day. Of the 17 boats 10 boats brought in over 6 lbs of crappie. The wind was relatively kind to us, so it was a cold but enjoyable day of fishing. The winning weight was 7.53 lbs for Shawn Shelby and Mike Hopkins. Bob Sarko and Rich Clifton took 2nd place with 7.47 lbs and also brought in the big fish at 1.59 pounds. Andy Roberts captured 3rd place with 7.44 lbs. Fourth place went to John Carr and Roger Cox with 7.28 lbs. Fred Brozio and Jim Larson took 5th place with 6.95 lbs. Jim Garrett and Greg Kaiser had 6.47 lbs for 6th place. Brian Cleveland and Dave Birch came in 7th with 6.46 lbs. 8th place went to the team of Chip Christensen and Bob Foran while Greg Neibrugge came in 9th place.
Our next tournament is a club tournament also on ClintonLake Shelbyville on Saturday, November 30, 2019. Remember, all renewed and new memberships will be good through 2020. This is the only club tournament left in the year to boost your standings in the BnM Angler of the Year competition. Please join us on the 30th and enjoy a good fall day of fishing.
BnM AOY update
The Angler of the Year competition has certainly tightened. The top 2 teams are only 0.03 lbs apart. There will be onemore opportunity in the Clinton Club Tournament to change the standings. Two items to remember about the final club tournament for this competition. First, you must finish with a partner you have fished with in previous club tournaments. Secondly, your total will only include your best 4 club tournament weights, so you have an opportunity to use the upcoming results or not. Best Luck to all competitors.
Did someone lose a seat?
Ryan Stephens found a charcoal grey and blue ranger seat on the side of the road and was thinking it is from club member. If you lost this seat it will be at Chips Marine.
2019 November 30 Clinton Club
We might have picked a better day to hold this last tournament on Lake Clinton. Unfortunately, tournament dates are set far in advance and the challenge is to catch fish despite the weather. 12 boats entered the tournament with 11 boats weighing 7 fish. That demonstrates the quality of this club despite the strong winds and rain. Steve Zehr and Dave Nugent won the tournament with a weight of 6.07 lbs aided by a monster big fish for Clinton at 1.43 lbs. Second place went to Josh Nash and Dustin Reynolds with 5.62 lbs which is excellent on any day. Brian McClure and TJ Hewerdine took 3rd place with 5.19 lbs, while Shawn Shelby and Mike Hopkins came in 4th with 5.04 lbs. Rich and John GoodBrake were in 5th place followed by Brian Cleland and David Birch in 6th with 5.02 and 4.97 pounds, respectively.
Our next tournament is a club tournament also at Clinton on March 28, 2020. Please renew your membership and join us for another year of exciting tournament fishing.
BnM AOY Final
The Angler of the Year competition was certainly close for 2019. Your total only included your best 4 club tournament weights, so the results tightened considerably after the last tournament. The 2019 angler of the year were again John Carr and Roger Cox with 23.56 lbs for 4 tournaments. Jim Garrett and Greg Kaiser were second at 23.49 pounds only 0.07 lbs different over 4 tournaments. John Shelby and Mike Hopkins were third, but equally close at 23.48 lbs. Brian Cleveland and Dave Birch were in fourth place with 23.08 lbs. The big fish of the year was caught by the team of Rick Clifton and Bob Sarko on Lake Shelbyville weighing 1.59 lbs.
We congratulate the winners and look forward to next year's competition, which should be equally as close and exciting.
