Everyone knows I only use Lucas Oil products in my equipment, but I had to share the picture of this boat with everyone. This was taken at the American Crappie Trail event on Neely Henry lake in Gasdsen, Alabama.

In covering the American Crappie Trail event at Neely Henry lake this weekend I noticed two distinct things.

First,  Evinrude is a extremely popular motor  among crappie anglers.

Second, Power-pole is nearly required equipment for serious crappie anglers, but not for what you think. Most of these folks have the poles and have installed the paddles. Rather than shallow water anchors they are used for drift control.

They are both sponsors of Americas most prestigious crappie trail, The American Crappie Trail.

As I watched the sun come up over the ridge at Lake Guntersville for the first morning of the 2018 season I had to smile. I have grown to love this lake and the town of Scottsboro Alabama. Most people come here to relax and enjoy the area, Some come to chase the highly publicized bass population. Then there are the rest of us who know this lake to be one of the finest crappie lakes in the Tennessee River chain of lakes. I have never figured out why people don’t know about the massive population of large crappie in this lake. In a way I am glad they don’t, as I have enjoyed the crappie fishing for a long time with little competition.

The fishing is best from February through April down here for us. After that the grass starts to take over. The fishing can still be good but the grass complicates my style of fishing. However, the guys fishing the bridges and those pulling crankbaits over open water stay successful all season. That’s just the Big G for you, she will give you world class fish all year long if you just listen to the ole girl.

The only problem fishing here in the spring is the unpredictable wind and its impact on boat control but, that’s a factor that can be dealt with, the fishery makes it all worth it. On a side note this lake can hurt you if you’re not careful so you do have to be cognizant of the wind and what direction it is blowing. That said a quality PFD and kill switch are a things you don’t forget when running the main lake.

The best section of the lake, for more reasons than fishing, is the Scottsboro area up to the inlet to the Stevenson park. The multitude of shallow bays and tree ridden creek arms make the perfect place to find slab crappie. The early spring is my favorite time on the lake, The fish are in schools out off  the spawning areas, Generally they are holding in 10-14 feet of water and are easy target for long line trolling or spider rigging, my two favorite methods of fishing.

The other main reason I like this end of the lake is the area. Scottsboro, unlike other towns on the lake, understands the impact the lake has on the local economy and uses it to their advantage. The people are always super nice and kind, and the town as a whole seems to appreciate the anglers business. We have made lifelong friendships here.

Accommodations in the part of the lake are top shelf as well. Camping is the areas strong point and, although we used Goose Pond for years, the Jackson county park is the campers jewel. Its location is perfect and the facilities are outstanding. The prices there are much more reasonable than the city ran Goose Pond. It never hurts to have a world class BBQ place right in the marina either!

So you want to be a pro staffer

So you’re a great angler and you think you want to raise your game to that proverbial next level. Now you want to get on a pro staff. First you have to understand that the pro staff world has been badly diluted, since the onset of social media, yet it’s still a mandatory stepping stone. Second is that you can no longer just be a good fisherman, and still stay relevant in today’s market. Third and most important is that these positions are now part of a growing business model, that means you have to be a business professional first and angler second. So given these facts there are things you can do in searching out a pro staff position that can help you along the way. Rather than write of my own experience I spoke with three large outdoor companies pro staff managers and two professional anglers.

Social Media is the most interesting topic to me because it still seems to be all over the board. I asked Engle Coolers, B’n’M poles, and Jenko Fishing pro staff managers the same question. “On a scale of 1-10 how important is a large social media presence in your pro staff decisions?”

Chris Holloway of Engle coolers replied that it’s a 10 for them. They first look at an applicant’s social media following in the vetting process. It’s important to Engle that an applicant has a large following on Facebook, twitter, and Instagram. They equate followers and potential new customers. In the highly competitive world of high end coolers this actually makes sense. You ability as a fisherman or Hunter is secondary to your social media following here. Even though as an angler I don’t agree that social media trumps actual ability, I can see their point. The best angler does not always make the best use of the social media platforms available.

Kent Driscoll of B’n’M poles replied that it is a 6 for them and he feels it will become more important to them in the future. They currently focus more in different areas.

Tony Shephard of Jenko Fishing replied that social media presence is the first thing he looks at in potential applicants. They are able to help an average angler along if they are well spoken on social media.

Outdoor Resume is another big question in the industry. I asked all three managers how important a resume was when looking at a new applicant. Much like social media this topic is night and day. The resume indicates a commitment to professionalism in some circles and is seen as just another piece of paper in others.

Chris Holloway of Engle Coolers  replied That it’s not the first thing they look at but it is relevant during the process.

Kent Driscoll of B’n’M poles said this is the first thing he looks for. He has seen that anglers who take the time to make a resume tend to be more businesslike in their approach to both companies and the general public. They also like to see the chronological track record of all applicants, the resume is the perfect vehicle to do just that.

Tony Shephard of Jenko Fishing replied they do also want to see a resume on each applicant during the process. As he so eloquently stated, “This is a business and we want people who will represent the brand well”.

Finally I asked about Appearance to each manager. Appearance meaning not just the way an applicant dresses in their photographs and social media posts but, how they portray themselves while setting behind a computer screen. To properly discuss appearance its need to be broken down into a couple subtopics. First is visual appearance second is virtual appearance, as in social media perception.

In Visual appearance all three companies are looking to see if the applicants maintain a professional appearance. Do they wear their jersey at tournaments and media events? Most are just looking to insure you are willing to represent their brand is a professional manner. The fishing industry gets a bad rap of being a group of country folks who always wear sleeveless t-shirts and dirty jeans.

In virtual appearance they are looking to see how you represent yourself on social media. Are you well spoken or do you post rants about a litany of things that are way to controversial for them to share on their website. Most agree it’s best to build a professional page and keep it separate from your personal social media accounts.

I also spoke with two of crappie fishing’s most famous and successful anglers, Whitey Outlaw and Ronnie Capps. They both gave the same reply when I asked them to tell me one piece of advice for aspiring professional anglers. Both said “Do not over promise what you can do” and “Conduct yourself as an ambassador to the sport at all times”.

Troy Basso is a freelance writer and Photographer from Chapel Hill, Tennessee. He can be reached through his website at www.troybassooutdoors.com

Well the good news is the crappie will bite even in the cold. The bad news is the river is still very high and muddy in places. Today we ventured out to the lake and managed to scratch out enough for supper before the coffee ran out. The bites were scarce but, when you did get bit it was a quality fish. We fished the B’n”M Capps and Coleman double minnow rigs but, we replaced the bottom hook with a Charlie Brewers Crappie Slider in Grass Hopper Green. The fish were suspended at 17 feet over deep brush piles. The lake has dropped to 43, that may explain why it was a “one here and one there” type day. It is cold and there is a little more current than I like but all in all it was a great day.