Crappie USA held a two-day super tournament that featured amateur and semi-pro divisions that competed Friday and Saturday in Columbus.
Teams as far away as Arkansas and Kentucky came to the area in hopes of cashing in on cash and prizes.
Thirty teams competed in the amateur division, while 19 teams competed in the semi-pro division.
Mother Nature was no friend to the teams that entered the tournament. Local rains that averaged the two-inch mark made our local waterway a “mud hole.” The tournament format allowed teams to drive to the body of water they would fish instead of having to lock through to the Aberdeen or Aliceville lakes.
Aberdeen received heavier rainfall in than Columbus. Those who fished in Aliceville were greeted with a larger area of clearer water.
Not only was the waterway a challenge but the weather made things difficult, too. A cold front passed through behind the storms, dropping overnight temperatures into freezing. Blue-bird skies followed once the sun rose above the trees.
Even with adverse conditions, anglers in both divisions posted better than average weights at the scales each day. All teams making the pay window reported catching 70 to more than 100 crappie in the two days. Different methods of catching fish varied, but one lure color choice seemed to be consistent. After the final weigh-in, the constant with lure color was a combination of black and chartreuse.
The winners of the semi-pro division were Gilford Sipes of Moody, Ala., and Shannon Sipes, of Ashville, Ala. The team fished the Aliceville Lake and posted a final weight of 21.52 pounds. The weight was good enough for a $3,000 pay check.
The second place team of Steve Coleman and Ronnie Capps, of Tiptonville, Tenn., also fished the Aliceville pool and weighed in a 20.24 pounds, which was good enough for a $1,000 check.
The third place team was a local team of Willis Bonner and Larry Baldridge, of Columbus. The home team weighed in 19.68 pounds and took home a $600 check.
The fourth place team, Tim Fields of Bankston, Ala., and Mickey McAlpin, of Fayette, Ala., brought 19.27 pounds to the scales and took the final check of $400.
In the amateur division, Jessie and Nonna Wright, of Fayette, Ala., won with 19.77 pounds and took home a check for $2,000. This team also fished the Aliceville pool.
The second-place finish went to Chuck Justice, of Louisville. Justice fished the Aberdeen pool and posted a total weight of 18.06 pounds.
Third place went to Larry Fulton, of Brooksville, and Greg Abercrombie, of Brandon, with a total weight of 17.70 pounds.
Terry Barnes, of Nettleton, and Joe Shackleford, of Amory, finished fourth with 15.85 pounds.
In fifth, the team of John Feagin and Matthew Feagin, of Mayfield, Ky., weighed in 14.57 pounds.
The last paying place went to Eric and Janet Fenstemaker, of Maryville, Tenn., with 14.67 pounds.
The big fish of the two-day event was caught by Tommy and Wayne Nichols, of Fayette, Ala. It weighed 2.60 pounds. The crappie was big enough for the $400 prize. Gilford Sipes, of Moody, Ala. and Shannon Sipes, of Ashville, Ala., caught the second largest crappie of the tournament, weighing 2.58 pounds. This fish was good enough for the $100 check.
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