Apparently met "the man" for info on crappie fishing today....

[leeinmemphis]

Hey guys,

Tonight I took my youngest boy with me to bass pro to get the stuff to make my jugs up for this summer. While there we were looking at the crappie poles and stuff because I have been wanting to try to do some trolling this spring. We were getting ready to leave because I honestly didn't quite know exactly what I needed and I hated buying the wrong stuff. Well I turned around and there was "Mr. Crappie" himself......Wally Marshal......heck it even said Mr. Crappie on his shirt he was wearing . I walked up to him and introduced myself and he was a super nice guy. I explained that I had a place at Pickwick and really needed some help for getting the right tackle and setup for trolling. He spent quite a bit of time showing me the ins and outs of what I needed to troll in pickwick and he also told me where I needed to get started. He showed me some crappie poles that were on sale and they were actually the poles with his name on it.....apparently I ran across a real celebrity in the crappie world. Man what a super nice guy to take that much time to help me get what I needed. Glad I did because I was looking at all of the wrong stuff. I'ld probably have never caught a fish :D .......


-lee-

[crappieseeker]

so tell us what he recommended as far as equipment and how and where to fish it

[leeinmemphis]

so tell us what he recommended as far as equipment and how and where to fish it

He recommended for me to work up to 8 poles on a spider rig on the front of my boat. I went ahead and bought 4 poles tonight and will work up on the other 4 poles after I get the hang of using 4. He suggested 12' poles and some little open face spinning reels that were for sale. Also to use 10# line with some #2 hooks(2 per line) and a 3/4 to 1oz lead on the bottom. I think that was about it for the setup of the tackle.

Then he told me that I needed to go look in the 20-25' water for crappie at the time of year at Pickwick. He was very helpful....Plus I had my youngest son with me and he kept asking Mr. Marshall questions......I explained that he had been adopted from Russia about 7 mos. ago and he spent a couple of minutes talking to him......really nice guy. That few minutes he spent probably just helped get a faithful customer.


-lee-

[unknown 5]

I am sure all of the "big name" pro fishermen put their pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us do. I wish I could make a living talking with fellow fishermen all day. I have never met Wally but from watching him on TV, he seems to be a great representitive of our sport.
You can be sure you got some good advise. And, you are to be commended for taking the time to teach your son about the great sport of ours. Too many fathers don't spend enough time with their children.

[socolais]

I rag on Wally in fun only because we played baseball together as kids. Wally really is probably the most knowledgeable person I know in most areas of crappie fishing. Strangely enough, even though we have both loved crappie fishing all of our lives we never have fished together. In many ways I envy him because he actually has done something most of us have only dreamed of, that is taking it to the next level. Wally has never forgotten his roots and has always been a real likeable guy willing to help whomever however he could. And yes, he is good with kids.

_____________
Mike
we do not see life as it is. we see life as we are

[Darryl Morris]

Yep! Know Wally personally and you pegged it right. He was there doing his job for BPS, but the only difference with many is, he means it. He's a good ole boy and hasn't forgotten where he came from. Sounds like a typical crappie fisherman to me. I know there are several other on this board too that are the same way. You're in good company.

[leeinmemphis]

I am sure all of the "big name" pro fishermen put their pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us do. I wish I could make a living talking with fellow fishermen all day. I have never met Wally but from watching him on TV, he seems to be a great representitive of our sport.
You can be sure you got some good advise. And, you are to be commended for taking the time to teach your son about the great sport of ours. Too many fathers don't spend enough time with their children.

Redtick....my boys are still a little young to be in the boat for long periods of time. They both just turned 4 and 5 years old in the last few months. I'm wanting to try to spend some time this spring/summer learning how to catch some crappie so that maybe next year I can take them with me some to learn how to catch some fish. I really love both hunting and fishing....unfortunately I am a MUCH better hunter than I could ever be of a fisherman.....but hopefully I'll at least learn how to become a decent fisherman. We've had our house at pickwick for about 10 years and I can't tell you how many times I've gone out bass fishing and come home absolutely skunked all weekend. But I'm hoping that trying new things like trolling for crappie and jug fishing will put a little variety into my fishing and make it more "fresh and enjoyable". I did that for my deer hunting last year and it really made my enthusiasm come back to it.....plus I killed two Pope and Young bucks last year so that didn't hurt either

-lee-

[unknown 5]

I am a coon, rabbit, and squirrel hunter at heart but when hunting season isn't in, fishing season is in.

[socolais]

Lee,
When my son was small and he went fishing with me, I always made sure he took some of his favorite toys to play with, especially when we were in the boat. Fortunately I was using a pontoon boat and it was easy for him to have his play area while I was trying to locate the fish. Once we found them he would fish for a while, but he always went back to playing after a while. Sometimes I would put the poles away and sit down and play with him, then we have lunch together. It isn't always about catching, more like making the memories. Today, at the age of 23 he is a much more patient fisherman than I am, although we catch about the same amount most of the time. Still he and I both probably savor the memories of our fishing times together more than anything.


Mike_______________
we do not see life as it is, we see life as we are.

[FalconSmitty]

I am eating my crow pie. He sent me a nice PM full of tips and an offer to help in anyway. He seems to be a very down to earth and nice guy.