Thursday, October 16, 2008
For the second time in three years, the Miami County team of Mike Walters of Troy and Rick Solomon of Piqua has captured the Crappie USA national points championship. The team clinched the title by finishing fourth last weekend in the Cabela's Crappie USA Classic on Indiana's Patoka Lake.
They won $1,500 for finishing fourth and added $1,000 cash and a $1,000 Cabela's gift certificate for the points title.
They finished with 12 pounds of crappies.
"We were pleased we were able to move up after being in seventh place the first day," Walters said. "It's a small lake and when you put that many people on it (262 anglers), it creates a lot of pressure. We've won there before, but we've also had some tough days."
The winning team was John Woods and Tracy McIntosh of Tennessee, with a two-day total of 18.36 pounds. They won a boat, motor and several bonus prizes.
Roger and Sue Simonson of St. Marys finished in fifth place with a weight of 11.54 pounds. They won $1,100 and were named top male/female team in the Semi-Pro Division.
For a complete list of tournament standings and photos, visit crappieusa.com, then go to tournament results.