• Do you know Tiffany? by Brad Wiegmann



    It might seem a little strange, but do you know Tiffany? In the predominantly male sport of fishing female participation is often limited in numbers. However, Tiffany Usrey is one of the small number of females breaking barriers and opening the door for other female anglers to be a part of the sport.


    For Tiffany fishing started at an early age with her Father and Grandfather going out catfishing and trout fishing. “Catching catfish with Dad and Grandpa was always an adventure, but it was different from when we went trout fishing. Trout were more aggressive and they would attack your power bait, however, crappie fishing and bites are more subtle requiring better fishing equipment and paying attention to bites along with learning the different techniques for catching crappie,” said Tiffany.


    Tiffany spent time fishing, however, her development as an angler grew once she married Beaver Lake Crappie Guide Payton Usrey. “I have gone full circle from having someone takeoff my fish seven to eight years ago to now making decisions on equipment, lure colors to locations to fish. Now I even fish in crappie tournaments on Beaver Lake in Arkansas,” said Tiffany.



    Tournament fishing can be challenging with any fishing partner, but Tiffany and Payton have figured out with a successful tournament career. Recently, the couple won the two day LO Vanzant Crappie Tournament out of Hickory Creek on Beaver Lake in Arkansas. Working as a team, Tiffany and Payton maximize fishing time by having their own task during a tournament or even when they are out fishing for fun.


    “I can back the truck up when he needs me to for loading the boat, however, I don’t drive the boat. There’s no need to since he guides and knows the lake a lot better than me. As for maintaining fishing gear like putting on fishing line, I let him do that too, but that’s because he is extremely particular when it comes to doing things like that; nevertheless, we work together as a team because we both have our own strength and weaknesses,” said Tiffany.


    The night before a crappie tournament they will come up with a game plan for catching crappie. Once they know it “game-on” once the tournament has started. Payton even gave her the credit for the win in the recent tournament. “Her persistence kept us in the winning location,” said Payton.



    Similar to other anglers, Tiffany has her favorite ways to fish for crappie. “I like bobber fishing and spider rigging for crappie. In fact, my B’n’M Poles (www.bnmpoles.com) Bucks Graphite Rod is perfect for when I’m bobber fishing. It’s lightweight and really easy for me to cast, set the hook along with landing a crappie. Together, we have gotten into spider rigging and the new Garmin LiveScope is making a difference in our fishing. Although, I like bobber fishing and spider rigging, however, I’m still working on my skills shooting docks. I just have to remember that he’s really, really good at it,” said Tiffany.


    When it comes to lures, Tiffany likes Bobby Garland Crappie Baits (Bobby Garland(R)) the 2-inch Baby Shad in Lightsout and Monkey Milk rigging it on a Skipper Jigs 1/8-ounce jighead. “One thing I can tell you is that crappie are picky and often I will be changing colors or asking Payton to change the color patterns. As for tips for crappie fishing, I would tell other anglers to be patient. The more patience you are the better. Also fish slow and brushy spots always have crappie,” said Tiffany.



    Currently, Tiffany along with her husband Payton are sponsored by Bobby Garland Crappie Baits and B’n’M Poles. Together, the couple this year has spoken at Crappie University and Crappie Madness. Tiffany often finds it easier for other female anglers to ask her questions at seminars. Tiffany noted that for female anglers everything is changing for the good and it’s great to have more females out crappie fishing for fun or fishing in tournaments.
    This article was originally published in forum thread: Do you know Tiffany? by Brad Wiegmann started by Slab View original post
    Comments 4 Comments
    1. "G"'s Avatar
      "G" -
      Good read
    1. Slab's Avatar
      Slab -
      Thanks for the article.
    1. Barnacle Bill's Avatar
      Barnacle Bill -
      Great report.
    1. ET Fish's Avatar
      ET Fish -
      Great article!
  • .

BACK TO TOP