Crawford the New MN State Champ!!

Congrats to Jeremy Crawford for Winning the MN State Federation Tournament!!!

Congrats JC!

Boy, wonder how much it annoys the Northerners that the winner comes from the “Land of 35 Lakes?” The South wind must’ve prevented me from hearing the collective crying as the winner drove south across the border.

^5’s JC

Lets here how you did it !!

Congrats JC..I got your message you sounded happy as all helll on the phone!!

I call ya tomorrow!!

That a boy Crawford

Congrats! We all are HONORED to have you on the board! Err… OWNING the board!

What was the winning weight? Biggest fish?

And, how was it caught? Where? With what? Presentation?

Way to go JC. I have read JC’s posts and got a ton of information and watched as some have taken their shots at him. I believe the old expression is “it ain’t braggin if you do it”. Well Mr. Crawford, I guess you have shown everyone you can walk the walk as well as talk the talk. My hat is off to you sir.

Congrats JC,
Way to go!
You DA MAN!

JEREMY, CONGRATS ON THE BIG WIN. THAT IS A NICE FEATHER IN THE CAP. I MADE THE WISCONSIN STATE TEAM, SO I WILL GET TO FISH AGAINST YOU IN SOUTH DAKOTA IN THE REGIONAL. GOOD LUCK, TONY

Congrats big boy. All that work paid off. Enjoy it.

First of all I would like to thank the Academy… -big grin-

Thanks all for your kind words. This tournament was as messed up anything I have ever fished. The Smallies were going all week until the cold fronts came. Then it seemed like everything switched. I burnt a few hours chasing them hoping for a few bites but as luck would have it I blanked. Around noon each day I went for my safety largemouth bite and they cooperated nicely. 2 days, 4 fish no cull per day ended up at 18.18 or there a bouts. People like Moss Boss, Haywood, and Jhall unbeknownst to them helped as well. Everyone who posted results on weekend trips and the other helped me establish normal weights and what I should expect on some of the northern pools. I opted for pool 7 as you all probably figured out. We found fish doing what we do best. Just going fishing and letting the fish tell us what is going on. Having 6 days on the water with nothing but you and some fish can really get you focused.

On to the good stuff.

If you all read the paper you will get the Tube on the Wingdams routine… -bigger grin-

I found my fish using cranks and Funky Worms. If you all are still tossing tubes you might be missing the boat. The tube bite has really gone away with what I suspect is too much pressure. What ever the reason I have all but buried them in the bottom of my tackle box. The fish were relating to the main channel and all but absent from the sloughs. The largemouth have set up like they are minor current smallies and willing to chase. With the temps pushing the water below 70 the slop bite really picks up in the afternoon when the water temp hits 75. Why 5 degrees makes so much difference is beyond me but it plays out year after year. Without giving up specific baits all I can say it that when you can’t get bit matching the hatch go WAY different. Better Run.

Jc

Can people from one state fish on anothers state team?

Ryab

Looks that way huh….
Actually anyone can fish them. I belong to a club called Tri-State. We have members from WI, MN, and Ia. I would fish the Iowa division is they would go to waters that have more than just BullHead and Catfish.

jc

There’s waters here that have more than bullheads and catfish???

Oh yeah… Carp!

Hey,

I’ve caught some nice smallies in the Upper Iowa River? i think that’s what it was called.

Don’t forget giant 10 lb Doggies, too!

Speaking of 10 lb. Dog fish, and the fact that REELGUY was hammering the hell out of them (Literally)….What do you guys do w/rough fish like that….do you throw them back, or ashore? What do guys think of killing overpopulated rough fish like that?

I wouldn’t say the Bowfin is overpopulated. I guess it is a rough fish, but it is also a native fish, and a predator, and it also plays an important role in the ecosystem, as it can survive in waters with lower DO than other fish. It is not the same as Carp in my book, with are a non-native species who can do alot of harm to the ecosystem.

I’m not preaching, in fact, I killed more than a couple of doggies in my earlier days. Just the more I’ve learned, the more I’ve come to respect them. They are one mean hombre in the boat though. They really like to clamp down on pliers put in their mouths!!

I agree..just checking thoughts, I know lots of people still throw doggies, sheepies, carp etc on shore when they catch them..I’ve done it my fair share times i know…And doggies will hammer your spinner baits. When they do, don’t expect to salvage the lure…it’s done for!!!

I concur with MossBoss. My wife and I are avid environmentalists (please no not read “tree huggers,” only intensive responsible outdoorsman/woman, heck gotta have a 2-stroke, right!? )

Anyway, NATIVE species should be left and cherished, while the non-natives should be removed, unless otherwise understoon and managed (i.e. Great Lakes Trout and Salmon.)

As for doggies, during Tourney’s they are a pain, but on any other given outing… YEAH BABY! Bowfin are fun. Everyone knows about jaw spreaders, right? The black or silver spring steal to get lures out? I put a pair in about a 10 lb doggie and he CLOSED his mouth… I was AMAZED! Good for him!

As for Sea Lamphy, Asian Carp… ABSOLUTELY KILL THESE. I don’t mean throw on shore, I mean KILL them, then throw on shore – these species can live for HOURS on shore and often can flip back to the water. Pound, ’em, baby!

Good fishing.

Ryan..you crack me up…lol

As a competitor I know how tough the tournament was which makes JC’s status even bigger. We lost time to barges and locking and at least a 3-hour delay because of fog on day 2. The bite was off big time and my confidence I could get fish to bite wasted several hours. I ended up scrambling for 3 fish on day one just ran out of time on day two. Sounds like JC had a couple of dependable spot that paid off for him. JC, maybe you could let the group know what happened with Pokegma and the DNR.

Dear JC,

Congratulations !

See, you’re really more than just another pretty face

I’m glad you did so well.

Wow, I’m almost all celebritied out!

My three BFL traveling/prefishing partners were in the top 25, JC wins and I’m on fish on Little Cedar and Beaver Dam !

Life’s good

Later, boys

OnTheWater

Of course there are gamefish here in Iowa, just don’t let the word out.

Good job, Jeremy. I have a new idol to live vicariously through .

Way to go Jeremy. That makes two board users two differant State champs. Champman I believe won the Wisconsin State

Quote:

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Looks that way huh….
Actually anyone can fish them. I belong to a club called Tri-State. We have members from WI, MN, and Ia. I would fish the Iowa division is they would go to waters that have more than just BullHead and Catfish.

jc
Better not be talkin about my water JC.Althgough I did catch 2 7lb channels out of my favorite weedbed on Sunday. Congrats on the big win !

Jeremy,

I already did this in an e-mail, but one can never get
enough applause . Congratulations on winning the MN
State Champ title!

Big Bass Bane

It is one thing to win a tourney , but it tells you a lot more about a guy when he does it in far from perfect conditions. The best fishermen stick out when the fishing is most difficult. Lot’s of guys would give up after the bite they planned on wasn’t there and others like myself will stay with that bite that isn’t happening all day instead of making the adjustment that makes more sense like you did. Glad it payed off for you.

Congrats JC!! Way to go!!! Thanks, Bill