Tom Sawvell
Tom Sawvell, A.K.A. Crappie Tom, is an experienced angler from the Rochester area with decades of experience fishing many of the local bodies of water. As his name would lead you to believe, Tom is a crappie specialist but he is also well-versed with a multitude of other species. His primary focus will be to provide timely info regarding the fishing on Lake Zumbro and the other local bodies of water.
A bit more about Tom, in his own words…
“I am 53 years of age, a lifelong resident of Rochester and have fished, quite frankly, everywhere one can fish from the Whitman Dam to the Red Wing Dam; Lake Zumbro -extensively; the Zumbro River system, some of the Root River system and at one time or another, every creek, pond, reservoir around Rochester. My forte is in the crappie world, followed by walleye/sauger and then the panfish. I am a stern devotee of plastics and advocate thier use instead of live bait with the exception of waxies. I journal my Crappie fishing in the spring months and have done so for over twenty years. I am a staunch believer in eating fish, but keeping only what one can eat at a time and rigidly practice selective harvest. I grew up with a father and had to learn how to fish on my own. I have had a rod since the age of eight when an uncle gave me an old one he no longer used. Today I build rods, have a jig making business, make custom arrows, actively hunt deer and turkey-even make my own sausage and jerky,but mostly am a carpenter who is self employed. College was spent in the sciences and psychs. I do some guiding on Lake Zumbro.In the winter months I spend as much time at the Red Wing Dam as possible and when the weather will not permit that, I ice fish locally. As soon as there is a natural hole in the ice large enough to cast into on Lake Zumbro, I fish crappies until the end of thier spawn.
Mike Smith, who is in the hospital as he had an appendix operation asked me to be sure and welcome Tom to the Forum and said that he looks forward to working with his friend Tom on the site.
. it’ll be nice to have another rochester guy around this joint. 