Magnolia Crappie Club to start 23rd season at Grenada Lake

Iowa fisherman Chuck Mathieson won the Magnolia Crappie Club's 2012 Big Mama Open with this 2.91-pounder at Grenada Lake.

The 4th annual Big Mama Open coincides with first club tournament

Spiritually, there is no price that can be put on the feel of the thump, the tug on the line and the taste on the tongue of every crappie a fisherman catches in a lifetime.

But, the Magnolia Crappie Club has put a monetary value on a few fish caught Sept. 21 at Grenada Lake.

One of the lake’s famous slab crappie could be worth as much as $2,500 in the MCC’s Fourth Annual Big Mama Open, which will be held in conjunction with the Club’s first tournament of its 2013-14 season.

“It’s two tournaments in one, our regular event, which is the first of our new season, and then the Big Mama Open, which is open to anyone who wants to fish it,” said MCC past president Paul Johnson of Brandon. “The Open is just that, open to anyone who wants to pay the $100 per boat entry fee.

“The top prize is $1,500 for the biggest fish weighed, but it can grow to $2,500 thanks to bonuses offered by Bandit Lures and B&M Poles. They each will add $500 if the winning fish was caught on one of their products.”

The second biggest fish will merit $500 and third place is $400.

No team can claim more than one of the prizes, since, as Johnson put it, “the Open has a one-fish, weigh-in limit.”

Because of the two-tournaments-in-one format, the Big Mama Open is the largest event on the annual Magnolia Crappie Club schedule. Johnson said that instead of the usual 40-boat field, as many as 100 boats are expected at Grenada.

On Friday night before the tournament, all teams entered are invited — its mandatory to attend the registration and rules meeting — to a BBQ event hosted by War Eagle Boats, Magnolia Crappie Club and Grenada Tourism. It is free to tournament teams and their guests.

The 2013-14 club season, its 23rd year, includes monthly tournaments through May. After kicking off at Grenada, the schedule has stops Oct. 19 at Wolf Lake, Nov. 16 at Sardis Lake, Dec. 14 at Chotard/Eagle (you can fish your choice), Jan. 11 at Chotard, Feb. 22 at Lake Washington, March 15 at Grenada Lake, April 12 at Barnett Reservoir and May 3 at Enid Lake.

The May 3 event will be part of the city of Water Valley’s World’s Largest Crappie Festival, which celebrates the world record crappie caught nearly 60 years ago at Enid Lake.

For more information on any of the events and the club, visit it online at magnoliacrappieclub.com.

About Bobby Cleveland 1343 Articles
Bobby Cleveland has covered sports in Mississippi for over 40 years. A native of Hattiesburg and graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, Cleveland lives on Ross Barnett Reservoir near Jackson with his wife Pam.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply