Tennessee Road Trip

Just returned from my most recent road trip to sunny warm Tennessee to hook up with my fellow Strike King Pro Team members at the annual writers conference.

I arrived a few days earlier and headed to Blue Bank Resort on Reelfoot Lake in Hornbeak TN to fish/film a crappie show with my buddy Billy Blakley, spider rigging Rage Tail grubs amongst the stump infested lake and had a blast "stump jumpin" and watching those slab crappie pull our slip floats under all morning long. Caught a bunch of alternate species including Long Nosed Gar, sheephead and yellow bass.
Fishing with Billy is always a blast of fun, sharing crappie tips and laughs.

Headed to Paris Landing TN on friday so I could hook up with my buddies Tim Blackley and Jackie Van Cleave, the two newest Strike King Crappie pro team members and fish/film on Kentucky lake for more white slabs while they we`re practising for the upcoming Crappie USA Classic this wknd.
Boy, do these guys know there Crappie!
It was a real eye opener on how they prepare and scout new areas for tournament crappie fishing.
Fished most of the day in water depths ranging from 10-16 feet and put some real nice fish in the boat.

Finished off the day with a good old fashioned cook out with Mr. crappie as our main guest of honour with Tim`s buddy Bob who prepared everything from white beans, hush puppies and deep fried slabs with some ice cold pops, now that was "extreme".
Had a day to prepare for the Strike King pro team conference only a few miles up the interstate from Tim`s place at Fish Tale Lodge on Kentucky lake out of Paris Landing.

Fished and filmed with the the likes of KVD, Shaw Grigsby, James Niggemeyer, Mark Menendez, Mark Rose, Hack Attack, Denny Brauer, Jonathan Vandam, Luke Estel, Mark Davis and many other regional pro team members throughout the four days of the conference.

Also had the chance to test some NEW Strike King baits and colors for next year including a new drop shot bait that is out of this world and has been used by most of the guys on the team this year with some first place results...(I`ll be using it this week on some northern smallies), I can`t wait.

I have to mention, fishing and filming with these ELITE pros is a humbling experience let me tell you. You get to a level of angling where you pretty much think you have things worked out to a certain degree and then step in the boat with these guys and watch as they put on a clinic with casting prowess and overall angling skill, its an incredible experience.

Check out this shot of myself with KVD and Shaw Grigsby having a little fun in the backround...
good times with great folks.

I have a few days to test some of my new baits on my fav lakes this wknd and get ready for another great road trip next week to an amazing location in Indiana, the French Lick Resort with my better half....truly blessed.