With the Bob Hirsch Crappie Classic in the books, we wanted to post a few pictures of the event and express our gratitude to the many people who helped make it happen. Sorry this post is long but there are a lot of people who make the AZCA (and NCL) run successfully.
Thank you to National Crappie League’s Crappie fisherman of arizona group. This group is led by Cameron, Randy, Matthew, and Brian but really is made whole by the entire community of crappie fishermen and women who contribute by posting content, asking questions, providing tips, etc. including their weekly fishing report live stream they often do Monday evenings. We hope to see you this coming Saturday, October 14th at Roosevelt Lake (Windy Hill) where the NCL tournament will take place. And if not next week, you won't want to miss the NCL tournament back at Lake Pleasant on Saturday, November 11th along with the 1st Annual Veteran's Tournament hosted by the NCL Crappie Fisherman of Arizona on that Sunday, November 12th.
Thank you to Dave Thompson as he helped bring and buy supplies for the fish fry, and then led the fish fry on Saturday. Thanks to Larry Larsen and Bill Poppert for helping execute the fish fry successfully. Both Larry and Dave have been officers/leaders of the AZCA in the past and while not in any official role, they are leveraged greatly in helping guide the AZCA along the way and ensuring success of the big AZCA events, as well as contributing to lake reports and such on the azcrappie.com website.
Thank you to Tommy Fishman, the AZCA treasurer. He not only manages the AZCA funds, posting monthly balances in the AZCA forum, he also runs the raffle, poker games, etc. for the events and contributes to lake reports and such on the azcrappie.com website.
Thank you to Cameron Gilliam at Cameron's Custom Jigs. We purchased a raffle prize from him and he also donated some hand-tied jigs as well. Cameron is the Vice President of the Arizona Crappie Association and he has played a key role in helping bring the NCL to Arizona last year and again this year has been vital to the health of both the AZCA and NCL in Arizona.
Thank you to Randy Howton at AZ Crappie Sniper Guide Service. He helped procure some great raffle prizes for us, but also has been very helpful to countless crappie fishermen and women. Randy is a professional guide and whether or not you are a crappie newbie or experienced crappie slayer, Randy's guided trips will never let you down. Randy not only gets you on crappie, but can teach you (if you want) on techniques, reading your graphs, etc. Randy's fishing reports have opened up my eyes to other crappie fishing techniques I hope to improve on over the next year.
Thank you to Bruce Ivor our long-time member who is our connection with Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD). Bruce uses his established contacts to help include the AZCA in AZGFD events like habitat installs, crappie stockings, and the annual Christmas tree drops. He also helps let AZCA members know about lake dock updates and other lake long-term plans being discussed by AZGFD, Tonto National Forest, and Arizona State Parks.
Thank you to Kevin Morgan, the AZCA Membership Director. Kevin saw a need by the club at the last event and he offered to step up and take on that role as membership director.
Thank you to Tim Fitzgerald (aka Timbo), who successfully ran the past 6+ years of AZCA tournaments. While he officially stepped down from that role, he was still out there at the BHCC helping in multiple ways to ensure the launch and weighin went without a hitch.
Thank you to Randy Howton, Cameron Gilliam, Matthew Picklesimer, JT Butler, Florin Nesiu, and all others who cleaned all of the fish both Friday and Saturday. There were a lot of fish cleaned and they took on that job with no complaint and did a great job.
Thank you to Liars Korner Bait and Tackle for donating several prizes for our raffle. One of our members had an issue with a few dozen minnows purchased there that died quickly once they got to the lake, so Liars Korner sent more minnows with another member. I say it's the best local bait and tackle shop in the east valley, thanks Courtney and Michelle.
Thank you to Brian Bernard at Mudshark Marine. We purchased a gift certificate for the raffle and Brian donated another gift certificate, 2 hats, 2 shirts, and cup for the raffle. If you need any work done on your boat, check out his shop as he does a profession job.
Thank you to Matthew Picklesimer at AZ Lead Works as we purchased some raffle prizes through him and he donated a few items. Matthew sells his stuff at AZCA and NCL events so be sure and reach out to him for any of your fishing weight needs. I like the weedless jig heads but he has a lot of other stuff as well.
Thank you to Robert and Paula Swindle from The Minnow Bucket. We purchased a raffle prize through them and they also donated one as well, and offered to open the Minnow Bucket for extended hours last weekend. The Minnow Bucket is sadly closing on October 15th, but will still be open October 13th and 14th, likely offering some great discounts not only on minnows but much of the crappie gear they have.
We had a great turnout at the raffle, with substantial raffle ticket purchases, which ensured we weren't in the red for the raffle prizes. I saw a few AZCA members and non-members contribute financially by purchasing raffle tickets. And of course, AZCA members contribute financially when they renew their annual membership with the AZCA every April.
