BLUE BANK RESORT OFFERS HOLIDAY FUN

Crappie Fishing On Reelfoot

EDITOR'S NOTE: This holiday season, take your family to Blue Bank Resort in Tiptonville, Tennessee, for an outdoor experience they won't forget. You and your family can fish, hunt and bird watch with some of the greatest guides in the Southeast. Jackie Wayne Van Cleave, of Samburg, Tennessee, guides for crappie, bluegill, bass, catfish and ducks at the resort on Reelfoot Lake.

QUESTION: How long have you fished at Reelfoot Lake?
VAN CLEAVE: Around 30 years.

QUESTION: Tell me how you crappie fish Reelfoot Lake.
VAN CLEAVE: We spider fish with rigs and troll around - fanning out anywhere from six to 12 poles. We use double rigs -- 2-hook rigs floats and put them on the line with rigs without floats. We drift around in the stump beds and catch crappie.

QUESTION: Tell me about the stump beds and what created them?
VAN CLEAVE: They were created when the lake was formed back in 1811 or 1812 during an earthquake. The land just sunk, then the Mississippi River poured into it and filled it up.

QUESTION: Tell me about the crappie in the lake. What is the best time of year to fish for them?
VAN CLEAVE: Crappie is a good fish for October, November, December, January, February, March, April and the first two weeks of May. Then they pan out. When the weather starts getting hot, they just float out.

QUESTION: What do you expect to catch in a day of fishing?
VAN CLEAVE: On a good day of crappie fishing, we'll usually keep anywhere from 50 to 70 crappie, that will weigh 1- to 3-pounds each.

QUESTION: How many will you actually catch?
VAN CLEAVE: Usually I'll catch around 200 in a day of fishing.

QUESTION: How many poles does each person have to watch?
VAN CLEAVE: They have two poles per person they have to watch. Crappie fishing gets hectic sometimes when the little ones start biting. Watching them and the stumps too can become a handful.

QUESTION: You also catch catfish don't you?
VAN CLEAVE: Yes, you catfish while you crappie fish.

QUESTION: How many catfish do you usually catch in a day?
VAN CLEAVE: Anywhere from four to 15. The number of catfish we catch depends on how good they are feeding.

If you want to spend the holidays at Blue Bank Resort on Reelfoot Lake, call
(877) BLUEBANK, or check out the Web site www.bluebankresort.com.

TOMORROW: DUCK HUNTING ON REELFOOT