Shooting Crappie fishing isn't the first outdoor activity that comes to mind for most sportsmen in December. Yet last weekend I was out fishing with professional crappie angler, Travis Bunting, on Lake of the Ozarks. It was cold but worth it. We caught fish and I was able to learn a few lessons from one of the best crappie anglers in the country.
Travis and his father, Charlie, are one of the top crappie fishing teams competitively fishing tournaments today. They live in Jefferson City, Missouri and travel all over the country chasing
crappie. They won the coveted 2012 Crappie Masters Classic on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in northern Mississippi, and back in 2005 they won the Crappie USA Classic on Patoka Lake in southern Indiana.
Travis and Charlie are fortunate that their hard work has paid off and sponsors have taken notice.
"If it wasn't for our sponsors we wouldn't be able to do what we would.
And we're real lucky to have some of the best sponsors in the industry,"
| Name | Position | Class | Ht/Wt | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damario Ambrose | DE | FR | 6-5, 250 | Mobile, Ala/ Davidson High School |
| Brandon Barnett | RB | SO | 5-10/190 | Texarkana Arkanas HS/Butler Count CC |
| Jake Bequette | TE | FR | 6-5/252 | Little Rock Catholic HS |
| Freddy Burton | LB | SO | 5-10/190 | Morrilton/Morrilton HS |
| Adrian Campbell | DE | FR | 6-5/250 | Richardson, Texas/Berkner HS |
| Joe Chaisson | QB | FR | 6-3/185 | Beaumont, Texas/West Brook HS |
| Grant Cook | OL | FR | 6-6/310 | Jonesboro/Jonesboro HS |
| Kareem Crowell | OL | FR | 6-4/315 | Tallahassee, Fla./Godby HS/Hargrave Academy |
| Tim Dial | LB | FR | 6-3/215 | Jenks, Okla./Jenks HS |
| Nathan Dick | QB | FR | 6-4/210 | Allen, Texas/Allen HS |
| Juwan Franklin | RB | FR | 6-1/210 | Dunnellon, Fla//Dunnellon HS |
| Grant Freeman | OL/TE | FR | 6-7/250 | Paris, Ark. Paris HS |
| Greg Gatson | DB | FR | 5-11/170 | Memphis/Germantown HS |
| Wade Grayson | OG | FR | 6-4/280 | Harrison/Harrison HS |
| Bret Harris | S | FR | 6-0/205 | Irving,Texas/MacArthur HS |
| Michael Harris | RB | FR | 5-9/190 | Tulsa/Booker T. Washington HS |
| Patrick Jones | DT | FR | 6-2/280 | Hampton, Ga./Lovejoy HS |
| Brandon Lampkin | DT | FR | 6-5/255 | Tucker, Ga./Tucker HS |
| Walner Leandre | SS | JR | 6-2/215 | Tampa,Fla./Plant HS/Blinn JC |
| Jermaine Love | LB | FR | 5-11/220 | Garland, Texas/North Garland HS |
| Issac Madison | CB | FR | 6-0/180 | Dallas/Carter HS |
| Seth Oxner | C | FR | 6-4/280 | Monticello/Monticello HS |
| Rhett Richardson | SNP | FR | 6-1/215 | Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall HS |
| Alex Tejeda | K | FR | 6-1/200 | Springdale/Springdale HS |
| Crosby Tuck | WR | FR | 6-1/185 | Springdale/Shiloh Christian |
| D.J. Williams | HB | FR | 6-2/240 | Little Rock/Central Arkansas Christian |