At the 2021 Crappie Masters stop at Grenada Lake, we saw a record total fish weight of 42.84 pounds that many thought may never be broken. That record set by Zeke Anderson and Dillon Hackler was short-lived, though, as the team that was runner up last year made sure second place was out of the question.
Matthew and Bruce Rogers fought off below freezing temperatures and high winds, plus a field of 170 boats, and brought to the scale an astonishing 14-fish limit weighing 44.71 pounds-which was 2.71 pounds more than the 2nd-place team of Brett and Robert Luther, the day one leaders-to get the win in the Crappie Masters Grenada Lake National Qualifier on March 11th and 12th hosted by the Grenada Tourism Commission and sponsored by Grenada Lake Tackle Company.
Anglers took advantage of perfect conditions to start day one of this two-day tournament, and the weights reflected that, as records were broken numerous times. The top 11 teams all broke 21 pounds with their seven fish weighed in, with the top five all bringing over 22 pounds to the scales.
Additionally, Crappie Masters history was made when Joey Johnson weighed in a 4.03-pound Grenada toad! But the four-pounders didn’t stop there as three others came to the scale, ending up with the biggest fish ever weighed in, a huge 4.26-pound Grenada monster by the day one leaders, Brett and Robert Luther.
As day one came to an end, lurking in third place were Matthew and Bruce Rogers. Championship Saturday started with a surprise two inches of snow and temperatures in the 20s with 20 mph winds.
Most teams struggled to match the day one weights but Matthew and Bruce Rogers shocked the crowd with another 22-pound plus stringer, walking away from the field and collecting the $10,000 1st-place prize along with a $500 Beatdown Outdoor Products bonus.
Matthew said he was fishing a flat in open water but found a ditch where the bigger fish were in 6 to 8 1/2 foot of water. He noticed the fish were moving up the lake, so he adjusted by keeping the bait in front of them at all times and also kept track of water temperature closely.
With the weather change on Crappie Masters Championship Saturday, Matthew did say his fish moved toward the outside edge of the ditch, however, his day one pattern stayed mostly consistent. The Rogers team was using a 15-foot Jenko Rod with a 1/4 to 3/8 ounce weight and below that different baits and minnows.
Eventually, Bruce talked Matthew into using a bait he made that was purple with a glow blue tail. The team said the key to victory was confidence and fishing hard.
Day one leaders Brett and Robert Luther slipped into the runner-up spot and stated that the wind kept them from effectively fishing the same way as day one when they set a one-day, seven fish weight of 22.77 pounds.
Their second Crappie Masters record earned them the CarZone USA $5,000 Big Fish award with a 4.26 pound fish of a lifetime! The team also took home $7,000 for their 2nd-place finish weighing in 42.00 pounds
The big jump of the day came from the eventual 3rd-place team of Jeremy Aldridge and John Harrison, who started Crappie Masters Championship Saturday in 17th place. They were the first team to take their place on the Millennium Marine Hot Seats with a two-day weight of 41.54 pounds. Harrison and Aldridge collected $5,000 for their effort.
4th-place honors went to Joey Johnson, who was the first to weigh a 4-pound fish on Friday with a 4.03 pounder, and a two-day total weight of 40.74 pounds, taking home a nice $3,500 payday.
Rounding out the top five with 40.53 pounds was the team of Hayden and Dan Jeffries, who went into Championship Saturday in 18th-place before moving all the way into the top 5 to take home a $3,000 check.
Your top Male/Female team and the $200 prize went to Blake and Katie Cook who weighed in a two-day weight of 38.00 pounds.
Adult/Youth honors and $200 went to the team of Brian Young and Diesel Byrd, who weighed in 36.48 pounds.
Crappie Masters would like to thank the Grenada Tourism Commission for their support along with all the local sponsors:
- Hampton Inn and Suites- Host Hotel
- Landmark Realty
- Star 92.3 Host Radio Station
- Holiday Inn Express and Suites
- B’s Grocery
- Hambone’s Rentals/Dry Dock Bar and Grill
- Collins Bait Shop
- Comfort Inn and Suites
- No Way Jose Tex-Mex Restaurant
Fantasy Fishing Results
It was TeamHodge who took the third Fantasy Fishing win of the season, with a very impressive score of 933.36 fantasy points thanks to the huge weights we saw at Grenada. The best possible score in Fantasy Fishing this week would have been 994.04 points.
You can click here to see the full Fantasy Fishing results from Grenada Lake.
On the overall season Leaderboard, River Bottom Boys Guide Service leads the way after three events with 2,236.14 points, with AustinCarey6969 and Sword Fighters close behind in 2nd and 3rd. Click here to see the Fantasy Fishing 2022 Standings.
