Bobby Garland Crappie Boat

Anyone who ever fishes for crappie knows about Bobby Garland Crappie Baits, but what about the Bobby Garland crappie boat? Well, that's what crappie fishing pro Dan Dannenmueller will be running this year as he competes in Crappie Masters tournaments and travels to promotional events as the Crappie Masters Team National Team Angler of the Year for the past two years and as co-publisher of CrappieNow online magazine.

 

Dannenmueller's Ranger boat and his F-150 are both wrapped with an underwater crappie scene, complete with a spread of Bobby Garland baits being pulled through the water and a big Bobby Garland logo. As a tournament angler, Dannenmueller does a lot of spider rigging, and the wrap tells that story nicely.

 

Crappie Masters tournaments, which include 17 events this year, begin at Florida's Harris Chain January 25-26.

 

I'll get at least one opportunity to fish from and take pictures of the Bobby Garland crappie boat a little later this spring in Pennsylvania and am looking forward to that already.





Back to Back Championships

Bill Braswell and Dan Dannenmueller won the Crappie Masters "Angler Team of the Year" title for the second consecutive year in 2012.

When you fish a tournament trail that hits 10 different waterways in nine states, earning an "Angler Team of the Year" title calls for serious consistency. Now think about doing the same thing two years in a row.

That's exactly what the Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits team of Bill Braswell and Dan Dannenmueller have accomplished, winning the Bass Pro Shops Crappie Masters points race in 2011 and 2012. to put the points race in better perspective, in 2012 more than 300 teams participated in Crappie Masters tournaments.

Like many competitive crappie anglers, Braswell and Dannenmueller favor spider rigging for tournament fishing because they can cover a lot of water, keep several baits in the water at one time and effectively pattern the fish as they go. With a large part of the field is using the same general strategy in several events, finishing close enough to the top of the standings to accumulate and maintain a points lead becomes extra challenging.

"The keys to our back-to-back wins were consistency, teamwork and our spider rigging efficiency," Dannenmueller said.