Communiversity brings Crappie University to UC Clermont

Crappie University is taught by a team of expert crappie-fishing instructors. This eight-hour course encompasses four two-hour night classes and costs $89 per person. The enrollment fee covers all course materials, including samples of crappie lures and jigheads.

Crappie University begins on Thursday, Feb. 9, and continues on Thursday, Feb. 16, Thursday, Feb. 23 and Tuesday, Feb. 28. Class times are 7:30 – 9:30 p.m., and all four classes will be held on the UC Clermont campus in Batavia, Ohio.

“Crappie fishing is no longer just a cane pole and bobber sport, and the pursuit of this sport fish has never been more popular,” said Crappie University’s founder Gary White. “Across the country, the crappie is gaining on bass as the number one sport fish.”

“Crappie University is not a seminar, it’s an accelerated course in the strategies and techniques for becoming a better crappie angler. Our instructors are the best-of-the-best on their respective topics.”

With the advent of several crappie fishing tournament trails, new and unique ways to catch the species under a variety of conditions are constantly being found and refined. Each Crappie University instructor has a technique he relies on most when the fishing gets tough. From spider rigging and long lining, to dock shooting, pushing crankbaits and other specialty techniques, the course instructors will share their knowledge on how they find and catch crappie. A question-and-answer session is included each night.

“It has been said that 90 percent of the fish are in 10 percent of the water. While that may not be true in every instance, these instructors know exactly where to find the crappie in every season of the year. They are crappie pros and guides who have developed their techniques through trial and error,” added White.

The UC Crappie University instructional staff includes Russ Bailey, host of “Brush Pile Fishing” and “Midwest Crappie” television shows. Bailey also competes professionally along the national tournament trails and has 14 crappie tournament wins to his credit. He has also qualified for 15 national championships.

Another instructor is Barry Morrow, “the crappie coach.” A retired school superintendent and wrestling coach, Morrow is now a full-time crappie guide in Oklahoma and Missouri. He has been featured on the Sportsman’s Channel and fishes several crappie trails that travel the country. He has won three Crappie Masters events and is the back-to-back winner of the Missouri State Championship. He is known nationwide for helping coach anglers in the art of crappie “catching.”

Also on the instructional staff are Mike Walters and Doug Sikora.

Walters has nearly 30 years of experience as a crappie pro. He has numerous successes throughout his career, including 36 first-place finishes in Crappie U.S.A. and Crappie Masters’ events.

Sikora is the 2015 Indiana Slab Masters’ champion and a 6-time qualifier for national crappie tournament championships. He pursues crappie year-round, and is just as adept at catching the species through the ice in winter, as he is at catching them in the summer months employing the newer technique known as “dock shooting.”

To enroll in the 2017 Crappie University at UC, call the campus at 513-556-6932.

For more information about Crappie University, visit

uc.edu/ce/commu

.