Paint Creek Lake hosts Buckeye Crappie Challenge Tournament Series

The Buckeye Crappie Challenge Tournament Series held its 6th crappie fishing tournament of the year on September 14th, 2013 at Paint Creek Lake near Hillsboro.

The weights were not as high as previous events, with a combination of weather and time of year making it a tough trip for everyone.

“We had a cold front come through Thursday night and high blue skies on Saturday with no cloud cover, which drove the fish right to the bottom in the morning,” said Frank Dimos, who finished 2nd with his partner, Bill Hora. “Lots of small fish, but the bigger ones were just not biting for us, and the best activity seemed to be later in the day.” Several teams were unable to catch a full limit of 8 keeper size crappie. Crappie must be at least 9 inches long to qualify.

The top two finishers went neck-and-neck, with Troy Chandler of Western Hills and Doug Allen of Hamilton taking 1st place with 4.70 pounds and winning $468. Frank Dimos of Lebanon and Bill Hora of New Paris finished in 2nd place with 4.67 pounds, winning $312. Dimos and Hora also caught the big fish of the day, raking in another $140, for a $452 total. “Losing 1st place by 3 hundredths of a pound is tough, but Doug and Troy have had their share of close losses, so they were due,” laughed Dimos.

With their 3rd second place finish of the year, Dimos and Hora further increased their lead in the all around point standings for the circuit and appear to have a lock on the overall point championship with only one regular season tournament remaining. That event will be held on September 28th at East Fork Lake.

After the September conclusion of all 7 regular circuit events, qualifying teams will compete in a final Classic event in October at Rocky Fork Lake near Hillsboro Ohio, with thousands of dollars of cash and prizes at stake. You must fish at least 4 tournaments to be eligible to participate in the Classic event, and teams that fish 6 or more tournaments have the best chance to win the circuit’s award for the top all-around team.

The Buckeye Crappie Challenge tournament trail was started in 2002 and is Ohio’s largest crappie tournament series, focusing on Central and Southwest Ohio with occasional tournaments in other parts of the state.

These are two person team events and 100% of the entry fees are paid back to circuit members, with 80% of the entry fees paid to winners of the related lake tournament and 20% held back to be paid to teams that place in the Classic tournament. The circuit generally pays 1 place for every 5 paid entry fees, so that a 30 team field would result in payments to 6 teams. Entry Fees are $75 per team, with an optional Big Fish entry fee of $10.

For more information or entry forms, visit BuckeyeCrappieChallenge.com or call Frank Dimos at 513-335-3291.