Question: Steve, what’s the pattern like on Kentucky Lake this time of year? Are you getting ready for a big tournament?

Ferguson: Around Thanksgiving the water temperatures on Kentucky are down in the 50s and crappie are holding out on the deeper ledges, mostly around brushpiles and stakebeds in the 18 to 20 foot ranges. That’s where the baitfish are too so they’ll be feeding pretty heavy getting ready for the winter. Right now we don’t have any major tournaments to get ready for yet so it’s a great time to just be out on the lake with friends and family and have some fun.

Question: How are the two of you fishing for crappie on Kentucky when the fish are holding on deep brush?

Ferguson: I like to vertical fish for them with a single rod. I use a 12 foot Buck’s Graphite Jig Pole and 6 pound Vicious line and get right over the top of the brush and fish straight down with a 1/16 ounce Southern Pro jig.

Briggs: If we were tournament fishing, we’d have our tightline poles out but since this is fun fishing, I like to cast for them. I’ll take one of the Richard William’s designed Crappie Wizards and cast across the brushpile with a 1/8 ounce jig. I count the jig down one foot per second and then slowly retrieve the jig back across the top of the brush. I like heavier 8 pound Vicious fluorocarbon which slows down the fall of the jig and helps control the depth. The fluorocarbon also helps me detect bites better.

Question: How hard is it to locate the structure that you’re fishing on Kentucky Lake?

Ferguson: Joey and I have been fishing this lake a long time and we each have brushpiles that we’ve put out all over it, but a lot of other fishermen have them out also so they’re not too hard to find on your graph. The best thing to do is go into a feeder creek and find the edge of the channel in 18 to 20 feet and follow the edge till you spot something that looks good.

Question: What’s it like fishing a three man team on the Crappie USA trail?

Ferguson: Sometimes it can be tough and sometimes we have an advantage. I think it’s great that Crappie USA allows us to fish three in a boat. It’s a great way to get kids interested in fishing these tournaments. Levi is as big a part of our team as either me or Joey. We’re never short of eyes watching the poles for bites and somebody is always ready with the net.

Briggs: Levi loves it. He’s been fishing tournaments with me on the Crappie Masters trail since he was 6 years old. He’s all business—watching the graph or changing out baits or retying lines—he fishes as hard as any adult.

Question: How important is it to you to be able to get out on the water and fish these tournaments with a family member?

Ferguson: We fish with Levi on the Crappie USA trail and the two of them fish together in the Crappie Masters events while I fish with my 23 year old daughter, Teresa. These tournaments aren’t all about the money. For me, it’s fishing with family and friends and having a great time doing something you love to do.

Briggs: I like to tell people that the tournament family has helped raise Levi. This has been such a big part of his life. He’s gotten to see and do things that most kids only talk about. We need to get more kids involved in crappie fishing.

Want to get your kids interested in the world of crappie fishing? Sign them up now in the B’n’M Fishing Club. Details are available on our website.