HCC to host fishing course at West Loop campus
Dec 13, 2016
Houston Community College (HCC) is offering a continuing education course with a new hook – literally for anyone interested in crappie fishing, beginner to avid.
Called Crappie University and taught by a team of expert crappie-fishing instructors, the 8-hour course encompasses four 2-hour night classes and costs $89 per person. The enrollment fee covers all course materials, including samples of crappie lures and jig heads.
The HCC Crappie University begins on Wednesday, Feb. 1, and then continues on the Wednesday night dates of Feb. 8, 15 and 22. Class times are 7:30 – 9:30 p.m., and all four classes will be held on the HCC West Loop campus.
“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 HCC Crappie University instructional staff includes 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.”
Joining Morrow on the instructional staff is the pro crappie team of Jeff Schwieterman and James Rains. Both are active members of Crappie Anglers of Texas, and together they have 41 Top 5 finishes in crappie tournaments, including wins of the 2014 and 2015 Lake Fork Crappie Bucks events.
Also instructing are Barry Dodd and Gary Dollahon.
Dodd is a professional crappie guide on Texas’ Canyon Lake, Lake LBJ and Inks Lake through his “Teach ’Em to Fish” guide service. Dollahon is a regional host on Barry Stokes’ FOX Sports Outdoors television show and he specializes in fishing soft plastics for crappie offshore.
To enroll in the 2017 Crappie University at Houston Community College, call the campus at 713-718-5171.
For more information about Crappie University, visit CrappieUniversity.com.
