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WOOD COUNTY, Texas — One of the country’s largest fishing tournaments returns to Lake Fork next month, and organizers say this year’s Crappie Fest will be bigger than ever. The event is set for late March at the Sabine River Authority pavilion at Caney Point.
Organizer Cassandra Gann said last year’s turnout exceeded expectations.
“We only had about four months to put it together, and we ended up with 586 anglers and about 2,500 people came through,” Gann said.
This year, Crappie Fest expands into a three‑day festival, featuring larger prize payouts, more food vendors, additional boats on display and plenty of giveaways for children.
“What Crappie Fest is and always has been is an intro into the sport. One of my biggest heart things is bringing the next generation in,” Gann said.
Music will also be a major focus. Organizers secured Whiskey Myers, the Southern rock–country band they had hoped to book, thanks to the efforts of Chris Bevill with Bevill Music.
“That was their first choice, and I was like, ‘I don’t know, it’s hard to get them.’ They’re everywhere. We got it done. It’s going to be a big crowd,” Bevill said.
Anglers can compete for prize money whether they fish from a boat, kayak or the bank. Tournament bonuses include payouts for “golden ticket” fish and exact‑weight catches.
While fishing recently with pro crappie angler and guide Clay Gann, organizers demonstrated how weighing in at exactly 1.50 pounds could earn a cash prize.
Crappie will be in various spawning stages during the event, according to Jake Norman, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Inland Fisheries biologist in the Tyler District.
“Late March, it could be a little bit of all,” Norman said. “We could have fish that have already spawned and are done. We could have plenty still sitting out, waiting to move up and spawn. We could have a lot right up on the banks or up on timber spawning as well.”
Gann added that crappie will be moving from deeper water toward the shallows as spawning conditions improve.
“If the lake doesn’t come up, they’ll be spawning on stumps or bois d’arc trees,” Gann said.
Although more anglers and two days of tournament pressure may raise concerns, Norman said Lake Fork’s crappie population is resilient.
“They’d have to harvest 80 percent of all 10‑inch crappie in the lake before we’d ever see the population begin to decline from angling pressure. That’s impossible,” Norman said.
In addition to Saturday’s main tournament, Crappie Fest will host a Sunday hourly tournament open to all ages. In total, more than $100,000 in prizes will be awarded.