Kirby Ham will present Feb. 5 on identifying the target zone and keeping baits in it using electronics. Ham is a fishing guide at La Cygne, Hillsdale, Melvern and Clinton reservoirs in Kansas and a radio personality.
Justin Berry will be the second presenter on Feb. 12. The topic of his presentation will be “Targeting Holes, Docks and Brush Piles.” Berry is a competitive angler who was raised along the Mississippi River.
Finally, 2017 Crappie Master Ultimate One-Pole Challenge winner Matt Beckman will present Feb. 26 on which trees to fish, from top to bottom. Beckman prefers fishing one pole and one jig along visible timber and has fished a variety of waters across Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, according to a poster for the course.
Crappie University was established in 2015 by Gary White, who also founded Bass Techniques and Bassmaster University, to help educate anglers across the country about crappie fishing.
The program will also have nearby events in the following locations:
— St. Charles Community College, St. Charles, Mo. (Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27). Contact: (636) 922-8233
— State Fair Community College, Sedalia, Mo. (Feb. 7, 13, 21, 28). Contact: (660)530-5822
— Rose State College, Midwest City, Okla. (Feb. 6, 8, 13, 20). Contact: (405) 733-7392
— Tulsa Tech Owasso Campus, Owasso, Okla. (Feb. 5, 12, 21, 26). Contact: (918) 828-5000
“We did the Bassmaster University programs for about 25 years all over America,” White said last January in an interview with The Topeka Capital-Journal. “Matter of fact, we’ve been in 130 colleges in the United States and Canada, including Johnson County. They were one of the very first places where we did the bass thing, years and years ago. So that’s what we’ve done with this new thing, we’ve really just kind of gone back to these colleges that did the bass thing.”
Phil Taunton, organizer of the 2018 Topeka Boat and Outdoor Show, mentioned that he would like to get someone from the Crappie University program to speak at that event, as well. The Topeka Boat and Outdoor Show runs Feb. 2-4 at the Kansas Expocentre.
For more information on the Crappie University course at Johnson County or to register, go to http://www.jccc.edu/ce or call (913) 469-2323. You can also find out more about Crappie University at http://www.crappieuniversity.com.