(NCGA) — Combating the myths that exist about the use of gasoline blended with 10-percent ethanol has been the primary goal of the partnership between Crappie Masters, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). The Crappie Masters National Tournament Trail kicked-off over the weekend with a two-day national qualifier at St. Johns River in Deland, Fla., where Robert and Tommy Sellers took home top honors and once again the winners powered their way to victory with E10 fuel. NCGA and RFA are co-title sponsors for the fifth year in a row.
“We are looking forward to another great season being teamed up with the National Corn Growers Association and Renewable Fuels Association coming off our sixth straight year of all winners of the national tournament trail using E10 fuel in their boat,” said Crappie Masters President Mike Vallentine. “The anglers have been receptive to learning about ethanol fuel and now have full confidence after seeing nothing but positive engine performance results.”
Last year, Crappie Masters expanded their reach by starting state chapters. This structure has been expanded again this year, bringing the total number of state chapters to 16. Because of this, memberships in Crappie Masters tripled, the average age of anglers was reduced, and their social media presence was greatly expanded. The state chapters are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, north Louisiana, south Louisiana, east Mississippi, west Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee.
“The expansion of Crappie Masters gives us an opportunity to reach more anglers and talk about the many benefits of corn-ethanol,” said NCGA Ethanol Action Team Chair and Iowa farmer Mark Recker. “Ethanol is an environmentally friendly fuel additive that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent, keeping the waterways anglers’ fish clean.”
“We are excited to get back to educating boaters and anglers on the benefits of using ethanol with the new season and new state chapters,” said RFA Vice President for Industry Relations Robert White. “Winning teams have shown over the years that choosing to use a domestic, renewable, cleaner-burning fuel that helps keep our air and waterways clean is easy, and it can help bring home the trophies, too.”
Crappie Masters Television will also highlight each tournament. The weekly show can be found on the Pursuit Channel, which is on DIRECTV 604, Dish Network 393, Verizon, CenturyLink, and Roku.
The next Crappie Masters National Tournament Trail event is Feb. 26-27 at Lake D’Arbonne in Farmerville, La. The 2021 Crappie Masters Tournament Trail season runs through Sept. 25. A full schedule and additional information on the state chapters are available here.