“Ever since I started crappie fishing, there’s just been a drive behind it…I’m doing what I love, and that’s crappie fishing.” – Hayden Jeffries
If Hayden Jeffries wasn’t a household name in Crappie Fishing earlier this year, he sure is now.
The 21-year-old took the Crappie world by storm this year, blazing a path of domination in seemingly every tournament he and his father, Dan, entered.
One of the first tournaments for the Jeffries team this season was at Lake D’Arbonne in Louisiana back in February, where the duo entered a Crappie Masters tournament for the first time ever against a stacked field of 118 boats. After day one, the Jeffries were in 3rd place and catching the eyes of some of the veteran anglers on the trail.
Before getting back on the water for Championship Saturday that weekend, Hayden was asked his thoughts about the buzz his success as a young angler was creating.
“A lot of people are definitely watching me right now. I’m putting in the work, putting in the time, and trying to get better…There’s a lot of good names right there around me and I know they’re going to be right on my tail,” Jeffries said.
The final result?
Hayden and Dan got the Crappie Masters win by nearly a full pound and a $10,000 check to go along with it.
They went on to finish 5th at the Grenada Lake, Mississippi Crappie Masters tournament just two weeks later, and then came home 2nd at the Ouachita River in the Crappie Masters Bracket Showdown.
To cap off their 2022 Crappie Masters season, Hayden and Dan put on a dominating performance at Grenada for the National Championship, winning that tournament by over 3 pounds and taking home over $30,000 in prize money.
That’s not all, though.
Hayden and Dan also competed in several American Crappie Trail tournaments this season. Although they didn’t enter the first two stops on that trail, they did fish the Lake Washington, Mississippi event in May, and ended up in a familiar spot when it was all said and done: 1st.
The Jeffries also fished the Grenada Lake, Mississippi American Crappie Trail tournament, coming home in 2nd place in their second ACT attempt of the season.
Once the American Crappie Trail National Championship rolled around in October, it came as no surprise to anyone whose names were on top of the leaderboard after the three-day event: Hayden and Dan Jeffries, earning over $15,000 in prize money for the win.
With two National Championships already under their belt for the 2022 season, Hayden and Dan Jeffries had just one more tournament to complete the trifecta of titles, with another Invitational Classic in Brandon, Missouri that had a guaranteed a top prize of $100,000 to the winner.
With that tournament, the Jeffries team was in 2nd place after day one, but after the second day, they took the lead and never looked back.
In what has become typical Jeffries fashion, Hayden and Dan won the invitational tournament by over 1.5 lbs along with the $100,000 check that came with it.
In total, the Jeffries team earned over $225,000 from crappie fishing tournaments over the course of the 2022 season, while simultaneously establishing themselves as they team to beat no matter where they show up.
When asked about what he enjoys so much about crappie fishing, Hayden responded, “I really enjoy the competition in tournament fishing, just getting out there and competing and doing what you love. I really love the sport.”
He’s clearly making a pretty good payday out of it as well.
