Premier Employee Clay Hanson’s Passion For Boating And Fishing Never Tires

At Premier, our love for being on the water is more than just lip service, we live it every day and for Assembly Product Manager Clay Hanson, nothing satisfies better than fishing.

Big Lake, Minn. March 8, 2024 – Our promise to build the best pontoons in the world starts with a team that embodies a passion for water, and when it comes to fishing, Premier’s Clay Hanson is always ready to wet a line. Aside from being an avid angler, Clay is Premier’s Assembly Product Manager. With the recent introduction of Premier’s all-new Sunsation Angler Series and its host of dedicated fishing amenities, we asked Clay for some spring fishing tips, specifically for the Midwest favorite Crappie.

“When I’m targeting spring Crappies, I focus on break lines that trace the edge of shallow flats,” said Hanson. “As the water begins to warm, the Crappies will stage along these areas prior to spawning where there’s also developing plant growth.”

According to Clay, who also serves as the director of Premier’s Employee Fishing League, this is a great starting point, but you’ll also want to keep an eye on weather patterns and more specifically, water temperatures.

“If the water warms, I’ll move shallower…if it cools, I’ll slide out a bit deeper from the break line to follow the fish. To do so, I’ll use the trolling motor to keep the boat moving along the break line until I begin to get bites. When I do, I’ll Spot Lock it to hold the boat in that location.”

Clay explained that during the early spring period, Crappies will be gathered in larger groups. Thus, when you do catch a fish, he recommends making repeat casts to the same area, because where there’s one bite, there are likely several. To target these fish, Clay recommends using a small, brightly colored jig head (1/32oz up to 3/16oz).

“If I’m fishing shallow water I’ll go lighter…if I’m deeper I’ll go heavier,” Clay said. “I typically use a small minnow shaped artificial bait or an actual crappie minnow. With this set-up I will incorporate a Rocket Bobber. This bobber is heavier, and this allows me to make longer casts so I can cover more water while trying to locate fish.”

Clay went on to explain that unlike a traditional bobber, the Rocket Bobber lays horizontally on its side and because of this, when you jig or twitch your rod end, it makes the lure mimic a minnow trying to escape.

“I like to make long casts and then slowly work that bobber back to the boat by reeling very slowly and twitching the rod tip,” said Clay. “You’ll want to keep a close watch on your bobber, and set the hook as soon as you see the top of the bobber start to tilt upward.”

Having passionate anglers like Clay on our team gives Premier the expertise and the competitive advantage to develop game changing innovations like our Open Water Panels and the revolutionary Troll & Stow system, both available on our new 2024 Sunsation Angler Series pontoons.

To learn more and see everything Premier has to offer for 2024 visit the Premier website at pontoons.com or find your local Premier dealer at pontoons.com/find-a-dealer.

About Premier Marine 

Premier Marine, LLC is a manufacturer of luxury performance pontoon boats under the Premier brand. Premier Marine holds numerous patents and trademarks on manufacturing elements such as the Premier Ricochet Ladder System and the PTX™ Technology performance package. The 30-year-old company sells its pontoons through boat dealers located throughout the United States and Canada. Premier Marine is headquartered in Big Lake, Minnesota and owned by Envision Company located in Elk River, Minnesota.