Legend Biography

Tim Huffman has provided fish-catching information to crappie fishermen for over 35 years. His interest in fishing started as a youngster when he tagged along with his mom and grandma to fish small local waters. The first catch he remembers happened at around seven years old. It was a huge grinnel (bowfin) that dragged him down a steep bank and into water up to his knees. His mom screamed while his uncle held her back so she couldn’t help. A tired fish, a steep walk up the bank while dragging a fish, and a strong cane pole led to success and a forever love of fishing.
Tim’s education and work was in Biomed, repairing medical equipment, not writing. Just for fun and laughs, he started writing about fishing and hunting adventures and misadventures of he and his two buddies. They encouraged him to send the articles into magazines. He did, and to his surprise, one requested a crappie article. His first article was published in 1987.
He gained national recognition with his Seasonal Structures column and feature articles in Crappie World Magazine in the 90’s and 2000’s. During the same period, his most popular book, Winning Crappie Secrets, was the guidebook for fishermen learning how to slow troll, a more precise form of spider rigging. He gave crappie fishing seminars at sport shows and wrote a newspaper outdoor column.
He has written and published nine books, with recent titles including 300+ Crappie Fishing Tips and Crappie Annual & Product Guide. Tim’s byline has appeared in many different publications with over 2000 published articles and 140 magazine cover photos. He founded Crappie 2000 Newsletter and started Crappie USA’s Crappie Journal Magazine. He started Crappie Masters Tournament Trail Magazine and served as editor for 15 years. He was co-founder of CrappieNow Digital Magazine and served as editor for eight years.
He is active in outdoor media organizations and is past president of the Missouri Outdoor Communicators. He received the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award from Bass Pro Shops Crappie Masters. He was honored with the 2022 Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame Wade Bourne Communicator of the Year Award.
Currently he is senior writer for CrappieNow Magazine where he contributes articles and a column to the magazine, and video content for their social media. Also, his articles appear regularly in Midwest Outdoors and Outdoor Guide. He continues writing books.
Tim lives in Bryant, Arkansas with wife and soulmate, Jeanne. They enjoy traveling, visiting with family and friends, and serving God.