Wesley Miller, Registered Nurse Turned Crappie Guide 

It’s sometimes amazing that the profession you get trained for winds up playing second fiddle to where your real interest lies and what you really end up doing.

I got my college degree in business education. I thought I wanted to have a career as a
high school business teacher. After one year of teaching, I enjoyed the experience relating to the kids but I found that if I wanted to be able to pay my bills and eat, I needed to find something else that provided a bit more income. After trying to make ends meet for a year, I got into sales for a couple of years and found that wasn’t my calling either.

On a whim, I took a civil service test that got me on the list and I was hired as a social
worker, went to LSU and received a graduate degree in social work. It was during a 30 year career in the state department of public assistance that I stumbled upon the career I was put on this good Earth to do, and that was to be a writer, something I have done and loved every day of writing for over 50 years.

There is another fellow who has had similar experiences. He’s 46 year old Wesley Miller who lives along Dorcheat Bayou in Webster Parish. Miller got his college training in nursing and for a time became a registered nurse.

There was something else that Miller loved doing in addition to taking care of his
patients. He’s an outdoorsman who loves to hunt and fish. Several years ago, I put my writing to good use when I did a story on him after learning he had downed a trophy buck that ended up being high on the list of bucks taken by archery in Louisiana.

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As much as he loves to deer hunt, there is another passion that is taking most of his time to the point that he put his nursing career on the shelf. That passion is guiding clients to catch crappie and today, Miller is one of north Louisiana’s most popular and busiest crappie fishing guides.

“I decided that if I was going to be serious about guiding, I decided to put aside my
nursing career to see how the guiding thing would work out. So far,” Miller said, “I have been as busy as I want to be guiding clients on several lakes and waterways around the state.”

Starting in March, 2021, Miller went into his new profession full time, adding the name “Big Sasquatch” to his logo. One look at Miller with his full flowing beard and you nod with approval, agreeing that the name fits.

I keep up with Miller and his phenomenal success guiding clients to catching crappie and watching his video clips of cleaning crappie for his clients. I visited with him to pick his brain a bit on his method of cleaning, videos that are available for anyone to watch.

“I don’t use a filet knife; they burn out too quickly” he said. “I use a Fredrick’s filet knife
with an 8 ½ inch blade. The steel in the blade is easy to sharpen and holds an edge better than most others.”

When he cooks crappie, Miller also has some pointers that produce the best fresh crisp filets.

“I combine yellow corn meal, enough salt for taste and add two tablespoons of cayenne pepper. It has a slight bite but really enhances the taste,” he said. “Never put all your filets in the meal mixture at one time. This causes them to absorb moisture and you won’t get the crispiness you want.”

From registered nurse to expert crappie guide, I’m thinking Miller made the right choice when he went all out on doing what he really loves to do, and that’s locate and catch crappie.

FISHING REPORT

CANEY LAKE – Crappie fishing has been good with some slabs caught fishing shiners or jigs out in front of the spillway. Best bet for bass are to fish soft plastics or a deep diving crank bait on the deeper humps and ridges. No report on bream or catfish. For information contact Caney Lake Landing at 259-6649, Hooks Marina at 249-2347, Terzia Tackle at 278-4498 or the Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
BUSSEY BRAKE – The bass are becoming more active. Flipping soft plastics seems to be the best bet. Crappie have yet to move and they’re still deep and fair on shiners and jigs. For latest information, contact the Honey Hole at 323-8707.
OUACHITA RIVER – The river is high and rising. No fishing report. For latest information, contact the Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE D’ARBONNE –Crappie have started to move up from the deep channels to 12-14 foot water and hitting shiners and jigs. Bass are slow to fair and responding to soft plastics fishing very slow. No report on catfish or bream. For latest information, call Anderson Sport Center at 368-9669 or Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE CLAIBORNE – Crappie fishing has been best with some slabs caught fishing shiners or jigs just out from the dam. Bass are responding to a crawfish colored Jack Hammer chatter bait. No report on bream, catfish or stripers. For latest information, call Kel’s Cove at 927-2264 or Terzia Tackle at 278-4498.
LAKE POVERTY POINT – High winds are keeping anglers off the lake. No fishing report this week. For information, contact the marina at 318/878-0101.
LAKE YUCATAN – The water is high and rising and will continue to rise as the Mississippi river will be bringing down lots of new water which has shut things down for awhile. For info call Surplus City Landing at 318/467-2259.