Mississippi River Monsters (MRM) 2019 attracted 125 catfish teams from 20 different states to fish the Big Muddy out of Memphis. When the scales closed on Saturday evening September 19th, 217 catfish weighing 3,940 pounds had been checked by TWRA officials and returned to the river. Amongst the 293 anglers, 31 were veterans competing for their own prizes.
First Place
On their second trip to Memphis and Mississippi River Monsters, Terry and Lisa Gale Haraway depended on what they learned from last year’s MRM and advice from friends to put together a winning strategy. They claimed top honors at Memphis with a total weight of 128.34 pounds.
“The heat and water temps made the bite a little different this year,” reported Terry. “We relied on bumping and dragging this year after anchoring last year.”
Team Haraway used 8-oz cannon ball sinkers for the bumping and 4-oz dragging weights when not bumping. They finished the rigs with floats and 10/0 Mad Catter hooks from Hooker Terminal Tackle.
“We used skipjack as our bait,” explained Lisa. “We catch our own ‘BAMA SKIPS’ back home. We got some good advice from Chris Saunders and Jody and Brandy Atkins. They suggested we try something a little different this year. We also picked up some pointers from Hugh and Rose Thompson. We took the advice and tried something different each day while prefishing.”
The team from Alabama travelled up and down the river trying new spots but also relying on what they knew best from fishing their own home waters.
“We fished like we do back in Alabama on Wheeler Lake,” added Lisa. “And it paid off. We caught 21 fish on tournament day from 7 to 59.9 pounds. We didn’t have a clue that we were in the money. We were just so thrilled and busy catching catfish to worry about it. We never even discussed the fact that we may have a chance at placing.”
They were kept busy just having fun, catching, weighing, and culling. After all was said and done Lisa described culling a 19.8-pound cat because it was too stressed and they were afraid it wouldn’t make it to weigh-in. They kept a 14 pounder in its place for weigh in.
“If we even had a clue, we were in the top 10 we would have kept that 19-pounder and weighed it,” joked Lisa. “We could have weighed it in early.”
In the only unusual thing that happened to them Lisa told a story of a friend that fell in the river.
“Nothing unusual happened to us during the tournament,” Lisa said. “But after the tournament we found out one of our best friends fell in the Mississippi with the net in his hand. I think Chad Bryant got a little too excited when he had a catfish on.”
“After all is said and done, the best advice we can give is don’t be afraid to try new things and new areas,” concluded Lisa. “But never forget your own techniques. When you fish the Mississippi you definitely need to be prepared to fish a strong current. You also definitely need a good trolling motor, a good heavy anchor and round bumping weights. We don’t fish current in Alabama and the first year we fished MRM we were nowhere ready or had a clue what we were doing. We went prepared this year, and it paid off!”
Second Place
Tournament day at Mississippi River Monsters started off for the runner-up anglers, Robin East and Edmund Crowden, by taking a gamble. Based on their pre-tournament preparation they decided to run more than 75 miles to start their fishing.
“The only issue was the barge traffic,” explained East. “It was terrible and it was pitch dark. What I did when I left, was just barely put the boat on plane and did not go any faster for about an hour. A couple other boats came running by a little faster and I fell in behind them until the light got good enough to speed up on my own.”
“We got there around 35 to 40 minutes before fishing time,” recalled East. “As has come to be our tradition, Edmond fixed breakfast while I prepared the rods. It seemed like a lifetime passed before fishing time came, but breakfast was great.”
“We baited up with fresh skipjack from Yammer and Sons Bait,” joked East. “It is nice having a partner who is in the bait business.”
“We put lines in the water and fished for an hour with no success,” continued East. “So, we picked up and moved about 400 yards. We dropped lines again and about 10 minutes into that pass we put the first big fish in the boat, probably a low 40s blue. The bite was just on from there.”
“One time I thought we had a monster,” offered East. “Even when I got the fish to the side of the boat he was straight down on the bottom. I kept telling Edmond, ‘This is an absolute monster.’ When we got it up it was a 38-pound blue, hooked in the belly. Any foul-hooked fish is disqualified, so we couldn’t keep it.”
“By 10:00 am we had a 5 fish limit in the boat,” said a smiling East. “The 5 fish included another 40, this one a little bigger, and some nice unders. We fish another 2 1/2 hours and culled several times. We could have fished a little more but with the fish we had in the livewell we decided to start the long ride back to the weigh-in.”
East and Crowden knew they had some precious cargo onboard and they had to take care of it. The team stopped every 30 min to drain out the old water and pump fresh water back into the livewell. Some of those stops also included adding gas from the portable cans they brought for the long haul they decided to make. Preparation and courage are elements needed for a long run. You lose a lot of fishing time and it just requires a lot of confidence in the fishing hole. But in this case, it paid off!
“Edmund and I are on cloud nine after our second-place finish,” concluded East. “We are extremely blessed and grateful for being able to do what we do. In fact, more people should look around them and consider just how blessed they are too!”
(Editor’s Note: Five years to the date of the Mississippi River Monsters tournament, Robin East was in an accident. A young man, high on marijuana, hit him head on. He spent months in the hospital in an induced coma, and not expected to live. He counts his blessings every day and he advises others to do the same.)
Third Place
The third spot at MRM went to the B’n’M Poles team of Scott Cress and Carl Crone. They teamed up to bring 119.87 pounds to the scales to earn their spot.
“We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and launched the boat around 1 pm,” reported Cress. “This was only our 3rd time on the Mississippi River and we didn’t have much success the first two. I pinged a few friends planning for this trip and they gave me some hints on what to look for. They suggested 3 mph current or less near deep water.”
With that info in hand, Cress and Crone went scouting and found a spot that met the description and they marked a few fish. They fished it for just a couple of minutes and caught a 40 pounder. With smiles on their faces they quickly pulled up and got out of there.
“We spent Thursday and Friday looking for similar water in the same general area,” Cress said. “We did not have much luck. We knew we were ‘all or nothing’ on that spot so we kept our fingers crossed.”
On Friday night they watched the recording of the Masingale brother’s seminar from earlier in the day. Someone in the crowd asked them what their favorite water depth for fishing the Mississippi was. Cress and Crone paid attention and on tournament morning they focused their fishing on the 40-foot range, where they quickly caught 4 fish bumping with skipjack.
“I thought they were all overs,” offered Cress. “Later in the day I measured the 20 pounder and was excited to see it was a 33-inch fish. I knew then we had a shot at winning if we could catch a couple more teenage fish.”
The last three hours of the day were spent looking for a couple of smaller bites, but they could only manage a 4-pounder and had to settle for a 4-fish weigh-in.
“In hindsight we probably should have stayed put,” continued Cress. “I had a couple fish on that came off. That’s the way it goes sometimes and why I’m a firm believer that quality unders make a big difference. A big shout out to the guys that were able to cull fish and come up with a solid limit!
“I’ll take 3rd against this field any day,” concluded Cress. “This is a must attend event on world class water! Thanks to B’n’M Poles and Driftmaster Rod Holders for supporting these events and the catfishing community. The added bonus money these companies put up is huge! George Young Jr and his team put on a first-class show. Can’t wait until next year!”
Big Fish
The MRM Big Fish came to Diane Palovchik Stone, but only after a shaky beginning to Monster Week. Diane and her fishing partner/husband, Terry Stone, had to put three new batteries in the boat and lost a depth finder when it was left unmounted. Fortunately, the catfish community came through as Robin East and Bill Parfitt loaned them an extra one from their boats.
Team Stone reported a tough bite on tournament day. They had some encouragement when they boated an 18 pounder, but moved around several times without finding a good bite. Their next move was the one that counted.
“I took a scan thru one area and found a good hole,” reported Terry. “We cast our rods out. It was about 20 minutes or so when Diane’s Whisker Seeker Full Metal Jacket Heavy Rod with a Triple Threat 10/0 circle hook just bent over in the Driftmaster Rod Holder. The tip was almost touching the water. My wife jumped up and reeled down and the fight was on for 15 or 20 minutes.”
“When this big ol’ blue broke the top of water I couldn’t believe it,” Terry said. “Diane fought this thing like a champ. When it was all said and done and this big ol’ blue was in the livewell you couldn’t imagine the excitement in the boat. There was some high fives, hugs, and crying.”
“I thought oh my God,” added Diane. “How am I gonna’ get this in the boat? I still can’t believe it!”
Diane had just landed her personal best blue catfish. The team headed to the weigh-in with thoughts of wining Big Fish for tournament and the 68.7-pound blue did just that.
Team Stone thanked Whisker Seeker Tackle, Driftmaster Rod Holders, and R&R Sports, Inc, for the awesome catfish products they provide.
“We want to thank everybody for believing in us.,” concluded Terry. “Thank you all.”
The Remaining Top Ten
4th Place Carson Pierce, Cye Duley & Austin Pierce – 117.78
5th Place Jason Jackson, Frank Kastl & Ryan Casey – 115.81
6th Place Brad Stout, Billy & Bobby Littleton – 109.94
7th Place Joe Hardy, Barry Wilson & Fonzie Malaikham – 108.56
8th Place Brad Box, Wesley Box & Nick Domino – 106.73
9th Place Daryl & Jason Masingale & Matt Bingham – 106.41
10th Place Ryan Lawrence & Mark Blauvelt – 105.62
Other Winners
Highest placing team with a youth angler Boat #118 Tyce Palmer
2nd Highest placing team with a youth angler Boat #3 Gavin Baldasare
3rd Highest placing team with a youth angler Boat #39 Jaiden Beeding
Veteran with the Biggest Fish Boat #48 Larry Davis
For more information on MRM and to keep up with announcements for 2020 like Mississippi River Monsters on Facebook or visit the website at www.mississippirivermonsters.com.
