Twisted Cat Win Goes to John Jamison and Kevin Parks With Nearly 150 Pounds in 3 Fish!
by Ron Presley,
Photos courtesy of Twisted Cat Outdoors by Tom Stolze
2nd Place and Big Fish Honors go to Chris Stout and Hunter Jones
The Twisted Cat Outdoors Fishing Series returned to Cape Girardeau on Saturday, July 22. Anglers could trailer to many public ramps in the area with the weigh-in being at Red Star Access. The tournament has grown from 28 boats 5 years ago to 63 boats this year. The winners were determined by the heaviest 3-fish limit. The 2022 event was won by Rob Benningfield, Scott Cress & Rusty Morris with a total weight of 127.61 pounds.
A Captains meeting was held Friday, July 21st from 5-7 pm at Auburn Place and Suites to go over rules and answer questions. A fun cornhole tournament added a little competition with the winner receiving a free Twisted Cat Outdoors tournament entry for an upcoming event. The free entry was won by Justin Borgfield.
Tournament day began with a boat check and launch at 5:00 am. Fishing hours were from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm. Anglers were due in the weigh-in line at Red Star Access by 4:30 pm.
Anglers were greeted with a beautiful day with plenty of sunshine in the forecast but some rain occurred. A high temperature of 82 was predicted with NNW winds at 5 to 10 mph.
First Place
The top spot went to John Jamison and Kevin Parks. They brought a 3-fish limit to the scales that weighed 146.98 pounds. They earned a check for $8,400.
The team reported the water temperature was 83.4 degrees. The wind was out of the north on a partly cloudy to mostly sunny day that reached a high temperature of 90 degrees. Jamison and Parks found their big fish bite tight to the ledge while bumping.
“The river was slightly trashy from rain earlier in the week,” commented Jamison. “Our bite was scattered throughout the day. We fished the main river channel in water that ranged from 25 to 35 feet deep. We had to stay ON the ledge for the big bite, which is not unusual for this time of year.”
“Boat control was essential in the 3 MPH current,” continued Jamison. “We were bumping with 3 ounces of lead using fresh skipjack provided by Americat Baits. We caught 5 fish for the day and lost one potentially big fish.”
John’s Sponsors: Lund Boats, Mainlake Rod Works, Sportsman’s Outfitters, and Dark Water Premium Baits.
Kevin’s Sponsors: Parks Planer Boards, Maci’s Fish ‘N Finds, Mainlake Rod Works, Dragging Master Fishing.
Second Place, and Big Fish
The runner-up spot went to the team of Chris Stout and Hunter Jones. They weighed a 3-fish limit that pulled the scales to 143.23 pounds. Their bag included the Castaway Customs MWSC Big Fish of the tournament at 69.23 pounds. They earned a check for $4,200 and added $500 for Big Fish and Chris earned a new nickname.
“The weatherman was calling for bluebird skies and we’ve had a lot of rain so the river was on a rise and muddy,” reported Jones. “That made us expect a tough day of fishing.”
Jones and Stout decided to make a long run to the South. They focused on shallow sand using light weights and small baits to catch their fish.
“We drifted and spot-locked,” continued Jones. “We were walking 1- to 2-ounce weights. The fish seemed scattered and it took all day to catch our fish. The big fish came around 11:00 am from about 15 feet of water.”
“Chris did catch a buffalo,” joked Jones. “That’s unusual so I have been calling him Buffalo Stout. LOL.“
Chris and I would like to thank Twisted Cat Outdoors for putting on the event,” concluded Jones. “And thanks to Cape Girardeau for hosting the event and having us in town.”
Third Place
The third place spot at Cape Girardeau went to Justin Borgfield and his son Tristen Borgfield along with Jake Derhake. They brought a limit of three fish to the scales which totaled 109.34 pounds. They earned a check for $2,520.
Other Winners
4th Place – Chris Hance, Richard White & Curt Hance – 85.97 lbs.
5th Place – Les Thompson Jr., Les Thompson, & Trenton Thompson – 76.11 lbs.
6th Place – Delmar Wagler, Justin Arthur, & Randy Graber – 75.54 lbs.
7th Place – Andy Needham, Billy Littleton, & Brad Stout – 70.58 lbs.
8th Place – Rodney Myers, Dusty Bull, & Tim Bastian – 67.10 lbs. lbs.
Final Thoughts
The Cape Girardeau, MO event was the 5th of the 2023 season for Twisted Cat Outdoors. It attracted 63 teams from 11 states to battle it out on the Mighty Mississippi. Just as expected, plenty of BIG fish came to the scales.
“We have 5 tournaments left for the season,” said tournament Director Alex Nagy. “And we end the year with a no-entry-fee invitation-only championship at Lake Ouachita, AR. Anglers will vie for the championship and $35,000.”
“Thanks to all the anglers spectators and sponsors that continue to help grow our trail and the sport of catfishing,” concluded Nagy. “Check us out on our social media platforms. We also host a Monday night live podcast on our Facebook and YouTube channel that is live at 7:00 pm central time.”
For more information on Twisted Cat Outdoors visit their website or follow them on Facebook. Their next tournament will be out of Muscatine, IA on August 5, 2023.
