Catfish anglers fishing the Cabela’s King Kat Tournament Trail were greeted with sunny skies both Friday and Saturday. The final day saw 15 mph winds, blowing N early and S late. The river was lower than normal and afternoon temperatures were in the low 80’s all weekend.
The Friday and Saturday, August 11 and 12, 2017 event was staged on the Mississippi River (Lake Cooper) at Ft. Madison, Iowa. In the 2-day Super Event, over 60 anglers from 5 states competed for $8,800.00 in cash and prizes and the opportunity to qualify for the 2017 Cabela’s King Kat Northern and Southern Championship.
This year’s Northern Championship will be held September 22 and 23, 2017 at the Cumberland River (Old Hickory Lake), Gallatin, Tennessee. The Southern Championship will be held October 6 and October 7, 2017 at Lake Wateree, Camden, South Carolina.
Results for the Top Teams
Bryan Espy of Maroa, Illinois and Ken Luttrell of LaPlace, Illinois took first place at the Super Event. The team fished up river about 4 miles from Ft. Madison, targeting fish on the main channel.
“We used mooneye for bait in 14 – 28 feet of water,” reported Luttrell. “We were anchored up on the channel edge.”
The day will be memorable for other reasons too. When asked if anything unusual happened during the tournament Luttrell responded, “Not unless you count getting the anchor caught on a big mooring rope and busting the cleat off the side of the boat while fishing the front of a barge. “And, losing 5 cast nets getting bait.”
The team caught 65 fish over the two days, weighed in 94.02 pounds, and earned $4,000.00 for their first-place finish.
Second place went to Jim Gillenwater of Keokuk, Iowa and Josh Mayes of Montrose, Illinois with a total weight of 87.42 pounds. They earned $2,000.00 plus an additional $250.00 X-Treme Bait Tank Bonus.
The team fished about 10 miles south around Montrose. “We fished in 25 – 30 feet of water,” reported Gillenwater. “The water was perfect for fishing, not muddy. We found our fish on the ledges.
“The bite was real soft,” added Gillenwater. We drifted some and anchored some using shad gut for bait. We lost a couple big ones, but ended up catching about 30 for the weekend.”
Joey Heckrodt and Jerry Cox, both of Whitehall, Illinois took third place weighing in at 82.70 pounds and earned $1,000.00. The team fished north 8 – 10 miles anchoring and using goldeye and shad for bait. Joey and Jerry had 30 – 40 fish for the event, targeting those fish in the main channel in 20 – 30 feet of water. The team also had Big Kat of the tournament, with a channel, weighing 14.92 pounds.
In fourth place were Mark Farrow of Meredosia, Illinois and Jerry Cline of Petersburg, Illinois. They weighed in at 75.64 pounds and earned $500.00. The team fish in the Ft. Madison area on the main river ledge in 30 feet of water. They used mooneye for bait to land 30 fish for the weekend.
Ron King of Quincy, Illinois and John King of Camp Point, Illinois took fifth place with a total weight of 70.34 pounds and earned $300.00. The team started day one in Burlington, Iowa and worked their way down river. Day two they stayed in the Ft. Madison area, anchoring in 25 – 30 feet of water. They used mooneye for bait to catch 30 – 35 fish for the event.
In sixth place were Buddy and Ace Weisenburger, both of Quincy, Illinois. Team Weisenburger weighed in 69.74 pounds to earn $200.00.
King Kat organizers sent out a special thank you to Tim Gobble with the Ft. Madison Partners and to the City of Ft. Madison. A special thank you also went out to the Boulders Inn and Suites and Comfort Inn for their hospitality.
“Thank you to all the local sponsors that made this event possible,” said a tournament spokesman. “We had 20 kids attend the Kid’s Rodeo and they sure did catch a lot of fish!”
KING KAT NATIONAL SPONSORS:
Cabela’s The World’s Foremost Outfitter, Alumacraft, Adventure Products EGO Nets, RigRap, B ‘n’ M Poles, Minn Kota, Mercury Marine, Mustad Hooks, Driftmaster Rodholders, Gamma Line, Humminbird Electronics, World Fishing Network – WFN, Rippin’ Lips, Keep Alive, Cat River Anchors, Sunsect Sunscreen & Insect Repellent, Humminbird Lakemaster Maps, Digital EFX Wraps, Tentology, Crown Trophy, Gill Rainwear, Catfish Now, Whisker Wear and Allen Company.
Information on the championships and other King Kat activities can be found on their website at www.kingkatusa.com. Anglers can follow the trail on the Cabela’s King Kat Facebook Page.
