B’n’M Pro-staff Anglers Ryan Lawrence and Mark Blauvelt were all smiles following the KingKat event at Gallipolis and a fourth place win that included second big kat.
Corey Jeffries and Garrett Horsley take the KingKat Win at Gallipolis
by Ron Presley
It’s a New Day at Cabela’s KingKat.
The Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s KingKat Tournament Trail traveled to Gallipolis, OH, and the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. Mixed bags of blue cats, flatheads, and channel cats came to the scales.
As an American Catfishing Association (ACA) Tournament Alliance Member, participating ACA member anglers enjoy many benefits, including a chance at winning the 2022 SeaArk giveaway boat. More details are available on the ACA website.
Thirty-two teams from nine states fished the August 06, 2022 event. The weigh-in took place at the Gallipolis City Park and Boat Ramp where it took a three-fish weight of more than 100 pounds to win.
“Competing anglers fished overcast conditions on a fairly lazy Ohio River,” reported emcee and weighmaster Kevin “Stump” Grant. “More than1,300 pounds of Ohio River catfish were brought to scale. We saw some of our biggest bags of the year at the Gallipolis event where we paid out $9,500.”
The weigh-in stage was managed by Grant while Lisa Gail Haraway and other KingKat team members handled the various other duties required for a smooth and efficient weigh-in.
B’n’M pro-staff anglers Mark Blauvelt and Ryan Lawrence teamed up to fish the event. Blauvelt described the fishing conditions that greeted the anglers.
“We were met with overcast skies most of the day,” reported Blauvelt. “Air temperatures rose to 83 degrees and we had a hard rainstorm early afternoon. The water level was a little high but falling after the big floods in Western Kentucky last week. The current was about 1 mph but that was a good amount of current for that area for this time of year.”
“We got most of our fish suspend fishing in deep water,” concluded Blauvelt. “We were using fresh skipjack for bait.”
Blauvelt and Lawrence finished the day with nearly 100 pounds (96+) and finished in 4th place. They followed behind the top three teams where the first and second place teams weighed more than 100 pounds in three fish.
First Place
First Place honors went to Cory Jeffries and Jerrett Horsley. They brought a total weight of 113.2 pounds to the scales to claim the top spot. Jeffries and Horsley were the first to weigh in and stayed in the hot seats the entire day as other anglers failed to top their impressive weight. The biggest fish in their bag weighed 43.67 pounds.
Second Place and BigKat
The runner-up spot went to Ronnie Duncan and Frank White. They teamed up to bring a total weight of 106.68 pounds in their 3 weigh-in fish. Their bag included Big Kat of the tournament at 51.05 pounds. They were just 7 pounds short of knocking out the top team.
Third Place
Michael Ramey and Cody Williams brought 3 fish to the scales that weighed 99.76 pounds to hold down the third place spot.
Fourth Place and Second Big Kat
Ryan Lawrence shows off the Second Big Kat of the tournament. It pulled the scales to 49.13 pounds.
Long-time teammates, Mark Blauvelt and Ryan Lawrence brought a total weight of 96.95 pounds to the scales to claim 4th Place. Their bag included a 49.13-pound bruiser blue to also take Second Big Kat honors.
Fifth Place
The 5th place spot went to Cody Carver and Michael Preece. Carver and Preece teamed up to bring a total weight of 90.95 pounds to the scales and claim their place on the leader board. The big fish in their bag weighed 42.80 pounds,
Final Thoughts
The Gallipolis location proved to be a very good fishery with some great weights posted. The next King Kat event is scheduled for September 10, 2022, on the Santee Cooper lakes in South Carolina.
How to Qualify for the KingKat Classic
The 2022 Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s KingKat Classic will be held on the Tennessee River out of Decatur, AL. Anglers will be launching at Ingalls Harbor on Wheeler Lake.
To compete at the Classic ALL captains must qualify, and ALL co-anglers must be a member of the KingKat Association. There are several ways that anglers can qualify to fish the Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s KingKat Classic.
- Finish in the top 5 at any regular season event
- Qualify as one of the top 50 points teams
- Enter a minimum of 5 KingKat events
- Finish in the top 3 of an ACA Alliance tournament or an affiliate club event and fish at least 1 KingKat event. (It is the responsibility of the affiliate club director to submit the proper paperwork)
About KingKat
The Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s KingKat Tournament Trail launched the 2022 season under new ownership. New owner Bob Denen is well known and respected in the fishing industry. Denen shares ownership in the trail with TJ Perkins and Andy Denen, Bob’s son. Perkins’ role involves all financial operations and Andy will produce the media and TV coverage. New ideas and new momentum are at the forefront as they present the 2022 tournament trail.
To learn more about KingKat visit www.KingKatUSA.com and/or the KingKat Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kingkatusa.
