TCO Jack & Jill Win Goes to Robert Cannady and Julie Waterkotte
by Ron Presley,
Photos courtesy of Twisted Cat Outdoors by Tom Stolze
Big Fish honors also claimed by Cannady and Waterkotte.
Twisted Cat Outdoors (TCO) catfish tournament trail visited Canton, MO for their Jack & Jill event on the Mississippi River. A team is made up of one male and one female. A team can include as many 18-and-under youth as the boat specs allow. Most are husband/wife teams but teams can be father/daughter or other male/female combinations.
The event attracted 32 teams representing 68 anglers. Thirty of the anglers were Jacks, 29 were Jills, and 9 were youth anglers. It was a relatively tough bite for the anglers facing changing river conditions.
When all the weights were recorded 1st place and Big Fish honors went to the same team. It was a decisive victory with about 25 pounds separating 1st and 2nd place. It required more than 80 pounds, in 3 fish, to take the win.
First Place and Big Fish 
The top spot at Canton went to Robert Cannady and Julie Waterkotte. They teamed up to bring a 3-fish limit to the scales that weighed 81.70 pounds. Their bag of cats included the Big Fish of the tournament at 28.51 pounds. The team earned the $1,800 1st place check and added the Castaway Customs MWSC Big Fish award of $250 to boost their total earning to $2,050.
Cannady and Waterkotte had a plan to target deep holes on what turned out to be a slow but productive day. They were fishing on the rope using skipjack for bait. Producing the winning bag required them to move around and be patient to find the fish they needed.
“The morning started off slow,” reported Waterkotte. “The fish were biting softly, just playing with the bait. We had a few takedowns but none would commit.”
It was around 9:30 am when they got the takedown they were looking for. The fish hit hard and put plenty of pressure on the rod and rod holder.
“I had a hard time getting it out of the rod holder,” recalled Waterkotte. “We knew this was a good one. We were anchor fishing in some pretty heavy current. I finally got the fish to the boat after it went digging for the bottom a few times.”
Cannady netted what would be many of Waterkotte’s fish that day. The team put the big fish in the livewell, baited back up with skipjack, and cast the same rod back to the exact same spot.
“Within 20 minutes we had the 2nd big one on the line,” declared Waterkotte.“ “I got him to the boat but my arms weren’t fully recovered from fighting the 1st one. Robert took over the pole and I dipped the only fish I would net all day.”
At this point in the day, the team had two 28-pounders and one 5-pound flathead. They made several more moves before finding their next keeper a couple of hours later. All this time they experienced the same slow, noncommittal bites that left them without good takedowns. Finally, another good takedown came and they hooked up.
“With this last big one we got to throw out the dinky flathead,” Waterkotte said. “The same pole was on fire the whole day. I caught every fish on the same rod!”
With 7 fish total for the day, they didn’t think they could help their weight anymore. With a good bag, they headed for the weigh-in around 2:30 pm to make sure they were back by the cutoff time.“Thanks to Twisted Cat Outdoors and Alex Nagy for putting on the show,” concluded Waterkotte. “We’ll be doing more TCO tournaments!”
Second Place 
A youth angler was all smiles at the event in Canton, MO as Ian and Paisley Mullens sat in the hot seats for a while after bringing in their total weight of 56.23 pounds to the scales. When the weigh-in was complete they had claimed runner-up honors and earned the 2nd-place check for $900.
Third Place
Third place went to Jim Gillenwater and Stephanie Jones. Jim and Stephanie came to the scales with a total weight of 40.56 pounds to earn the third-place check for $600.
Fourth Place 
Walker Hostetter, Haley Avery, and Gage Stull nailed down their place with a total weight of 30.57 pounds. The 3-person team from Iowa earned the 4th place money of $315.
Fifth Place
The 5th spot at the TCO Jack and Jill tournament went to Sean and Carmen Cannon. They posted a total weight of 29.58 pounds and earned a check for $285.
Note: To view more Tom Stolze photos and more winners from the event visit the Twisted Cat Outdoors Facebook page.
Final Thoughts
The Twisted Cat Outdoors tournament on the Mississippi River at Canton, MO was one of the trail’s best-attended Jack & Jill events. The catfish tournament was hosted by the city of Canton and set in a festive atmosphere of vendor booths offering a variety of things for attendees.
To add more fun to the event, registered anglers were invited to take a fun picture on the water and share it in the comment section of a TCO Facebook post. The picture with the most likes was awarded a free entry in the 2025 Jack & Jill event.
“Jack and Jill in Canton, MO was another fantastic annual event for Twisted Cat Outdoors,” noted tournament director Alex Nagy. “We had 32 teams participate, which is a solid turnout for Jack & Jill.”
“The fishing was a bit tougher this time with the water dropping fast, but the city really showed up,” concluded Nagy. “There were vendors with merchandise, goldfish races, and plenty of other fun activities! It’s been an incredible year so far, and we’re looking forward to our next event in Burlington, IA, on September 21st!”
For more information on Twisted Cat Outdoors visit their website or follow them on Facebook. You can also tune in to TCO on Monday nights for a live show at 7:00 pm on Facebook and YouTube. Nagy discusses tournament action and features Twisted Cat Outdoors anglers and industry leaders.
