Holloway and Ferretti Win King Kat Tournament on James River
The first-place bag included Big Kat too.
Catfish anglers from several states traveled to the James River at Richmond, VA for a King Kat Tournament Trail event presented by Bass Pro Shops Cabela’s. Richmond Region Tourism hosted twenty-one teams that gathered to test their catfishing skills against other anglers and Mother Nature.
Anglers fishing the October 22 – 23, 2021 Region 2 event were vying for $20,420 in cash and prizes and the opportunity to qualify for this year’s King Kat Classic Championship on the Red River at Natchitoches, LA, November 5-6, 2021. The Classic features a guaranteed payout of $125,000 in cash and prizes.
Both days were characterized by air temperatures in the 70s. Overcast skies on Friday produced light rain with a light breeze to keep it comfortable. There was more sun on Saturday as the light breezes continued to create near-perfect fishing weather.
At the end of day one, Doug Holloway and Matt Ferretti held the lead with 121.9 pounds. Following closely behind in second place were Jon Smethers and Bruce Adwell with 121.30 pounds. Justin Fraley and Brian Reynolds held Big Kat honors after the first day with a 65.16-pound blue. Day-two competition lined up as a shootout with many teams within reaching distance of the leaders.
First Place and Big Kat
Teaming up to take the top spot on the James River were Doug Holloway and Matt Ferretti. They finished the two days of competitive fishing with a total weight of 238.50 pounds as they held on to their day-one lead and earned a check for $10,000. They also had Big Kat of the tournament at 69.64 pounds to add $420 to their payday.
Holloway and Ferretti had developed several game plans going into day one of the tournament. Luckily for them, their first one worked out well.
“The morning bite was very active” recalled Ferretti. “We started off with a triple. The early bite included our largest day one fish at 55 pounds. Later that morning we picked up a 52-pound blue and improved on our kicker fish by 3 pounds.”
Those three fish weighed 121.9 pounds and put the team in first place by a slim margin of about a half-pound. They went into day two hoping that their day one strategy would work again. It didn’t.
“The morning bite was very slow,” continued Ferretti. “By mid-morning we only had a 37-, a 31-, and a 5-pound fish. Given the competition, we knew we were going to need another 121.9-pound day to stay in the lead.”
Pressured by the thought of the competition, the team moved two more times on day two. It proved to be the right decision.
“Our move paid off,” explained Ferretti. “We improved our kicker fish to 10 pounds and landed our largest fish of the tournament at 69.64 pounds. Now we had a day two total of 116 pounds and a total tournament weight of 238.5 pounds.”
Their weight was sufficient to keep them in the lead but after a stressful return to the scales. They made it back to weigh-in at Osbourne Landing with only 9 minutes to spare.
“A car wreck left us parked on the way back to the weigh-in,” Ferretti said. “There was no way to turn around and we set there for just over an hour. Fortunately, no one was hurt and we were able to continue but we just barely made it back. At least one other angler was not as lucky and did not make the 4:00 pm cut-off time to be in line. They were unable to weigh their 95 or so pounds of catfish.”
Holloway and Ferretti anchor fished both days using cut shad for bait. On day one they targeted water about 30 feet deep. On day two they tried every depth from 25 to 40 feet as they searched for fish.
“We would like to thank all our friends that we fish with in the Old Dominion Catfish Club,” concluded Ferretti. “And most importantly, our wives for letting us go!”
Second Place
The runner-up spot went to Jon Smethers and Bruce Adwell. They teamed up to bring 228.60 pounds to the scales in two days of fishing to claim the second-place check of $4,000.
“Bruce and I worked hard the past 2 days,” reported Smethers in a Facebook post. “We stayed consistent, positive, and patient. We boated a total of 10 citation fish during two days of fishing. Our winning weight included 4 fish over 50 pounds.”
“I would like to thank my awesome support team and everyone that was rooting for us,” concluded Smethers. “We had a blast fishing and meeting new people this weekend. Congrats to all the winners and thanks to Cabela’s King Kat for putting on a great tournament.”
Third Place
The third spot went to Chris Krammes and Howard Staton. They brought a two-day total weight of 217.50 pounds to the scales to earn the third-place check of $1,500.
Krammes (Chris Hunts FishesVa) and Staton were fishing on the rope in 30 to 40 feet of water. They were able to move up from 4th to 3rd place on day two.
Fourth Place
Leonard Trout and Adam Cook had the fourth place weight. They brought 208.70 pounds to the scales in two days of tournament fishing. They earned a check for $500.
Trout and Cook reported finding a pattern that produced and they fished it both days. They were setting in third place after day one. They had similar fishing on day two but lost a good fish late in the day.
“Big congrats to the top 3,” said Cook in a Facebook post. “Those guys kept us on our toes this weekend!”
Epilogue
Tournament director, Willy Pranker thanked Jerrine Lee, Director of Sports Development at Richmond Region Tourism, for hosting the tournament. He also thanked the folks at Osborne Park and Boat Landing for providing their beautiful boat ramp for the King Kat weigh-in.
The 2021 Championship
This year’s King Kat Classic Championship will be held on the Red River at Natchitoches, LA, November 5-6, 2021. The Classic features a guaranteed payout of $125,000 in cash and prizes. The points race is set to pay $30,000 to the top 20 places based on the competitor’s top-five finishes.
National Sponsors
Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s King Kat Tournament Trail sponsors include Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s, Mercury Marine, Mustad Hooks, Humminbird, Minn Kota, Gamma Line, Driftmaster Rod Holders, Ego Nets, EFX Graphics, Catfish Now, Fin n’ Frames, Cat River Anchors, Smooth Move Boat Seats, Power-Pole, Lowe Boats, Crockett Creek Beef Jerky, Pesky Bug Repellant, Costa Del Mar, Daisy Air Rifles, and Garmin.
For more information on the championship and other King Kat activities visit their website at www.kingkatusa.com. Anglers can also follow the trail on the King Kat Facebook Page.
