The blustery wind kept anglers on their toes at the Oct. 22 and 23, 2016 Big Cat Quest Classic. Angler after angler lamented the impact of the wind on boat control and fishing conditions. Still, plenty of big fish came to the scales as determined anglers challenged the cold October wind.
“If the cold front and the winds had not come, we would have seen many more big fish,” said one angler. “This is the right time of the year to catch big cats on the James, but these winds made it tough.”
The wind did cause problems and changes in strategies for weekend anglers. Even the winner, James “Jaybird” Hopkins admitted to changing plans. The high winds kept him from traveling down river to a spot he wanted to fish. When he observed the high winds he went up river on Saturday to find a spot not so affected by the wind. It turned out to be the right decision.
Hopkin’s Plan B resulted in a 64.45-pound blue cat that he weighed in during the first hour of the tournament. At the end of day-two his beefy blue had held up as big fish of the tournament and Jaybird ended up in Hot Seat #1.
“It was too windy to go where I wanted, so I just ran up river, picked a spot and fished an hour. I didn’t do any good so I pulled anchor and moved to another spot. About 15 minutes later I had him on. I lucked up,” revealed a happy Hopkins.
Hopkins did not need another fish to win the tournament, but several of his other fish added to his overall prize package with additional hourly payout money. “I am setting here looking at all the stuff I won and I am still in shock,” concluded Hopkins.
Second place went to Mikey Haynes with a 51.95-pound blue cat. “We were mostly anchor fishing,” said Haynes. “We did a little drifting from time to time, but because conditions were so bad we just anchored.”
Haynes has fished the James River before, but the fish did not pattern well on this day. “We have our favorite section of James River that produces fish for us,” continued Haynes. “This weekend the water was stained, 67 to 69 degrees, and we never could pattern a certain depth. With 25 mph winds and gusts up to 40 it was almost impossible. We just had to look for areas that blocked some of the wind. We had to deal with a drifting boat, anchors breaking loose, and a very rough boat ride.”
Haynes went on to thank Bass Pro Shops, Ken freeman, Joyce Muse, and all the other individuals that made the event possible. “We look forward to fishing against the best fisherman in this country and doing it with friends and family,” said Haynes. Last but not least, I want to congratulate Jay Hopkins for his first place fish and my other buddy, and fellow North Carolinian, Justin Alverson on his fourth place finish.”
In recognizing other important people contributing to his win, Haynes said. “I wouldn’t b able to do any of this if it wasn’t for my awesome wife, my kids, and my fishing partners Doug Coffer and Chad Knowles.”
Third place went to Michael Shears. Michael brought at 46.10-pound blue to the scales to nail down the third-place spot.
Justin Alverson claimed the forth place spot with a fish he caught on day-one. Like most other anglers he and his partners, Jim Yarbrough and Calvin Phillips were fishing on the anchor. They targeted edges of holes in water that ranged from 2 to 28 feet deep.
With the wind blowing hard against the current Alverson had to adapt. “We had to anchor the boat from the rear,” said Alverson. “We knew it could be disaster with our lines out there with the anchor rope, but it was the only way we could fish the area we wanted to fish. We had a plan devised if the big fish came from the rear of the boat. We would untie the anchor rope and try to let the fish run under the rope. We left our baits short of the anchor so we could make this happen if needed.”
The 44.4-pound fish eventually came from the front of the boat. “Thank goodness,” said Alverson. “The fish picked up a live perch in about 2 foot of water and went straight to the hole we were fishing. It took a second to catch up with the fish. When I did we went back and forth for about 6 or 7 minutes before we got it in the net.”
Alverson was also quick to praise Jaybird Hopkins, the first-place winner. “He is tough wherever you seen him,” observed Alverson. “He is a great guy, a great fisherman, and very deserving of the win. It could not have gone to a better person.”
The fifth place spot went to Joe Hecht. Hecht put a 44 pound blue in the boat to claim the final overall spot.
All in all it was a tough, challenging day for anglers. Nevertheless, they accepted the challenge and did what ever it took to put fish in the boat. Catfish anglers are a hearty bunch of folks who just don’t tend to give up because of a little wind.
For more information visit the website at kenfreemanoutdoorpromotions.com, email Ken Freeman at ken@kenfreemanoutdoorpromotions.com or phone Ken at 731-234-1888.
