A day these boys will never forget! 105-pound blue catfish
caught March 16 at the Kerr Lake MaddKatters tournament.
Boys Win Tournament With 105.1-pound Catfish
Shared by Tommy Ruffin
Giant blue anchored a solid limit of fish.
We love a good catfish story, especially when it involves youngsters, and this one sent by our friend Tommy Ruffin is pretty incredible. It’s a story about J.T. the Catfish Kid and his best friend Levi Full who fished in the Kerr Lake Maddkatters tournament on Buggs Island Lake (John H. Kerr Reservoir) in Virginia on March 16 of this year.
“We made a last-minute decision to fish the event after really struggling for bait,” said Ruffin. “J.T. invited his best friend Levi and his dad Stephen Full to join us.
“About 20 minutes after getting all the rods set, I saw a slow steady takedown and looked back to see the farthest planer racing across the water. I picked up the rod and knew it was a good fish. Levi took the rod and began the fight.
“About 10 minutes into the fight, with drag peeling, another rod went down, and J.T. took it. The fish tangled in the second line, but the two boys worked together keeping both lines tight to bring the monster 105.1-pound blue to the boat! It took me and Stephen both to lift the fish over the side. It was too big to keep in the livewell long, so we reeled everything up and went to the scales.
“Later in the day, these boys caught more fish, including a 52, 37, 25 and several in the teens. We were blessed with an incredible day on the water to say the least.
“We ended up taking first with 157.5 pounds, big fish, and the boys took youth angler in the tournament. The memories made will never be forgotten, and those kids will be talking about the day for the rest of their lives!
“I want to say thank you to everyone who has helped us since we got involved in catfishing. We have met some incredible people we now call friends through this amazing sport. Thank you to all who called, texted, messaged or just walked up and talked. Thank you to Jeff Freuler for recognizing JT’s passion early on and giving him his first two Catch The Fever rods. Thank you to Dale Russell Lowe Jr. with Regular Dude Outdoors for reaching out to congratulate two regular kids on a regular-sized fish of a lifetime! And thank you to JT’s sponsors (Catch the Fever, Team Keatts Fishing, Minotaur Hooks, Carolina Lake Weights and Fishin Fuel) for the support, seeing his passion and believing in him.”
