Lake Ozark, MO is hosting a catfish tournament in May that will go down in history as an important step up the ladder in the public’s acceptance of catfishing as a sport.
More than a year’s worth of planning and hard work will come to fruition on May 12th and 13th, 2018. Lyle Stokes has had a long affiliation with catfish tournaments and his dream of a national catfish championship will become a reality on Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks.
Stokes is well known as co-host of the popular Catfish Weekly TV show on Monday nights with Tim “Doc” Lange. His wife Cindy is usually there spinning the RigRap prize wheel and has been helping him with the tournament. He configured the Catfish Weekly National Catfish Championship to be based on a qualifying process that allowed catfish anglers from across the county to earn the right to compete in the national event.
The qualifying process allows catfish tournament directors to join the group and qualify their top 5 teams for the national championship. A couple hundred teams from across the country qualified.
The first team to officially qualify was Dale Smith, Gary Taylor and Chad Seals. They won the 3rd Annual Winter Blues on Wheeler tournament. They battled the weather and fishing conditions to weigh in 177.43 pounds, that included Big Fish. Their impressive win on Wheeler gave them the right to compete in the inaugural Catfish Weekly National Championship.
“I am glad to be qualified,” stated Dale Smith after qualifying. “I look forward to fishing against the best cat fisherman in the nation. I hope in the future there are more invitational tournaments across the country, held in different waters. I think it will give our sport some way-overdue notoriety, and I also think it will bring guys out of their comfort zone and get them introduced to different people and skill sets.”
The anglers on that first team to qualify at Winter Blues will be competitors at the championship. Dale Smith will be fishing with Daniel Jacobs in Boat #19, Gary Taylor has teamed up with John Young in Boat #56, and Chad Seals will fish with Amy Olden in Boat #3.
B’n’M pro staffer and operator of Flats N Cats Guide Service, Johnny Coleman and his partner Dan Eimers were double qualifiers. They actually qualified on Lake of the Ozarks at a Twisted Cat Outdoors tournament and also for being in the top 5 for team of the year in the ICATS trail last year. They are registered as Boat #55 and they are no strangers to the lake.
“I’ve been competing in tournaments at Lake of the Ozarks for about the last 6 years,” noted Coleman. “In preparation for the tournament, I’m studying maps of the lake, as well as weather patterns, water temps, etc. My main focus is targeting areas where I can locate fresh bait. Fresh bait is always key for me. I’ll narrow down my search of where I want to fish and then I’ll use my prefishing time to scan areas looking for bait, structure, and fish.”
Illinois angler, Jason “Big Cat” Mathenia, and his mom Vicky Mathenia earned their qualifying spot at the Twisted Cat Tournament out of Columbia Bottoms, St.Louis, MO. They will be listed as Boat #8.
“This is one tournament that mom and I are looking forward to,” indicated Jason. “My wife, mom, and I fished a Twisted Cat tournament at Lake of the Ozarks in March 2017 and had a blast. There have been several 50-pound fish caught every year and it wouldn’t surprise me if several 40-pound fish are brought to the weigh-in. This is one tournament that I would not miss. The fishing will be awesome and the competition with be fierce!”
“I am excited to be able to fish against such great fishermen and women that will fish this tournament,” echoed Vicky.
It all kicks off on Friday, May 11 with the captains meeting. At least one angler from each team must attend the meeting. It will begin at 5 o’clock in front of the bathhouse at Public Beach 2 (PB2), also known as Grand Glaize Beach. No prefishing is allowed after the captains meeting.
The weigh-in will also be held at PB2 beginning at 3:00 pm each day of the tournament. If competitors are not in the line by 3:00 they are disqualified. Anglers can weigh a 5 fish limit of channel, flathead and blue catfish. All teams are subject to polygraph testing.
Weighmaster for the event will be Jody Harrison. He is bringing his stage and crew from Alabama. His personal experience and skilled help are sure to make the weigh-in go smoothly. Jody, along with his partner, Daniel Parsons, is on a mission to grow the sport and the national championship is one more opportunity to do so. Next year Jody and Daniel will take over the administration of the tournament.
“I am excited about the first ever National Catfish Championship,” stated Harrison. “I look forward to building on the momentum from this inaugural event for when we take the reins next year. We will be announcing the location after this event and will also be announcing the incentives soon.”
Stokes noted that this is a 2 over 34-inch tournament with a 26-inch to 34-inch slot. Those regulations will add another challenge to everyone’s game plan.
Over fish must be OVER 34 inches, not on the line. Same with under fish. They must be UNDER 26 inches and not on the line. Fish length will be checked and no dead fish will be weighed. A complete set of rules may be found on the Catfish Weekly National Championship Facebook page.
At the end of the event on Sunday, May 13, one team will hold bragging rights and the title of Catfish Weekly National Catfish Champions. At this writing, 58 teams have registered for the event. More are likely to register at the captains meeting.
Outside of taking care of the fish, Stokes’ main concern is that everyone has a good time. After much planning the time is near and he is ready to launch. Warm weather is expected to dominate the first fishing day on Saturday with air temps predicted in the low 90’s. Winds will approach 15 mph. Day-two anglers will face lighter winds and temperatures in the low 80’s. Winds are expected in the 5-10 mph range, from the NNE.
“With the warm temperatures that are predicted, the fishing should be hot,” concluded Stokes. “There are cat men and women coming from several states to participate and I can’t wait to get this started. I want the Catfish Weekly National Championship to come off right the first time, so people can’t wait to make the next one. It’s going to be a fun time at Lake Ozark!”
More information and updates can be found on the Catfish Weekly National Catfish Championship Facebook page.
