Team Bodine Wins King Kat Tournament on Old Hickory
Big Fish goes to Craig Shirey and James Wesney
Catfish anglers from five states traveled to Old Hickory Lake at Gallatin, TN for a King Kat Tournament Trail event presented by Bass Pro Shops Cabela’s. Thirteen teams gathered to test their catfishing skills against other anglers and Mother Nature.
Anglers fishing the August 22, 2020 event were vying for $ 3,205 in cash and prizes, and an opportunity to qualify for the $120,000 Classic Championship to be held October 30 – 31, 2020 on Milford Lake in Milford, KS.
The day began with rain and turned sunny by midday for the King Kat anglers on Old Hickory. The windy morning turned in to a slow breeze by weigh-in time in front of Flippers Bait and Tackle. Participating anglers described the weather as “comfortable” with air temperatures from the lower 70’s to mid-80’s. The bite was relatively tough. Many anglers reported not catching many fish to cull.
First Place
The top spot at Gallatin went to the father/son team of Wayne and Travis Bodine. The team from Bardstown, KY broke the 100-pound mark to win. Team Bodine brought a 5 fish limit to the scales that weighed 119.38 pounds to claim first place and earn a check for $1,800.
Wayne and Travis fished downstream near the dam and about 6 miles upriver from the weigh-in. They were targeting ledges in 50-60 feet of water. They used skipjack for bait to catch close to 40 fish for the day.
The team reported catching fish until about 11:30 am. At that point, the recreational boaters started showing up and the bite began to cool down.
Second Place
Brian Vohol from Hermitage, TN, and Lori Gregory-Bonham from Lebanon, TN took the runner-up spot. Vohol and Gregory-Bonham had a five-fish limit that weighed 94.42 pounds and earned them a check for $700.
Vohol and Gregory-Bonham claim Old Hickory as their home lake, but it was Gregory-Bonham’s first tournament. Not a bad way to start tournament fishing.
The local team targeted deep ledges to drift and catch their fish. The water ranged from 45-60 feet deep. They fished downstream from the weigh-in site using skipjack herring for bait.
Third Place
The third-place spot went to Jeff Outz and Kenneth Sudderth. The team from Canon, GA teamed up to bring 85.56 pounds to the scales and earn a check for $425.
Outz and Sudderth fished three miles below the Highway 109 Bridge. They also found their fish in deep water. They were fishing water depths that ranged from 60-90 feet deep. They used skipjack to catch a total of eight fish on the day
Big Kat
Craig Shirey from Baltimore, OH, and James Wesney from Somerset, OH repeated a win in the big fish column. After winning big fish last week on Carlye Lake in IL with a 30.24-pound cat they took the Big Kat prize of $280 at Gallatin with a 40.6-pound beast.
Shirey and Wesney only caught three fish on the day, but their bag included the biggest of the day. They began fishing in the rain targeting deep water. The OH anglers fished near the dam, about four miles downstream. They were targeting deep water in the 50- to 60-foot range.
“We spent all day Friday getting shad and skipjack,” reported Shirey. “We didn’t get on the lake until tournament day. We found a spot on the map that looked good and we anchored on it the first thing in the morning.”
That first spot didn’t work out for Shirey and Wesney. With no fish coming to the boat they pulled anchor and started trolling but only caught a couple of dinks.
“When the trolling failed, we were out of ideas,” said Shirey. “We decided to move to one more section of the main channel and began drifting. By this time there was only an hour left in the tournament and we considered just taking the loss and getting a head start on the drive home.”
Then out of nowhere, they got their only takedown of the day. It was a good one, the one they had been waiting for. It ended up being big fish for the tournament.
“The big fish gave us enough weigh for fifth place and good points too,” Shirey said. “So, if nothing else, we definitely learned to stick it out to the end because you never know when that rod is going to go down!”
The Remaining Top Teams
4th Place – Frank White and Izak Petry – 76.28
5th Place – Craig Shirey and James Wesney – 43.52
6th Place – Jack Leo and Luc Duffey – 38.50
7th Place – John Renner and Dan Hoffman – 31.90
8th Place – Keith Smith and Brandon Hubbard – 30.06
9th Place – Brandon Ladd and Jeremy Tumes – 27.40
10 Place – Matt Renner and Hunter Cottrell – 20.72
Epilogue
In a tournament that was originally scheduled for Spring 2020, but was postponed due to COVID pandemic, tournament director, Tim Fortner thanked the Tourism Board of Sumner County for hosting the event.
“King Kat always enjoys coming to Gallatin and Old Hickory Lake,” Fortner said. “We look forward to future visits.”
The 2020 Championship
This year’s Cabela’s King Kat Classic Championship will be held October 30 – 31, 2020 on Milford Lake in Milford, KS. The Classic features a guaranteed payout of $120,000 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, Excel Boats, Mercury Marine, Mustad Hooks, Humminbird, Minn Kota, B’n’M Poles, Gamma Line, Driftmaster Rod Holders, Ego Nets, EFX Graphics, Catfish Now, Fin n’ Frames, WavePro, Kiobassa Sausage, and Crown Trophy Wave Pro.
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.
