Lake of the Ozarks in Sunrise Beach, Missouri, welcomed catfish anglers to the March 24, 2018, edition of Cabela’s King Kat Tournament Trail. They rolled out the red carpet for more than 50 anglers from 5 different states.
Competitors were vying for $6,000 in cash and prizes, and an opportunity to qualify for the $110,000 Classic Championship to be held September 14 & 15, 2018 on the Ohio River at Jeffersonville, Indiana.
Tournament day anglers were faced with unwanted thunderstorms early in the morning, but those ended by 7 am leaving cloudy skies for the day’s fishing. Anglers were also challenged by a cold front that moved through and dropped temperatures from the mid to high 50’s in the morning to high 40’s as the weigh-in was ending. Early morning winds at 4 mph rose to a high of 16 miles per hour around the noon hour before a downward trend began.
Results for the Top Teams
First Place
Justin Cook of New Franklin, MO and Gary Ryan of Columbia, MO claimed the first-place honors with a total weight of 121.46 pounds. Their weight included the Big Kat of the tournament with a 39.46-pound Lake of the Ozarks blue cat.
The team earned $2,800, plus an additional $460 for Big Kat. The team was using Driftmaster Rod Holders on their boat to add another $300 Bonus.
Cook and Ryan fished north of Captain Ron’s around MM 52. They fished on the rope targeting flats in 15 feet of water. They used shad for bait to land 12 fish for the day.
Second Place
A total weight of 97.08 pounds gave Andrew Little, of Ashland, MO and Jeff Sanger of Hartsburg, MO, the runner-up spot. They earned $1,400 for their day of fishing.
The Missouri team fished down from Captain Ron’s near MM 20. They found their fish up in coves following bait holding in 15 – 18 feet of water.
Little and Sanger caught more than 20 fish using shad for bait. They indicated that the cold front did influence the bite, saying it just shut down around 11 am.
Third Place
The third-place spot went to Justin Neece of Odessa, MO and Mike Carpenter of Breckinridge, MO. They also used shad to catch their bag of 59.58 pounds to earn $975.00.
Neece and Carpenter fished between MM 65 and MM70. Noting that it was a pretty slow day, Neece reported catching 9 fish for the day.
“Most of our smaller fish came off mud flats in about 15 feet of water,” said Neece. “Our bigger fish came off of the channel ledges.”
In a story of the one that got away, Neece reported losing one to an old trotline.
“I hooked a good fish and got wrapped up in someone’s old trotline someone left out,” stated Neece. “By the time I could get off of anchor to go to him the fish came unhooked.”
Fourth Place
The team of Wanda and Ron Barner weighed in 51.60 pounds to finish fourth. They fished the area around MM 91.
“We had a great day even though all our electrical quit right off the bat,” reported Wanda. “We anchored all day in 25 foot of water, using shad for bait. We only fished that one location. We caught 7 fish for the day, two over the slot, two in the slot and three unders.”
The Remaining Top 10 Teams
5th Place – Joe Bell, Anthony Bell – 50.00
6th Place – George Polly, Mike Porter – 44.22
7th Place – Ryan Lee, Justin Fricke – 37-48
8th Place – Brian Ellison, Robert Smith – 31.96
9th Place – Ben Sassman, Russel Michaels – 27.19
10th Place – Roger Gerloff, Marty Gerloff – 25.22
King Kat officials send out special thank yous to Paul Hooper and his staff at Lake of the Ozarks West Chamber of Commerce for hosting the event, to Captain Ron’s, Ozark Bait & Tackle, and the Tri-County Lodging Association.
“This is the first year King Kat has ever been on Lake of the Ozarks,” stated tournament director, Jeremy Coe. “We are excited to start growing this event. We had a great deal of wonderful local sponsors and support! This is a growing fishery that will be in the top catfish waters soon. We are hoping to get Lake of the Ozarks back on the schedule in 2019!”
National Sponsors
Events and payouts like this one on Lake of the Ozarks could not take place without National Sponsors. Cabela’s King Kat Tournament Trail sponsors include, Cabela’s, Adventure Products EGO Nets, RigRap, B ‘n’ M Poles, Minn Kota, Mercury Marine, Mustad Hooks, Driftmaster Rodholders, Gamma Line, Humminbird Electronics, World Fishing Network – WFN, Rippin’ Lips, Cat River Anchors, Sunsect Sunscreen & Insect Repellent, Humminbird Lakemaster Maps, Digital EFX Wraps, Tentology, Gill Rainwear, Catfish Now, Whisker Wear, The Original Clearboard, Extreme Bait Systems and Katfish Clothing.
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 Cabela’s King Kat Facebook Page.
