King Kat Win at Clinton Goes to Ryan Kelly and Thomas Herman
by Ron Presley,
Photos courtesy of King Kat
Kelly and Herman also claimed Big Fish honors in a big fish bite that lasted only about an hour.
The King Kat Tournament Trail hosted its latest event on Clinton Lake in Illinois. The tournament attracted 30 teams and 64 anglers from 8 states to take part in the competition.
Clinton Lake is home to a nuclear power plant that has operated since 1987. The station works on an electric boiling water reactor. The operation of the reactor results in water on one part of the lake having water temperatures in the 90-degree range while another part of the lake may be near 70 degrees. Anglers are challenged to find where the active fish will be.
The competitors experienced a steady weather pattern with clear skies and mild temperatures. Early morning temps felt fall-like in the mid-50s with afternoon temperatures rising to near 80. It was great weekend weather for a tournament.
Anglers fishing the event were vying for championship honors, cash payouts, plain old fishing fun, and an opportunity to fish in the Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s King Kat Classic on Santee Cooper at Eutawville, SC on November 8, 2024.
When the weigh-in was complete and the weights recorded it took more than 112 pounds in 3 fish to win.
First Place and Big Fish 
The top spot at Clinton was claimed by Ryan Kelly and Thomas Herman. They teamed up to bring 112.09 pounds to the scales to earn the 1st place check for $4,100. Their bag included Big Fish of the Tournament at 51.28 pounds to add $1,000 to their payday. The team’s total payday was $5,100!
Kelly and Herman fished the day before the tournament to plan a strategy. They caught three good fish within about 10 minutes. They spent time in warm water on the east side of the lake and in cold water on the west side. The only bites they got came from the cold water on the west side of Lake Clinton.
“We to the cold water area on tournament day,” confirmed Kelly. “We just stuck to it even when the bite was tough. We didn’t get many bites either day, before 11 am. All our big fish on tournament day came between 11 am and noon.”
Kelly and Herman were dragging big chunks of shad through the channel and on the ledges. They used two sets of planer boards to drag into the wind at about .5 mph.
“The 51-pound blue and the 30-pounder didn’t bite nearly as aggressively as we’re used to for blues,” reported Kelly. “The 35-pound flathead was an absolute shock. I thought I was snagged on a rock.”
As Kelly started pulling the line he felt the fish. A few minutes later he boated the only flathead catfish he ever caught dragging.
“Thomas is a hell of a fisherman,” noted Kelly. “We truly couldn’t have done it without working together to figure out a plan and then pulling it off.”
“Everybody with the King Kat organization has been so supportive,” concluded Kelly. “Especially Scott and Alicia Peavy. I’m eternally grateful for all the people who have helped me in my first year of fishing tournaments.”
Second Place and 2nd Big Fish 
The runner-up spot went to spot went to Mike Mitchell, Cordell Ingram, and Zachary Burcham. They weighed 95.21 pounds to earn the 2nd place check for $2,100. They added 2nd Big Fish honors to add $500 to their payday which totaled $2,600.
Third Place 
Third-place honors went to Darin Wilson and Kristine Wilson with a weight of 76.03 pounds. They earned a check for $1,000.
Fourth Place 
The final team in the money was Beau Trudeau and Nate Hambrecht. They teamed up to put 64.75 pounds of Clinton Lake catfish in the boat and earn a check for $300.
Youth Division 
The Youth Champion was Fletcher Ward with a total of 62.50 pounds.
The Runner-up Youth was Joel Giles with 5.05 pounds
Note: To view more photos and see more winners from the event visit the King Kat Facebook page.
Final Thoughts
The warm water and cold water characteristics of Clinton Lake make it an unusual environment for catfishing. Some anglers found success early, some found their fish late. All the anglers were challenged to figure out whether they should fish the warm side or the cool side of the lake.
“Some anglers reported their bites were all in the morning,” noted King Kat photographer and social media assistant, Olivia Osteen. “Once the sun came up they couldn’t get a bite. Other anglers said they couldn’t catch a fish in the morning but they caught their fish in the afternoon. Most teams drifted all day and did not use other techniques.”
King Kat offered a special thanks to the anglers and their families for fishing and supporting the event along with all the King Kat sponsors and supporters including Johnny Morris Bass Pro Shops/Cabelas and Clinton County Tourism.
Osteen also invited anglers and spectators to the next King Kat tournament on October 11 and 12 in Moneta, Virginia where anglers will fish Smith Mountain Lake. Interested anglers can register for the event on the King Kat website.
For more information on King Kat visit their website or follow them on Facebook.
