King Kat Win on the Ohio River Goes to Chris Rhodes and Chris Hatfield
by Ron Presley,
Photos courtesy of King Kat
Big Fish honors at Gallipolis went to Vanover and Tarrence at 41.26 pounds.
Gallipolis, Ohio, and the Ohio River provided the background for another successful King Kat catfish tournament. Anglers fishing the event were vying for weekend honors, cash payouts, 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.
The event attracted 38 teams representing 83 anglers from 10 states. The team weighing the heaviest 2-day total weight was declared the champion.
Anglers participating at Gallipolis experienced a variety of weather conditions. Friday was characterized by scattered thunderstorms during the morning and a pop-up storm around 3:30 as the live feed was scheduled to begin at the Gallipolis City Park & Boat Ramp. Fortunately, it went around and the weigh-in proceeded without interruption. The air temperatures ranged in the 70s to low 80s before an hour of pouring rain covered the area on Friday night. Saturday continued with cloudy skies but no rain and the temperatures were steady in the mid-70s all day.
Anglers were challenged with a tough bite due to the lack of current. The result was a few anglers with empty livewells and a smaller field on day two. When all the weights were recorded it required a two-day weight of nearly 130 pounds to take the win.
First Place 
West Virginia anglers Chris Rhodes and Chris Hatfield produced the winning strategy at Gallipolis. They teamed up to bring a total weight of 128.92 pounds to the scales in two days of fishing and earn a check for $5,400. They were setting in second place on the leaderboard following day one competition with a weight of 51.00 pounds.
Rhodes and Hatfield are no strangers to the area. They have won two previous King Kat events on the same body of water. Even with a good bag on day one they had to change strategies and locations to bring home the win. They caught all their fish suspend fishing on the first day but after a slow morning bite, they switched to dragging on day two.
“It was a tough two days for sure,” reported Rhodes. “Between the intense summer heat and lack of rainfall we’ve had lately, I expected the bite was going to be slow. I spent an afternoon scouting before the tournament and identified three areas that had a decent number of active fish.”
On the first morning of the tournament, Rhodes and Hatfield set up on the most promising area. They immediately noticed the fish weren’t very active. After spending what they described as “way too long” in that area with limited success, they decided to make a 25-mile run to their next promising area.
“Luckily the move paid off and we caught a couple of decent fish,” Rhodes stated. “We were in the last two hours of competition but completed what we thought was a decent middle-of-the-pack bag of fish.”
Once they got to the scales they were surprised to discover that the bite had been tough for everyone. Their “decent” weight was sufficient to put them in 2nd place.
“On day two we started in the same area from the previous afternoon,” explained Rhodes. “The fish seemed active at first and we put a limit of small fish in the boat but couldn’t come up with much size.”
About midday, the team decided to make a long run to the final area in their strategy. The fish were active and biting. Rhodes and Hatfield caught several good fish to secure the winning weight.
They caught all their fish drifting. On day one most of the fish were on baits suspended well up off the bottom. On day two dragging baits closer to the bottom worked better. Cut mooneye and carp were the key baits. They did not catch a single fish on the common baits of shad and skipjack.
“This is the 3rd time we’ve won this Gallipolis King Kat tournament,” concluded Rhodes. “We feel incredibly lucky to have pulled it off once again. We don’t have any sponsors to thank, but I always like to give thanks to the WV DNR for their efforts in protecting the catfish in our waters from the commercial fishing issues that plague many other states’ waters.”
Second Place and Second Big Fish 
The runner-up spot went to a team from Ohio. Gary Davidson and Hunter Davis caught a two-day total weight of 110.30 pounds. They moved up from 3rd place on day one to earn the 2nd place check of $2,500. Their bag included the 2nd Big Fish to add $500 and increase their total earnings to $3,000. The 2nd Big Fish pulled the scales to 38.67 pounds.
Third Place 
After leading the field on day one, Donnie and Lonnie Fountain experienced a tough bite and recorded a two-day total weight of 95.93 pounds. The well-known team from Georgia earned a check for $1,400. The 3rd place finish put them in the lead for the points race just 1 point ahead of Ray Ferguson and 3 points ahead of Mike Mitchell.
Fourth Place 
The West Virginia team of Aaron Preece and Cody Carver brought in the 4th place weight. They were setting in 16th place following day one competition with 13.59 pounds. They climbed the leaderboard all the way up to 4th place with a day two weight of 75.28 pounds, the heaviest single-day weight of the tournament. Their two-day total weight of 88.87 pounds earned them a check for $900.
Big Fish 
Kentucky anglers Josh Vanover and Keith Tarrence finished day one with 47.21 pounds and day two with 40.05 pounds. Their two-day weight of 87.26 pounds left them just out of the money but their bag included a hefty 41.26 pound blue to earn them the Big Fish check of $1,000.
Note: To view more photos and see more winners from the event visit the King Kat Facebook page.
Final Thoughts
It was a tough bite on the Ohio River at Gallipolis but it was tough for everyone. It is these kinds of conditions that usually bring the cream to the top. All the anglers had to reach into their bag of tricks to come up with a winning strategy.
King Kat photographer and social media assistant, Olivia Osteen talked with several anglers about the fishing conditions.
“I heard there was a lot of bait in the water,” noted Osteen. “Anglers were reporting that the bite was tough because of that. The other thing I heard about was the lack of current which also puts a damper on the bite. There were also reports that the majority of the fish were suspended in about 40 feet of water. Anglers who didn’t discover that pattern had tough going.”
Like all tournaments, events like this do not happen in a vacuum. The King Kat organization had plenty of volunteers lined up to conduct the event and make it run smoothly for the anglers.
“We want to extend a special thanks to Johnny Morris Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, Gallia County Visitors Bureau, Gallia Academy School bass fishing team for helping at the weigh-in, all the anglers and their families, and all of our sponsors and supporters.”
Osteen also invited anglers and spectators to the next King Kat tournament that will be held on August 10, 2024, in Grand River, KY where anglers fish the Cumberland River. 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.
