King Kat Win at Grand Rivers Goes to Chris Tramm and Don Elder
by Ron Presley,
Photos courtesy of King Kat
Big Fish honors at went to Tim Doom and Tabitha Nelms at 50.11 pounds.
The King Kat Tournament Trail hosted its latest event on the Cumberland River at Grand Rivers, KY. The destination is like lake fishing when the turbines aren’t running but becomes river fishing when they start generating power.
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 29 teams representing 64 anglers from 9 states. The team weighing the heaviest 2-day total weight was declared the champion.
Participating anglers experienced a perfect weekend for fishing. Friday and Saturday were characterized by beautiful skies and temperatures that ranged from the mid-60s to the low-80s and variable winds up to 10 mph.
The best bite corresponded with the generation schedule. Early in the day, the lake bite proved to be better. In the afternoon when the generators were turned on and the current picked up the river bite improved. The power-generating activity caused the lake level to fall while the current and water level in the river increased.
Anglers reported using various techniques in the changing conditions. Some pulled boards, some suspended, some anchored, and others bumped. When all the weights were recorded the difference between 1st and 2nd place was only 8 pounds. It required a weight of more than 100 pounds to secure the win.
First Place and 2nd Big Fish 
The top spot at Grand Rivers, KY went to the team of Christopher Tramm and Donald M Elder Jr. This team has been fishing together for 30 years. As they adapted to changing conditions they found themselves below Kentucky Dam on the Tennessee River. They started putting fish in the livewell and managed a total weight of 102.35 pounds to earn the 1st place check. Their bag included the 2nd place Big Fish of 46.84 pounds to add $500 to their payday and total earnings of $4,300!
“It was a very fun tournament,” noted Elder. “We finished the day with several other boats on the Tennessee River near the dam with the turbines churning. We rigged up with 24- and 36-ounce weights to manage the heavy current.”
After a slow morning, the team caught a total of 16 fish. Five of the 16 were overs that they culled through to complete their weigh-in fish. They caught several more fish to select their under from.
“The one under I caught was awesome,” recalled Elder. “It was 23 pounds and measured 33 inches. It was the perfect under. We never lost a fish.”
Tramm and Elder set up on spot-lock to fish the heavy current. They caught most of their fish on fresh cut skipjack and live skipjack. As more generators were opened the increased water flow changed conditions. The team had to move around and keep baits in the current seams while navigating the underwater piers. They saw several boats hit the underwater pier way out in the middle.
“The skips were so thick down there we just threw out a skipjack rod and caught bait,” confirmed Elder. “Then we turned right around and put them on the hook. We love fishing the heavy currents.”
“It was still dark as we sat at the ramp in Paducah before taking off,” concluded Elder. “A meteor shower was going on. I told Chris that if we could see two of them, we would be good. We saw three and the man upstairs smiled down on us. The rest is history.”
Second Place 
The runner-up spot went to a team from Kentucky. Charlie, Jake, and Shay Weatherspoon teamed up to bring in a total weight of 94.00 pounds to earn the 2nd place check of $2,100.
The team reported a tough morning bite where they tried about every technique they knew before getting on fish later in the day. They sat in the hot seats after weighing in until the eventual winners took them out by a margin of about 8 pounds.
“We didn’t catch our first fish until after 12 o’clock,” reported Charlie. “Then we turned around and caught about 15 back to back. Our good fish came from the same spot.”
Third Place 
Another Kentucky team, Damian Clark and Paul Petrowski teamed up to claim the 3rd place spot. Their total weight of 77.18 pounds earned them a check for $1,000.
1st Big Fish 
Big Fish honors went to the team of Tim Doom and Tabitha Nelms. They came to the scales with the team of Tramm and Elder holding claim to the 1st place Big Fish weight. Their big blue pulled the scales to 50.11 pounds. They beat out the previous weight by about 6 pounds and earned a check for $1,000.
Note: To view more photos and see more winners from the event visit the King Kat Facebook page.
Final Thoughts
Location was everything at the Grand Rivers event. The morning bite went to the lake anglers and the afternoon bite favored the river anglers. Once the power generation started the river conditions changed and the successful anglers changed strategies along with it.
King Kat photographer and social media assistant, Olivia Osteen sent out a special thanks to the anglers and their families for fishing and supporting the event and all the King Kat sponsors and supporters. They included Johnny Morris Bass Pro Shops/Cabelas, and Brian with Grand Rivers, Kentucky.
Osteen also invited anglers and spectators to the next King Kat tournament that will be held on August 31, 2024, in Cape Girardeau, MO where anglers will fish the Mississippi River. Twenty-nine teams have already registered for the event. 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.
