Mitchell and Sexton Win King Kat Tournament at Pickwick/Wilson
Big Fish goes to Jack Leo and Luc Duffey.
Catfish anglers from several states traveled to Pickwick and Wilson Lakes at Sheffield, AL for a King Kat Tournament Trail event presented by Bass Pro Shops Cabela’s. Colbert County Tourism hosted the teams that gathered to test their catfishing skills against other anglers and Mother Nature.
Anglers fishing the June 19, 2021, Region 1 event were vying for $3,145 in cash and prizes, an opportunity to qualify for regional competition, and the opportunity to qualify for this year’s King Kat Classic Championship on the Red River at Natchitoches, LA, November 5-6, 2021. The Classic features a guaranteed payout of $125,000 in cash and prizes.
Competing anglers witnessed overcast skies and a few sprinkles on tournament day. The wind was light and variable as the air temperature climbed into the 80’s creating a hot and humid day.
Prefishing anglers had reported tough fishing conditions going into the tournament, but a few anglers found some good fish when it counted. The top three teams all brought more than 100 pounds to the scales.
First Place
Teaming up to take the top spot was Mike Mitchell from Russellville, AL, and Rick Sexton from Helenwood, TN. The longtime teammates brought a total weight of 119.30 pounds to the scales to earn the first-place check of $1,800.
Mitchell and Sexton are no strangers to the Pickwick/Wilson area. They chose to fish Pickwick Lake on tournament day where they caught their winning bag in about 18 to 25 feet of water. They used skipjack for bait and reported catching a lot of fish on tournament day.
“We spot locked and drifted bumping baits,” reported Mitchell. “We fished some baits weightless as well. We caught fish sporadic throughout the day with our biggest coming in the first 10 minutes of the day.”
“We were fishing around rocks and trees,” continued Mitchell. “The weather was beautiful, overcast, and a little windy. All our fish were caught with Boss Kat 8/0 and 10/0 circle hooks rigged on Big Cat Fever Rods and Slime Line.”
Second Place
The runner-up spot went to the brother team of Lonnie and Donnie Fountain from Jasper, GA. The Georgia team had a total weight of 108.63 pounds to claim second place in very close competition with the third-place team. They earned a check for $700.
Lonnie and Donnie are no strangers to the leader board, especially when Wilson Lake is involved. They chose to drag baits on Wilson Lake. The team was targeting water that ranged from 50 to 60 feet deep using skipjack to catch their weigh-in fish. They reportedly got 8 bites on the day and caught 7 of them.
Third Place and Big Fish
Jack Leo and Luc Duffey were close behind with their bag of Wilson Lake fish. The team made the trip from Delaware, OH to catch a tournament day weight of 107.48 pounds to claim the third-place spot. They earned a check for $645. Their bag included the Big Kat of the tournament at 53.15 pounds.
Leo and Duffey placed their hopes on Wilson Lake. Using a pattern similar to the second-place team they trolled the lake in about 40 feet of water. They used skipjack for bait to catch 6 fish on the day.
Persistence paid off for the team as they fished hard and brought the Big Kat of the tournament late in the day. Their 53.13 pounder was caught in the last 2 hours of the tournament. The team finished just 1.15 pounds out of second place.
Epilogue
Tournament director, Willy Pranker thanked all the anglers for coming out and fishing the tournament.
“I also want to thank Susann Hamlin and Colbert County Tourism,” Pranker said. Susann and her staff are strong supporters of the catfish community and instrumental in making our event happen here on Pickwick and Wilson Lakes.
For more information on the 2021 Classic 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.
