King Kat Win at Wheeler Lake Goes to Ken Luttrell and David Shipman
by Ron Presley,
Photos courtesy of King Kat
Ken and David also claimed Big Fish honors with a monster blue that weighed an even 80 pounds.
The King Kat Tournament Trail hosted its latest event on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, AL. The October 19, 2024 event attracted 30 teams and 68 anglers from 13 states to take part in the competition.
Wheeler Lake is known to catfish anglers for its big blue cats. In a 2019 King Kat event on Wheeler, Carl Morris Jr. and Rob Parsons crushed the King Kat record for the biggest fish ever weighed at a King Kat event.
The huge 114.96-pound boat record was Parson’s personal best and an example of the possibilities offered by Wheeler Lake. It’s no wonder that anglers look forward to competing on Wheeler Lake. Click on the link to read more about this epic catch on CatfishNOW.
Morris is a frequent competitor in King Kat events and has won several King Kat Angler of the Year Awards. He returned to Wheeler this year where he is fishing with Sean Martin and Aaron Valentine.
“We are thinking about that big fish,” said Morris on tournament morning. “And we are currently sitting on that exact same spot!”
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.
Anglers gathered at the Ditto Landing Pavilion for registration at 4 pm. A Captain’s Meeting followed at 6 pm. Anglers could fish either Wheeler or Guntersville Lake on tournament day with fishing ending at 3 pm. The anglers were required to be back at the weigh-in by 4 pm at Ditto Landing.
When the weigh-in was complete and the weights recorded, first place and Big Fish went to the same team.
First Place and Big Fish 
The top spot at Wheeler went to Ken Luttrell and David Shipman. Luttrell from Illinois and Shipman from Alabama teamed up to bring 133.12 pounds to the scales to earn the 1st place check for $4,100. Their bag included Big Fish of the tournament at 80.00 pounds to up their payday by $1,000. They had total earnings of $5,100.
Shipman is certainly not a stranger on Wheeler Lake and Luttrell has soaked a few skipjack there too. They put their catfish knowledge together to pull out the win at King Kat.
“It was a long day with an OK bite,” recalled Shipman. “We chose to stay on Wheeler and hit a few spots where we had caught fish before.”
Shipman and Luttrell were spot-locking and anchor fishing. They cast out four rods baited with skipjack and waited for the bite. In the meantime, they were walking baits back to a small brush pile they had located. They used mostly skipjack, but did report catching fish on some Mooneye they had.
“We caught one around 34 pounds pretty quick,” reported Shipman. “Then a few minutes later one of the rods went down with a 22-pound, 33-inch under. That’s just about the perfect size.”
About an hour passed and the bite slowed. It gave reason for the team to make a move and it paid big dividends.
“We moved a little and I got the 80-pound fish,” Shipman said. “We caught 2 more unders but they were small. We barely got by with the 3 best fish we had. We only caught the 2 overs all day. It was mostly a morning bite for us. Sometimes you need a little luck. We only won by 1/2 pound.”
Shipman and Luttrell have fished as competitors several times but only 4 or 5 times as partners. After this win, they plan on fishing together some more in the future.
“Ken is a great catfisherman,” concluded Shipman. “He hasn’t had the best of luck down in Alabama but we did good Saturday. We will team up in November at Santee for the King Kat Championship. We want to thank the King Kat team for another great tournament.”
Shipman also thanked B’n’M Fishing, Daiichi Hooks, and Driftmaster Rod Holders for their support.
Second Place 
The runner-up spot went to Ron Goucher and Taylor Wilson. They led the tournament for a long time and sat in the “Hot Seats” with a total weight of 132.87 pounds when Shipman and Luttrell came to the scales. It was about as close as could be with only .25 pounds separating the 1st and 2nd place weights.
Third Place 
Third-place honors went to Roger Morrison and Adam Giles. They brought 119.88 pounds to the scales to earn the 3rd place check for $1,000.
Fourth Place and Second Big Fish 
The Second Big Fish of the tournament went to Team Fishing Christians. Jerry and Noah Ishcomer brought a 59.67-pound blue to the scales to earn the Second Big Fish pot of $500. The big fish helped them claim the 4th best weight with 106.14 pounds.
Top Youth Angler Division
The Top Youth Anglers at Wheeler were both on the same boat. The top spot went to Maximus Lail. Max was fishing with his dad Bradley, his buddy Jaxson Champion, and Daniel Champion. The team brought 81.97 pounds to the scales to finish in the 11th spot overall. The runner-up spot in the Youth Division went to Jaxson who fished alongside Max and their dads. Congratulations to both young anglers!
Note: To view more photos and see more winners from the event visit the King Kat Facebook page.
Final Thoughts
The early morning hours had a chill in the air but with clear skies, the temperatures rose to a near perfect high in the mid-70s. It was great weather for a tournament. Many anglers reported a tough bite but made the best of it and made some memories.
“Many anglers took a risk and locked through to Guntersville,” reported King Kat photographer and social media assistant, Olivia Osteen. “It didn’t seem to pan out as well for the Guntersville anglers as it did for the anglers who fished Wheeler. Some anglers explained they caught 20 to 30 fish and others said they only caught a handful.”
King Kat offered special thanks to the anglers and their families for fishing with them and supporting the event. They also thanked all the King Kat sponsors and supporters including Johnny Morris Bass Pro Shops/Cabelas and Huntsville-Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Osteen also invited anglers and spectators to the next King Kat tournament at Lake Hickory/Catawba River on October 26, 2024. 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.
