Team Sasse Wins King Kat Tournament on Carlyle Lake
Sasse bag includes Big Kat honors too!
Catfish anglers from several states traveled to Carlyle Lake at Carlyle, IL for a King Kat Tournament Trail event presented by Bass Pro Shops Cabela’s. Clinton County Tourism hosted fourteen teams that gathered to test their catfishing skills against other anglers and Mother Nature.
Anglers fishing the June 12, 2021, Region 3 event were vying for $2,925 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.
Anglers were challenged by a hot humid day with no wind. Add in the fact that the fish were in spawning mode and it made for some very tough fishing conditions. Yet the bite was very good for male channel cats and everyone caught lots of fish and had a fun time. However, no one found the big fish.
Most anglers said they spent most of the day trying to beat the heat. Prefishing was much the same except when nightfall hit the fish seem to get a little bigger but not much. Shad was the bait of choice and dragging was the key to catching fish.
First Place 
Teaming up to take the top spot were Levi and Breanna Sasse from Vandalia, IL. The team brought 36.37 pounds to the scales to earn a first-place check for $1,800. Their bad included Big Kat of the tournament, a 12.24-pound channel cat.
“We fished up on the northwest end of the lake,” reported Levi. “We were pulling baits at about .5 to .6 mph in 4 to 6 feet of water using shad fillets for bait. The bite was better in the morning up to about 11 am but we caught fish to the end of fishing time.”
Levi reported a very hot day with the water temp at 82 degrees in the morning and it rose to 86 or 87 by day’s end. Nevertheless, they had a pretty good day catching 15 to 20 fish on tournament day.
Their biggest cat had a fish stuck in its throat. They could see about 3 inches of its tail sticking out. Levi didn’t want to pull it out and hurt the fish and it kept going belly up in the livewell so they decided to weigh it in early.
“We didn’t get any pictures except for in the livewell,” continued Levi. “The fish was fine but made me nervous so we called to get it weighed.”
“I want to thank my wife Breanna Sasse for fishing with me,” concluded Levi. “And for supporting my love of tournament fishing.”
Second Place
The runner-up spot went to Wallace Maier from Morrison, IL, Nathan Thornhill from Gillespie, IL, and Natalie White. They had a tournament day total of 31.93 pounds to take second place and earn a check for $700.
The team was also fishing shallow water. They chose dragging baits to present cut shad to potential cats. Targeting water in the 4 feet deep range they caught around 30 fish on the day.
Third Place
Mark McDaniel from Centralia, IL, and Thomas Sligar from Odin, IL had the third-place weight. They brought 29.92 pounds to the scales to earn a check for $425.
McDaniel and Sligar followed suit with the other top teams although in a little deeper water. They spent the day dragging baits while targeting water that was 8 feet deep and less. They used cut shad to catch well over 20 fish on the day.
Epilogue
Tournament director, Willy Pranker thanked the City of Carlyle for their support of the tournament and the anglers for coming to fish it.
“I would also like to thank the Corps of Engineers and Clinton County Tourism,” Pranker said. “They were very instrumental in making this even happen.”
The 2021 Championship
This year’s King Kat Classic Championship will be held on the Red River at Natchitoches, LA, November 5-6, 2021. The Classic features a guaranteed payout of $125,000 in cash and prizes. The points race is set to pay $30,000 to the top 20 places based on the competitor’s top-five finishes.
National Sponsors
Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s King Kat Tournament Trail sponsors include Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s, Mercury Marine, Mustad Hooks, Gamma Line, Driftmaster Rod Holders, Ego Nets, EFX Graphics, Catfish Now, Fin n’ Frames, Cat River Anchors, Smooth Move Boat Seats, Power-Pole, and Lowe Boats.
For more information on the 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.
