MRM Win Goes to Chad Vice and Dustin Jones
Big Fish honors and 3rd place went to the team of Delmar Wagler, Justin Arthur, and Kevin Childress.
By Ron Presley
Photos courtesy of MRM
The 2024 Mississippi River Monsters tournament out of Memphis, TN saw plenty of Big Muddy trophy catfish come to the scales as Hurricane Francine cleared the area. Inclement weather hung around until tournament day when a misty morning cleared and a partly cloudy sky greeted spectators at the September 14, 2024 weigh-in.
The crowd of catfish enthusiasts witnessed 3,737 pounds of catfish weighed at Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid before being released back into the Mississippi River. Hurricane Francine swept through the area bringing lots of rain and wind to challenge anglers to find the right bite.
Eighty-six boats, manned by 226 anglers, came from 20 states to tackle the Mississippi River. The teams were in search of 3 catfish to take to the scales. The first-place check of $15,000 would be won only after competing against the best of the best in tournament catfishing. The tournament paid out 10 places and Big Fish.
When the competition was over and the polygraphs administered it required nearly 150 pounds in 3 fish to claim the victory at MRM 2024. Less than 45 pounds separated 1st and 10th place as it took more than 100 pounds to make the top 10.
First Place 
The top spot went to Chad Vice and Dustin Jones. They teamed up to bring 149.57 pounds to the scales to earn the 1st place check.
Vice and Jones fished the MRM last year and used what they learned to make a game plan for 2024. They brought some small skipjack from home and did some prefishing on Wednesday preceding the tournament.
“Wednesday we went to Helena where we fished last year,” Jones said. “We fished that spot and caught a 25-pounder and a 28-pounder. Then we went back to Memphis and pre-fished on Thursday.”
The weather was bad on Wednesday due to the hurricane. There were trees and trash floating down the river making navigating and fishing tough. The team bumped a few areas without any luck.
“The current was really moving,” recalled Jones. “We made the decision Thursday evening to go catch fresh bait on Friday morning. We drove a few hours and caught some big skipjacks which built our confidence knowing we had fresh bait.”
With good bait and increased confidence, they had to decide where to fish on tournament day. They based that decision on pre-fishing and previous experience.
“We both chose to go to Helena and fish the current seam,” continued Jones. “We had caught fish there while pre-fishing. We were hoping the trash and limbs weren’t in that area.”
Jones and Vice arrived at the area where they wanted to fish and found clean water as they hoped. Encouraged by what they found, they decided to work the area thoroughly and wait the fish out. It was a good decision that paid off.
“We caught a total of 10 fish on the day,” reported Jones. “We caught 4 in the first hour of being there. One of them was our big fish which was right at 70 pounds.”
The morning bite slowed down for several hours for Jones and Vice. When they did catch another fish they were encouraged to stay persistent and work the area well with hopes of culling to a better weight.
“We never left all day,” recalled Jones. “Slightly after noon, they started biting again. We caught several more decent fish including our second big fish at about 66 pounds. It was the persistence and patience that made the difference.”
Jones and Vice made a plan and stuck with it. They targeted the seam line on a current break in water that ranged between 60 and 100 feet deep. The trolling motor was used to move around the area with some baits suspended straight down and others dragging out the back.
“We moved up and down the river,” Jones said. “We were moving around slowly with heavy weights to keep the baits down. Before we came to Memphis we made weights ranging from 10 to 19 ounces for this purpose.”
“We would like to thank everyone who invested their time putting on this event,” concluded Jones. “We give God all the glory for allowing us to be a part of MRM.”
Second Place 
The runner-up spot went to Dusty and Jennifer Tholl from Abilene, Texas. They made the trip to Memphis with their dog Ranger. Their boat dog is a Mini Aussie who has been joining them on the boat since he was 8 weeks old. His first tournament was a CatMasters on Lake Texoma. 
Ranger looked on as Team Tholl brought in 128.52 pounds to the scales to earn the 2nd place check.
Wednesday morning was a bait-catching day for the Tholls. It was a cloudy day that found them chasing bait most of the day. They did bump one stretch of river and Dusty caught a couple of small fish before motor troubles cut the day’s fishing short.
“A storm rolled in with 40 mph wind gusts so we didn’t fish Thursday,” reported Jenny. “Friday morning we hit the water and struggled to find fish. We marked some fish but couldn’t buy a bite.”
On tournament day they launched at Helena where they got off to a good start catching 13 fish before the bite faded. They were bumping in about 50 feet of water.
“Due to rainy windy weather leading up to Saturday, our game plan was to just go fishing,” Jenny stated. “As we pulled out of the harbor Dusty decided we were going north. That decision paid off. The fish we marked on Friday had moved but not far. The first fish in the boat was 70 pounds.”
After their early morning success, they continued to catch fish and upgrade their bag. By 1:00 pm the fish had moved out and the bite slowed considerably. Feeling comfortable with their bag they headed to the Bass Pro Shops in Memphis for the weigh-in and what would be 2nd place honors.
“We would like to thank Tackle Bandit and Slimecat Rods for their support,” concluded Jenny. “Thanks also to the MRM staff for putting on a great tournament and Dusty’s checkbook for financing the adventure.”
Third Place and Big Fish 
Delmar Wagler, Justin Arthur, and Kevin Childress have been on a busy tournament schedule. Delmar and Justin traveled from Indiana, and Childress from Alabama to Memphis.
The team put together a strategy that earned them the 3rd place check for a bag of cats that weighed 120.10 pounds. Their bag included a 72.11-pound blue that was Big Fish of the tournament.
“Delmar and I had a half day to pre-fish,” reported Arthur. “While we pre-fished Kevin went and caught fresh skips. We scanned and found some fish and once we located them we bumped one little stretch and caught a 40-pounder.”
With the knowledge that the fish were there and willing to bite they pulled up and left the fish alone and saved them for tournament day. On tournament morning their fish finder quit working and they were left to fish blind.
“While pre-fishing we found our fish in about 40 feet of water,” confirmed Arthur. “The river looked to be coming up and it seemed to us like the fish were more scattered. They were along the banks in shallower and slow-moving currents. We fished along the current seam next to the bank where the slow-moving backwater and the fast-moving current met, and it worked out for us.”
“We love the MRM tournament,” offered Arthur. “It has always been one of our favorite tournaments of the year. I’d like to thank George Young Jr, his family, Bill Dance, and the people at Bass Pro for everything they do. A lot of work goes into a well-run tournament like MRM.
The team also thanked their sponsors for helping them do what they do. They include TFR Rods, Wagler Custom Homes LLC, Dirty South Dragging, Driftmaster Rod Holders, Never Lost Anchors, Flash’s Suzuki in Indiana, Dry Creek Marine, Maci’s Fish ‘N Finds, Gorilla Grip Gloves, and Hillbilly Towels and Sublimation.
“Catfishing is like our kryptonite,” concluded Arthur. “There is a lot of competition at MRM. It’s nearly 100 of the best boats in the country competing against each other. If you finish in the top 10 in that tournament you’re doing something!”
Remaining Top 10
4th Place – Rob Parsons and Carl Morris – 112.39
5th Place – John Troutt, Jimmy Burton, and Logan Tanner – 110.60
6th Place – Jason Masingale, Daryl Masingale, and Matt Bingham – 107.14
7th Place – Jeff Dodd, Randy Dodd, and Bill Dance – 106.48
8th Place – Billy Littleton, Bobby Littleton, and Brad Stout – 105.83
9th Place – Alex Nagy, Brandon Schadt, and Charles Blair – 105.51
10th Place – Cedric Poynor, Wayne Reed, and Nathan Casey – 104.83
Final Thoughts
The MRM crew continues to go all out for this tournament. It has gotten bigger and better each year. It begins with the MRM Monster Week Big Fish competition on Wednesday and Thursday preceding the tournament.
“Monster week started strong,” said MRM weighmaster Chris Ramsey. “We had another appearance from Eddie Andersen and Justin Tomlinson on day one, with Nolan Rummel and Travis Rummel coming in on day two with the biggest fish.” 
The Wednesday winners were Eddie Andersen and Justin Tomlinson with a 65.94-pound blue. They earned a $500 check from B’n’M Fishing. This was their 2nd time to win the Big Fish competition at Monster Week. The big blue was Tomlinson’s 3rd personal best at MRM events. 
The Thursday Big Fish competition was sponsored by Monster Rod Holders and won by Nolan and Travis Rummel with a 61.09-pounder. They earned a Monster Week Big Fish check for $500. It was the biggest blue Nolan had caught bumping.
In a demonstration of the catfish community’s generosity, an auction was held on Thursday night at the MRM Monster Bash to benefit young Marley Wilbanks with medical expenses. Interested parties can also donate through a special MRM Go Fund Me Page. The auction has become a tradition at the MRM. Special thanks to all the anglers, individuals, and sponsors who supported this amazing part of the annual MRM event. #catfishclass!
Weighmaster Ramsey was assisted by Jessie Adams and Bryan Wayman. They carried out the stage duties that made the weigh-in go smoothly for the anglers and entertained the spectators. A huge crew of volunteers was on hand to contribute to the effort and help make the Mississippi River Monsters event one of the most anticipated tournaments in the county. Originator and tournament director, George Young Jr. can be proud of another awesome event.
“We successfully weighed in 56 boats,” concluded Ramsey. Even with the changing weather conditions, anglers brought nearly two tons of catfish to the scales in Memphis. The top of the field was very competitive with only 44 pounds separating 10th and 1st place. Big shoutout to Bass Pro Shop and all of the other sponsors for making each and every event a memorable one!”
