Top 4 MRM Mega Bucs Teams Split $85,000 at Helena
by Ron Presley
Photos courtesy of MRM
The top bag of 176.59 pounds was weighed by Hunter Jones and Chris Stout.
The 2023 Mississippi River Monsters Mega Bucs Pro Series tournament was held out of Helena, AR on the Mississippi River. The October 20-22, 2023 scheduled event attracted a field of 111 professional catfish anglers representing 44 teams from 15 states. Anglers were competing for a first-place purse of $50,000.
Mega Bucs was an optional 2-day elimination tournament capped at 50 boats. At the end of day one, the top 4 finishing teams had the option to compete on day 2 or if unanimously agreed upon they could split the prize money allocated to the top four places and the tournament would end after one day of competition.
Following day one, places 5 through 10 earned checks and as part of the ACA Tournament Alliance, each ACA Member Angler registered for the tournament had their names entered into a lottery to win a SeaArk Boat at the end of the year.
The event began on Friday night with a mandatory Captains Meeting at the Wild Hog Saloon in Helena, AR. Fishing began at 7:30 am on Saturday with lines out at 4:30 pm. Teams were due back to the Cherry Street Pavilion for weigh-in at or before 6:00 pm where teams would weigh a maximum of 3 fish per boat of any size.
At the end of day one the top 4 teams consisted of Hunter Jones and Chris Stout; Dan Fields, Chris Tramm, and Brian Vohol; Larry Muse, Dino Meador, and Larry Spillers; and Andy Williams, Rhys Eubank, and Don Fisher. They decided to split the $85,000 combined purse for 1st through 4th and end the competition. Each team received a payday of $21,250!
TOP FINALISTS BY DAY ONE WEIGHT
Hunter Jones and Chris Stout
Hunter Jones and Chris Stout teamed up to weigh the best bag on day one. They weighed 3 fish that pulled the scales to an amazing 176.59 pounds including Big Fish of the day at 71.67 pounds. It was the largest 3 fish weight they had achieved in their career as fishing partners.
“We were fortunate to have had the ‘right’ bites,” reported Stout. “Hunter is a great fisherman and tournament partner. We definitely fish well together and that to me is a big piece of the puzzle of tournament success.”
Jones and Stout began prefishing on Thursday and continued for most of the day on Friday. They developed a strategy that gave them confidence that they would catch several fish and also stand a good chance of finding the big bite that they look for in tournaments.
“We had about 6 places picked out to fish,” revealed Stout. “We hoped that a few could be saved for day two if we were fortunate enough to make the top four.”
Their 2nd fish was a 70-pounder and they caught a pair of 33-pounders shortly after. With 130 pounds by 9:30 a.m., they were feeling pretty good about their chances.
“Sometime around lunch Hunter hooked into a tank,” explained Stout. “That fish pulled and fought for what seemed like an eternity. We eventually landed another 70-pounder. This put us at around 175 pounds for our 3 largest fish. We spent the rest of the day prefishing for day two if needed. During that time we culled a 33 for a 35-pound blue.”
“We drifted all day using skipjack for bait,” concluded Stout. “I think we caught 13 fish for the day. Hunter and I are blessed to be able to do what we enjoy and occasionally be successful.”
Chris Tramm and Brian Vohol
Chris Tramm and Brian Vohol brought 147.95 pounds to the scales to claim the runner-up spot on day one. They used a variety of techniques to find and catch their fish.
The team found a bite that lasted all day long. They were targeting water that ranged from 30 to 55 feet deep.
“We had to change up our method several times throughout the day,” reported Vohol. “We anchored sometimes and walked bait back to the fish. Other times we drifted and slipped skipjack back in the current.”
“We would like to thank Driftmaster Rod Holders, Fat Boy Custom Rods, and Eagle Claw Hooks for making quality products and to MRM for putting on the tournament.
Larry Muse, Dino Meador, and Larry Spillers
Larry Muse, Dino Meador, and Larry Spillers had the third-best weight on day one. They teamed up to bring 146.46 pounds to the scales. Their weight put them in the hot seats holding down first place for a while until Jones and Stout took them out.
The team started pre-fishing on Thursday evening and Friday morning within 30 miles of Helena. They couldn’t find a concentration of decent-sized fish. On tournament day they decided to run a little farther and check out new water.
“We saw a bank that gave me that gut feeling that it was holding fish,” reported Muse. “It was, but with the low water, there was very little current. So instead of bumping rods, we pulled out four roller rods and started a suspend drift.”
It didn’t take long for Muse, Meador, and Spillers to realize that suspend drifting was going to be the technique of the day. They fished about two hundred feet of bank in water that ranged from 55 to 70 feet deep where they soon caught several 20 to 30 pounders.
“The rollers were so smooth on the Meat Hunter Rods that almost every fish put six eyes in the water,” offered Muse. “It was a great day. We were dead sticking and giving extreme attention to fishing the perfect depth.”
They paid close attention and worked as a team to keep from spooking the fish. With an eye to the electronics they kept the bait just above the fish being careful not to bump the fish with the bait.
“We had four rods out and took turns on the next rod to go down,” explained Muse. “We had a great time and it was all about teamwork. We ended up with nearly 150 pounds to get 3rd place against 44 teams of the best river catfishermen in the country.”
“I’d like to thank all of my sponsors,” concluded Muse, who is currently undergoing treatment for stage 4 cancer. “I would also like to thank all of the folks praying that I beat this cancer. God bless each of ya’ll!”
Andy Williams, Rhys Eubank, and Don Fisher
Andy Williams, Rhys Eubank, and Don Fisher began their adventure on Tuesday preceding the tournament. They prefished downriver noting how much it had changed from years past.
“The river had changed drastically,” noted Williams. “Water depths were not even close to the same anywhere I’ve previously fished. We graphed down to Rosedale without finding what we were happy with.”
The next day they headed upriver going all the way to Memphis. The water was so low they beached the boat in one spot but ended up finding a school of fish that blacked their screen out.
“I could not see the bottom,” stated Williams. “I honestly didn’t figure it was catfish but after dropping a few lines we started catching 15- to 25-pound blues. It was almost dark so we packed in and headed to the hotel.”
With their bait supply dwindling Williams made a 4-hour drive to Alabama for bait while his partners went to bed.
“My buddy Kevin caught me a 100 skips,” noted Williams. “They were for me and a few of my friends on tournament day. I got back to the hotel at 6 am and sent my partners back to the school of fish we had found the day before while I took a nap.”
His partners went back and landed a 50-pounder soon after arriving. They had found the fish that set their game plan for Saturday.
“We weren’t the only boat that had found these fish but we were the first one there,” concluded Williams. “We stayed on them all day catching more than 30 fish with 2 well over 40 pounds. We moved around 2 o’clock and hit another spot and landed another 40 plus! With that, we headed back for the weigh-in nice and slow and happy with what we had caught.”
Top Ten
5th Place – Justin Claar and Cody Loveall – 115.83
6th Place – Jimmy Burton, Lynn Burton, and John Troutt – 110.73
7th Place – Larry Michael Davis and Charles LaPlant – 102.28
8th Place – Sam Brooks and John Raines – 99.68
9th Place – Jeff Dodd, Randy Dodd, and Cedric Poynor – 97.68
10th Place – Rob Benningfield and Ricky Eiselt– 97.15
Final Thoughts
Mega Bucs was a well-ran tournament with a different format than most catfish tournaments given the option to fish day two. The was much praise and many thank yous from the anglers competing in the event for the MRM staff and volunteer crew.
Weighmaster Chris Ramsey, with assistance from Jessie Adams, Bryan Wayman, Micheal Quattlebam, and a few MRM youngsters was on hand to perform the stage duties and make the weigh-in go smoothly for the anglers. There was a large crew of additional volunteers on hand to contribute to the effort in various ways.
“It was a beautiful day in Helena at the Cherry Street Pavilion,” reported Ramsey. “The City of Helena brought out jump houses for the kids, food trucks, and a DJ to entertain the crowd before the Mississippi River Monsters hit the stage.”
The weigh-in line started to form shortly after 4:30. A pattern of 90 to 95-pound bags began to develop. Muse, Meador, and Spillers took the hot seats first with 146 pounds. Hunter Jones and Chris Stout came in and blew the top off with 176 pounds of Mississippi River Monsters.
Thirty-six of the 44 competing boats weighed in and recorded a total weight of 3058.5 pounds, proving once again that the Mississippi River holds some of the biggest catfish in the nation!
“I want to personally thank everyone behind the scenes on the MRM family,” concluded Ramsey. If it wasn’t for them, these MRM weigh-ins wouldn’t be as smooth and painless as they are. We have the right people in the right position and we all work well together. Congratulations to all the anglers and I look forward to going home to Wheeler Lake in January for the Bama Blues event in just a few short months!”
MRM originator George Young Jr. was very pleased with the event at Helena. He added his thanks to the City of Helena and to all the sponsors and supporters who helped make it a success.
The next MRM tournament will be the MRM BAMA BLUES 2024 tournament out of Decatur, AL on January 6, 2024.
For more information on Mississippi River Monster events follow them on Facebook or check out their website.
