Donnie and Lonnie Fountain Top 200 Teams at Rising Sun
by Ron Presley,
Photos courtesy of OVRC
The Big Fish Award at OVRC went to the father/daughter team of Scott and Carly Cress and Kevin Hall.
In their 19th annual event, the Ohio Valley River Cats – Brought to you by G3 Boats (OVRC) launched 200 boats on the Ohio River. The September 7th and 8th fishing challenged anglers to bring their best 5 fish to the scales each day with the winners being determined by a two-day total weight.
Stephen Paul Hannan and his wife, Amber Dawn have directed the tournament for more than six years. Their hard work has been aimed at giving the anglers a great experience while growing the popular tournament.
“Anglers love this tournament,” asserted Amber. “Men take their yearly vacation just for this tournament. It’s one of the reasons why we continue putting in all the hard work. Additionally, the tournament brings a lot of foot traffic to our small community. They come here. They stay here. They eat here. They gas up here. They play here when they aren’t fishing. It’s a big economic boost to our community when they come to fish.”
Only blue cats, channel cats, and flathead catfish were allowed in a tournament bag at the Rising Sun, Indiana event. Anglers had to abide by all state laws applicable to the water they were fishing on as they vied for a guaranteed $10,000 first-place payout. The tournament pays through 20 places with 2nd forward based on the number of boats registered. They also award Big Fish, Second Big Fish, Top Female, Top Veteran, and Youth Champion prizes.
One angler suggested that the day one weather was great for comfort, but the cold front changed the patterns for the fish and the winds were brutal. It made for a tough bite. The Big Fish on day one was about 30 pounds and the top weight was 99 pounds. Day two began with a beautiful morning to fish but the tough bite continued according to most anglers.
The popular tournament features low entry fees and a family-friendly environment to attract competitors who applaud the tournament as well run and fun. When the two days of fishing were complete it required a two-day total weight of more than 160 pounds to win.
First Place 
The top spot at Rising Sun went to the ever-present Fountain Brothers, Donnie and Lonnie. After trailing the day-one leaders by about 30 pounds, and setting in 6th place, the brothers from Georgia made a run to the top of the leaderboard. After a 69.24-pound bag on day one, they managed a 91.31-pound bag on day two for a total weight of 160.59 pounds. It was sufficient for them to take the win and earn the first-place check for $10,000.
Donnie and Lonnie are always tough competitors as demonstrated by their record. They had seven wins last year and eight or ten top-five finishes. They are off to another great year in 2024 with six wins, counting this one, and five more in the top three.
Team Fountain arrived at Rising Sun on Thursday afternoon and got in a little scouting. Like any other tournament they attend, they make a point to check out water flow to determine their strategy.
“Water flow is always our number one concern,” revealed Donnie. “Anglers have to adjust to what they find. Every river system is different and it can change from day to day.”
“We got to Rising Sun on Thursday afternoon,” continued Donnie. “We got out on the water and caught a couple of fish in the 10-pound range. There was not much size to what we found, but we thought that if we could catch a limit each day we would have a shot at it.”
Tournament day one came with everyone ramping from the same location. Donnie and Lonnie ran about 8 to 10 miles to find the conditions they wanted to fish. They rigged up with Draggin Master products while targeting water about 50 feet deep. They were using the old reliable skipjack for bait. They repeated that pattern on day two.
“The Ohio River fished differently than others we fish,” explained Donnie. The river didn’t have any current and the fish wanted the bait to be moving. We used the Draggin Master dragging setup, which I think was the key for us.
The Draggin Master rig that Donnie mentioned includes an inline dragging weight, an inline float, and an accessory they call a brush guard. He said he normally used an 11/0 hook but he said you can also use a Stump Jumper weedless hook.
“We would recommend this event to anyone who wants to fish a family-friendly tournament,” stated Donnie. “The tournament is well run with a low entry fee. It’s an all-around great event.
“I think putting God in everything and giving back is the key to success in anything you do,” concluded Donnie. “We would like to thank our sponsors Anvil Rods, Dry Creek Marina, Draggin Master, Bob Mann’s Leaders, Driftmaster Rod Holders, and River Rat Reel Repair for supporting us.
Second Place 
After leading the field on day one with 90.87 pounds, the team of Brad Rasor and Robert Martin brought a day two weight of 56.03 pounds to the scales for a total weight of 155.9 pounds to claim the runner-up spot and earn the second-place check for $4,100.
“I’ve always wondered how well the #1 team slept after day one,” said Rasor in a Facebook post following the tournament. “I finally got the answer — not at all.” We had a blast, Stephen Paul Hannan! Thanks for talking me into fishing it and putting on an amazing tournament!”
Third Place 
The third spot went to Casey Tutorow and Kyle Reasner. They teamed up to bring 77.09 pounds to the scales on day one and added 50.23 on day two to earn the third-place check. They thanked tournament director Stephen Paul Hannan.
“Stephen’s leadership and organizational abilities were instrumental in this tournament,” Tutorow said. “We are grateful for the effort and resources he and the town dedicated to making this event possible. I look forward to the 20th annual next year.”
Big Fish and Youth Champion 
Scott Cress is no stranger to the Rising Sun Tournament. He has won the event twice and holds the record for the largest one- and two-day weights back in 2009. This year he was teamed up with Kevin Hall and his daughter, Carly. Like other anglers, they struggled with a tough bite.
“I hooked some good fish pre-fishing below the dam the weeks leading up to the tournament,” recalled Scott. “It was always in areas away from the current. During day 1 of the tournament, we struggled to replicate that success only catching two fish but lost a big one at the end of the day.”
They did not see any other boats netting big fish and at the end of day one the Big Fish was only in the 30-pound range. They decided to stay with the same strategy on day two. They fished specific waypoints out of the current that weren’t getting pressured.
“Near the end of the day we spot-locked and suspended a waypoint I made earlier in the week,” explained Scott. “We quickly doubled up on flat heads – one being the 38-pound flathead that was Big Fish of the event.”
Big Fish is a definite accomplishment, but it wasn’t over for this team yet because Carly was named Youth Champion.
“We struggled with numbers and only caught six fish in two days,” concluded Scott. “My daughter Carly, who hadn’t jumped in the boat with dad in a while, never complained. Watching her hold that big flathead up on the stage with a giant smile is a memory I will always cherish.”
Top Female 
The Top Female Award went to Darcie Richman. Darcie was fishing with Josh Richman and Gabriel Salazar. They teamed up to finish in 6th place with 122.1 pounds.
Top Veteran 
The top veteran award went to Kyle Reasner. Kyle was teamed up with Casey Tutorow and they finished 3rd in the tournament.
Other Winners
4th Place – Egan, Egan, and Egan 127.14
5th Place – Winkle, Webster, and Cunningham 125.43
6th Place – Richmond, Salazar, Richmond 122.1
7th Place – Cooper and Cooper 121.67
8th Place – Eislet, Harden, and Eislet 120.45
9th Place – Davis and Helton 119.83
10th Place – Arthur, Halcomb, and Breedlove 116.69
Final Thoughts
“We had a record-breaking year, finally hitting 200 teams,” noted Stephen. “It’s a milestone I always dreamed of but never imagined we would hit. So I have to thank all of the anglers first. Without them, this tournament isn’t possible.”
“The tournament went smoothly with only a few expected hiccups,” continued Stephen. “A cold front came in Friday night and shut down the bite. So between the weather and the over-harvesting from commercial fishermen, the conditions were tough for the anglers. Luckily the weather was beautiful. I couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out.”
Stephen thanked the major sponsors, G3 Boats, Knot Marine, Ohio County Tourism, The City of Rising Sun, Shattered Cat, and many more local supporters.
“I also have to thank my help,” added Stephen. “Without them, it’s impossible to do. Thanks Don Irgang, Dalton Dunlap, Vince Nadosky, Doug Hannan, and our high school volunteers. And especially a huge thanks to my amazing and beautiful wife Amber. She’s the rock that keeps me going. She’s the one who reminds me of everything I forget and keeps us organized. We run smoothly because she makes it smooth.”
Hannan’s wife Amber Dawn assists with clerical duties and photos. She also manages the core of volunteers including friends and local high school kids who work for service hours and a community scholarship. Events like this do not happen in a vacuum. The core of volunteers deserves much credit for supporting this traditional fall tournament.
“Those kids are some of the hardest working kids I know and we are so deeply grateful for them,” praised Amber. “A few other hard-working adults, our children, and family help us pull this thing off year after year.”
“I am already looking forward to next year’s event,” concluded Stephen. “It will be held on September 5th, 6th, and 7th, 2025. It will be our 20th Anniversary!
For more information on OVRC call (812) 290-7972, visit the Ohio Valley River Cats – Brought to you by G3 Boats Facebook page, or visit their website.
