SLCC Win Goes to David Kingsmore and Bradley Tucker
by Ron Presley
Photo credit: SLCC
Twenty-eight teams braved the elements on Santee Cooper. They challenged high winds and cold temperatures looking for the heaviest bag of 3 catfish they could find.
The Santee Lakes Catfish Club (SLCC) hosted a 3-fish catfish tournament on the Santee Cooper Lakes on January 20th, 2024 out of Canal Lakes Fish Camp. Anglers were competing to see who could weigh the best stringer in the one-day event.
SLCC rules allow 4 team members per boat but limits are based on a 2 person team. Registration and livewell checks were made the morning of the tournament with fishing beginning at 7:00 AM. Teams were required to return to the weigh area by 3:30 PM.
“It just felt like a normal day on Santee,” joked tournament director Ralph Willey. “The wind blew 15 mph with gusts up to 20 to 25. The winds made it feel like it was below freezing. Conditions made the fishing really tough, for most anglers but as Santee has shown in the past, the nastier the weather, the bigger the bite can be if you are brave enough to get out in it!”
Willey wasn’t wrong! At the end of the day, it took more than 150 pounds in 3-fish to claim the win.
First Place and Big Fish
The top spot went to Team SC Cats (David Kingsmore and Bradley Tucker). They teamed up to battle cold temps and muddy, choppy waters and brought a 3-fish limit of 150.10 pounds to the scales. Their first-place weight included a 62.15-pound blue to add Big Fish honors.
Team SC set their strategy based on a scouting trip about a week before the tournament. A Sunday morning excursion resulted in finding some good fish in water that ranged from 5 to 15 feet deep.
“I made a trip down last Sunday morning to scout for this particular tournament,” informed Kingsmore. “We found some fish and boated 5. The best 3 weighed 165 pounds with a 73-pound kicker.”
“With the coldest temperatures of the season headed in, I wasn’t sure if the fish would hold to the pattern found previously,” continued Kingsmore. Well, they did! I felt really confident about the fish except for what the temperature and water current may do to them. They stayed in the same area with similar results as last week.”
The team’s bites came early with a 62 and a 32 right out of the gates and a double about 20 minutes later, which included a 53-pounder.
“We upgraded the 32 to a 35 around lunch,” reported Kingsmore. “We had 7 bites all day and landed 5 fish. All of them were more than 30 pounds.”
Conditions were tough according to Team SC Cats. The water temperature had dropped to 46 and there was a hard current and dirty colored water.
“We fished with perch about hand size for our best bite,” added Kingsmore. “I almost always use two 3-foot Easterlin Drift Socks, but this time we put the Minn Kota into the wind and current with the target speed set to around .3 to .5 mph.”
Noting that the hardest part about fishing in the cold is keeping yourself comfortable and your hands dry Kingsmore related what happened as they attempted to eat.
“There’s always a task we can’t finish because a rod goes down,” explained Kingsmore. “We were actually trying to warm Pop-Tarts on the heater when we got our best bites. We ended up eating them cold!”
We would like to thank the SLCC for hosting the event, Mark Coburn for a great job as weighmaster, and Mad Katz and Legends Camp for their support,” concluded Kingsmore.
Second Place
The runner-up spot went to Jamie Hudson and Casey Craig. The South Carolina team was fishing as Team LA Cats. They posted a 3-fish limit of 128.5 pounds to earn the second-place prize.
Third Place
Team Lockjaw, Barry Moore and Wesley Bridges, earned the 3rd place spot with a total weight of 101.1 pounds.
More Winners
You can view a complete rundown of all the anglers with weights on the SLCC Facebook page where Ralph Willey has posted a pdf of the final results.
Final Thoughts
Catfish tournaments on Santee Cooper continue to demonstrate what a great catfish destination Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie are. This most recent event was no exception. Even with the high winds, cold temperatures, and muddy water, it required more than 150 pounds to earn the top spot!
“It was a brutal cold morning with stiff winds,” summarized Weighmaster Mark Coburn. “Throughout the day the sun shined bright, but temperatures barely reached into the 30’s. Winds remained at 15 to 20 mph all day.”
Anglers also faced the challenge of low water conditions. Water has been pulled daily from the lakes resulting in a lot of exposed stumps that create navigation hazards. The SLCC anglers are a hardy bunch and didn’t complain about the conditions.
“Surprisingly, there were no boat issues or anything with the cold,” concluded Coburn. “Most of them welcomed the colder temperatures, although many were ready to move through the weigh-in line and get out of the cold.”
To stay in touch with the Santee Lakes Catfish Club follow them on their Facebook page.
The next SLCC event is scheduled for February 17th, 2024. It is a Lake Moultrie only competition out of Black’s Fish Camp.
