Jerry Ishcomer, Noah Ishcomer, and Carey Cox drove 1,100 miles to claim the top spot in the Ohio River catfish event.
Catfish anglers from ten states traveled to the Ohio River for Cabela’s King Kat Tournament Trail event. Forty-three teams gathered at Tell City, Indiana to test their catfishing skills against other anglers and Mother Nature.
Anglers were allowed to fish the Ohio River from the McAlpine Lock & Dam, South to the Newburgh Lock & Dam. Competitors were vying for $10,800 in cash and prizes, and an opportunity to qualify for the $110,000 Classic Championship to be held September 14 and 15, 2018, on the Ohio River at Jeffersonville, Indiana.
Catfish anglers at Tell City had to deal with extremely warm conditions. Tournament director, Jeremy Coe, described the weather as Hot, Hot, Hot! The temperatures were in the mid-90s with very high humidity and light winds. The river current was light going into the tournament but picked up some on tournament day.
Results for the Top Teams
There were miles in the making of the Cabela’s Tell City, Indiana champs. Jerry Ishcomer, Noah Ishcomer, and Carey Cox drove 1,100 miles from their home in Texas to claim the top prize. The Ishcomers from Jasper, TX, and Cox from Orange, TX weighed in 99.10 pounds and earned $4,200 for their efforts.
“It was a great day, on the Ohio River,” stated Jerry Ishcomer. “We pre-fished three days prior to the tournament. That allowed us to find the catfish that we wanted to target on tournament day. They were in 30 to 50 feet of water.”
“Skipjack was scarce, so I bought some fresh from a friend,” continued Jerry. “We bumped the area hard on tournament day to catch our winning weight.”
The Texas team fished below Cannelton Dam all day. They targeted current seams on structure. It was a tough grind, as they reported landing only six fish for the day.
The second-place team of Casey Tutorow and Andrew Han also reported a tough catfish bite. Tutorow, from Indianapolis, and Han from Carmel, IN, caught ten fish on their way to the runner-up spot. They weighed 93.5 pounds and earned $2,100.
The IN team fished in the Troy, IN area. Casey stated that the fish were in post spawn mode with a case of lockjaw. They marked a lot of fish that just did not want to bite. They caught a total of ten fish for the day, drifting shad in 28 to 45 feet of water.
“Our day started at 6:30 am,” reported Tutorow. “We made a drift through an area about seven miles downriver from Cannelton Dam. We caught our fish suspending baits from Warrior Cat rods in Monster Rod Holders. We were fishing along a big rock ledge that is covered in muscles. We caught the majority of our fish on shad which is not typical for this time of year.”
“We couldn’t have asked for better weather. There was a light breeze and 90-degree temps. Andrew and I went into the day confident we could catch a good sack of fish based of the tournament my he had fished and won down there the previous weekend. We stuck out the tough bite and got lucky in the end. We caught our second over catfish just 25 minutes before the tourney was over. That last-minute action helped seal the deal for us,” concluded Tutorow.
The Illinois team of Dale Kerns and Greg Edwards weighed 85.04 pounds for the third-place spot. They also experienced a tough bite and caught only five fish for the day on their way to earning $1,500.
Kerns and Edwards traveled from Norris City, IL to fish the Tell City, IN event. They also found the bite to be tough. Like most anglers in the tournament, they had to work hard to catch the fish they did. They bumped and drifted during the day, but struggled to get the fish to bite. Their main targets were rock piles in 50 feet of water. They used skipjack for bait.
Tom Petrowski and Henry Neafus earned the fourth place spot. They both hail from Brooks, KY. They weighed 82.98 pounds to earn their place and a check for $850.
The KY team fished about 30 miles above Cannelton to catch a total of six fish. Like most other teams they struggled to get the fish to bite. They made a small impact on those dreaded Asian carp by using a few for bait. They also used shad as they drifted and bumped during the day. They tried various depths of water, from 10 to 40 feet, trying to get the fish to bite.
Fifth place, and Big Kat, went to Mike and Jackson Mitchell, and Rick Sexton. The Mitchells traveled from Grant, AL and Sexton came from Helenwood, TN. They weighed 77.88 pounds which included the Big Kat of 50.80 pounds. Their five fish bag earned them $550 for fifth-place and $860 for Big Kat.
The AL/TN team fished in the Derby, IN area of the Ohio River. They were targeting underwater trees and logs hung on the ledge and small humps and holes. They had the same tough bite as the rest of the field, catching only 5 fish on the day. They used skipjack for bait.
“We were suspend-drifting and bumping,” reported Mitchell. “The big fish was caught early and we really struggled after that to get our limit. We only caught five fish with two of those being flatheads in the 7- to 10-pound range. All of our fish were caught on cut skipjack.”
“I want to thank my sponsors for helping me do what I do,” concluded Mitchell. “They provide the best gear. Thank you, Team Catfish Tackle, Big Cat Fever Rods, Slime Line, Monster Rod Holders, Foley Spoons, and TTI Blakemore.”
The Remaining Top Teams
6th Place – Chris Souders and Nick Conaway – 61.06 pounds
7th Place – Tim and Lane Spencer – 57.72 pounds
Epilogue
Tournament director, Jeremy Coe delivered a special thank you to Betty Cash and the Staff with Perry County CVB office for hosting the event.
“The Perry CVB did a tremendous job promoting the event,” said Coe. “They made sure that everything went smoothly.”
“I would also like to thank J. Paul Jackson with Excel Boats,” continued Coe. “He brought the new Storm Cat 230 boat out to the weigh-in for everyone to see.”
“We are thrilled with this year’s turnout in Tell City, IN,” concluded Coe. “This is our first visit to Tell City, but it is definitely not the last. The Cannelton Pool of the Ohio River is one of the better catfishing pools and we look forward to returning in 2019.”
National Sponsors
Cabela’s King Kat Tournament Trail sponsors include: Cabela’s, Adventure Products EGO Nets, RigRap, B ‘n’ M Poles, Minn Kota, Mercury Marine, Mustad Hooks, Driftmaster Rodholders, Gamma Line, Humminbird Electronics, World Fishing Network (WFN), Rippin’ Lips, Cat River Anchors, Sunsect Sunscreen & Insect Repellent, Humminbird Lakemaster Maps, Digital EFX Wraps, Tentology, Gill Rainwear, CatfishNow Digital Magazine, Whisker Wear Apparel, The Original Clearboard, Extreme Bait Systems, Katfish Clothing, and Excel 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 Cabela’s King Kat Facebook Page.
