Catfishing in Support of Cancer Research
by Ron Presley
Cancer research is supported because of one Ohio couple’s desire to pay it forward.
Fishing for charity in the name of catfish is not uncommon. Organizing a tournament because you are a cancer survivor is less common. James “Bink” Fox with the help of his wife Janet beat the Big C and Bink has been declared cancer free.
“The first 2 years was the toughest battle,” noted Janet. “Thankfully the doctors fought it aggressively and after 5 years he was declared cancer free. But you still worry over every little thing.”
Following their fight with cancer the McArthur, OH couple wanted to give back to those that supported them in their journey and it was only natural that they did it through catfishing.
“Honestly, Bink and I got involved with the Vinton County Cancer Research Group (VCCRG) because he had cancer and we wanted to give back,” revealed Janet. “We always tried to help others but when it happened to us we really felt the need to pay it forward.”
May 20. 2023 marked the 2nd year of the Bink Fox Fishing For Vinton County Cancer Research Group (VCCRG) tournament. The tournament was capped at 85 boats and 85 boats registered. Seventy-eight of those registered boats participated in what started as a rainy day. There were 175 anglers competing to take home some of the $6,800 in cash and win some of the many door prizes.
The tournament ended with more than 2,000 pounds of Ohio River catfish coming to the scales. All were released alive at the Gallipolis Boat Ramp.
“I think the rain helped the fishermen,” continued Janet. “They never complain anyways. It stopped about 1:00 pm which helped make for a great weigh-in.”
First Place 
The top spot went to Justin Fraley and Brian Reynolds. Based on not doing so well up the Kanawha last year, the team decided to make the run to Racine. It turned out to be the right decision. They brought 88.61 pounds to the scales to claim the first-place check.
“This year we decided to run up to Racine,” reported Fraley. “About ¾ of the field was fishing the Kanawha and we wanted to have more open area to fish. That concentration of anglers may have left only 5 or 6 spots for us to fish.”
Fewer than 5 boats made the trip to Racine. That meant that Fraley and Reynolds had about a dozen spots that they could target and be the first ones to fish them. They caught large gizzard shad the night before and kept them alive for the tournament.
“At our first spot we ran 3 live and 3 cut baits,” explained Fraley. “We had some taps/hits on the inside poles that were holding cut bait. We were fishing around industry structures like pylons and barges. We changed spots and went shallow, running all cut bait. That spot was on fire. We had 5 fish in 25 minutes. Four of those fish weighed 75 pounds with our biggest fish coming in at 39 pounds.”
Fraley and Reynolds continued to duplicate their successful pattern in shallow water (8-20 feet) fishing around industry structures until noon. The bite slowed and they moved to deeper water that ranged from 20 to 25 feet deep. At this point, they used cut bait for the rest of the day. Their rods were tied with Santee Cooper rigs and pegs ranging from 1/2 inch to 3 inches with rattles.
“My family has had a rough bout with cancer,” concluded Fraley. “My father is a multiple cancer survivor, but my stepdaughter lost her father and my wife lost a fiancé at the young age of 24. So there was no hesitation to fish Bink’s cancer benefit.”
Second Place, Top Female Angler, Top Military Angler 
The runner-up spot went to the team of Aaron Preece and his daughter Bree. The father/daughter team brought 80.01 pounds to the scales to earn the second-place check. Bree was recognized as the Top Finishing Female Angler for which she received the Lynn Lange Memorial Plaque. She was also recognized as the Top Finishing Service Member.
The Bink Fox Fishing For VCCRG was much more than a fishing tournament to Aaron. He had seen his oldest daughter for only about a week since November of 2021 when she left for the Navy. Through a series of consequences, the father/daughter combo ended up making memories as boat number 60. (Follow the link for a more complete story of Aaron and Breanna’s tournament experience on the CatfishNow website.)
“The weather was not very good,” reported Aaron. “It was raining pretty good at times. I figured I would keep it simple and just cover as much water as I could. There were low current conditions, only .5 at the launch site.”
The team adopted a strategy of dragging planner boards. They set two lines out on the left side, 2 lines out on the right, and 2 lines straight out the back. The team was dragging a ledge so they had varying depths of water. They caught the first fish before all the poles were out.
“I thought that first fish was just luck.” Recalled Aaron. “But within 20 minutes we had 3 fish in the boat. All 3 were small flatheads. We went 30 to 45 minutes before the next bite and it was a good blue at 27 pounds. All 4 fish came from the shallow side in 16 to 20 feet of water and close to the bank.”
With that pattern developed, the team just kept dragging and picking up small flatheads until about 2 pm. By that time they had landed 12 fish total. One was a channel, 3 were blues, and 8 were flatheads. Bree wanted to fish a while longer and they added 3 more flatheads for a day’s total of 15 fish.
“Bree caught 14 of our 15 fish,” said Aaron proudly. “The last fish caught wasn’t the biggest but it was enough to cull a small one and give us just over 80 pounds. She caught it on a Mad Katz pole that she won the weekend before and was the only pole she hadn’t caught a fish on all day.”
In addition to Bree’s Mad Katz Glacier rod, team Preece used Parks Planer Boards, Whisker Seekers 12/0 Triple Threat Hooks, Dirty South Dragging Weights, and Big Cat Fever Rods to earn the runner-up spot.
“Bink Fox is a fighter and a survivor,” concluded Aaron. “He beat cancer so now he’s paying it forward by having this tournament for Vinton County Cancer Research. I wouldn’t miss it for anything. It’s not about fishing or winning that’s just a bonus either way. It’s about supporting and helping those who are still fighting to survive.”
Third Place 
Earning the third spot were Willie Smith and Nick Anderson. They teamed up to bring a bag to the scales that weighed 78.21 pounds.
“Tournament day was a normal Gallipolis fishing day,” Smith said.” We began the day anchored on rocks using shad. We were rigged with 3-ounce sinkers, demon dragons, and circle hooks.”
Smith and Anderson experience better bites early and late in the day. Their first and last spots produced the best. Everything in between “sucked.”
“This tournament is a great tournament to fish,” concluded Smith. “Fishing for a good cause and visiting with good friends is always a good day!”
Big Fish 
Jay Carrico was fishing with Dustin Metgzer when he caught the Big Fish of the day at 44.50 pounds.
Final Thoughts
One of the most joyful parts of the day was having Bree Preece with us,” commented Janet. “Fishing with her dad, she ended up earning the Highest Female Angler and the Top Service Member awards while fishing with her dad to claim their 2nd place finish.”
Other activities included silly games, raffles, food, and a pie auction to the atmosphere of fun—all for a good cause. Plenty of music from Dj Jimmy Spencer kept the folks entertained.
A remembrance ceremony was arranged for long-time anglers Bob Kemp and Shane Henderson. Bob died unexpectedly in February and Shane was in a boating accident that took his life in March, just weeks before the tournament. Henderson was already signed up and Kemp was expected to fish the tournament.
“We placed bobbers in the river with their names on them,” explained Janet. “The bobbers were a remembrance for each of them. We held a moment of silence as the bobbers floated down the river.”
“I can’t thank the fishermen enough for the respect they gave during the remembrance,” said Janet. “You could have heard a pin drop. I always say I can get the fishermen to do anything and they definitely followed through!”
Janet also thanked the sponsors, volunteers, and anglers for supporting the VCCRG. All money raised goes to purchase gas cards for residents battling cancer with treatments and doctor appointments.
“We especially appreciate the cancer group for jumping in and helping out,” concluded Janet. “Most of them had no clue about running a tournament but that didn’t stop them.”
Multiple angler comments following the tournament relayed the opinion that it was, “A great tournament for a great cause.”
The most asked question was, “Are you having it again?”
The Fox’s replied in the affirmative saying, “Yes we will have the tournament again next year unless something drastic prevents it.”
Information on next year’s tournament will be posted on Facebook when it becomes available. If you are interested in supporting the event contact Janet or Bink Fox.
