Wet and stormy weather challenged anglers at the Victory Chevrolet Catfish Chasers Series in Saint Joseph, Missouri on the Missouri River. Two hundred teams, all that was allowed to register, competed in the overnight tournament that lasted for 15 hours.
Anglers were vying for a 2021 Chevy Silverado Trail Boss from Victory Chevrolet. Additionally, if the winning weight was more than 210 pounds the winners would hook up to a new boat package from Savannah Marine. The first-place team also received 2 custom jerseys from Fish Hard Industries.
Livewell checks began at noon on Saturday and boats began to launch at 4:45 from the ramp near the St. Jo Frontier Casino. A live performance of the National Anthem by Stan Liberty at 4:45 PM preceded the official launch at 5:00 where boats were released 10 at a time until everyone was on the water.
Tournament fishing began at 7:00 PM. Competitors were required to be back at the same ramp for weigh-in on Sunday morning by 10:00 AM. Teams could be up to 3-persons and legal water was anywhere they could navigate by water.
As it turned out the storms were mostly north where anglers reported heavy rain, lightning, and winds. Those anglers who chose to go south on the river experienced less inclement weather.
One of those teams was Kyle Koehler and Matt Merten. They came into the tournament with a strategy to cover a lot of water. They had prefished inside bends but on tournament night their weigh-in fish came from outside bends and deep rocks in 18 to 24 feet of water.
“We fished around the Kansas City area,” reported Koehler. “We bumped all night using fresh skipjack for bait. It was a late bite for us.”
Koehler and Merten finished the night with 4 fish that weighed 90.80 pounds. Their bag included a 62.60-pound blue that was just 8 pounds short of Big Fish of the Tournament. Their bag was good for 6th place overall.
While organizers hope for a dry weigh-in, Mother Nature did not cooperate. Rain dampened the weigh-in but not the enthusiasm as the boats worked their way to the scales after 15 hours of fishing.
First Place
At the end of the tournament, the top spot went to Casey Hayes and Dustin Sturges. They caught 8 fish in the 15 hours of fishing with the best 5 weighing in at 171 pounds to earn the win.
“The weather started hot and humid,” reported Hayes. “The storms were building and approaching. We caught our first fish approximately 2 hours into the tournament. Then the storms arrived with 60-70 mph winds and torrential rain. We never had another bite until the storms blew through.”
“When the winds subsided and the rain eased the bite seemed to pick up,” added Hayes. “The rain continued until about 5 am but didn’t seem to slow the fish down.”
The team mixed bumping in 15 to 20 feet of water and anchoring to catch their fish. Hayes said it was about a 50/50 split between the two methods for their total weight.
Hayes and Sturges fished with Gerald Judy’s skipjack from G&R Bait to put the winning weight in the boat and claim the new Chevrolet Trail Boss.
“We would like to thank Chris Yates at Victory Chevrolet for the awesome truck,” concluded Hayes. “Special thanks also to Craig Collings and Dave Studebaker at Catfish Chasers for this awesome event. And finally, thanks to Savannah Marine and Mercury Marine for their support of the tournament.
Second Place
The runner-up spot went to Phillip Nordmeyer and Michael Suttner. The Glasgow, MO team brought 160.90 pounds to the scales to claim 2nd place.
Nordmeyer and Suttner made a run to comfortable surroundings to find their fish. In the process, they learned a lesson that will help them and others for years to come.
“The Missouri River is my favorite water to fish,” reported Nordmeyer. “It is my favorite because of the challenges it presents. We traveled well over 100 miles back to more familiar waters to fish.”
The team reported an early bite using fresh-cut Asian carp. They anchor fished all night and caught all of their 160 pounds of catfish by 1 AM on Sunday morning. Their big fish weighed in at 60.75 pounds and offered them a challenge.
“We had our big fish almost die,” Nordmeyer said. “I cranked the oxygen to extreme amounts and I held him upright for hours so the fish could get all the oxygen it needed. The fish was more lively than ever at the weigh-in.”
They didn’t try to weigh the fish early because there is a 30 MPH speed limit at night in Missouri.
“We were way too far away,” concluded Nordmeyer. “The best option was to stay and keep that fish alive. It took about everything out of me, but it was worth the work. It amazed me how he came back to life. I learned a lot from that fish. He was in the tank at weigh-in all day swimming around. I want anglers to know they don’t have to give up on a fish even if they think they are about to lose it. It can be saved with lots of work.”
Big Fish and Seventh Place
Rocky Cannon and James Edmiston earned $1,500 from Savannah Marine, 6 Big Cat Fever Rods, and 2 trophies from the Cat Chasers organization for their Big Fish of the tournament that pulled the scales to 70.95 pounds.
Cannon and Edmiston began fishing down in Leavenworth. They were anchor fishing behind dikes and on the flats. They experienced a decent bite before the weather worsened.
“We had 4 small fish pretty early in the night,” recounted Cannon. “Then the heavy rain came in and the bite turned off.”
Once the weather calmed down, the team decided to head upriver. They found what they considered to be a good-looking dike and decided to give it a try.
“Around 5:45 AM James had a takedown,” said Cannon. “He hooked it and said it’s a good one. Twenty minutes later we got it netted and in the boat. We were super excited.
With plenty of high-fives to celebrate, the big fish went immediately into the livewell for safekeeping. The big blue was caught on Asian carp.
“This is our 3rd year to fish the St Joe tournament and it’s a blast every time,” concluded Cannon. “Craig Collings and Dave Studebaker with Catfish Chasers know how to put on a great tournament. I wait all year like a kid at Christmas to fish in it. Thanks to all the sponsors that pitch in to make this tournament what it is. It is amazing and filled with so much fun and excitement.”
Final Thoughts
Many other awards and raffles raised the total payout to well over $90,000 in cash and prizes. That included a Skunk Pot of $1,000 for anglers choosing not to weigh.
In a live feed following the tournament, Craig Collins, who codirected the tournament with David Studebaker, thanked all anglers, spectators, volunteers, sponsors, and especially his wife and Studebaker’s wife.
“I wanted to thank every person that was involved in any fashion,” offered Collings. “It was an awesome thing to have a tournament that large and have everything go OK. We had some small things happen but that is to be expected with that many boats. We had a blast and everyone there seemed to have a good time. The meeting was a lot of fun. The Calcutta was a lot of fun. I look forward to it every year.”
Collings went on to outline the remaining tournaments in the Catfish Chasers Series, including the Monsters on the Ohio which he and Studebaker will be hosting in October. Interested anglers can follow the Catfish Chasers Series on their Facebook page and visit them on their website.
