Eighty-Two-Year-Old World Championship of Catfishing Coming to Pickwick
by Ron Presley
Competition is the name of the game at the WCC.
The 2023 World Championship of Catfishing (WCC) is coming to Crump Tennessee on September 23, 2023. The country’s longest-running catfish tournament is the pinnacle achievement in catfish tournament fishing for many anglers who compete to win the coveted championship belts awarded to the winners.
The tournament was previously a part of the National Catfish Derby, a five-week tournament that dates back to 1921. During the Derby prizes were awarded to the anglers who landed the biggest catfish each week. There was no cost to enter the Derby but the catfish had to be weighed in alive at designated weigh stations.
“The National Catfish Derby is one of the longest-running fishing tournaments in the country,” said Ken Freeman, a previous director of the Derby and chief organizer for the then-popular Bass Pro Shops Big Cat Quest tournament trail when it was in operation. “People looked forward to it every year and they have a blast with it. Some anglers used the Derby as pre-fishing for the WCC.”
The National Catfish Derby was founded by a Savannah businessman named “Catfish” Patterson. Freeman took over the reins at one point and held it every year in conjunction with the World Championship of Catfishing which was and still is a one-day team tournament.
“Savannah Tennessee has long been called The Catfish Capitol of the World and the WCC is the primary reason the moniker was given to this area,” said WCC owner/operator Ken Freeman.”
“The love and passion that I have for fishing and catfishing were all instilled in me by my association with this event,” continued Freeman. “I grew up participating in this event with my dad.”
“We grew up as poor folks,” recalled Freeman. “When the time came around we would prepare our little aluminum boat, pack our gear, and head to Pickwick to camp and fish. When Saturday rolled around Dad and I would fish the WCC.”
Freeman acquired ownership of the WCC in 2003 and successfully produced the event until his death in January 2018.
J.R. Sweat served with Freeman on the tournament trail as a cameraman for about 7 years. It was an opportunity for him to learn and understand the workings of producing a catfish tournament.
After Ken’s death, J.R. was helping out in an outdoor store and was talking with Ryan Johnson about Ken’s passing and the future of the WCC. He then ran into Mary Beth Hopper and continued the conservation. Hopper was a friend of the Derby and WCC. She was with SW Tennessee Tourism. She was passionate about catfishing and also worried about the future of the event.
“After that, I talked with Ken’s wife Laura and his daughter,” revealed Sweat. “I had decided by then that I would not let the WCC die. I purchased Ken’s trailer and some other equipment from the family and started planning for the next event. Ryan Johnson helped me out that first year. He bowed out gracefully after the first year and I continued to produce the event.”
“I am in my 5th year of producing the WCC,” Sweat said. “I feel very fortunate and humbled to continue the traditions set by the previous directors. There have been others who helped along the way, especially Larry and Joyce Muse.”
“Larry and I spent many miles together riding down the catfish road,” recalled Sweat. “Of course, Larry had a long-time relationship with Ken Freeman through the Big Cat Quest trail and Joyce was Ken’s bookkeeper. I use Larry as a sounding board on ideas for WCC and I asked Joyce to help out with her skills. She said yes and has been my right arm ever since. The only thing I do on tournament day is talk to the anglers, weigh the fish, and sign my name on the checks. Joyce takes care of the rest.”
“There is so much history associated with the WCC,” added Sweat. “Bill Dance fished in the event for years. Ricky Matlock and his brothers came from a commercial fishing background. They won the Derby 11 or 12 times but never won the WCC.”
“Back in the day, they gave away a boat,” reminisced Sweat. “One of the first boats they gave away back in the day was a hand-built 14-foot cypress wood boat. It was powered by a Sears 4- or 5-HP air-cooled engine. Things have sure come a long way.”
The tournament routinely draws some of the top competitive catfish anglers in the country. A lot of anglers have fished it many times before claiming a win and the championship belts became a tradition for the winners. Almost all have one lasting impression in common. The WCC offers some of the best competition around. A few of the recent winners are highlighted below.
2022 Winners
The most recent winners, Joseph Scott Junior from Dyersburg, TN, and Jeff Lovelace from Iuka, MS didn’t have to wait long to earn the World Championship of Catfishing. In 2022 they won the event with a bag weighing 93 pounds.
“The odds were against us,” suggested Junior recognizing the caliber of the competition. “We were going up against anglers like Larry Muse and Mike Follin; Steve Douglas and Paula Curtis Smith; Phil King and Phil Haynie; Cedric Poyner and Wayne Reed just to name a few.”
“2022 was my second year fishing the WCC,” revealed Junior. “It means a lot to me because it is what really started the catfish tournaments. I started trophy catfishing years ago and was somewhat of a local legend so of course I started fishing tournaments all around and on many different bodies of water.”
By traveling to other tournaments Junior realized that his skills weren’t up to par but he found many other tournament anglers willing to help him improve.
“I began to become a better angler and in my opinion, the WCC paved the way for all of us to come together,” offered Junior. “Not only do you win a championship belt your name goes on a plaque on the courthouse wall in Savannah. My partner Jeff Lovelace and I are proud to have our names in a group of people such as Ray Ferguson, Larry Muse, Phil King, and others. We plan to do everything in our power to keep the honor of being the world champs for another year.”
2020 – 2021 Winners
Phil King and Tim Haynie from Corinth, MS are frequent competitors in the WCC and have won it several times over the years. In fact, King has earned the WCC Championship Belts six times and Haney has won it three times.
King and Haynie brought 138 pounds to the scales to claim the 2021 title of World Champions of Catfishing for the second year in a row. They also had the big fish of the tournament at 59.40 pounds.
Their win was a repeat after bringing 156.8 pounds to the scales a year earlier to claim the 2020 title and the championship belts.
“The World Championship really means a lot to the folks around here,” said King, following the 2020 event. “We put as much work into that tournament every year as we do for any event we fish. You have to work hard if you want to have a chance to win because the competition is just that good.”
2018 Winners
Larry Muse has been closely involved with the WCC for years but mostly came up short before winning the event in 2018 when he was fishing with his half-brother Dino Meadors and his dad Frank Meadors. Like many other anglers, he sought the Championship Belt with passion for years but got only as close as 2nd place until 2018.
“Winning the WCC was monumental in my life,” declared Muse. “When I fished my first WCC I said to myself, ‘I will win that someday.’ It took me several attempts to win, but I finally did. Now my goal is to repeat that win!”
2016 Winners
Lonnie and Donnie Fountain are tournament anglers from Georgia. They are among the anglers that had chased the WCC belts for quite a while. In fact, it was the first major catfish tournament the twin brothers ever fished.
They both recall seeing all those big cats being weighed in at their first WCC. They were amazed and shocked as they wondered how the angers were doing it. They continued to work on their skills and in their second WCC they landed a 50-pounder that got them Big Fish for day one. Then the second day rolled around and other anglers came in with 60- and 70-pounders to knock them out.
The twins went home with their tails between their legs but that experience started their drive and passion for fishing tournaments. They were bound and determined to figure it out as they continued to fish the WCC, sometimes with other partners.
“We wanted that belt so bad,” recalled Donnie Fountain. “Lonnie won it before I did. He got 2nd place 4 times before he won it. Then in 2016, fishing with his wife Dawn and son David Bruce, he finally won it. I tried for years to get a belt but only got 2nd a few times.”
“It was truly one of the best wins ever,” Lonnie chimed in. “We watched Phil King win it four times and it challenged us. Any time you can fish with competition like Phill King, Larry Muse, Jeff Dodd, Ray Ferguson, and many others and win the championship belt, it’s like no other win!”
“It was the first big catfish tournament we ever fished many years ago,” confirmed Donnie. “The friends we made at that first event are what made us love this sport so much. Now we have a catfish family and friends all over the country.”
Final Thoughts
Jr Sweat has been producing the event for 5 years now after taking over from Freeman. He hopes to continue the WCC with a focus on making it better with some help from other folks.
A misunderstanding relating to J.R. Sweat’s health resulted in a loss of funding from the city of Savanna. Thinking that J.R. was not going to be available to run the event they elected not to fund it and devoted their budget to a music fest to be known as the Catfish Derby and River Fest.
J.R. intends to keep the WCC on track into its 83rd year. He gained the help of Steve Douglas (Monster Rod Holders) who rounded up some new sponsors including Tangling with Catfish, Draggin Master, Parks Planers, Catfish Conference, and Monster Rod Holders. These sponsors are adding new support to the 2023 event which is scheduled across the river from Savanah at Crump, TN.
“It’s my mission to help revitalize a historic event and age-old tradition in the catfishing community,” announced Douglas on Facebook. “Please help us support the oldest catfishing event in our nation’s history.”
There are 2 boat ramps on either side of HWY 64. The Wayne Jerrold’s Park ramp is on the Savannah side and the TVA Boat Ramp is on the other side where the weigh-in will be held beginning at 3:00 pm on Saturday, September 23rd. Sweat expects 30 to 40 boats to compete this year.
“Due to funding, we have had to scale back some,” Concluded Sweat. “That being said I want to grow the WCC and fill every local motel and restaurant to capacity. The new sponsors brought on board by Steve Douglas help take us in that direction. This is the oldest tournament in the country. It started back in 1941 and I want to bring it back to what it was.”
To keep up with WCC happenings follow them on their Facebook page.
