Top Spot at Helena TriState Tournament Directors Classic to
Hearn, Patterson, and Cates
Anglers from Mississippi, Arkansas, and Alabama
vie for bragging rights.
Twenty-one teams competed in the TriState Tournament Directors 2021 Classic out of Helena River Park on November 6, 2021. The TriState Classic is the year-ending competition for Mississippi Catfish Trail, North MS Catfish Club, South Mississippi Catfish Trail, West TN Catfish Anglers, AACH-(Arkansas) Natural State Catfishing Trail, and the Bama Blues Tournament Series.
In addition to the general competition, the group crowns a Top Angler of the Year from all the clubs represented. This year Adam Long was AOY for Mississippi Catfish Trail, Steve Hern fished for West TN, John Thomas fished for North Mississippi, and Johnny Rainey fished for South Mississippi Trail. Steve Hern came out on top of that part of the competition.
The intent of the TriState Classic is to have a good time, visit with one another, and eat well. They also hold an awards banquet the night before at the Wild Hog Saloon in Helena, AR.
After a heavy morning fog greeted the anglers it dissipated into a beautiful fishing day with air temperatures rising from the low-40s in the morning to the mid-60s and bluebird skies by weigh-in time. Anglers had to navigate carefully as the river was high and covered with floating debris in the water.
First Place, Driftmaster Rod Holders BigCat, and
BadBoy Mowers/CaMMo Small Engines AOY Belt Winner
The top spot at Helena went to Steve Hearn, Josh Patterson, and Jeremy Cates. They teamed up to bring 62.95 pounds to the scales. Their bag included a 50.80 blue to earn the Driftmaster Rod Holder BigCat award. Hearn won the AOY Championship Belt.
Given the heavy fog at the beginning of the day, Hearn, Patterson, and Cates stayed in the mouth of the Helena Harbor early as they waited for the fog to clear. They fished some eddy current they found there by tight lining on Spot-Lock.
“We tight lined,” reported Hearn. “We put about a 6-pound blue in the boat on cut skipjack. The 6-pound blue was caught on a Carolina rig with an 8-ounce teardrop weight and a 3-foot leader.”
“The dense fog finally dissipated around 10:45,” recalled Hearn. “Once the fog lifted we shot upriver to a set of dikes where I have had success in the past. We marked a few fish and spot locked the boat.”
They caught a 6-pound flatty there on a typical bumping rig, also using cut skipjack. Then they moved down the dike towards a blowout hole and marked 2 huge arcs sitting on the edge of the blowout.
“We positioned the boat to fish the blowout hole,” explained Hearn. “About 15 minutes later we hooked up with a 50.88-pound blue beast. After fighting for 5 minutes we netted the beast and brought it into the boat.”
The big blue was also coaxed with a Carolina rig. The terminal tackle included a quarter-sized chartreuse Colorado blade nestled in between dual beads and located directly under the hook. Cut skipjack was the bait.
“We fished a little while longer,” concluded Hearn. “But we had to leave so I could do my tournament director duties. The river was at 18 feet and full of debris. The bite for the day was sluggish to nonexistent for most of the 21 boats that competed.”
Second Place
The runner-up spot went to Johnathan Rodgers, Justin Haile, and Jennifer Haile. They brought 59.17 pounds to the scales to earn the second-place honors.
“I had prefished Friday and found 2 really good holes,” reported Rodgers. “It was about 70 feet of water. The location was holding a lot of fish that were biting hard and fast.”
With the Friday finding as a starting place for tournament Saturday, the team return to the spot on Saturday morning only to find they had moved.
“We struggled all day to find them,” concluded Rodgers. “We Spot-Locked on current seams and below rock dikes south of Helena. The river was on a hard rise and very trashy. Our big fish came on the top side of a ledge that went from 30 feet to 70 feet deep. The fish was in the 30-foot water. We were using cut skipjack for bait.”
Third Place and Dale’s Tackle 2nd BigCat
Third place went to Adam Long and Brad Box with a total weight of 58.67 pounds. Their bag included 2nd BigCat at 35.79 pounds to earn the Dale’s Tackle Second BigCat award.
Fourth Place and B’n’M Ladies BigCat
Carson & Cye Pierce brought in the fourth place weight of 52.78 pounds. Their bag included a 33.33-pound blue that earned Cye the B’n’M Poles Ladies BigCat award and the Ladies Big Fish Belt sponsored by Bad Boy Mowers.
Fifth Place
Hugh and Rose Thompson were fishing with Brian Bloesch to bring in 38.43 pounds and earn the fifth-place spot.
Veteran Angler
Veteran Angler awards went to Travis Buck and Larry Wade.
Epilogue:
“Another great Classic is in the books and man was it a good un,” stated Steve Hearn in a Facebook post. “It started out Friday the way a captain’s meeting should be, with a pile of food a show dog couldn’t jump (no offense UNO). It was followed by friends and fellowship at the Wild Hog Saloon in historic downtown Helena.”
Hearn sent special thanks to Mayor Kevin Smith and the Helena Police Dept for escorting the anglers from the parking area to the ramp. He also thanked the Helena Fire Dept for playing the National Anthem.
“Thanks to all the anglers for making it a smooth logistical process,” added Hearn. And congrats to the winners. Thank you to all our great Tournament Directors for devoting your time and efforts, and thanks to Cam Pollywog Pitts for the awesome pies. Thanks to God for blessing us home safe!”
Sponsors and Supporters
Pop Pops Bait Shop, Driftmaster Rod Holders, B’n’M Poles, Dale’s Tackle, City of Helena, BadBoy Mowers, Cammo Small Engines, and the Wild Hog Saloon.
