Twisted Cat Championship Win Goes to Jamison and Parks On Lake Ouachita
by Ron Presley,
Photos courtesy of Twisted Cat Outdoors by Tom Stolze
Twisted Cat Outdoors finished their 2023 tournament series with their invitation-only Championship event on Lake Ouachita in Arkansas on Saturday, October 28, 2023. Twenty-three qualified teams fished for $35,500. Championship week on Lake Ouachita was presented by SeaArk Boats and Powered Suzuki Marine.
The fun began on Friday night at Mountain Harbor Marina for the mandatory captains meeting from 5 pm to 8 pm, including a BBQ dinner. Fishing hours were 7:00 am to 3:00 pm on Saturday and anglers had to be back to the weigh-in line at the marina by 4:30.
Twenty-two teams battled it out for $35,500 in what turned out to be a channel cat competition. Some good blues have come from Ouachita as recently as the week before Championship Saturday but they were rare on tournament day.
“We never caught a single blue prefishing,” reported John Jamison who eventually won the event with his partner Kevin Parks. “And, as far as I know, there was only one blue cat weighed. I do know that Charlie Blair caught a 60-pound blue pre-fishing and JT Ray who finished second caught a 50-pound blue pre-fishing as well.”
First Place
John Jamison and Keith Parks claimed the top spot with a total weight of 29.30 pounds. Their bag earned them the 1st Place check for $15,000. They joined other anglers in being surprised that blue cats were not coming to the scales.
“The day was very wet,” reported Jamison. “And the bite was one of the most difficult I’ve seen in several years. Kevin and I located a few small fish while pre-fishing in 1 to 2 feet of water.”
The team downsized their bait and equipment to capitalize on a few fish. They ended up catching about 10 channel cats throughout the day using fresh shad cut into very small pieces.
“Kevin and I appreciate all the effort Alex Nagy and his staff with Twisted Cats put forth at every tournament,” praised Jamison. “Twisted Cats is the very best ran tournament trail in the nation!”
“Lake Ouachita did not show its potential,” noted Jamison. “I’ve had great success there in years past, indicating what type of blue cat fishery it really is. I’ve been on the lake 2 other times, once in 2011 for 2 days in which we caught several 40- to 50-pound blues and once for 3 days in 2012 when I was catching 4 to 5 fish per day from 30 to 72 pounds.”
Jamison also offered his reasoning for why the blues were hard to target and catch.
“There was a thermocline in the lake at 40 feet,” concluded Jamison. “In my opinion that is exactly what shut the big fish bite down. Also, there is a plethora of invasive species they call yellow bass which seem to be everywhere. It makes the forage for big fish so plentiful they do not have to move far to feed.”
The team thanked their sponsors, Lund Boats, Sportsman’s Outfitters, Mainlake Rod Works, Parks Planers, Maci’s Fish ‘N Finds, Dark Water Premium Baits, and Draggin Master Fishing.
Second Place and Big Fish
The runner-up spot went to J.T. Ray and Justin Ray with a total weight of 24.82 pounds to earn the second place check of $7,500.
Their bag included Big Fish of the tournament at 10.98 pounds to earn the Castaway Customs MWSC Big Fish Award and add $500 to their payday.
Third Place
Third place went to Wallace Maier, Natalie Maier, and Nathan Thornhill with a total weight of 19.84 pounds. They earned the third-place check for $4,500.
“Had a blast even with the tough bite on this lake,” noted Wallace in a Facebook post. “This was one of the toughest lakes we have ever fished but we managed 3rd place to wrap up our season.”
Fourth Place
Kaleb Diercks, Kevin Diercks, and Lance Picker had a total weight of 19.72 pounds to take fourth place and earn a check for $2,500.
Fifth Place
The fifth spot at Ouachita went to Charles Blair, Donald Moore, and Donny Moore with a total weight of 19.39 pounds. They earned the 5th-place check for $1,750.
“A special thanks goes out to Alex Nagy, Liz Nagy, Rhett Nagy, and the whole Twisted Cat Outdoors Team (including Mom and Dad),” Blair said in a Facebook post. “We had a fun week pre-fishing with countless laughs. Congrats to all who made the event and to all the winners!”
Note: To view the remaining top 10 teams and more photos from the event visit the Twisted Cat Outdoors Facebook page.
Final Thoughts
While fishing at the Twisted Cat Championship event was not exactly as expected, anglers remained competitive and adapted to the conditions. Fishing is fishing and fun was had by all. The organizers, sponsors, and anglers are already planning for next year’s Twisted Cat Outdoors Tournament Series.
For more information on Twisted Cat Outdoors visit their website or follow them on Facebook.
