It’s all about catfish. From the Mighty Mississippi to the small public lakes and rivers around the nation, catfish anglers are searching for more information on the sport. Catfish tournaments go a long way toward educating an eager public, but Catfish Conference 2016, the first of its kind, will add an important cog in the wheel towards further growth of the sport.
The organizers want to bring the catfish world together in an event that does not include the pressure of tournament fishing.
The idea comes from catfish aficionado Steve Douglas and boat dealer Jim Hopper.
Jeff Jones Marine and Monster Rod Holders will host the first ever Catfish Conference in Versailles KY. Douglas is owner of Monster Rod Holders, a popular rod holder manufacturer. Jim Hopper is General Manager at Jeff Jones Marine.
On-again, off-again discussions had been going on for a couple years about having a dedicated catfish event. The discussions always evolved around the idea of stimulating the sport of catfishing and helping the catfishing community grow in a positive way.
Recently Hopper made the call that started things rolling. “I called Steve Douglas a few weeks ago, to ask him if there was any kind of yearly conference or trade show for the catfish community. He said that most of the time they were always at tournaments and there wasn’t much time for anything other than fishing.”
“Jim Hopper is the catfish guy over there at Jeff Jones Marine,” said Douglas. “He has talked to me over the last couple of years about doing one of these. He called me about a month ago, out of the blue, and asked me what I thought about it. I just said lets do it and that is how it got started. It happened just that quickly.”
“We want to educate and introduce catfishing products and services to catfishing enthusiast of all skill levels,” said Douglas. “This platform will also give anglers a networking opportunity for gaining potential sponsorship’s. It is for anyone interested in the sport and will include everything catfishing.”
By Ron Presley