Anglers were greeted by a beautiful day at Marietta, OH. A nice breeze and temps in the 70’s promised a great day for catfishing. “It’s not miserably hot and there’s a nice breeze,” said tournament director Jeremy Coe. “I’m enjoying the morning, hopefully we will see some big fish.”
The occasion was Cabela’s King Kat Tournament Trail. The tournament traveled to Marietta to fish the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers on Saturday, August 20, 2016. Eighty catfish anglers from 8 different states were competing for more than $7,300.00 in cash and prizes, and the opportunity to qualify for the 2016 Cabela’s King Kat Northern and Southern Championships to be held in the fall.
Anglers were allowed to fish the Ohio River from the Willow Island Lock and Dam, South to Belleville Lock and Dam. They could also fish the Muskingum River up to the Devola Lock and Dam.
Chris Souders from Oak Hill, OH and Joe Cassidy from West Portsmouth, OH brought 84.50 pounds to the scales at Indian Acres Boat Ramp to claim the victory. They also had 2nd Big Kat with a flathead weighing 35.16 pounds. The heavy bag earned them $3,000.00.
Team Souders/Cassidy started fishing as for south as they could in the Belleville area of the Ohio River. Noticing they had a weak fish, they decided to weigh it in early. As they headed back south they began to experience motor troubles, leaving them to fish the Muskingum River.
Souders and Cassidy caught all of their fish early in the morning. They targeted their fish in 30 to 40 feet of water over flats and rocks using different techniques throughout the day. They drifted, drug, and anchored at various times. They had caught 7 fish before heading back to the weigh in site for the final time.
The team used skipjack, mooneye and shad for bait. “Skipjack heads definitely worked the best for the bigger fish,” reported Souders. “The river had a little current which improved the fishing conditions.”
“We had a lot of stuff go wrong at this one,” said Cassidy in a Facebook post. “We pushed through it and got it done!”
Second place honors went to the Eleanor, WV team of Neil Craig and Michael Jordon. It was a feast or famine kind of day for Craig and Jordon, but they weighed in 62.86 pounds to claim their spot. All of their fish came on the rope. They also had Big Kat of the tournament weighing 38.96 pounds. They earned $1,500.00, plus an additional $900.00 for Big Kat for the day’s work.
The team fished about 5 miles downriver from Marietta on the Ohio River. “We didn’t catch a fish until 10:45,” reported Craig. “From then we caught 7 fish in 45 minutes. After that flurry was over we only caught one fish for the rest of the day. Our fish were caught on cut mooneye in 20 to 25 feet of water. We were anchored down and fishing wood structure. Water was good with some flow which is good this time of year.”
ATOY leaders Carl Morris Jr. and Rob Parsons weighed 35.94 pounds to earn third place and earn $700. The finish kept them strong in the Angler of the Year competition with only one tournament remaining. They fished south of Belpre, which is about 20 miles south of Marietta.
Team Morris/Parsons fished off the rope all day. “We were fishing in anywhere from 10 to 30 feet of water,” reported Parsons. “We used a variety of bait including bluegill, creek chubs, mooneye, skipjack and shad. We mainly targeted wood structure that looked like a good place for a flathead to hide.”
Parsons described the bite as very light. “It took a lot of patience to get one in the boat. We caught a couple decent ones pre-fishing, but could not find them again today. The five fish that we weighed in were the only five that we caught. They were just barely good enough to squeak out the third place win.”
“We found fish up shallower early in the morning and followed them out deeper as the day progressed,” added Morris. “There was a little bit of a current, but I would have liked more.”
Morris and Parsons congratulated Souders and Cassidy on their win and for weighing some nice fish.
In fourth place was David Freeman of Circleville, OH, Skip Martin and Gregory Miller both of Akron, Ohio. They weighed in 35.38 pounds and earned $500.00 in the first tournament ever for Freeman and Miller.
They started the day fishing at the mouth of the Muskingum where it joins the Ohio River before moving up river later in the day to find their fish. Team Freeman/Martin/Miller used shad for bait to land 8 fish for the day. The team anchored first and drifted later on in the day.
AnthyMurphy and Michael Snyder both of Millersburg, OH took fifth place. They weighed in 33.22 pounds to earn $400.00. The team had 5 fish that included a nice flathead weighing 22.56 pounds. The team fished in the Belpre area. They moved a lot, burning 2 tanks of gas to find their fish in structure. Anthony and Michael anchored in 10 to 15 feet of water. They used mostly shad and suckers for bait.
Justin and Hanna Fraley both of Sandyville, WV won sixth place. They weighed in 33.04 pounds and earned $300.00.
Tournament director, Jeremy Coe, gave a special thank you to Jeri Knowlton and staff at the Marietta-Washington County CVB for once again making this event possible. “I also want to thank Mayor Joe Matthews and staff for their hospitality and assisting with the event. Thank you to Best Western in Marietta for hosting the captains meeting and making all the anglers feel welcomed.”
“We returned to Marietta after a tough tournament in 2015,” said Coe. “This year we had double the boats and better fishing! We are excited to have Marietta, OH on the schedule due to the quality of fish and the hospitality toward the anglers. Marietta rolls out the red carpet for the catfish anglers and we look forward to returning in 2017.”
Anglers qualifying for the 2016 Cabela’s King Kat Northern and Southern Championship will be able to fish the Ohio River or the Cumberland River this fall. The Northern Championship will be held September 23 and 24, 2016 on the Ohio River, Henderson, Kentucky. The Southern Championship will be held September 29 and October 1, 2016 on the Cumberland River (Old Hickory Lake) Gallatin, Tennessee.
The next King Kat event will be on the Mississippi River, August 27, 2016 at Quincy, IL.
For more results, photos and recognitions visit www.kingkatusa.com or the Cabela’s King Kat Facebook Page. King Kat can be reached by phone at 502-384-5924.
For more info on the Marietta, OH area follow them on the Marieta-Washington County Facebook page.