Catfishing tournament lures fishing enthusiasts to Mississippi River

It’s not of-fish-ally summer without a fishing trip on the Mississippi River.

The Twisted Cat Outdoor fishing series held its fifth annual cat fishing tournament Saturday at Red Star Access in Cape Girardeau, attracting 56 fishing groups, 140 anglers and plenty of spectators.

Alex Nagy, tournament director, announced final results to spectators as catfish were weighed and released at the end of the day.

While the fish enthusiasts were visiting from all over the Midwest — including participants from up to 500 miles away — many seemed to express a similar sentiment: fishing is a lifetime hobby shared with family.

Mike Rhodes, who wore a “Keep Calm and Fish On” shirt, said he has been participating in tournaments for the past 40 years. He brought his son Allen and grandkids Addy and Aiden. Rhodes said he’s taught his grandchildren to fish in two ponds on his property, and the best strategy is learning to wait.

“Just have a lot of patience out there,” he said. “Just wait it out, and you fish for 45 minutes and ain’t caught one, then move.”

Ryder Jones, 10, surpassed his personal record Saturday with a 48.28-pound catfish. He joined his dad, Hunter Jones, in catching a total of 74.36 pounds of catfish.

Nick Austin of Cape Girardeau said he came for “big fish and good times,” catching nine or 10 fish with his group.

“I’ve been fishing my whole life, since I was knee high to a grasshopper,” he said. His grandfather first taught him to fish on a tiny jon boat on the Mississippi River, he said.

At the end of the day, Degan Sanders, Lance Picker and Rylea Lohman brought home first place, with their biggest fish weighing 57.99 pounds and a total of 126.41 among them.

Rylea Lohman, a junior at Saxony Lutheran High School, said this was her first tournament; while she didn’t know what to expect, she enjoyed fishing Saturday. She’s been fishing with her uncle, Degan Sanders, for the past five years and said the most exciting part of fishing is the unexpected.

“It’s just the shock of whether or not you’re going to catch one or not, you don’t know when it’s going to hit or if you’re going to have a good or bad day,” she said.

The grand prize was $3,377, Twisted Cat Outdoors bookkeeper Lori Bradshaw said, and the top seven groups were recognized.