The weigh-in on a big river catfish tournament can make even the best bass fishing tournaments blush at the results. True to form, the competing anglers in the Cabela’s King Kat Tournament on the Ohio River at Henderson, Ky., brought what is best described as tonnage to the scales.

On April 24 the Cabela’s King Kat Tournament Trail held a qualifying event in Henderson, where more than 110 anglers from 12 states braved the elements to fish in the event. The Ohio River at Henderson is a major hot spot on the Cabela’s King Kat Trail, with anglers driving hundreds of miles just to fish the annual event.
The anglers were competing not only for cash and prizes, but also for the opportunity to qualify for the 2010 Cabela’s King Kat Classic Nov. 12-13 at the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway at Columbus, Miss.

Taking first place and earning $3,200 were Mark Farrow of Meredosia, Ill., and Jerry Cline II of Springfield, Ill., with a total weight of 112 pounds. Mark and Jerry were fishing below the Newburg Dam in 25-35 feet of water using skipjack.

The team caught a total of eight fish for the day. In Cabela’s King Kat events each team is allowed to weigh in their top five fish from the day’s catch.

In second place and earning $1,800 was the Dubuque, Iowa, team of Bill Brosnaham and Lynn Smith, with a weight of 105.25 pounds. Bill and Lynn were fishing near the John T. Meyer Dam in 35 feet of water using skipjack heads. The team caught about 20 fish for the day.

Third place and $1,000 went to the Paragould, Ark., team of Daryl and Jason Massingale, with a weight of 102.75 pounds. Daryl and Jason were fishing down river nearly 30 miles in 25-40 feet of water using Skipjack. The team caught six fish for the day.

The Cape Girardeau, Mo., team of Lindsey Sample and Steven Berry weighed in 99.05 pounds to take fourth place and $800. Lindsey and Steven were fishing near Owensboro in 4-35 feet of water using skipjack. Their team caught more than 50 fish for the day.

In fifth place was the team of Curtis Hettinger of Canal Winchester, Ohio, and Douglas Elliot of Grove City, Ohio, with a weight of 98.75 pounds and earning $600. Curtis and Douglas were fishing up river toward the Newburg Dam in 30 feet of water using skipjack. The team caught a total of eight fish for the day.

James and Janet Fox of McArthur, Ohio, captured big fish of the day, with a 57.8-pound cat, earning the duo a check for $500. James and Janet caught the big fish near Mt. Vernon in 38 feet of water at 8:45 a.m., on a skipjack head.

Free state park, lake or state forest admission

Visitors to Indiana’s state parks, lakes, reservoirs and state forests were greeted at the gate with no charge on Sunday, as part of the annual Welcome Back Weekend, the traditional opening weekend of the spring recreation season.

“This is a great time to visit a DNR property,” said Ginger Murphy, assistant director for stewardship in the Department of Natural Resources Division of State Parks and Reservoirs. “It’s a chance for people who’ve never visited or haven’t visited recently to discover a state treasure and save a few dollars at the same time.”

Even veteran park-goers will notice something new or updated at most properties. Each winter, state parks and reservoirs staff members spend many hours making improvements to campsites, trails, restrooms, interpretive centers and other facilities.

This year there are new exhibits at McCormick’s Creek State Park’s nature center, restroom facility improvements in several locations, a new park office at Versailles State Park, additional mountain bike trails at Harmonie and O’Bannon Woods state parks and trail improvements. More improvements and additions are listed at www.stateparks.IN.gov

“We hope people will like what they see and buy a $36 Annual Entrance Pass ($18 for ages 65 and older), which will get their carload through any entrance gate for the rest of 2010,” Murphy said.

Normal weekend gate fees for most properties are $5 per day for an in-state and $7 per day for an out-of-state vehicle. During the week, most fees are $4 for in-state and $7 for out-of-state.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Jack Spaulding may contact him by e-mail at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.