HuntingFishing4x4.com

LOCATION: STAUNTON BOAT RAMP - RED OAK, VA.
OFF HIGHWAY 15 ON LEFT.

PRICE: $50.00 PER BOAT ENTRY FEE - PAYOUT
TOP TEN CASH, TROPHY AND OTHER PRIZES.

Registration will begin at around 1:30 - All boat
captains are required to attend the captains meeting
at 4:30 PM EST.

The 2010 Tournament hours:
5:00 PM EST - 12:00 Midnight
Scales open from 8:00 PM - 12:00 Midnight

Come on out and enjoy the first catfish tournament of
2010. Bring your family and friends.

We look forward to seeing everyone April 17th!

To Your Catfish Success
John Moore, Warren Weston
The Catfish Showdown

Congratulations to Danny Pruitt with Big Bluecat
weighing in at 54.76 pounds. It was the first
tournament of the 2010 season and everyone enjoyed
a bright sunny day.

During early afternoon it turned a little windy at
times, but 92 boats and 148 anglers showed up to
kick start the new season opener.

We want to thank the 19 youth and 10 lady anglers
for your participation. A special thanks goes out
to all of our sponsors, volunteers, and staff for
making our 8th annual tournament season kick-off
a success.

Take a kid fishing!

Enjoy!

To Your Catfish Success
John Moore, Warren Weston
The Catfish Showdown
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In This Issue
1.Welcome Message
2.Tournament Dates
3.Tournament Results
4.Catfish Tips
5.Subscribe/Unsubscribe

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2.Tournament Dates - 2010 Season

April 17th.
May 15th.
June 26th
August 21st.

Open ... $50 Per Boat Entry Fee. Payout Top Ten,
Trophy, Other Prizes. Registration from 1:30 - 4:30.
All boat captains are required to attend the captains
meeting at 4:30 PM EST. Tournament hours are
5:00 PM EST - 12:00 Midnight. The weigh-in scales
will open 8:00 PM and close at 12:00 Midnight.

September 18th. - Kids Fishing Day

Open ... Hosted by The Catfish Showdown. Registration
starts 7:00 AM. Fishing 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM. Lunch/Games
11:30 until. Prizes/Awards 2:00 PM. Bring your child.
lawn chairs, and join us for a Free Fun Day.

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3.Tournament Results

April 17, 2010 CATFISH SHOWDOWN TOURNAMENT RESULTS

Warren Weston - President
John Moore - Vice President/ WeighMaster/Boat Inspector
Red Moore - Tournament MC/Staff Secretary
Julie Clark
Sue Sizemore

National Anthem by "Gospel Voices."

Prayer by Red Moore.

TOP 10
1st Danny Pruitt 54.76 Big Blue
2nd Dustin Fox 47.22 Big Flathead
3rd Zach Turner 38.28 Flathead
4th Timmy Martin 37.38 Flathead
5th Tom Strawsburg 33.94 Flathead
6th Larry Royster 32.74 Flathead
7th Tommy Reamon 31.50 Flathead
8th Jerry Pulliam 30.42 Flathead
9th Mike Lefrancious 30.02 Flathead
10th Jim Yarbrough 29.90 Flathead

JUNIOR ANGLER
Boat# - 5, 17, 41, 58, 65, 69, 74.

LADY ANGLER - Boat #74 23.78 Blue

Big Blue Winner - Danny Pruitt 54.76
Big Flathead - Dustin Fox 47.22

Total Anglers - 148
Total Youth Anglers - 19
Total Lady Anglers - 10

Weighed 23 fish - Total 585.22 lbs
Top Ten Weight 366.16 lbs
Average Weight Top Ten 36.62 lbs

92 BOAT CAPTAINS
1. Shane Farrar
2. Tom Shrawsburg
3. Doug Bailey
4. Justin Sheppard
5. Charlie Baird
6. Wayne Sizemore
7. Yoo Chisp
8. Keith Waters
9. Berkley Taylor
10. Daniel Patterson
11. Anthony Newcomb
12. Dale Lowe
13. Barry Lewis
14. Chris Saunders
15. Tony Milam
16. Johnny & Jenny Chappel
17. Jim Yarbrough
18. Ryan Rowland
19. Larry Royster
20. Willie Robinson
21. Roger Lambert
22. Neal Spake
23. Lukos Watkins
24. Timmy Martin
25. Mike Lefrancois
26. Shawn Pleasant
27. Jamie Crompton
28. Josh Clayton
29. Jeff Smith
30. Patrick Jackson
31. Tony Conner
32. Randy Martin
33. Jeffrey Milton
34. Steven Newcomb
35. Earl Worsham
36. Lew Compton
37. Sherwood Forlines
38. Claude Thompson
39. Kevin Hyler
40. Mitch Terry
41. Kevin Davis
42. Allen Conner
43. David Faucette
44. Harvey Ayer
45. Cody Pope
46. Dustin Fox
47. Sam Courts
48. Mike Hanes
49. Lewis Beadles
50. Johnie Jones
51. Dean Nelson
52. Charles Farley
53. Paul Link
54. Larry Tuck
55. Barry Witt
56. Ryan O Neal
57. Randy Robbins
58. Zach Turner
59. Bryan Toombs
60. Larry Sullivan
61. Bill Leggett
62. Bruce Saunders
63. Hamden Seay
64. Mike Lloyd
65. Kevin Perkinson
66. Robert Beckent
67. Dennis Tatum
68. Michael Lawrence
69. T.J. Ragland
70. Jerry Pulliam
71. Charlie Moore
72. Stevie Poole
73. Ross Shepperd
74. Chad Puryear
75. Ronnie Highes
76. Larry Pruitt
77. Jonida Cottrell
78. Brent Throckmorton
79. Joe Martin
80. Wallace McGregor
81. Michael Reaves
82. Drew Hartless
83. Jamier Cole
84. Keith Smith
85. Sylvia Jones
86. Jason Lloyd
87. Van Hughes
88. David Harris
89. Lester Fowlker
90. Travis Harris
91. Ben Elliott
92. Chad Crawford
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4.Catfish Tips

The Dan River Blue Catfish Feeding Mystery
by Steven Boaze

Most Large rivers that flow throughout the Virginia
landscape provide anglers with many opportunities to
land more blue catfish, specifically when the water
level is up. The debris from logs, limbs, fallen
trees, and other structures upstream flush vast
amounts of nutrients and cover for blue catfish of all
sizes downstream.

The Dan River has a unique history behind its blue
catfish feeding and spawning habits, especially during
heavier rains. As the water rises above normal,
bluecats gain an advantage over other catfish species
when it comes to feeding. Their nesting habits require
cover with steady currents. Unlike annual spawning
periods, bluecats are found in the oddest places along
the Dan River. The most common is no longer a mystery.

My knowledge of this was verified by other catfish
anglers who fish the Dan River banks on a regular
basis. One of which is a Dan River bank fishing
legend, Mr. Joey Edwards. Mr. Edwards has over 30
years experience fishing for catfish along the Dan
River. Bluecats, according to Edwards, swim upstream
after heavy rains. The river swells to higher levels.
The water quickly becomes discolored and rough. This
is the prime time to have your bait in bank-side
holes, under log jams, or floating structures.

Flathead catfish also occupy the Dan River waters.
Despite the bluecat's survival pattern, flatheads
simply find it irresistible when bait fish hover
around log jams. Bait fish take advantage of this
period to feed on the microscopic organisms found in
and around underwater logs and debris. These are prime
areas to fish. The key cycle of spring and summer feed
patterns of bait fish will send any Flathead into a
feeding frenzy. Bluecats and flatheads share the same
feeding habits found in heavy river current. This is a
major factor when it comes to providing natural food
washed downstream.

Flathead catfish roam around searching for log jams
and back water holes for bait fish that stray outside
the school. These powerful catfish will storm
underwater log jams to disrupt the school in hopes to
catch a weaker or injured bait fish. Contrary to
belief, flathead catfish like to eat their food slow.
Even when the attack is aggressive, they gently open
that huge mouth and slowly engulf their food of
choice. They are the slowest eating catfish. No other
catfish prefers this feeding method.

Of the 200 mile long stretch of the Dan River, roughly
100 miles has some of the fiercest fighting blue
catfish ever found in Virginia rivers. Mr Edwards has
landed bluecats ranging from one pound to over seventy
five pounds. His unique bank fishing method has proven
that hard work pays off every time after a heavy rain.
He swears by this and waits until the river starts to
swell upstream. He monitors the river and debris
levels. Sometimes, heavy rains will not loosen up
debris, but will carry valuable natural resources down
river to be recollected in smaller pockets of
backwater. These smaller river havens attract bait
fish and anglers alike.

Local anglers who know this prepare themselves early
for the annual spring spawn. Only small catfish are
kept for consumption, while larger ones are photo,
weighed, and released back for stock. According to Mr.
Edwards, it's a huge challenge to land a blue catfish
from a deep bank-side hole. One covered with structure
from top to bottom. And one that could be potentially
hazardous to your health, too! Roaming along the banks
of the Dan River to locate a deep hole with structure
and heavy current can very rewarding, but he claims
you must know the way to avoid the dangerous terain.

The real mystery behind landing lunker blue catfish in
the Dan River has always been said you have to be in
the right place at the right time. Use the catfish's
bait of choice in the right hole during the high water
period and your chances of landing more bluecats will
increase exponentially.

For example, let's say you find a section to fish in
the Dan River. You locate a log jam or deep hole with
plenty of structure. And, you float your bait by a
pile of logs. Suddenly, the line gets tight. The rod
tip doesn't twitch, but slowly bends. You wait to feel
for the pickup and the fight is on. What has taken
place is easy food for the catfish. What has occured
is the bait secretes an oil from the hook penetrating
through the body of the bait. This oily substance
creates curiosity and the catfish will come to
investigate. If the meal looks inviting, the catfish
will slowly place the bait fish in their mouth and
take it to its eating place where it will be safe.

Fishing for catfish in the Dan River isn't for
everyone. It takes dedication and extreme knowledge of
the river for safer fishing. If you're planning a
fishing trip to the Dan River, be prepared to watch
the weather, talk to the local experts, and make sure
you have plenty of tackle! You will want to make sure
your presentation of the bait is in constant view,
wait for the pick-up, set the hook, reel it in and
land the fish. If you try to skip anyone of these
steps, you will not catch many fish. Sure, sometimes
you can set the hook immediately, and get lucky once,
however, if you learn how to master when to set the
hook, you'll catch them every time. All that is
required to catch big blues is simple intelligence,
patience, and know when the time is right.

One of the most overlooked parts of fishing from the
bank is that the Dan River increases in width every
year. This particular river channel has a long history
of cleaning itself from sediment and large structure
after rainy periods. The water rushes downstream at a
fast pace and anglers think they can go back and fish
the same river hole every year, but that's not true.
The holes inside and under the banks are not going to
be there next year. Don't expect to go and catch
catfish everytime, because what fun would that be?
And, it would quickly get boring. You can also use
many sizes of hooks, weights, and baits to use.
Honestly, get used to whatever makes you feel
comfortable and catch fish most of the time. Most
importantly, have fun and stay healthy and stay dry!