Catfish fans were not disappointed at the weigh-in for the Bass Pro Shops Big Cat Quest (BCQ) event on Saturday October 3, 2015. The popular event, held in New Madrid, Mo, saw plenty of big catfish come to the scales. The catfish tournament was held in conjunction with the New Madrid Fall Festival. Anglers were allowed to fish the Mississippi River from 6:00 am until 3:00 pm, with the final call at weigh-in for 4:00 in the afternoon. The boundaries for fishing included the Mississippi River and its tributaries reachable by boat from two required launch sites.
When all was said and done the B’n’M Poles team of George Young from Arkansas and Capt. Ben Goebel from Indiana claimed the first place spot. The team won the New Madrid BCQ with 168.20 pounds that included the Big Fish of the tournament of 73.65 pounds.
“We were walking baits on sandbars in 50 feet of water using skipjack,” commented Goebel following the tournament. “We targeted fish on ledges coming off shallow water into deep water.”
“There were no secrets today,” continued Goebel. “It was all hard work and determination. We made the right moves at the right time.” The Arkansas/Indiana duo finished more than 30 pounds ahead of the second place team.
David Shipman and Brooke Wilkins took the second place prize. The Corinth, MS team won the World Championship of Catfishing (WCC) earlier in the year at Pickwick Landing State Park in TN. Continue reading – http://www.examiner.com/article/big-blue-catfish-pushes-young-and-goebel-to-bcq-win-new-madrid?CID=examiner_alerts_article