Results of the 4th Catfish Tourney on the Banks (Tidal Schuylkill River) and a Summary of This Year's Competitions

Hello, Blog Readers!

I got some time on my hands now, so I'm finally bringing you the results of the 4th Catfish Tourney on the Banks, which was held on October 27th, 2013 (Sunday).

It was pretty chilly and windy, not to mention that the fishing was pretty slow. This last Tourney was probably the slowest one of all four of them this year. However, no fish was smaller than 1.5lbs, and there were at least a couple bites! As expected, quality over quantity.

Many thanks to everyone that participated in it: people that withstood the cold weather for nearly 8 hours! True Philly Urban Anglers! Hell yeah!

Below are a couple photos of the event:

On this photo: Michael "Mactinez" with his cousin Ralph O. fishing close to the Chestnut Street Bridge.

On this photo: Matt H. and Pedro R. with 3 buckets full of minnows, ready to catch some Catfish! As a matter of fact, Pedro R. caught the biggest fish of the competition (photo further below): a 5.22lbs Flathead Catfish on a live Sunny. 

On this photo: one of the participants -- Rob W. -- active fishing for Catfish.

On this photo: Participant Jacob J., who came all the way from Maryland to join the competition. Thank you very much for your participation, Jacob! And, of course, keep in mind that 20% of your registration fee already went to the SRDC -- the non-profit organization that takes care of the Schuylkill Banks.

On this photo: one of the participants -- Lowell N. -- decided to take a nap because the bite was too slow! Quite comfy, huh? =)

So, for those who are still not familiar with the "Catfish Tourney on the Banks," here are the links for the previous competitions and results:

3rd Catfish Tourney on the Banks
2nd Catfish Tourney on the Banks
1st Catfish Tourney on the Banks

As you may already be aware of, one of my main goals in creating this Blog, my Facebook Page, and my Youtube Channel, was to strengthen the local fishing community and introduce new people to the wonderful sport of fishing, all while emphasizing good fishing ethics and environmental conservation (aquatic sustainability) in and around Philadelphia.

The "Catfish Tourney on the Banks" was a great way to put people together and have some fun! It was a great event for anglers to bring out their friends and families, get out and be outdoors for a day, test their skills towards fishing, introduce someone new to the sport, or even socialize with other anglers.

Not only that, I made the competition as a "non-profit," where 20% of all proceeds would always go to a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization such as the SRDC and Recycled Fish -- organizations that actually focus either on environmental conservation and/or good fishing ethics. The rest of the money -- every single cent of it -- was distributed as cash prizes at the end of each event. At a certain point, I decided to throw in a couple trophies as well, so the winners of each competition would have more than just good memories of the event!

Therefore, the soul of this whole thing -- the purpose -- was REALLY for people to have some fun while staying active and contributing for the local fishing community! It was always a win-win situation, where each participant was already contributing for a greater good, regardless of results and rankings.

Plus, let's not forget that fishing is all about learning with each fishing session!

At least that's how I view it...and I'm very pleased with how successful the competitions were this year. Satisfaction alone is what drives me to create events like these. As I always say, the World isn't always just about money: there is so much more to it. It truly makes me happy to see people fishing out there, and sometimes catching fish! 

Therefore, for all of you who participated this year: thank you very much for your support! 

Now...for the results of the 4th Catfish Tourney on the Banks:

For this competition, I had a total of 12 participants/teams on site  (not a lot due to the cold weather). The total amount of fish caught was 14, and the total weight was 39.41lbs (average of 2.81lbs per fish).

Therefore, as expected, this competition was better "quality wise:" less fish; but bigger ones.

The winners of the 4th Catfish Tourney on the Banks were Pedro R. (1st place & biggest fish), Jose N. (2nd place), and the team Joe Scott and Lowell N. (3rd Place).

The ranking for this competition was:

Pedro R. -- 9.21lbs (5.22, 3.99)
Jose N. -- 8.32lbs (3.17, 2.97, 2.18)
Joe S. and Lowell N. -- 4.73lbs (2.73, 2.00)
Michael B. & Ray F. -- 4.69lbs
Ralph O. -- 4.06lbs
Matt H -- 3.35lbs
Steven G. -- 2.82lbs
Thuan & Sy N. -- 2.22lbs
Ivan V. & Rob W. -- 0.00 lbs
Jacob J. -- 0.00 lbs
Michael M. -- 0.00 lbs
Don G. -- 0.00 lbs

As I mentioned in previous competitions, fishing is a very unpredictable sport! Therefore, while competing, one should always be like Mike Iaconelli and NEVER GIVE UP until the last minute! The 4th Catfish Tourney on the Banks was a clear example of that: if anyone had gotten a 5lber Channel Catfish prior to the end of the competition -- even if 2 minutes before, that person would have made his/her way up to 3rd place! That's how slow the day was!

Also, one should never be ashamed of getting skunked. It just happens. I don't really recall how many times I've gotten skunked in my life, but I do remember this one time in the past: I fished for 15 hours straight (not an easy feat.), ending up without a SINGLE fish. Not even a Sunny. So, guys, I can tell you this much: it doesn't get worse than that. Hah.

For this competition, the total amount of money collected was $290. Therefore, 20% of that (about $60) went to the SRDC as a donation. If you were a participant, you probably also received a "Steward Package" from me, addressing the Recycled Fish organization. I hope you read what's inside -- very interesting stuff.

The prizes for the 4th Catfish Tourney on the Banks were the following:

1st Place -- $95 + Trophy

2nd Place -- $70 + Trophy

3rd Place -- $45 + Trophy

Biggest Fish -- $22 + Trophy.

I kind of knew in advance that the cash prizes wouldn't be as good as the ones before, due to the low number of participants. Therefore, only for this last competition of the year, I decided to order the trophies after the event. The main reason: I'm engraving the winners' names on their respective trophies. =)

Below are the photos for this competition:

Participant Joe S. with a 2.73lbs Channel Catfish, caught next to the Chestnut Street Bridge.

Participant Steven G. with a 2.82lbs Channel Catfish, caught under the Walnut Street Bridge.

Participant Michael B. with a 3.46lbs Channel Catfish, caught next to the Locust Street.

Participant Sy N. with a 2.22lbs Channel Catfish, caught between Walnut and Chestnut Bridges.

Participant Pedro R. with the biggest fish of the day: a 5.22lbs Flathead Catfish, caught on a live Bluegill.

Participant Ralph O. with a 1.96lbs Channel Catfish.

Jose N.'s son holding a 3.17lbs Channel Catfish.

Participant Pedro R. with a 3.99lbs Channel Catfish.

Jose N.'s daughter with a 2.97lbs Channel Catfish.

Participant Matt H. with a 3.35lbs Channel Catfish.

And here's a brief summary of all 4 Catfish Tourneys of this year, all together:

-- There were a total of 160 Catfish caught (1st -- 25, 2nd -- 90, 3rd -- 31, 4th -- 14), resulting in 307.01lbs of pure Catfish (1st -- 57.53lbs, 2nd -- 143.81lbs, 3rd -- 66.26lbs, 4th -- 39.41lbs)!

-- There were a total of 62 registered participants/teams for all 4 competitions combined, and 55 of those 62 individuals/teams participated in at least one competition.

Many thanks to all of you: Kevin W. (thanks for coming all the way from Delaware!); Linda Z. & George T.; Don G. & Patrick G.; Mike "Mactinez," Ralph O., & Thomas B.; Ronald L.J. & Ronald D.L.J.; Keith Sr. & Jr.; Daniel G. & Kathleen S.; Jose N., Steven G., Anthony N., & Monica M.; Joe S. & Lowell N.; Chazz P. & John P; Blaise F.; Brian MC; Steve C.; Chris J.; Matthew; Marcus Q.; Michael M.; Michael S.; Vince A.; Ian R. & Jeremy R.; Vince B.; Bill C; Kevin M. & Miles T. (Thank you for coming all the way from Collingswood!); Andrew H. & Moua F.; Michael O'C.; Joe G.; Kyle G. & Christine R.; Ivan V., Bryce, and & Rob W.; Henry J.; Aaron C.; Pedro R.; Michael B. & Ray F.; Matt H.; Thuan N. & Sy N. (thanks for coming all the way from Allentown!); Jacob J. (thanks for coming all the way from Maryland!).

-- Nobody participated in all 4 Catfish Tourneys; therefore, I was the only one present in all four of them (as the organizer). In other words, I spent about 29 hours on the Banks for all 4 competitions.

  

-- The total amount of money gathered this year was $1260. From this amount, 20% went to non-profits ($252), and the rest was distributed as cash prizes among 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Biggest fish.

Now...the 4th Catfish Tourney on the Banks was the last Catfish competition for this year. The next Catfish Tourney on the Banks is scheduled for March 23rd, 2014 (Sunday), with rain date on March 30th. You may register for it now by sending me an e-mail at sheng12182527@gmail.com; however, as you can see, there's really no rush for it! =)

Once again -- many thanks to all those who participated in this year's competitions, and I'm looking forward to even a bigger crew next year!

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.