Hello, Blog Readers!
As planned, today I held the "6th Catfish Tourney on the Banks" from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.. The competition happened between Locust and Chestnut streets, down on the Schuylkill Banks. A nice photo of the event is below:
A couple contestants between Locust and Walnut are patiently waiting for the Catfish to hit. :)
Overall, the 6th Catfish Tourney on the Banks had a good number of participants; thus, good cash prizes! In terms of fish, this competition was more about "quantity over quality." In other words, very few fish were above the range of 2lbs. Below is a little summary of all 6 competitions that were held so far:
-- 1st Catfish Tourney (May, 2013): 7 entries; $-- collected; $-- to local 501(c)(3) non-profit; 25 fish caught; total fish weight: 57.53lbs. (For more information on it, click here).
-- 2nd Catfish Tourney (June, 2013): 24 entries; $480 collected; $96 to national 501(c)(3) non-profit; 90 fish caught; total weight: 143.81lbs. (For more information on it, click here).
-- 3rd Catfish Tourney (September, 2013): 18 entries; $490 collected; $98 to local 501(c)(3) non-profit; 31 fish caught; total weight: 66.26lbs. (For more information on it, click here).
-- 4th Catfish Tourney (October, 2013): 12 entries; $290 collected; $58 to local 501(c)(3) non-profit; 14 fish caught; total weight: 39.41lbs. (For more information on it, click here).
-- 5th Catfish Tourney (March, 2014): 25 entries; $630 collected; $126 to local 501(c)(3) non-profit; 3 fish caught; total weight: 6.07lbs. (For more information on it, click here)
-- 6th Catfish Tourney (May, 2015): 25 entries; $590 collected; $118 to local 501(c)(3) non-profit; 83 fish caught; total weight: 82.27lbs.
Summarizing...For the 6th Catfish Tourney on the Banks, I had a total of 25 individuals/teams. Therefore, the number of overall participants is still increasing a lot! It's always pleasant to see that more and more people are coming for the competitions. After all, more competitors mean bigger prizes for each competition, more money for the local non-profit that focuses on environmental conservation and/or aquatic sustainability, not to mention a stronger local fishing community. Therefore, as always, many thanks for everyone's support!
As a tradition, I always take a group photo after the competition. Above are the stewards who didn't give up -- the ones who stayed until the end of the event! Six hours of fishing under the scorching sun is not a small feature. Therefore, a salve of applause to each one of them.
The total amount of cash collected for this competition was $590. From that amount, 20% of it ($118) went to the SRDC 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (Schuylkill River Development Corporation).
The SRDC is the organization responsible for the Schuylkill Banks -- from the Fairmount Dam until the Grays Ferry Crescent Trail. They do their best to maintain a clean environment for anglers, runners, bikers, and so on. Their job includes removing graffiti on a weekly basis, providing a clean and neat space for everyone to use, etc. They also hold many different Summer events: free movie nights on certain Thursdays, kayak and boat tours, etc. If you want to know more about them, you can click here to access their website. Note that the SRDC is very conscientious about aquatic sustainability and environmental conservation.
Below is the ranking for the 6th Catfish Tourney on the Banks:
1st -- Jake & Joe J. -- 9.06lbs (3.19/1.98/1.85/1.05/0.99)
2nd -- Marc C.J. -- 8.22lbs (4.38 Big Fish/1.52/1.49/0.83)
3rd -- Justin Z. & Christian H. -- 7.89lbs (3.19/2.62/1.80/0.28)
4th -- Alex & Daniel -- 6.48lbs (2.60/1.12/0.99/0.94/0.83)
5th -- Nicolas R. -- 5.68lbs (1.56/1.49/1.36/1.27)
6th -- Jose N. -- 5.59lbs (1.71/1.43/0.94/0.90/0.61)
7th -- Monica & Steven -- 5.40lbs (1.80/1.47/1.01/0.57/0.55)
8th -- Peter Sch. -- 4.90lbs (1.89/1.45/0.90/0.66)
9th -- Michael S. -- 3.24lbs (0.97/0.68/0.57/0.52/0.50)
10th -- John J. -- 3.10lbs (1.12/0.59/0.50/0.50/0.39)
11th -- Shou YC -- 2.91lbs (1.19/1.16/0.55)
12th -- Joe Sz. -- 1.86lbs (1.05/0.81)
13th -- Eddie S. -- 1.77lbs (1.05/0.72)
14th -- Troy B. -- 1.76lbs (0.59/0.39/0.39/0.39)
15th -- Yuan ZD -- 1.27lbs (0.81/0.46)
15th -- Jasir & Jeremiah -- 1.27lbs (0.83/0.44)
16th -- Ronald J. -- 0.96 (0.70/0.26)
17th -- Joshua & Stephen J. -- 0.70lbs (0.70)
18th -- Peter Sca. -- 0.44lbs (0.44)
Mike M. -- 0.00lbs
Ralph O. -- 0.00lbs
Joe S. & Ian K. -- 0.00lbs
Harry OB & Luke R. -- 0.00lbs
Salvatore M. -- 0.00lbs
Jay & Jayla T. -- 0.00lbs
Above are the winners of the 6th Catfish Tourney on the Banks: 1st Place (Center): Joe and Jacob J.; 2nd Place & Big Fish (left): Marc C.J. "The Shark;" and 3rd Place (right): Justin Z. & Christian H.. Congratulations, fellas!
As everyone can see, this last competition was really unstable in terms of weight -- anyone on top ten had a chance to win until the very end of it! One 5lber would have made a big impact in the ranking. Thus, as Pro-Bass angler Mike Iaconelli always says: NEVER GIVE UP!
The prizes for the 6th Catfish Tourney on the Banks were the following:
20% for the SRDC non-profit organization -- $118
1st Place -- $190 + Trophy
2nd Place -- $140 + Trophy
3rd Place -- $95 + Trophy
Biggest Fish -- $47 + Trophy
People who participated: thank you very much for your support! As I have mentioned previously, you guys are making a difference in the Philadelphia fishing community, not to mention that you are staying active in the sport. The "20%" of your proceeds will definitely make a difference for the SRDC! Everything counts towards the big scene.
Also, many thanks to Joe and Jacob J. (the winners of this competition) for coming all the way from Maryland and Tennessee. Many thanks to Nicolas R. for coming all the way from Central Florida! Many thanks to Ronald J. "Shogun" and Marc C.J. "The Shark" for participating and representing the Grand Master Fish-Shoreman crew.
Extra thanks to Jay & Jayla T.; Jasir & Jeremiah; Justin Z. & Christian H.; and Salvatore M.: fishing is certainly more enjoyable when you bring your loved ones with you! Therefore, having kids and loved ones around is always an extra plus.
For those who didn't catch anything, be not sad! It was a tough day on the Banks and sometimes that's how it is. Unpredictability is one factor that makes fishing unique. Thankfully, the experience counts a lot!
Below are the photos of the "trophy" catches for this competition (2lbs+):
Contestant from the team "Alex & Daniel" with a 2.60lbs Channel Catfish. The fish was caught right next to the Chestnut Street bridge. It was caught on a piece of chicken liver (ugh).
Contestant from the team "Justin Z. & Christian H." with a 2.62lbs Channel Catfish. The fish was caught between Walnut and Locust. It was caught on a special dip bait.
Solo contestant Marc C.J. "The Shark" with the big fish of the day: a 4.38lbs Channel Catfish. The fish was caught on chicken liver.
Contestant from team "Joe & Jake J." with a 3.19lbs Channel Catfish. Not sure what this fish was caught on, but good job! Heh.
The next Tourney -- 7th Catfish Tourney on the Banks -- is scheduled for September 27th, 2015. A post on it will be coming in July!
Best of luck to all of us,
Long Days and Pleasant Nights,
Sincerely,
Leo S.
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