Hello, Blog Readers!
As planned, yesterday I held the "5th Catfish Tourney on the Banks" from 9-3 p.m., between Locust and Market streets (on the River). A nice picture of the event is below:
Participant Kevin Cordelli sleeping during the competition, since there was no action from 9-3 p.m. whatsoever. Heh.
Overall, the 5th Catfish Tourney on the Banks had the biggest prize amount among all 5 competitions (thus, the biggest number of participants), but it also had the lowest catching-ratio as well (3 fish during the whole competition). Below is a little summary of all 5 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 the 5th 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! More people participating means bigger prizes for each competition; more money for the local non-profit that focuses on environmental conservation and/or aquatic sustainability; and a stronger local fishing community. Many thanks for everyone's support, guys!
As a tradition, I always like to take a group photo after the competition. I usually send it to all participants as a memo of the day. Above are the participants who didn't give up -- the ones who stayed until the end of the competition!
The total amount of cash collected for this competition was $630. From that amount, 20% of it (126 dollars) went to the SRDC 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (Schuylkill River Development Corporation). As a matter of fact, I made and confirmed the donation today.
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.
Below is the ranking for the 5th Catfish Tourney on the Banks:
Joe J. & Jacob J. -- 2.53lbs
Vincent B. & Michael B. -- 1.96lbs
Joe S. -- 1.58lbs
Bill C. & David J. -- 0.00 lbs
Cahn H. & Phong N. -- 0.00 lbs
Chris R. -- 0.00 lbs
Donald G. -- 0.00 lbs
Ed S. -- 0.00 lbs
Emre O. -- 0.00 lbs
Jeff S. -- 0.00 lbs
Kevin W. & Jim J. -- 0.00 lbs
Kyle M. & Stanley -- 0.00 lbs
Matthew C. & Colleen K. -- 0.00 lbs
Mike S. -- 0.00 lbs
Patrick G. -- 0.00 lbs
Sy N. & Thuan N. -- 0.00 lbs
Rahsaan B. Dean -- 0.00 lbs
Robert T. & Rodney -- 0.00 lbs
Henry L. -- 0.00 lbs
Jim C. & Jake C. -- 0.00 lbs
Ryan MCF & James C. -- 0.00 lbs
James M. -- 0.00lbs
Matt MCC -- 0.00 lbs
Eric S. & Joe MCB -- 0.00 lbs
Kevin C. -- 0.00 lbs
Matt MCC -- 0.00 lbs
Eric S. & Joe MCB -- 0.00 lbs
Kevin C. -- 0.00 lbs
Above are the winners of the 5th Catfish Tourney on the Banks: 1st Place and Big Fish (left): Joe and Jacob Jellison; 2nd Place (right): Vincent Borgia and Michael Boylan; and 3rd Place (center): Joe Scott. Congrats, fellas!
As everyone can see, this last competition was really unstable -- anyone had a chance to win until the end of it! One fish would have made a big impact in the ranking. Thus, as Pro-Bass angler Mike Iaconelli says: NEVER GIVE UP!
The prizes for the 5th Catfish Tourney on the Banks were the following:
20% for the SRDC non-profit organization -- $126
1st Place -- $202 + Trophy
2nd Place -- $151 + Trophy
3rd Place -- $101 + Trophy
Biggest Fish -- $50 + Trophy.
People who participated: thank you very much for your support! As I have mentioned previously, you guys are making a difference in the Philly fishing community, not to mention that you are staying active in the field. The 20% of your proceeds will make a difference for the SRDC! Everything counts towards the big scene.
Also, many thanks to Joe and Jacob Jellison (the winners of this competition) for coming all the way from Maryland and Tennessee. Many thanks to Sy Nguyen, Thuan Nguyen, Cahn Huynh, and Phong Nguyen for coming all the way from Allentown, PA!
Extra thanks to Jim Crown, Jake Crown, Ryan McFarland, James Crown, James Martin, Matthew Coale, and Colleen Keenan: fishing is certainly MORE fun when you bring your loved ones with you! Therefore, having kids and loved ones around is always an extra plus. Fishing is definitely not just about catching.
For those who didn't catch anything, be not sad. It was a tough day on the Banks, and sometimes that's how it's is. Unpredictability is one of the factors that makes fishing unique. Thankfully, the experience counts a lot!
Below are the photos of the catches for this competition (2 out of 3):
Participant and winner Jellison with his $252 Channel Catfish (first place + Big Fish).
Participant and winner Borgia with his $151 Channel Catfish (second place).
Hopefully the next Catfish Tourney will be better (it's gotta be)! The next Tourney -- 6th Catfish Tourney on the Banks -- is scheduled for April 27th, 2014. A post on it will be coming soon!
Best of luck for all of us,
Long Days and Pleasant Nights,
Sincerely,
Leo S.