LOCAL FISHERMEN REEL 'EM IN

Dwayne Warncke of Ironton brought his catch of five blue catfish to the scales at the end of the CatMaster Classics tournament Saturday.

Lindsay Sample couldn't have been happier. His day of fishing for catfish on the Mississippi River paid off.

He reeled in the biggest catch of the day -- 35-inch, 16-pound, 4-ounce flathead catfish -- in the daylong CatMaster Classics fishing tournament at Cape Girardeau.

In all, Sample hauled in five catfish totaling more than 46 pounds.

The Cape Girardeau man finished the day with $124 and two trophies -- one for the biggest fish and the other for having the most total weight.

Four teams competed in the tournament, starting at 7 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m.

The chilly weather didn't deter Sample or his fellow competitors who spent the day catching catfish.

After the fish were weighed at the end of the day, they were released back into the river at Honker's Boat Dock.

Sample wouldn't reveal his fishing spot, except to say that it was near Lone Star Industries cement plant.

Local fisherman Robert Overbey participated in the tournament and helped organize it.

Three catfish tournaments were held in Cape Girardeau last year.

This was the first such tournament this year. Eight others are planned by the CatMaster Classic Tournament Association, a new group headed up by Overbey.

Overbey enjoys fishing for catfish, particularly the big blue catfish. The world record catch is one that weighed 114 pounds.

Overbey wasn't surprised there weren't any record catches Saturday.

Winter weather makes a difference. "They are slower, sluggish. They don't hit as hard," he said.

Dwayne Warncke of Ironton participated in Saturday's tournament.

Warncke holds the Illinois state record, having reeled in an 80-pound blue catfish on the Mississippi River last Oct. 31.

"I have been catfishing all my life," he said.

Warncke fishes for catfish year-round.

"They are more of a sport fish to catch," he said.

It isn't easy hauling in a catfish. They put up a fight.

It took him 45 minutes to reel in his record catch last year. "I was tired out," he recalled.

Warncke is having the record fish mounted so he can display it in a bar he is opening in Ironton. Naturally, the bar will have a catfish theme. He plans to call it "Little Whiskers."

Sample said not all fishermen want to catch catfish. "It takes a lot more patience than bass fishing," he said.