The Bass Pro Shops Big Cat Quest manufactured bait tournament was held on May 3 2008. The stage was set at the beautiful Lake Texoma in Denison TX. Some of the countries top catfish anglers were in attendance. Lots of the nations top catfishing companies had their baits entered into the one day event. Many, many catfish were caught, but when the weigh in was over Team Catfish Tackle had claimed 4 places in the top ten with the SECRET-7 catfsih bait and the DEAD RED BLOOD SPRAY....
Red Grogran finished in first place. He also claimed the big catfish prize with a 10 pound plus blue catfish. His bait was the SECRET-7. Red also used the Team Catfish SNEEK ATTACK sinker slides, DEAD RED dip tubes, and Catfish Grips.
The team of Steve Nelson and Mickey Petree claimed a second place victory. Their bait of choice was the SECRET-7. They also used the SNEEK ATTACK sinker slides, DEAD RED dip tubes, and Catfish Grips.
Third place was Terry (Brother) Terry. His bait was not SECRET-7 but he chose to spray the Team Catfish DEAD RED BLOOD SPRAY on the punchbait he was using. Brother Terry said it made a very noticeable difference in the way the punchbait performed.
In eight place was the team of Mike Cook and his partner Chris Decker. Mike and Chris were using the SECRET-7, DEAD RED dip tubes, Catfish Grips, SMOOTH OPERATOR snagless sinkers, and the SNEEK ATTACK sinker slides.
Team Catfish founder Jeff Williams was in attendance at the Texas event to get pictures and retrieve information from the tournament anglers that were using the Team Catfish gear. Jeff said that “this was a mighty proud day for Team Catfish Tackle. This was the first manufactured bait tournament that the SECRET-7 catfish bait and the DEAD RED BLOOD SPRAY had been entered into as official products. First, second, third, and eight place victories were outstanding results. We knew we had some great products entered but the results even surprised us a little! We are looking forward to the next 2 Bass Pro Shops Big Cat Quest manufactured bait tournaments this year at Rend Lake IL. and Dubuque Iowa. We will be there with all the Team Catfish products for anglers to look at and test.”
Team Catfish is very proud of these top 10 finishes in the Bass Pro Shops Big Cat Quest. Team Catfish is equally as proud of these tournament angles that used the Team Catfish Tackle when their money and reputations were on the line.
Team Catfish Tackle would also like to thank all the anglers that choose to use the Team Catfish Tackle wherever they are catfishing!
april 26, 2008 07:13am
Took the boys catfishing!
Team Catfish Tackle founder Jeff Williams sent in this report.
I had my 2 boys out yesterday. We were catfishing a falling but flodded Elk river here on OK. The CFS was around 6000 and the channel cats were smacking the SECRET 7 Dip Bait. I was also testing new bait holders to see how the cats react to them and how well the hang on the the dip bait. Any way we caught 13 channels in 2 hours. Our faimly had fun as the wife was along too. She even got to reel in a few channel cats!
We all had a good trip...........
Team Catfish...Real Catfish Gear.
april 24, 2008 07:47pm
Press Release
2008 News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gary Dollahon or Crystal Dollahon
Toll free: (866) 907-1605
Springtime is the catfisherman's meow
While spring weather has many anglers across the country scratching their heads about where to go and what to do as lakes and rivers are high and muddy in some regions and low and clear in others, there is one group that doesn't care about the conditions - catfish anglers.
"Channel catfish are the most widely stocked species in the country," said longtime guide and the founder of Team Catfish Tackle, Jeff Williams. "They can be found virtually in every kind of water we have, from neighborhood ponds to the largest rivers and reservoirs. Spring is a great time to catch catfish because they are often shallow and close to the banks."
Williams especially likes when the water is high as it is right now in and around his home state of Oklahoma, saying it makes the catfish very active. He says what he is doing now to catch channel and blue catfish on nearby Grand Lake will work almost anywhere.
Williams targets water depths of 2-5 feet, while also keying on areas that have grass or flooded brush or timber. He likes to find this combination in three different situations: 1) the very back of creeks with even the smallest inflow; 2) long and slow-tapering main lake points; and 3) islands with flooded timber or brush on top.
He also said that while most anglers curse the wind, the "wind is your friend" for exceptional catfishing success. "You want the wind blowing into the area you are fishing," he explained. "It is stirring up plankton that attracts baitfish, plus it carries the scent from your bait and that will lead fish to your hook."
The catfish expert said when fishing from a boat, always anchor the bow to the wind and hold the position by putting anchors out in front and back. Then do your fishing from the back of the boat, casting downwind.
Williams prefers to use a commercially prepared catfish "dip" bait that he helped formulate called Secret 7. He uses a Dead Red Dip Tube to hold the bait, rigged on a 2/0 Jackhammer hook. The hook is tied to about a 30-inch leader. He threads a 1- or 2-ounce Smooth Operator catfish slip sinker onto the end of his fishing line and then ties a barrel swivel below it to the end of the line. Next step is to attach the leader with the hook to the bottom end of the swivel.
When fishing in states where multiple rods are allowed per angler, such as Oklahoma, Williams and his anglers will fan out four to six rods and reels from the back of the boat. He says the new Zebco Hawg Seeker rod and reel combo is ideal for this application because a built-in "bite alert" feature responds to a bite with a sound and flashing light on the reel, making it easy to manage more than one rod at a time.
Zebco brand manager Scott Smith said the Hawg Seeker's bite-signaling feature, powered by two long-lasting Lithium batteries like used in watches, is truly innovative. "Catfishermen have been rigging bells and other devices on their rods for years to detect strikes, but BiteAlert is a much more sophisticated, more technical feature that is made right into the reel and assists anglers during day or night. When a fish tugs on the line, the beeping starts and lights begin flashing. And BiteAlert's sensitivity can be dialed up or down on the reel to compensate for wind or current."
Hawg Seeker BiteAlert combos are available in spinning or spincast versions, coming pre-loaded with 20-pound test line and on 7-foot rods in medium-heavy actions.
In support of Williams' claims that spring is a great time for catfish anglers, Smith said that Hawg Seeker sales have been "brisk" during March and April.
Williams also added another tip for those looking for the whiskered species. "If you haven't had a bite in 20 minutes, change locations," he said. "You might make four or five moves before you catch a fish. Catch one and you'll typically catch several in the same area." The suggestion applies whether fishing from a boat or the bank.
Catfish are considered excellent table fare as is proven by the extensive number of menus and fresh fish counters across the nation that offer the selection, but Williams has advice for fully enjoying that part of the catfishing experience, too.
"Take care of your catch immediately, either putting fish on ice or keeping them alive until cleaning," he said. "Then after cleaning, either freeze fillets in a container of water or keep them in a bowl of water until time to prepare and cook."
Williams is also a proponent of releasing catfish weighing over 8 pounds. He says these adult fish are important to sustaining catfish populations, and fish under that size are the best tasting ones anyway. He concluded by saying, "you can't catch any size if you don't go, so take advantage of the spring catfish activity and get on the water today."
For more information about Jeff Williams and Team Catfish, visit www.TeamCatfish.com, For more information about the Zebco Hawg Seeker, visit www.zebco.com.
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JEFF WILLIAMS' NOTES ON PREPARING CATFISH FOR COOKING
BEST EATING SIZE
- If intending to fry or bake whole, with the skin on, fish in the .75 - 1.5 pound range
- If intending to fillet, and cook in a variety of ways, fish in the 2-6 pound range
- Take pictures of catfish weighing over 8 pounds, then release the fish
CARING FOR CATCH
- Put fish on ice immediately after catching or keep alive until cleaning
- Freeze fillets in containers filled with water
BATTER OPTIONS
- Lots of commercial batters on the market, with various seasoning choices
- For do-it-yourselfers, go with Corn Flour instead of Corn Meal. Salt and Pepper to taste
BEFORE YOU BATTER FILLETS
- Pat fillets with a towel or paper towel to remove excess moisture
- Doing so allows the batter to stick to the fillet instead of the water on the fillet
- Then roll fillet in batter
DEEP-FRYING
- Grease must be hot, maintaining a temperature of around 350 degrees
- Don't overload the cooker with fillets. Cooking too many at a time will cool the grease, slow the
cooking process and cause the fillets to absorb more grease
- Cook hot and fast for the best results of holding batter and maximizing flavor
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april 23, 2008 04:45pm
Catfish Guide Brother Terry's Report
Here is a quote from Brother Terry/ Catfishing Guide from Eagle Mountain Lake in TX. This was posted on the Texas Fishing Forum at 4 23 08.
"well fished with my good friend Jeff he runs our Awanas program at the church....we did not get to fish long but did manage some nice cats ..real windy and hard to fish in two ft swells when your fishing two ft of water......caught all the fish on Team Catfish secret seven.....would have loved to fish all day with this stuff ...the fish were smashing it..."
Thanks for braggin on the SECRET 7 catfish bait Bro Terry. Congratulations on the great trip.
Team Catfish Tackle.
Brother Terry
Romans 8:28
Creators Guide Service 940-577-1238
http://www.creatorsguideservice.com
april 21, 2008 02:30pm
Bobby Kubin Guide Report
Here is the guide report and picture from Bobby and future catfish pro ABBY Kubin.
I got the chance to do a little fishing with my daughter this morning on Lewisville. We caught 45 channel cats with a few blues mixed in in about 3 hours. No big fish today, but the action was good. We even had several doubles to boot. Abby learned how to watch a cork, take up the slack and set the hook on a slip cork rig. Not too shabby for a 4-year old. After about 30 fish she was flat worn out. She decided to let Daddy take over with the catching and she would be in charge of the fish clicker. All fish were caught in less than 3 feet of water on Secret 7 dip bait by Team Catfish and a few came on punch bait.
Team Catfish Tackle thanks Bobby and Abby for the report!
