It was a banner year for the Yeager-Jenkins fundraising catfish tournament this past weekend.
On the fundraising side, the event added over $13,000 to the memorial account for scholarships. Organizer Nick Bess is glad to see the account grow over time.
The Kickoff Fish Fry and BBQ dinner, held Thursday, raised another $2,100 for Steve Taylor, a longtime educator — including time at Hartford — who has been battling cancer for several months.
On the fishing side, a record 57 teams and 270 anglers participated. Among the contestants was Walker Harred of LeRoy. Harred has participated almost every year.
Harred says it’s great to be out on the lake with friends, to see big fish and support the fundraiser.
Sunday’s weigh-in line stretched at least two blocks at times.
Bess says the event charges up the Hartford area every year.
The tournament developed out of the tragic deaths of Jeremy Jenkins, Jason Jenkins and Clint Yeager in a boating accident.
Final standings, weights and team captains
1st- 271.44lbs JadeSeed.com -Jeremy Docman
2nd- 249.76lbs 4 Poles 2 Holes- Kohl Prose
3rd- 246.90lbs Tank Sores- Walker Harred
4th- 239.46lbs Reel Naturals- Jarred Lutz
5th- 225.98lbs Ripp’n Lip’z- Nathan McDonald
6th- 224.11lbs Front Runner Outdoors- Dalton Meyer
7th- 222.88lbs Itty Bitty Kitty- Jacob Gravatt
8th- 210.04lbs Bait Bandits- Harold Gilberth
9th- 186.48lbs Pig Slayers- Trey Fetters
10th- 174.08lbs KPO- Matt Winters
11th- 166.28lbs Kitty Katchers- Danen Kistner
12th- 165.96lbs The B Team- Jason Harred
13th- 158.16lbs River Rats- Scott Graybeal
14th- 156.82lbs The Hookers- Levi Dunn
15th- 156.38lbs Mud Kats- Tyler Bess
16th- 123.88lbs Catfish Cartel- Elias Garcia
17th- 115.08lbs Emporia Katz- Johnny Vasquez
18th- 111.82lbs Better Odds of Winning the Lottery- Tanner Fessler
19th- 109.56lbs Team Geritol- Mike Line
20th- 104.54lbs Bobbers- Brodie Cline
21st- 101.04lbs The Rod Fathers- Nicholas Reynard
22nd- 80.42lbs Redneck Fishing Buddies- Keith Chambers
23rd-77.26lbs Outlaws- Joey Bishop
24th- 76.5lbs Treble Makers- Alphonso Slappy
25th- 72.06 DDJC River Runners- Devin Boxx
26th- 67.72 Dude Where’s My Bait- Mark Hanners Jr
27th- 57.12 Broken Prop Gang- Larry Bess
28th- 53.98 Whisker Lickers- Devan Andrews
29th- 50.69 Cheddar Bobs- Elizabeth Smith
30th- 44.18 Snatch ‘em Up- Brett Grippi
31st- 34.78 Here Fishy Fishy- Lane Wilson
32nd- 22.32 Gettin Tangled- Justin Sluder
33rd- 5.80 Fish Whistle- Michael Hays
Special Awards
• Biggest Fish – 70.30 lbs – Bait Bandits
• Biggest Blue – 30.42 lbs – Team Geritol
• Biggest Channel – 16.60 lbs – River Rats
• Alex Higbie’s Biggest Bullhead – 1.64 lbs – River Rats
• Bryson’s Biggest Gar – 22.66 lbs – Bobbers
• Smallest Flathead – 0.14 lbs – Emporia Katz
