The Story
Learning out loud, one tournament at a time.
Tow Rope Katfishing isn't a highlight reel of a pro angler. It's a documented, honest record of becoming one — mistakes, undersized fish, and all.
Why This Exists
Built around Ohio water, not a highlight reel.
This started as a way to hold myself accountable to actually getting better — not just posting good days. Every tournament, every rigging change, every dumb mistake gets documented here, because the process is more useful to another angler than a perfect blooper-free feed ever would be.
I fish local Ohio kayak catfishing tournaments from a Bonafide XTR130, running a Minn Kota Terrova 55 and a Humminbird Helix 7 for electronics. I'm a self-described competitive beginner — still transitioning from prepared baits to cut and live bait, still learning to read sonar the way anglers who've been doing this for a decade can.
If any part of that journey helps someone else rig their kayak, tie a better knot, or place higher in their next tournament, this project did its job.
What This Is About
The Four Things That Matter
Always the Beginner
Every trip is treated as a chance to get one thing better than last time.
No Filtered Highlight Reel
Bad tournaments and blown hooksets get documented too.
Tournament-Driven
Tournaments keep every skill honest under real pressure.
Helping the Next Angler
Rigging tutorials and gear reviews exist so someone else skips my early mistakes.
Milestones
The Timeline So Far
First Tournament Finish
Finished 13th of 29 in a season-opening tournament — the pattern broke down mid-day, but the finish confirmed the boat and gear setup could compete.
Tournament Blue Cat
A 33-inch blue cat on cut shad, launched from oxbow boat ramp — landed from the kayak during tournament play.
Dialing in contour Fishing
Targeting flats and countours out of Clemons ramp and running the auto-cull workflow through the Fishing Chaos app for the first time under real tournament pressure.
8th Place — UNO Tournament
Finished 8th in the UNO tournament, part of the Way Out There tournament series.
Building the Content Pipeline
Developing a video workflow to catch key moments for editing, so more of the actual fishing makes it on camera.
Goal 01
Top-10 Tournament Finish
Consistently place in the top ten across a full tournament season.
Goal 02
Master the Helix 7
Turn sonar reading from the biggest knowledge gap into the sharpest edge.
Goal 03
Make connections in the catfishing Community
Build lasting friendships, learn from experienced anglers, and give back while growing Tow Rope Katfishing within the catfishing community.