The Twisted Cat Outdoors Fishing Tournament comes to the Perry County Courthouse Square on Saturday, Aug. 10. The event, initially scheduled for July 6, had to be postponed after strong rainstorms moved through the region, causing high water and floating debris.
This is the 10th year the tournaments have taken place across the Midwest. Perryville's Twisted Cat outdoors fishing tournament is one of 14 locations where the competition is being held, leading up to a culminating championship event.
While Perryville County Tourism Director Trish Erzfeld and Alex Nagy of SeaArk Boats, the event’s corporate sponsor, were disappointed that the event couldn’t be held on its original date, the pair began working on an alternate date.
“Almost everything about the tournament will be the same as before, but we will be on the opposite side of the courthouse,” Erzfeld said. On Aug. 10, the tournament will be held on W. St. Maries Street instead of E. St. Joseph Street.”
“Just like before, we're encouraging folks to bring their lawn chairs, set them up on the courthouse lawn, and watch the teams come in. Our live music will be from The Warehouse Entertainment District, and we'll have Jackson Street closed because that is where our puppet fishing boat show will be. So, we're still going to have all of the elements of the tournament as before, just in a slightly different location. We're hoping the river gets back within the normal water level range. I know there are a lot of tournaments out there dealing with the water right now, and some of them have also had conflicts.
Asked what the biggest challenge that planners faced when moving the event to another date was, Erzfeld said, “Our biggest challenge was our fish tank. The fish tank guys come from Arkansas. Because we are a catch-and-release tournament, we have to provide a vehicle for our fish to be returned to the river — so they were the most crucial element of our tournament. If not for that, we would have probably had it rescheduled within days instead of a week.”
According to Erzfeld, the teams participating in the tournament are excited about coming to Perryville.
She said, “Those who visited the week that we had to reschedule or who have been here before really love our town, and they're excited that we decided to bring the tournament to Perryville.
“I encourage everyone to come out and be a spectator,” Erzfeld said. “You’ll want to see the fish that are brought in. We're accustomed to larger fish in our area, but many of these fishermen are not. This is where the big cats are.”
According to Erzfeld, the community is invited to bring lawn chairs to set up on the courthouse lawn and watch the teams come in at 5 p.m. for the official weigh-in. Live music will be provided The Warehouse Entertainment District, and Jackson Street will be closed for the puppet fishing boat show will be held.
“I encourage everyone to come out and be a spectator,” Erzfeld said. “You’ll want to see the fish that are brought in. We're accustomed to larger fish in our area, but many of these fishermen are not. This is where the big cats are.”
