What a difference a year makes!
In 2024, Perryville’s first Twisted Cat Outdoors tournament had to be postponed more than a month from its original post-Fourth of July date to an alternative date in August due to high water and debris left behind by a series of storms that swept through the region.
This year’s second tournament featured clear skies and temperatures in the 90s, more typical of mid-summer weather in Missouri. While last year’s delayed tournament participation was very good for a first-time event, Perry County Tourism Director Trish Erzfeld noted that the stats for this year’s turnout showed solid growth.
“I thought the weekend went spectacular,” she said. “We had a huge crowd that came out to watch the weigh-in Saturday afternoon; we had 43 teams from 10 states and 109 anglers.”
Erzfeld added that, out of that number, five were women and four were young people. “So, it really is a family-friendly event,” she continued. “We even had three dogs in the mix. Some of these teams take their dogs with them, and so it’s all about family and fishing. It was hot, but it was a lot of fun.”
And, like last year, some anglers had never been to Perryville before, while many of the 2024 participants returned for another attempt at catching big fish from the Mississippi River.
"Many of the anglers I’ve talked to were here last year,” Erzfeld said. “Everyone loves Perryville. They love the down-home hospitality here. They love Mary Jane’s, and we had our captain’s meeting at The Warehouse. It’s a great chance for them to connect with other fishermen and also meet some of our local anglers.
“They’re fishing enthusiasts who want to come and talk to them about tournaments and things like that. They really have taken to our town, and they really do look forward to coming here. Many of the ones I was able to touch base with before they left town Saturday said they’re looking forward to coming back again next year.”
Although many teams had impressive catches, none matched last year’s first-place team of Justin Borgfield and John Spatafora, who caught the biggest fish at that year’s Perryville tournament, weighing 98 pounds and 28 ounces. This was not only the largest catch in the local tournament but also broke the record for the biggest fish ever caught in the tournament’s 10-year history. Additionally, the pair broke the tournament record for the total weight of their three-fish limit, with a total of 191 pounds and 6 ounces.
This year’s first-place team included Joe Lunsford from Dittmer, Vance Goff from Cadet, and Eddie Henney from Gardner, Kansas. They won the tournament’s Castaway Customs Big Fish award with a catch weighing an impressive 78.56 pounds. The team’s total catch weight was 165.07 pounds. For their first-place finish, the team took home $5,160, plus $500 for the Castaway Big Fish, and received two pairs of Purpose Built Optics sunglasses and two Striker rain gear suits, totaling $5,660 in winnings.
The tournament distributed a total payout of $13,400.
Other awards were presented at the conclusion of the tournament, including Kirk Luckey, who received the first-ever Degen Sanders Sportsmanship Award; Su Poonsawat, the Top Lady Angler with a catch weighing 63.63 pounds; and the Top Youth Team of Brayden and Merciana Hart, who had a catch weighing 20.17 pounds.
Erzfeld expressed gratitude to the crowd that came out Saturday for the weigh-in.
“It really is a show,” she said. “These guys spend six, eight hours out on the water doing what they love — fishing — but it’s a whole different show when they’re able to hoist those big cats into the air and hear a crowd cheer for them.”
And as far as next year goes, Erzfeld is already looking forward to next year’s tournament.
“Alex Nagy, the organizer of the Twisted Cat Outdoor Tournament, and I both left Saturday knowing that we’re going to come back to the table,” she said. “We’re going to be thinking of ways to make it bigger and better for 2026."
