MONTICELLO, AR (April 27, 2021) –More than 200 boats and 400 anglers from 22 states competed in the 10th Annual SeaArk Boats Owner’s Invitational on Saturday, April 24th on the waters of Lake Wheeler in Decatur, AL. Anglers from across the United States competed for more than $85,000 in cash and prizes, including a chance to win a brand new SeaArk ProCat 200 with Suzuki DF200ATX, and Marine Master Trailer valued at $55,000.
The event kicked off on Friday, April 23rd at the Captain’s Dinner with check-in and late registration. Participants were treated to a dinner catered by Whitt’s BBQ while networking with vendors for the evening.
Steve Henderson, President of SeaArk Boats, stated, “The Owner’s Tournament is one of our favorite events we conduct each year. We got to see old friends, make new ones, receive valuable user insight for our product, see large fish, and most of all, see the joy in others when they weigh a fish or win a prize. This segment of the industry continues to grow, and we are very proud to be a part of it. The cat fishing community includes some of the best people that you could ever meet.”
The team of Zachary Taylor and Ken Kennemer took first-place with 182.11 pounds for the $8,000 prize. David and Hunter Shipman received second place with a weight of 142.94 pounds and took home $4,000. Third place went to Alex Nagy and Seth McCallister, who finished with a weight of 142.10 pounds. Big Fish winners were Team Zach and Ken who caught a blue cat weighing in at 89.01 pounds to win an additional $3,000 and Team Twisted Cat Outdoor’s big fish weighed 67.41 pounds. The winner of the ProCat 200 package was Clay McAnnally. Demetria Westbrook was awarded SeaArk’s first annual Lynn Lange Award for Top Female Finisher. This award was given in honor of Mrs. Lynn Lange, who opened the sport of catfishing for women.
The SeaArk Tournament Committee weighed in 109 catfish totaling 5,425.70 pounds. All were released back into Lake Wheeler via the Fat Cat Chute.
Sponsors for the event included Suzuki Marine, Marine Master Trailers, Parks Planers, Tackle Bandit, Rock Creek Outdoors, Meat Hunter Rods, Smackdown Catfishing, RigRap, WavePro, MulT Bar, Cat River Anchors, Twisted Cat Outdoors, Dales Tackle, and Xtreme Bait Tanks.
For more pictures from the event please visit the SeaArk Boats Facebook page or website.
About SeaArk Boats: With over 62 years of experience in boat building, SeaArk Boats (owned by Correct Craft) is the industry’s premier aluminum fishing boat known for outstanding product quality and excellent customer service. Mostly known for heavy-duty aluminum boats built specifically for cat-fishing, SeaArk also builds bass- and crappie-fishing boats, jon boats, duck boats, and bay boats, offering a wide variety of tunnel and jet tunnel hulls. For more information visit www.seaarkboats.com.
About Correct Craft: Celebrating 96 years of excellence in the marine industry, Correct Craft is a Florida-based company with global operations. The Correct Craft family includes Nautique, Centurion, Supreme, Bass Cat, Yar-Craft, SeaArk, and Bryant boat companies, Pleasurecraft Marine Engine Group, and Aktion Parks. For more information please visit www.correctcraft.com.
About Decatur-Morgan Tourism: The Decatur-Morgan County Tourism is a not-for-profit organization promoting tourism and economic growth in Morgan County. For information on special events and attractions throughout Morgan County, contact the DMCT at 800.524.6181 or 256.350.2028; or visit its website at www.decaturcvb.org.