Wayne County Catfish Festival payouts

The Wayne County Tourism Board held it's First Annual Catfish Tournament this past weekend.......Catfishermen and Promoters consider the tourney a success........
Georgia Representation was great.
115 entries
1st place winners George Pressly, Leesburg, GA and Tiff Thompson of Americus, GA
caught 7 flatheads, with a total weight of 56.81lbs, netting them a purse of $7,356.00

2nd place winners Ronnie and Heather Metts, of Hazelhurst, GA took home $5,520.00, with a total weight of 50.29lbs

3rd place winners Ron Lee of Surrency, GA and Wayne Fannin of Hazelhurst, GA with a total weight of 49.67lbs, scored a purse of $3.680.00

Next years' tournament is already in the planning stages...
for more info....go to
www.waynecatfest.com

BG

Those are some fancy and expensive deep freid foods!

Branchminnow said:

Those are some fancy and expensive deep freid foods!

Click to expand...

Branch.
It turned out better than anybody imagined

Guys there is an interesting story behind this.............the original leader in this tournament (who currently holds the state flathead rod and reel record from 2000)
Failed the polygraph test..........and alledgely admitted to catching a 51 pound flathead on a bush hook and saving him for a week.....

he waited until a DNR pulled up to him in Morgan Lake (off of the Altamaha) before he started pulling in his fish on a rod and reel.............

His state record status should be questioned now........don't ya think>???

I think it should be questioned and revoked if he is guilty!

Yeah I've PM'd Steve, I hope he'll look into it,
I think GON has interviewed someone from the tournament.

The guy is already alledgedly on probation for crimes against the Natural Resources of the great State of Georgia......he sure doesn't need to be carrying the record "Flag."
git'r

There were questions about his original state record.People that know this guy know he's an old school rogue.I have met him before when I was hunting...I'll save my thoughts on him.I have heard other rumors surrounding this also.I say he should be made to take a lie detector test to keep his state record intact.If it were me,I'd do it to help clear my name,but then again I am not him.I hope GON does an investigation.

Fact is...
1-He turned in the 2 largest fish of the contest(50+,and 30+ lb fish).His only 2 entries.

2-He failed the lie detector test(as stated)

Rumor is he is a convicted felon,and they found him in possesion of firearms.A direct violation of his parole.There are alot of other rumors I don't want to get in to.I hope that GON does do a story on this,and clears up rumors,and keeps us informed on what is being done about the status of the State record he currently holds.

I'll be looking in the hall of shame...

Public Land Prowler said:

There were questions about his original state record.People that know this guy know he's an old school rogue.I have met him before when I was hunting...I'll save my thoughts on him.I have heard other rumors surrounding this also.I say he should be made to take a lie detector test to keep his state record intact.If it were me,I'd do it to help clear my name,but then again I am not him.I hope GON does an investigation.

Fact is...
1-He turned in the 2 largest fish of the contest(50+,and 30+ lb fish).His only 2 entries.

2-He failed the lie detector test(as stated)

Rumor is he is a convicted felon,and they found him in possesion of firearms.A direct violation of his parole.There are alot of other rumors I don't want to get in to.I hope that GON does do a story on this,and clears up rumors,and keeps us informed on what is being done about the status of the State record he currently holds.

I'll be looking in the hall of shame...

Click to expand...

I'm with ya, I agree 100%

That's what I hope Steve Burch can help with....

I'll have to admit I know him too.....

git'r

Of course you have to take what people say for what it is worth, but...... I was told by a guy in Jesup/Ludowici that the state record was definately a limb line catch, and that even worse it was taken from someone else's limb line (without permission of course). He even claimed to know exactly where the limb was/is and if I remember correctly was present during the launch or landing. I was not there, so I do not know, but this guy was pretty serious about it. If anyone really does decide to persue it, PM me and I can give you his phone number.

I know Gene also. He did in fact get caught by DNR last year for Possession of a firearm by a Convicted Felon. State charges were taken by the ranger, however he is a close friend of the Sheriff. The state charges were dropped. The Feds then came in and picked the case up for other reasons. He recently went to court on that charge in the Federal Court in Brunswick. Over 100 of Long County's residents showed up to tell how great a guy he was. The judge placed him on Federal probation for 15 years. This great guy's previous charges were some that nobody would forgive him for. I will not put them on here until I confirm what they are. It ain't murder. I also understand that he has been caught shocking catfish in the past. I also understand that the Wayne County Tourism Board will no longer advertise in GON with his picture in the advertisement. They will leave his name out of the ads. The caretaker that was over Morgan Lake has been heard in the past as saying that the morning Gene caught the record fish he did not even have a rod in the boat. Some of Gene's own family says he caught it on a limd line.