The King of the Cats Champion is crowned

[vineline]

Good morning anglers,

This years King of the Cats Championship was won by Mr. Richard Smith with a 13.06 catfish!
Richard has been a huge supporter of the catfish series and has fished the series
with enthusiasm and determination. It is quite fitting that he has won the championship this
summer and has been crowned the King. From all of us at Irvine Lake a big congratulations!!

These are the details from the evenings events. The conditions at the lake were prime for the evenings
competition. A warm evening enveloped the contestants with a very slight breeze and calm waters.
For the first time ever the competition was held from the shore so staging the contestants was a challenge,
and I for one was a little nervous about how the event would flow. Lucky for me all the contestants were very understanding
and cooperative so the evening went well. A very nice Mexican dinner was prepared and served by Rogers Cafe featuring
pork, chicken and carne asada tacos and burritos with spanish rice and beans. A job well done Rogelio! After the meal the rules of
competition were announced with a question and answers session.
Once the announcements were completed it was time for dessert! Unfortunately everyone ran out to the parking lot so my wonderful
hard working girls ran out to the parking lot and distributed the tasty treats. Thank you Valerie! You did a great job with the deserts.
Kewly and a staff of volunteers checked ice chests and lined up the vehicles in the parking lot (which was not an easy task) and we
starting to get everyone into the property. I really want to thank everyone for their patience and cooperation because I truly
did not know how to get everyone in safely and fairly. If we slighted anyone I truly apologize, we did the best we could.
Then the competition was on! It was a long evening for me thats for sure!! I don't know how you guys do this.. Anyway the weigh ins
started coming in at dawn and first to arrive was Marty Sauceda with a nice 10.12 lb channel catfish to set the bar. I thought wow he
may have won this tournament again. His partner Elaine also weighed in with a very respectable 5.12 lb channel.
The weigh in started to roll in for an entire hour and 80% of the competitors brought something to the scales. The next big one to weigh in
was Andy Vega at 6:07 am with a 12.10! Surely he had it in the bag but NO it wasn't meant to be so. At 6:16 am a
very happy and excited Richard Smith came in with a very long, blueish looking catfish with a very flat nose. The long catfish
weighed in at 13.06 pounds! The morning went on with very respectable fish being weighed in ranging from 3.12 lbs to 8.14 lbs.
It turned out to be a great night of fishing for many along the shorelines.
When 7 am came and time was called Richards 13.06 catfish took the title of King of the Cats!!!!


A very Happy Richard Smith with his Championship winning catfish at 13.06 lbs.


The first weigh in third place Marty Sauceda 10.12 and Elaine Dickerhoof 5.12 both former Champions and great friends.


2nd place Andy Vega - 12.10 lb channel catfish


Ricardo Zepeda takes 4th place with 8.14 channel


Representing the ladies at the winners circle Gina McNally 5th place 7.10, Masters Champion Bill Wright 7.0 8th place and Russ Carr
7.06 lbs and 6th place.


2015 King of the Cats top ten finishers:
1st place - Richard Smith 13.06
2nd place - Andy Vega with a 12.10,
3rd place - Marty Sauceda 10.12
4th place - Ricardo Zepeda 8.14
5th place - Gina McNally 7.10
6th place - Russ Carr 7.06
7th place - David Rochin 7.04
8th place - Bill Wright 7.0
9th place - Zolt Katkic 6.04
10th place - Steven Rochin 6.02

Richard received $1250 cash prize money, the King of the Cats jacket, the King of the Cats trophy, Shakespear Ugly stick, a custom and engraved
bottle of Bite On Cajun, a VC Gurlz buff and an unlimited Summer season pass.

I would like to thank all who sponsored the event including Berkley, Angler Brothers and VC Gurlz.
I also want to thank Danny Jackson and Tony Williams for coming out and filming the event. Stay
tuned for the video.

I also want to thank the Board for allowing me to continue the tradition and to all the staff and volunteers that made this event possible.
It was my humble pleasure to host all of you and can't wait to see you again next year.











More Highlights:














Thank you for your support,
Vineline

[troutdog]

Congratulations Richard Smith for taking home the KOTC, way to represent TEAM 57!!!

Thank you to the Irvine Lake staff for another well run event. Lots of good food and prizes for those in attendance. 95% of us REALLY appreciated you guys maintaining the integrity of the event and implementing the "no dead fish at the scales" rule and cooler check. Loved the look on the faces of those who stood there in shock for a moment and then scrambled quickly to their vehicles!

We'll see you at the lake soon, thank you again Irvine Lake...boats or no boats you are still the best fishing option in Orange County!


TD