Mike Rhodes, who wore a “Keep Calm and Fish On” shirt, said he has been participating in tournaments for the past 40 years. He brought his son Allen and grandkids Addy and Aiden. Rhodes said he’s taught his grandchildren to fish in two ponds on his property, and the best strategy is learning to wait.

“Just have a lot of patience out there,” he said. “Just wait it out, and you fish for 45 minutes and ain’t caught one, then move.”

Ryder Jones, 10, surpassed his personal record Saturday with a 48.28-pound catfish. He joined his dad, Hunter Jones, in catching a total of 74.36 pounds of catfish.

Nick Austin of Cape Girardeau said he came for “big fish and good times,” catching nine or 10 fish with his group.

“I’ve been fishing my whole life, since I was knee high to a grasshopper,” he said. His grandfather first taught him to fish on a tiny jon boat on the Mississippi River, he said.

At the end of the day, Degan Sanders, Lance Picker and Rylea Lohman brought home first place, with their biggest fish weighing 57.99 pounds and a total of 126.41 among them.