The annual catfishing tournament Monsters on the Ohio has been cancelled out of safety precautions due to COVID-19. The tournament was set for Oct. 10, and the plan is to return next October.
Tournament founder Aaron Wheatley said after following the pandemic trends and guidelines that have been released, there was no way to safely hold the event this year.
“Things definitely weren’t improving,” he said. “I don’t want to risk people’s lives just to come to a catfishing tournament. We have people from 20 states that come to this tournament. It’s not just some local tournament thrown together. It’s a whole celebration.”
Wheatley said registration opened in February and roughly 80 boats signed up by mid-March before the pandemic hit.
While the fishing tournament is the main event, Monsters on the Ohio draws in people of all ages, typically boosting Owensboro’s economy by $250,000 to $300,000.
“We’re very disappointed in the situation, but we’re going to hope things are better by next year,” Wheatley said. “I personally just don’t want to take that risk right now. It’s one thing if I go out on my own to a tournament, but when you’re talking about hundreds to thousands of people, that’s a little different.”
Next year’s tournament is set to take place Oct. 9, 2021.
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