That was how the gigging tournament was born. Back in April of 1972, John Ward and Matt Mathews went gigging on Spavinaw Creek near Low Water bridge outside Jay, Oklahoma. They had killed enough fish to eat and were sitting around eating what they had caught and enjoying some Old Charter when John Ward suggested having a gigging tournament like bass fishermen had. They originally thought about having it on two lakes (Lake Eucha & Spavinaw) on alternating nights, but soon realized that would be too difficult. So they eventually settled on having it at Lake Eucha.

They began organizing the tournament and planned on having it the month of April because that’s when fish were the most plentiful in the creeks.. The early tournaments did not have a preset date but they would choose the date by avoiding Easter and the full moon. Today’s tournaments are held on the second weekend of April every year so people can plan ahead. They gathered prizes for the winners and decided on placing 1st-10th and big fish. Scoring would be 5 points per pound for Redhorse, 4 points per pound for Suckers, 3 points per pound for White Bass, and 1 point per pound for Carp, Perch, Flathead, etc. It is the same scoring format that is still used today. Throughout the years they gave fun prizes like smallest fish and the attaboy award for 11th place, but these changed slightly each year. They also had a Golden Gig award for people who went above

“It was a little too crazy”

They consulted with Joe Hutchison who was the local Game Warden to make sure everything they were doing was legal. John and Matt funded the tournament themselves for the first two years. They sold t-shirts, jackets, patches, and ran a concession stand at the tournament to help raise money. As it continued to grow a board of directors was voted on and The National Green Country Giggers Association was established. The first year did not have an auspicious beginning. It rained and the weather was not great for gigging. The take off was scheduled for 9:00 and at 7:15 only about 6 teams were signed up and ready to go. John and Matt were talking about how they had really wasted their time and effort, when trucks and boats started showing up and by 9 o’clock 47 teams had shown up to be a part of the 1st gigging tournament.

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John and Matt wanted to have a public fish fry on the second day of the tournament, they used the fish that was gigged on the first night of the tournament and 100 lbs of beans to feed everyone. Both soon learned that they did not have near enough people cooking and needed more food to feed all the people that showed up. The fish fry for the public is a tradition that is still continued today.

Some of the early rules made the tournament fun to watch. The take-off was done by drawing a number and getting all boats lined up against the bank with one man at the motor which was not allowed to be running and the other man on the bank ready to push off. A flare was shot and everyone had to start their motor and the race was on. IT WAS A LITTLE TOO CRAZY...considering there were no motor size restrictions and people were going all directions. Eventually they moved to declaring which direction the team was going to go and motors were limited to 15 hp. This greatly improved the take-off but it was still fun to watch for the occasional boat wreck and busted lights.

One of the biggest hurdles the early tournaments had to clear was the getting the permission to use Lake Eucha and lobbying against a gigging season in Delaware County. Lake Eucha is owned by the City of Tulsa, therefore every year John Ward and then eventually the NGCGA had to request the use of Lake Eucha for the Gigging Tournament. One of the things people still don’t realize is that the giggers are responsible for picking up the trash and keeping the tournament area clean. The tournament site can be taken away if the area is not properly maintained. The implementation of a gigging season was also a threat to the tournament in the early years. In the late 70’s and early 80’s the state wanted to implement a gigging season. We have one now that is currently in effect for the entire state from December 1st to March 31st. During this time, John Ward and several other NGCGA members went to the State Capitol and lobbied against a statewide gigging season. Their efforts were rewarded, in Delaware and Mayes counties gigging is now allowed all year long. One of the biggest reasons was because of the large percentage of Cherokee and other Native Americans that rely on gigging to keep family and tribal traditions alive.

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“in Delaware and Mayes counties gigging is now allowed all year long”

The National Green Country Gigging Tournament is getting ready for its 46th year. It would not be possible if it weren’t for the hard work and dedication of so many over the years that have kept the vision of John Ward and Matt Mathews alive. It’s fun to look back at the old gigging tournaments and see what has changed over the years and what has remained the same. The boats are mostly the same, but today most boats are light and vary between 1436 and 1448. There are also a few really light teams that use a 1236. The motors and their accessories have changed quite a bit. In the beginning, there were motors of all sizes, today only 15 horsepower motors are allowed. The biggest change for motors was adding electric hydraulic tilt/trim to the boats & motors along with stainless steel cupped props. Lights also have seen huge changes over the years. Propane lights were what everyone used in the early years. After that came 12 volt lights, then the biggest change was aided by electric generators. Boats were able to go to halogen lights, mercury vapors, high pressure sodium, and metal halides. Today most boats use LED lights that are extremely bright and use less wattage than other lights.

The one thing that has remained constant is the people. People still show up by the thousands to watch take-off and weigh-in every year. In the beginning most people stayed in tents and a select few had campers. Today there are a few tents but mostly it is campers and RV’s as far as the eye can see. Most people getting there a week or two early so nobody else will get their favorite camping spot. Some people are so committed they set their yearly vacation time around the gigging tournament and others have even exchanged their wedding vows there.Not everyone who comes is a “Gigger”, but hopefully all who come leave with an fun experience that they will never forget!That is why it all began, and it is a big part of the reason it is still continuing today.