The summertime heat is not letting up, but neither are the fun activities going on in Vicksburg.

With anglers trolling into town for the Bill Dance Mississippi River Monsters Mega Bucs Pro Series Catfish Tournament from Aug. 4 through 6, the River City is also jumping on the boat with its first-ever Vicksburg Catfish Crawl weekend.

Special events include the Vicksburg Restaurant Catfish Challenge, which kicks off July 30.

Participating restaurants will be vying for bragging rights as to who offers the best catfish appetizer or entrée, and patrons get to decide when they vote for their favorite dish at the Vicksburg Convention Center on Aug. 5. Voting patrons will automatically be entered to win a $500 downtown Vicksburg shopping spree.

Restaurants participating in the challenge are 10South Rooftop Bar & Grill; Beechwood Restaurant & Lounge; T’Beaux’s Blues Le Roux; Cocktails 101; Café Anchuca; Gumbo Pot; Riverwalk Casino; Rusty’s Riverfront Grill; Toney’s Grill Seafood Market and Walnut Hills.

Additional activities offered include:

Aug. 4

• All-day museum tours
• Catfish recipe cards at the Catfish Row Museum
• All-day gallery viewings
• Home tours (see website for times)
• Fee-free visits to the Vicksburg National Military Park and VNMP tours
• Downtown shopping from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
• Live music with Jeff Fulkerson at Key City Brewery & Eatery and Old School Band at the Water View Casino

Aug. 5

• Pickin’ on the Porch at Levee Street Market Place
• Riviera Day Club Pool Party at The Mulberry
• Yogamosa Vicksburg, 10 a.m. at The Rose of Vicksburg
• All-day museum tours
• Catfish recipe cards at the Catfish Row Museum
• All-day art gallery viewings
• Home tours (see website for times)
• All-day Vicksburg National Military Park tours
• Downtown shopping from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
• Summer of Sours ’23 at Key City Brewery & Eatery
• Vicksburg Restaurant Catfish Challenge voting at Vicksburg Convention Center
• Duck Dynasty’s Godwin autograph signing at VCC
• Mega Bucs Pro Series weigh-in at VCC
• Glow and Throw/Glow Night at The Chopping Block
• Live music with Pop Fiction at Ameristar Casino and Old School Band at WaterView Casino

Aug. 6

• Catfish Blues Brunch at The Watermark featuring Jessie Prime 

The fishing tournament

The Bill Dance Mississippi River Monsters Mega Bucs Pro Series Catfish Tournament will kick off on Aug. 5 with the legendary Bill Dance in attendance, founder and director of Mississippi River Monsters Tournament George Young Jr. said.

Anglers participating in the tournament will be vying for a purse totaling $120,000.

With more than 50 teams signed on to compete, Young said he is excited to have the tournament in Vicksburg.

“The city of Vicksburg has rolled out the red carpet for the MRM. All the people we’ve met are so nice. This is one great cat fishery, and we plan to put Vicksburg on the map as the catfish capital of Mississippi,” he said.

Young said they have videoed one show on the river at Vicksburg that aired on “Bill Dance Outdoors,” and plans are to video another this year. Young added that this year’s tournament is being videoed to air on the Sportsman Channel and the Pursuit Channel.

The Mississippi River Monsters Mega Bucs Pro Series Catfish Tournament is an optional two-day elimination event. Only the top four finishing teams will have the option to compete on day two, Young said.

At the conclusion of day one, the top four finishing teams will have the opportunity to fish it out in a two-day elimination event with these four having two options.

For option one, the four top finishing teams must unanimously agree to split $95,000 and thereby conclude the event after day one. For option two, all or some of the top four finishing teams agree to fish and compete on day two for first, second third and/or fourth place positions and cash prize awards.