A 24-hour catfish tournament will be held this weekend at Higgins Ferry with a good cause in mind.

What started as a simple conversation between Judson Akin and a few friends quickly blossomed into a catfish tournament that will donate a portion of the proceeds to Through the Grace of God Ministries.

“I asked a couple of people if they wanted to compete, and suddenly it grew from there,” Akin said.

Over 12 teams are expected to take to the Coosa River in search of catfish when the competition begins at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Each team can have up to three people as the teams will have until the weigh-in at 6 p.m. on Saturday to qualify a fish.

According to Akin, most catfish tournaments are typically weeklong events, with weigh-ins at the end of each day, and 24 hours seemed the right number for the tournament’s first time.

The tournament will not limit the fisherman to a certain method for catching the fish.

First and second prizes will be awarded at the weigh-in, as well as a big fish award. The total amounts will be based on the numbers of entries.

Through the Grace of God Ministries will receive the same amount as the first place winner, Akin said.

Open registration will continue up until 5 p.m. on Friday, when a meeting is scheduled prior to the start of competition. If a team is not represented at the meeting, they will not be registered to compete.

“I’d love to do more tournaments because one of the main reasons for doing it was to have fun and promote fishing for catfish,” Akin said. “That’s why we decided to give a certain amount to charity.”