 |
||
|
Corporate Offices 15 Garnett Avenue St. Augustine, FL 32084 Phone | 904-819-0360 Fax | 904-819-0331 e-mail | sokingfish@fishska.com website | www.FishSKA.com Managing Partner Jack Holmes sokingfish@fishska.com Accounting Deona Holmes sokingfish@fishska.com Magazine Director Angler Magazine Christine Rodenbaugh anglerpages@fishska.com Operations Director Bob Flocken rkflocken@fishska.com Membership Director Loreen Berlin skamember@fishska.com Webmaster Daniel R. Finley webmaster@fishska.com Field Managers Don Ewing Advertising & Sponsorship Bob Flocken Jack Holmes Deona Holmes Don Ewing Contributing Editors Gary Caputi Terry Lacoss Ed Killer John Minetola |
||
 |
||
About the SKA
- The Southern Kingfish Association tournament trail started in 1991
with events in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida—17 events in all. The first year, Intrepid gave us
a 30-foot boat, Mercury supplied the motors, HydraSports gave away 20 footer, and Penn gave us some rods and reels.
Carolina Skiff provided a boat for the top junior angler.
It was a very turbulent first year. Anglers were reluctant to join. We really had our work cut out for us.
Clayton Kirby was our first Champion which certainly helped. He was probably the best fisherman fishing for king mackerel and his
participation meant a lot.
Over the years the association grew into the largest saltwater tournament trail in the country. By 1999 we were doing more than 40
events a year.
There are people within the industry that can be credited for ensuring SKA' s success: Doug Babbs of Ranger Boats, Dan Schaad of
Mercury Marine, Marty Bistrong of Contender Boats, and Reggie Fountain of Fountain Powerboats, just to name a few. Then sponsors
like Mercury, Fountain, Loadmaster Trailers, Ranger Boats, C&H Lures, Berkley, Igloo, Penn, and Turbo Props bolstered the
credibility of the Association.
The SKA continued to grow with Divisions in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and
Texas with over 40,000 avid anglers fishing the events. Not all of those were members, but it shows the popularity of the sport.
Many authors have voiced their opinion over the past few years in articles that kingfish just may be the most popular game fish
in the ocean.
It's been an exciting journey! We've made giant strides in conservation efforts even though we kill fish. Kingfish stocks are in
their best shape since the roller rigs in the Gulf of Mexico nearly wiped them out in the early 80s. Tournaments, which used to
collect three fish per day from teams, are now collecting one. We support and fund the University of South Florida's College of
Marine Science to do research on endangered species or marine enhancement projects. The Mercury Tournament Trail is more family
oriented than ever before. I often refer to this as a lifestyle rather than a tournament trail. We've watched our kids fishing the
trail grow up, go to college, get married, then still fish with their family. We are also proud of the fact that, together with our
sanctioned events, tournaments raise over a million dollars a year for local charities, scholarship programs, and local marine
enhancement programs.
The Southern Kingfish Association continues to grow. It's something Deona and I are very proud of but while many want to give us
credit, the credit goes to all those who fish with us and wanted the association to be a success. Without their passion for the
sport and their desire to be recognized for their accomplishments, there would be no SKA.
If your passion is tournament fishing, there is no better way to unleash your fishing talents. There is no better saltwater sport
in the world. Not only can you win a lot of money but if the spotlight is your cup of tea, this is your road to travel. What are
you waiting for?
