Mad Banana Sweeps Field at Sullivan’s Island!

By Don Ewing

Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina - Clinton Chamness fished his Mercury powered Fountain, Mad Banana, into first place with a 31.56.

“That’s not a very big king,” someone in the spectator crowd said before the awards ceremony began. True, but on this particular weekend with winds 15 to 20 knots out of the northeast producing four to six foot seas, it was a great fish. Now add to the fact Clinton was fishing with three junior anglers, and you’ve got one serious win.

Clinton fished with Miles Stalvey and Stephen Wray, plus juniors Anna Chamness and Lawton and Tradd Stalvey.

“We chose to fish an area that we’ve fished our last couple of tournaments,” Clinton told us. “It’s an area in seventy feet of water thirty miles from the tournament site.. It’s one of those GPS spots that’s either on or off but because of the rough conditions we were staying regardless.”

It was an early fish, striking a three and a half pound mullet on a long line from the outrigger at ten o’clock.

“She took me forty minutes to get her to the boat,” Clinton elaborated. “She was foul hooked in the side of the head.”

Miles Stalvey gaffed the thirty-one pound king.

That one king gave the team number one honors, Anna received top junior honors, Lawton and Tradd shared in the SKA junior angler top honors and Anna won the Mercury Scholarship award.

Pretty good weekend I’d say!
Stuart Harkin’s Bitta Sweet, a Yamaha powered Hydra Sports, picked up second place with a 28.82. Harkins, Matt and Anna Marie Barfield, and Jerry Tumbleston fished an area they had pre-fished, the Southhole.

“It’s an area about twenty seven miles from Sullivan’s Island,” Stuart quipped. “We had pre-fished the area and it looked good.”

With a well full of caught pogy’s the team set up to do business. “We were bringing in a pogy train, clearing lines so we could fight a king when a second line went off,” Stuart went on to explain. “There was a huge splash about twenty feet behind the stern, and immediately started burning line off the reel. We lost that one but still got the other one in, thank goodness!”

Second place money was sweet but Anna Marie was really pleased to earn second place in the SKA Junior category.

Third place fell to Team Sea Fox / Suzuki with Ryan Balderson at the helm. This was also the top Class of 23 team.

Ryan, his brother Russ, plus John and Joe Blumer, fished an area as Ryan put it,  “about thirty-five miles off Charleston, an area we used to fish with our Dad growing up. It’s a good live bottom area and the team noted that bait was stacked up on it.”

Their first fish of the day was a 26. At ten-thirty they were hooked up again. “When this fish came to the boat we didn’t know whether she was bigger than the one in the box,” explained Ryan. “So we tailed it and compared, it was bigger.”

All told, that day the team caught fourteen kings, but none bigger than their 27.19 caught mid-morning.

None of the biggest fish in this event were better than the top three teams had previously caught.  Mad Bananna had weighed a 39.88, which won Tailwalker in ’04. Bittasweet had a 34.00, which earned them eighth in the Miracles event and Team Sea Fox earned third overall in the Charleston Kingfish Classic with a 36.59.

Bert and A.C. Harvey, David Morris, and Jim Roberts, Jr.,  earned fourth with a 27.14. Fishing the Juggernaut, the team caught their fourth place king fifteen miles east of Charleston. It’s an area the team frequents often.

“We hooked up at two o’clock and had her in the boat at five minutes past two,” Bert told us. “She ate a small pogy on the surface from a short flat line. Nothing exciting, but that’s how we like it.”

The Juggernaut team caught a 38.84 in ’07 and took first place in the Miracles Tournament.

Fred, Brian, and Amber Larsen, plus Robby Strawn rounded out the top five with a 24.84. Their Yamaha powered Contender is named Miracle.

Sixth place was the only money spot a non-member earned. That says a lot for the prowess of our members!

Stephen and Angie Ham fished their Edgewater into seventh place with a 24.44 while Jamey Stewart  plus Hunter Harrelson, earned eighth with a 23.68. They fish the Black Cat, a Mercury powered Triton.

Seadaze picked up second place Class of 23 plus ninth in the event with a 23.41. Michael O’Neale and Paul Childs fish the team.

Chad Sullivan fished the Nautigull to tenth place with a 23.32.
Team members Valerie Sullivan and April Suggs emerged as the events Top Lady Anglers.

Terry Adkins did another great job of producing this event. Kudos to him, his staff and family!

Sullivan's Island Final Standings

Open Class 31.561. MAD BANANA Fountain / Mercury Clinton Chamness Miles Stalvey Stephen Wray Anna Chamness Lawton Stalvey Tradd Stalvey 28.822. BITTA SWEET Hydra Sports / Yamaha Stuart Harkins Jerry Tumbleston Matt Barfield Anna-Marie Barfield 27.193. TEAM SEA FOX / SUZUKI Sea Fox / Suzuki Ryan Balderson Russ Balderson John Blumer Joe Blumer 27.144. JUGGERNAUT Contender / Yamaha Bert Harvey A.C. Harvey David Morris Jim Roberts, Jr. 24.845. MIRACLE Contender / Yamaha Fred Larsen Brian Larsen Amber Larsen Robby Strawn 24.726. Fishboans 24.447. HAM-IT-UP Edgewater / Yamaha Stephen Ham Angie Ham 23.688. BLACK CAT Triton / Mercury Jamey Stewart Carlette Stewart Hunter Harrelson 23.419. SEADAZE Contender / Yamaha Michael O'Neale Paul Childs 23.3210. NAUTIGULL Sailfish / Yamaha Chad Sullivan Dow Suggs Valerie Sullivan Chance Sullivan April Suggs Cole Suggs

Class of 23 27.191. TEAM SEA FOX / SUZUKI Sea Fox / Suzuki Ryan Balderson Russ Balderson John Blumer Joe Blumer 23.412. SEADAZE Contender / Yamaha Michael O'Neale Paul Childs Top Lady Angler 24.84Amber Larsen MIRACLE Top Junior Angler 31.56Anna Chamness MAD BANANA SKA Top Junior Anglers sponsored by Tailwalker Marine 31.561. Anna Chamness, Lawton Stalvey, and Tradd Stalvey MAD BANANA 28.822. Anna Marie Barfield BITTA SWEET 23.683. Hunter Harrelson BLACK CAT Mercury Marine Junior Angler Scholarship Winner Anna Chamness MAD BANANA