Mcmullan’s Capture Big Win at Brunswick Islands Saltwater Classic!

By Jack Holmes

Oak Island, North Carolina - With a named storm passing well offshore the day before the start of the Brunswick Islands Saltwater Classic, tournament promoter Terry Adkins made the call to postpone the event one day. It was the right call however the storm really shut the fish down.
 
That didn’t stop Brant and Barrett McMullan, Brian and Austin Aycock, from completing the task at hand, winning the event. They won it fishing their Ocean Isle Fishing Center’s Yellowfin, with a 29.11 and pocketed over fourteen thousand dollars.
 
The McMullan’s are already qualified to fish the Nationals by fishing the Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour this season, but bragging rights in home waters goes a long way. They have to be considered one of the top teams in Carolina waters.
 
With the final event of the Pro series taking place in Little River the first part of October they must be considered as a potential winner there also. They’re past winners of the Rumble in the Jungle, the piggyback event with the Pro Tour.
 
Brant and Barrett added junior angler Austin Aycock to their team for this event and he had to have been thrilled to earn Top Junior status in the event. They also sponsor the SKA’s Division Nine Junior Angler Program so it too was icing on the cake.
 
Jeff Crouch and Jeremy Ridenhour teamed on the Mercury powered Contender, Strickly Business, to earn second with a 28.38.
 
“We fished the Frying Pay Tower where a few big fish have been caught in the last month,” explained Crouch. “Fishing was slow but we were slow trolling in sixty-five feet of water dragging pogy’s when she hit the long line. Jeremy picked up the rod and within a few minutes she slid up to the boat close enough for me to stick her.”
 
Crouch is a ten-year member of the SKA and is a member of the sixty-pound club having caught his in ’04 in Wrightsville Beach.
 
The Strickly Business team won $8,000.
 
Earning third was Corey Durako, Joel Brown, and Barry Bierstead fishing the Mercury powered Donzi, Blue By U.
 
The new SKA members pre-fished the shoals and returned back. “We only had a thirteen pound king for our efforts,” explained Durako. “But we hung in and at two-thirty our 25.52 ate a pogy with a black and purple skirt off the downrigger. Joel was the angler and I gaffed her. We almost lost her however. A barracuda scared the king at the end of a fifteen minute fight and Joel had to lock the drag down and pulled her up.”
 
The team is sponsored by Fathom Offshore.
 
SKA’s “’04 “Angler of the Year” Dean Spatholt picked up fourth place money. With Dennis Watson and Mike Kress on board the Yamaha powered Yellowfin, Fish Meister, the team ran ninety miles south to get away from the pack. “It really didn’t help us however,” Dean explained. “We spent three hours looking for bait and only caught small pogies, two to three inch, and one ladyfish. Our only bite came off that ladyfish at eleven o’clock and brought to the boat by Dennis.” It weighed 23.63.
 
Dean is sponsored by Yellowfin, Yamaha, C.K. Blanton Electronics, and Ocean Isle Fishing Center and also fishes the Pro Tour.
 
Rounding out the top five was Jimmy and Jerry Hall, plus Sam and Griffin Canady on the Mercury powered Yellowfin, Reel Heat.
 
“The kingfish bite was very slow but it was a great day on the water,” said Jimmy. “We caught a seven foot Sailfish, three Dolphin, a fifty-pound Barracuda, and a ten-foot Tiger Shark. Our king came off a ribbonfish thirty feet down early, eight-thirty to be exact.” Their king weighed 19.83.
 
The team said they got a tip from Chris at Ocean Isle Fishing Center. Jimmy Hall Heating, Air, and Electrical Contractor sponsor them. Griffin won second place SKA junior.
 
Sea-N-Is Believe’n took the Class of 23 win. Anthony Queen, Scott McAteer, and Bill McNeely fished fifty miles offshore in a hundred feet of water. “We’ve caught fish there before,” said Queen. “We had a spread of bluefish and pogies. She hit a bait forty feed down and Scott did the honors. We only saw and caught one other king, a sixteen pounder but we did earn second place Dolphin.”
 
The team fish a Yamaha powered Sea Pro and won $2,000.
 
Second place in the Class of 23 went to Cheryl and J.R. Davis on the What-Ever with an 18.02. Cheryl was the events Top Lady Angler.
 
Despite the postponement, Mr. Adkins put on another great show. Kudos to him and his staff!

Brunswick Islands Saltwater Classic Final Standings

Open Class 29.111. OCEAN ISLE FISHING CENTER Yellowfin / Yamaha Brant McMullan Brian Aycock Austin Aycock Barrett McMullan 28.382. STRICTLY BUSINESS Contender / Mercury Jeff Crouch Jeremy Ridenhour 25.523. BLUE BY U Donzi / Mercury Corey Durako Joel Brown Barry Bierstedt 23.634. FISH MEISTER Yellowfin / Yamaha Dean Spatholt Dennis Watson Mike Kress 19.835. REEL HEAT Yellowfin / Mercury Jimmy Hall Jerry Hall Sam Canady Griffin Canady 19.426. Top Choice 18.627. ALL IN Cape Horn / Yamaha Kenneth Strickland Roy Strickland Mike Morgan 17.998. TWISTER Contender / Yamaha Patrick Bryant Derek Savage Zack Shackleton 17.619. Mickey Brothers 17.1110. TEAM PRO BUILD Cape Horn / Yamaha Roy Jarman Truman Waller

Class of 23 18.101. SEA'N IS BELIEVE Sea Pro / Yamaha Anthony Queen Scott McAteer Bill McNeely 18.022. WHAT-EVER Triumph / Yamaha Cheryl Davis J.R. Davis 14.293. Cruise Control II Top Lady Angler 18.02Cheryl Davis WHAT-EVER Top Junior Angler 29.11Austin Aycock OCEAN ISLE FISHING CENTER SKA Top Junior Anglers sponsored by Ocean Isle Fishing Center 29.111. Austin Aycock OCEAN ISLE FISHING CENTER 19.832. Griffin Canady REEL HEAT  3. Charlie Permenter MINING MY BIDNESS Mercury Marine Junior Angler Scholarship Winner Griffin Canady REEL HEAT