The Black Cat’s 42.90 Tops the Leaderboard at Fishing for Miracles

By Bob Flocken

Georgetown, South Carolina - South Carolina’s James Stewart had a good reason to make the early run back to Charleston’s Ripley Light Yacht Club on Friday, the first day of the 16th Annual Key West Boats, Fishing for Miracles Tournament.  His lovely wife Carlette had just brought a big kingfish to the boat where it was quickly hauled over the gunnel, packed in ice in their fish bag and tucked safely away in Black Cat’s fish box.  Fishing with the Stewarts on the big Mercury powered Triton was their junior angler Kateland Todd. 

The Black Cat’s game plan had been to stop over some hard bottom in thirty-five feet of water about ten miles south of Charleston to catch bait and when their well was full to head further south to an area off of Hilton Head where they had caught fish the previous weekend during the BMI event.  Because there was so much bait in the area and the water looked so good, James decided to put out a few baits and give it a little time before they moved further south.  “As we were letting out the third bait something grabbed it and headed offshore.  We didn’t think that it was that good of a fish because it didn’t run and stayed around the boat” said the excited captain.  “After a ten minute fight the fish came up beside the boat and none of us could believe how big it was!”  Their first days catch would tip the scales at 42.90 pounds and put the Black Cat team into the lead going into day two of the event.

On Saturday Stewart had the Black Cat back at the weigh-in site when the scales opened at 1 pm. James knew that if someone had a big fish to weigh, chances were that they would be heading to the scales early.  Right behind them, The Dirty Work, a family team from Charleston, skippered by Joe Wells with wife Paula, daughter Amelia and son-in-law Randy Wirth on board, slid their beautiful Mercury powered Venture up to the marina’s dock.  This team had weighed a 41.40 pounder to win the Tailwalker event early in June and rumor had it that they had another big fish to weigh in Charleston.  When Randy lifted two big kings onto the dock; everyone including the Black Cat crew took a deep breath. 

The Dirty Work had weighed a thirty-one pound king on day one of the event, but the fish that they carried to the scales on Saturday was much larger and Wells and his crew thought that they had a great chance to take over the lead.  It was not to be as their fish would weigh 41.78 pounds to capture the second place award.  They also carried their other fish to the scales just to see what it would weigh.  They made the right choice as their second fish was just a pound lighter (40.78).  Joe told me that they had fished both days in eighty feet of water straight out of Charleston at an old “grouper hole” he had numbers for where he never had fished for kings.  “There was tons of bait and everything just looked right” said Wells.  “Right away Amelia caught two twenty pounders and then the smaller of the two big fish.  Soon after that fish was in the boat, I heard Randy holler and turned around to see a big fish ten feet in the air with a bait in its mouth right behind our transom.  Amelia fought the fish to the boat in no time where Randy gaffed it and we headed back to the scales.”

For their first place finish, the Black Cat not only won the Key West Boat equipped with a Yamaha Outboard and a custom trailer valued at over $32,000.  Carlette would win the Top Lady award and young Kateland would win not only the Top SKA Junior Angler prize but also take home the $500 scholarship given by Mercury Marine to the top finishing junior on a boat powered by a Mercury motor.

Another SKA team would finish in third place overall.  Kane Wright, Lee Hinton and Justine Natale, fishing on the Cutting Crew, a 23’ Yamaha powered Contender caught a 15.14 on Friday but followed it up with a super 39.84 pound kingfish on Saturday to earn them the third place check.  “We fished an area over some live bottom in 75 feet of water just south of Charleston” said Captain Kane.  “Our big fish ate a ribbonfish that we were pulling on a flat line fished right in our propwash. Justine set the hook and after a couple strong runs the fish just rolled over at the boat.”  This team has been fishing SKA events for three years and this was there best finish yet not only winning third place but they also took home the $3000 bonus that went to the top finishing Class of 23 boat.

Fourth and fifth place would go to two non-member boats.

Sixth place would be won by a  SKA team from Cramerton, North Carolina.  Mark and Zachary Mitchell’s Trophy Hunter, the Baker - Mitchell Company, Wholesale Plumbing sponsored Contender started day two in second place for their 37.22 pound fish they caught Friday fishing along the beach halfway between Charleston and Georgetown.  Their fish ate a double Pogie rig right behind the boat in fifteen feet of water over some hard bottom.  They went back to the same area on Saturday and caught several kings but none larger than their first day fish.

The Juggernaut, Bert Harvey’s Contender Boat, fished an area about twenty miles south of Charleston over some live bottom in sixty-five feet of water.  Also aboard were teammates A.C. Harvey, David Morris and Jim Roberts.  This team won the Miracles event in 2007 with a 38.84 but could only find a 20 pound fish on Friday, but their 37.04 pound king that ate a flatlined Pogie at 12:30 on Saturday would earn them the seventh place check.  Bert would like to thank all their families for all their support.

The Whip Lash, a Yamaha powered Sailfish boat, sponsored by Sailfish boats and Dean’s Building Supply finished in eight place overall.  Skippered by Cottageville, South Carolina’s Raymond Stivender with teammates Chris and Samantha Stivender on board would catch their 36.96 pound fish on Saturday fishing along the beach just south of Charleston Harbor.  They found an area in 35 feet of water that was loaded with bait and several schools of Spanish mackerel. Samantha caught the fish at 2:45 Saturday afternoon after it ate a big blue runner fished way back in their spread.  She did a great job of quickly landing their fish so they just made it back past the check in boat with just a few minutes to spare.

The ninth and tenth place finishers were both non- member teams.

The Mangler skippered by Mo Mangan finished in eleventh place with a super 36.34 pound King.  Also fishing on their Yamaha powered Contender was Tom Mangan, Steve Schmidt and Jason Hehr.  The Mangler team started fishing offshore on Friday, but ended up finding their fish in 65’ at the Table Top, about fifteen miles south of Charlestown.  The fish ate a ribbonfish about 35 feet down on a downrigger.  “We thought it was a wahoo bite when the fish took off and almost dumped the reel” said Mangan.

What a great leaderboard!  Not very often do you see an East Coast event where you need a 31 pound fish to make the top thirty on the leaderboard. 

This was the last tournament in the 2009 Division 3 race and after the smoke settled the Dirty Works big fish along with the 41 they caught in Georgetown and a 21.3 at the BMI their 104.68 pound total will give them the Division 3 title.  Second place would go to the Knot @ Work for their 93.53 total and the Black Cat finished in third just a few hundredths behind with a 93.43.  The Momma’s Money caught three fish with an average weight just over thirty pounds for a 91.90 point total to finish first in the Division 3 Class of 23 race.

Over the past several years the Fishing for Miracles team has raised over $600,000 to benefit the MUSC Children’s Hospital and the Charlestown Chapter of the South Carolina CCA.  Although tournament director Rob Donlin was unable to be there on Thursday and Friday to attend the birth of his new Grandson, (Congratulations Rob!) his crew led by Alan and Scott did a great job hosting the festivities and making sure everything went smoothly during his absence.  Rob would like to thank Hutch and his crew at Key West Boats for all their help and support.

Fishing for Miracles Final Standings

Open Class 42.901. BLACK CAT Triton / Mercury James Stewart Carlette Stewart Kateland Todd 41.782. DIRTY WORK Venture / Mercury Joe Wells Randy Wirth Amelia Wirth Paula Wells Logan Wells 39.843. CUTTING CREW Contender / Yamaha Kane Wright Lee Hinton Justin Natale 38.824. Fish Hunter 38.445. Stretched Out 37.226. TROPHY HUNTER Contender / Yamaha Mark Mitchell Zachary Mitchell 37.047. JUGGERNAUT Contender / Yamaha Bert Harvey A.C. Harvey David Morris Jim Roberts 36.968. WHIP LASH Sailfish / Yamaha Raymond Stivender Chris Stivender Samantha Stivender 36.809. Kickback II 36.5410. No Limit 36.3411. MANGLER Contender / Yamaha Mo Mangan Tom Mangan Steve Schmidt Jason Hehr 35.9212. MOMMA'S MONEY II Angler / Yamaha Richard Warner James Warner Chad Araneo Mike Araneo 35.3413. Last Minute 34.2614. KNOT @ WORK Sailfish / Yamaha Robert Olsen Andrew Olsen Melissa Langston 34.2415. Double D 34.2216. Sunchaser Charters 33.9217. Reel Hot 33.8218. ROCK DOC Contender / Yamaha Bob Wiggins James Smoak Whit Parnell John Ward Dowell Coker 33.6619. No Regrets 33.0020. TRIPLE GOBBLE Contender / Yamaha Jeff Weathers Greg Weathers 32.8021. Capt. Jack 32.5222. STRAY DOG Everglades / Honda Chris Rosengarten Bill Rosengarten Jeff Ackerman Lee Moore 32.2823. TAILWALKER Contender / Yamaha Stuart Ballard Drew Swinnie 31.9824. SOLID SURFACE Hunley / Mercury Andy Nettles Ben Albrecht Drew Nettles 31.8225. IN 2 DEEP Sailfish / Yamaha Kevin O'Neale Michele Stroud 31.8226. LADY M Contender / Yamaha Jamie Altman David Ballard Keb Ballard 31.5827. My Last Boat 31.2628. Adam's Eve 31.2229. REELIN Marlin / Yamaha Marc Pincus 31.1830. Fin Stalker

Class of 23 39.841. CUTTING CREW Contender / Yamaha Kane Wright Lee Hinton Justin Natale 38.822. Fish Hunter 36.963. WHIP LASH Sailfish / Yamaha Raymond Stivender Chris Stivender Samantha Stivender Top Lady Angler 42.90Carlette Stewart BLACK CAT Top Junior Angler 36.80Ryan McFadden KICKBACK II SKA Top Junior Anglers sponsored by Tailwalker Marine 42.901. Kateland Todd BLACK CAT 37.222. Zachary Mitchell TROPHY HUNTER 34.263. Andrew Olsen KNOT @ WORK Mercury Marine Junior Angler Scholarship Winner Kateland Todd BLACK CAT