Joe Wells Dirty Work Team’s 41.40 Big Fish at Tailwalker!

By Don Ewing

Georgetown, South Carolina -   Some may think Joe Wells was just trying to save fuel, others may think he was just lucky. Bottom line, Joe knew exactly what he was doing in winning the Tailwalker Marine Tournament, one of the premiere events on the eastern seaboard.

The sixteen-year SKA veteran ran 15 miles south and fished the beach. “It was a post full moon and we’ve caught fish there before under the same circumstances,” Joe told us. “It was especially nice because my daughter Amelia Wirth caught the 40 pound king.”

“We were fishing in 35 feet of water, caught her on a bluefish we caught, and on the surface,” he added.  “Amelia hooked up at eleven o’clock. The big king was hooked with one of the hooks of a treble in the back of the fish and the other on the bottom of the fish body. Amelia did a great job and at eleven-thirty I stuck her with the gaff.”
They were at the scale when it opened at three o’clock.

The Dirty Work is a Mercury powered Venture and members of the team were Joe, Paula, and Logan Wells, plus Randy and Amelia Wirth. Amelia was the event’s Top Lady Angler and the team took home $12,500 for the win.  Great job Joe!

The 2003 Class of 23 National Champion from Charleston won second place, which was a two fish aggregate. Robert Olsen fished his Yamaha powered Sailfish with Chris Stivender and Melissa Langston and caught a 27.67 and a 25.92. It won the team $5,000. You know the boat name Knot @ Work. Olsen is considered one of the top Class fisherman in the country.

Third place went to a non-member. It was the only place earned by a non-member in the top fourteen!

Fourth place was won by Darren Ratley on the Rat Pak. Darren you know is a veteran on the Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour and is considered one of the best fishermen in the country. He fishes with John Mott and Jay Robertson on Ratley’s Mercury powered Yellowfin.

“We fished offshore Cape Romaine which was only thirty-five miles from Georgetown,” explained Ratley.  “I caught the fish using a pogy thirty feet down. The king was in the boat at eight-thirty.”

The team has won two Pro events and is one of only a handful of teams to ever have scaled a 63-pound king.

In 2 Deep earned fifth place.  It’s also the second boat in the top five to be a Class boat. Kevin O’Neale and Michele Stroud from Charleston scaled a 30.26 from their Yamaha powered Sailfish.

“We made a run fifty miles south and fished in seventy feet of water,” said O’Neale.  “Michele hooked up at ten-thirty using a ribbonfish set twenty-seven feet below the surface. That crazy king bit all the treble hooks off but the jighead foul hooked him in the side. She had it to my gaff in a short fifteen minutes.”

The top Class of 23 team were non-members.

Sea Daze was second in Class but missed first by just six one-hundredth of a pound, 32.06 to the winners 32.12. That’s a bummer!

Michael O’Neale and Paul Childs from Charleston did the same as In 2 Deep and ran fifty miles south. “We had a live well full of pogys,” O’Neale reported. “We had a spread on the surface at eleven-thirty when she hit. The fish ran one hundred and fifty yards then turned straight back under the boat. The boat next to us had an AJ on and broke it off to not interfere with our fish. Paul fought the fish and I gaffed her.” The thirty-two will look real good in the point’s race. Sea Daze is a Yamaha powered Contender.

Richard Warner’s Momma’s Money II picked up third place in the Class with a 26.68.

Gary Smith’s Daddy’s Money II team earned sixth overall. Gary holds the SKA South Carolina record big fish at 49.60. This weekend his team of Nick Russell and Donna Smith caught a 29.24. “We ran one hundred miles south and caught our king at nine forty-five,” said Smith. “It was a long run but we were comfortable with our choice. We caught her using a pogy, I caught her and Nick got her in the boat.”

A Yamaha powered Wellcraft named Alure picked up seventh. Arthur Simons and Doug Hart presented the weigh master with a nice 29.14.

Kim’s Katch was eighth. Dennis Pierce, Joel and Narissa Hair, plus Chad and Tony Bloodworth teamed on the Evinrude powered Sea Fox and caught a 28.63.

Preston Knight’s 28.62 was good for ninth. Check those weights, one one-hundredths of a pound separated eighth and ninth. With Knight was Dave Oser, Gary Derrick, and Matthew Barfield and they fished the Half Mine II, a Yamaha powered Sailfish.

Rounding out the top ten was Walter Warren, Rick Ryan, and Matthew Ryan fishing the Nauti Buoys. They scaled a 28.59, another close fish.

Kateland Todd on the Black Cat was first SKA Junior Angler with Juilian Wilhelm from the mean C second. Les Smith was third on Team Winner’s World. Kateland was the Mercury Scholarship Winner.

As expected Stuart Ballard and his Tailwalker Marine team did an outstanding job. Stuart is a perfectionist and won’t settle for anything else. No wonder so many SKA members trust Tailwalker with their boating and fishing needs.

Tailwalker Final Standings

Open Class 41.40 1. DIRTY WORK Venture / Mercury Joe Wells Randy Wirth Paula Wells Amelia Wirth Logan Wells 53.59 2. KNOT @ WORK ... aggregate Sailfish / Yamaha Robert Olsen Chris Stivender Melissa Langston 37.24 3. Papa's Ride 35.61 4. RAT PAK Yellowfin / Mercury Darren Ratley John Mott Jay Robertson 30.26 5. IN 2 DEEP Sailfish / Yamaha Kevin O'Neale Michele Stroud 29.24 6. DADDY'S MONEY II Palmetto / Yamaha Gary Smith Nick Russell Donna Smith 29.14 7. ALURE Wellcraft / Yamaha Arthur Simons Doug Hart 28.63 8. KIM'S KATCH Sea Fox / Evinrude Dennis Pierce Joel Hair Chad Bloodworth Narissa Hair Tony Bloodworth 28.62 9. HALF MINE II Sailfish / Yamaha Preston Knight Dave Oser Gary Derrick Matthew Barfield 28.59 10. NAUTI BUOYS Contender / Yamaha Walter Warren Rick Ryan Matthew Ryan 28.56 11. STRAY DOG Everglades / Honda Chris Rosengarten Kristi Couturier Jeff Ackerman Lee Moore 28.49 12. JUDY BEE Contender / Yamaha Phillip Brock Jeremy Carr Edward Bland Neal Pickett 28.01 13. ROCK DOC Contender / Yamaha Bob Wiggins James Smoak Patty Wiggins Whit Parnell John Ward 27.97 14. JUGGERNAUT Contender / Yamaha Bert Harvey A.C. Harvey David Morris Jim Roberts 27.37 15. Donzi Mama 27.15 16. FISHIN' PHYSICIAN Contender / Suzuki Kendall Suh James Aikens 26.85 17. BLACK CAT Triton / Mercury James Stewart Carlette Stewart Mickie Todd Kateland Todd 26.73 18. MANGLER Contender / Yamaha Mo Mangan Tom Mangan Steve Schmidt Jason Hehr 25.66 19. TAILWALKER Contender / Yamaha Stuart Ballard Don Mussman Drew Swinnie 25.27 20. BLUE RUNNER Contender / Yamaha Craig Hoover John Hoover Todd Hoover Billy Bryan

Class of 23 32.12 1. Blue Sea Hunt 32.06 2. SEA DAZE Contender / Yamaha Michael O'Neale Paul Childs 26.68 3. MOMMA'S MONEY II Angler / Yamaha Richard Warner James Warner Chad Araneo Mike Araneo Top Lady Angler 41.40 Amelia Wirth DIRTY WORK Top Junior Angler 26.85 Kateland Todd BLACK CAT SKA Top Junior Anglers sponsored by Tailwalker Marine 26.85 1. Kateland Todd BLACK CAT 21.43 2. Julian Wilhelm MEAN C 21.34 3. Les Smith TEAM WINNERS WORLD Mercury Marine Junior Angler Scholarship Winner Kateland Todd BLACK CAT