World Championship Gets Attitude Adjustment
Wellcraft Sweeps Top Two Spots
Sam White, Southern Kingfish Association
December 4, 2000

Ft. Pierce, FL—The persistence, teamwork and just plain hard work of the Wellcraft team boats paid off in spades recently at the inaugural Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour World Championship in Ft. Pierce, Florida. Open to the top forty finishers on the Pro Tour from the 2000 season, and all past Top Anglers of the Year, the tournament was the capstone to an outstanding year for all involved.

Fishing for a total purse of $100,000, the teams were competing for the same payout as a regular Pro Tour event with the exception of no entry fee. And Santa came a few weeks early for the Attitude Adjuster team of David Murphy, his son Kevin Murphy, Bob “Radar” Townsend and Jim Davis, as they took home the event’s top prize money of over $30,000 in cash for the big win.

The Attitude Adjuster was one of the hot boats going into the event, having just finished second in the 2000 Top Angler of the Year race, but the event was wide open for anyone to win. “We definitely couldn’t have done it without the teamwork of the Wellcraft boats, though,” said David Murphy at the awards. “Without them calling us into the fish, we probably wouldn’t have had enough to take it all.”

The Wellcraft team met extensively prior to the tournament, with all agreeing that there were good concentrations of big fish located at an offshore spot called The Pines in roughly 60 feet of water. “We really didn’t have any numbers to fish, so we just decided to follow the rest of the team north,” Jim Davis reported. “We were one of the last to check out, and once we got there most of the fleet was already fishing. Then I saw a commercial boat working offshore--he left pretty quickly once the other boats showed up, so we headed out to where he was fishing.”

Davis began marking a slight hump in the reefline, and the first bait in the water produced a fish in the mid thirty pound range, so he quickly marked the number into the boat’s Raytheon nav gear. After boating that king, the Attitude Adjuster began working north and south of their number. Around 10:30 in the morning, their biggest fish of the day hit a toplined blue runner skirted with a pink/white Kingbuster. “We knew it was probably in the upper thirties but were pleasantly surprised to find that we were leading the tournament after the first day with the only forty,” Davis related.

Once their fish was aboard, the team quickly contacted Fish Fever and Wild Turkey, notifying them of their situation and location. Once back at the dock, however, they would see that it was still anyone’s tournament to win or lose. Although the Adjusters were in the lead with a 42.1 pound kingfish, there were seven other boats with fish over 35 pounds. Every Pro boat fishing on the first day of the tournament weighed in a respectable fish. And Day Two would be another story altogether for the team from Emerald Isle, North Carolina.

“We planned on going back to the same area on Saturday,” Davis said. “We looked at the water temp charts again, and it looked like cooler water had moved into the area, though, and sure enough it had.” The team worked off to the southeast in search of warmer water, but the area produced only low twenty pound kings. Later in the day they moved back into their primary area and found the water was warming slowly, but the strong bite of 30 pound fish from the day before never materialized.

“We were getting frustrated with the small fish, and it was getting late in the day. We had to leave by 2:30 to make it back in time. That’s when Ed on the Fish Fever called us. He had located a pod of 30 pound kings only about a quarter mile offshore, so we headed his way. He was getting hit on the downriggers and already had his fish, so we sent down a ribbonfish on a pink and white Erby jig, and that’s when we got the 29.9 that won it for us. It was literally at the last minute--we put him in the boat and took off for the scales. I think we had 15 minutes to spare when we cleared the bridge. We made it in plenty of time, but there wasn’t room for any mistakes or equipment failure, that’s for sure.”

Once their victory had been announced, the team took their celebratory plunge into the waters of the Municipal Marina, tired but exhilarated by the win. “We need to thank Wellcraft and Mercury for their help all year in making this possible,” Murphy said during the awards. “The team concept really paid off for us this weekend!” Davis also wanted to thank the families of the team members for their support during the season. “It’s a real pleasure to fish against this quality of fishermen. There really aren’t any secrets left, we just work the baits well and have a great crew, and our families support us when we’re fishing on the road. They’re as much a part of this team as any of us.”

Ed Mechella’s Fish Fever team made up the second half of Wellcraft’s one-two punch during the Pro Championship, placing second with an aggregate score of 69.42 pounds. Ed also fished with his son Shawn, as well as Jim Conway and Tim Harris, on loan from the Sapelo Son team. The top two teams anchored by father and son combinations--now that’s family fishing excitement! Ed also said the most important aspect of the weekend was the outstanding teamwork exhibited by the Wellcraft boats.

“All the boats worked well together, finding the fish and sharing information,” he said. “After everyone went to The Pines on the first day, Rick on the Wild Turkey left and went looking for bigger fish at Bethel Shoals and on the beach, while we stayed there and stuck it out with the pack.”

The Fish Fever was able to boat a 34.7 pounder on the first day, good but barely enough to make the top ten. “We knew we had to go out and find another good fish if we were going to do well,” he reported. “So we headed back to The Pines, and worked offshore where there was a little warmer water.” The team found a patch of good bottom about a half mile off the main pack of boats and instantly doubled up on fish in the thirty pound range.

Knowing the bite had slowed down substantially on Day Two, they immediately called in their teammates, knowing they might be giving up the win by doing so. “They were leading the tournament and still needed a good fish, so we didn’t hesitate to call them over to where we were,” Ed reported. “Our bites on the first day were all on goggle-eyes on the surface, but here the fish wanted ribbonfish down at 45 feet. Every time we put one down it would get nailed. Lots of boats weren’t even using their downriggers because the bite had been on the surface, but we passed that information along to the Attitude Adjuster, and they came over and bagged their fish right after we left for the scales.”

Remarkably, their Day Two fish would weigh 34.7 pounds, identical to their first day fish. “I’m glad that [weighmaster] Bobby Flocken had checked our fishboxes before we checked out, that way no one could say that we held a fish until the second day. I really can’t believe that we weighed two identical fish in two days of fishing.” Mecchella also wanted to thank Wellcraft, Mercury, Loadmaster, Killer Bee and Raytheon for their support during the season, with a special thanks going to Scott Beattie and his staff at at Preferred Marine for his assistance in keeping the teams running during the year.

Fred Hoyt, Virgil Tomerlin and Brent Bowman put the Yamaha-powered Contender Kingbuster into third place at the Pro Championship. A 38.3 pounder had them solidly in third place after the first day, where they had fished The Pines along with most of the fleet. “We didn’t mark much bait there, but that spot has historically been a good place to fish,” Hoyt said. “Our team has done well on the first day of a couple tournaments, but we’ve had a hard time putting that second fish on the board the next day. I’m just glad that we were able to follow up with another good one on Saturday for a change.”

Bowman was the angler on the Day One fish, which nailed a toplined blue runner. “Contender supplied us with bait during the tournament, and that helped considerably,” Hoyt reported. “The bait we caught prefishing just wasn’t up to par compared to what they brought.” The team needed a bit of luck for their Day Two fish, though. “We had some smaller fish, but needed a thirty if we were going to do well,” said the captain. “Virgil was fighting his fish while Attitude Adjuster was hooked up right beside us around two o’clock, when I looked back off the transom and nearly had a heart attack!” Lurking beneath one of their flatline baits was a huge tiger shark, estimated at over 400 pounds. “We tried to scare him off and get the king in the boat at the same time. I yelled over to the Attitude Adjuster that there was a big tiger shark in the water, and they started maneuvering on their fish as well. We’ve had good fish chomped right at the boat before, but luckily we were able to get ours in before it became another fish story,” Hoyt said. The team would end up third with a total score of 69.0 pounds, less than a half-pound from second. They would also be the highest finishing team from the Yamaha/Contender team.

Joe Bruce and Paul Massey were able to put the Angling Pursuits boat into fourth place during the Championship. Fishing the Mercury-powered Donzi 32 with only a two man crew proved to be a bit of a challenge for the team, though. “We were ten miles north of Sebastian, working the reefline in 52 to 60 feet of water,” Bruce reported. “The bite was strong on the first morning. One of the lines took off screaming, so we started working on that fish when the other downrigger line got hit. That fish looped the line all the way from starboard to port, around the console. It actually cut the lines on our two bait rods on the way around. Unfortunately, we pulled the hooks on the first fish but were able to untangle the other and get him to the boat.”

The 36.6 pound kingfish would be good for sixth after the first day of fishing, so the team decided to head back to the same area. “We were fishing by about 8:30, but then we started having some minor problems with one of our engines. At 10:30, we got the 29.3 on a hardtail deep on the downrigger, and decided that we’d better start heading in shortly after that,” Bruce said. After fishing just one hour longer, the Angling Pursuits boat was heading to the scales at a stately 10.4 miles per hour. “It was kind of disappointing,” said the captain, “because there were some bigger fish in there that were biting later in the day. But we felt it was better not to push it, that we would be in the top five with what we had aboard already.” Better safe than sorry--heading to the scales with plenty of time left, especially if you know you’re in the money, is always a safe bet. Bruce and Massey led the Donzi contingent in Ft. Pierce with their fourth place finish.

Tom Rady was able to rejoin his team on the Yamaha-powered Contender Barely Legal in Ft. Pierce after having to sit out the National Championship in Morehead City due to a case of the flu. Rady, Paul Chavis, Mark Titus, Bian Bushloper and past National Champion Dennis Sergent managed to round out the top five in Ft. Pierce. This is another hot team, coming off a strong third place finish at the National Championship. Their first day kingfish weighed a disappointing 28.9 pounds, so they had their work cut out for them on the second day of fishing. However, the mark of a good team is the ability to rebound in the face of tough fishing conditions. They returned to the weigh in dock at the Municipal Marina on Day Two with a 34.9 pounder aboard, good for a total aggregate of 63.10 pounds and fifth place overall. “We’re really happy with a top five here against all these teams,” Rady said later. “After the finish that Paul and the guys had in Morehead, it really made our season. We can’t wait for next year!”

From the prime rib and seafood banquet the night before the tournament until the final weigh in and awards on Saturday, the Yamaha Pro Tour Championship was a first class event from start to finish. To a person, the teams all said that it was an extremely well run event, one that was a lot of fun to fish. And isn’t that the reason for competing on the Pro Tour? Sure, the money’s great, and the recognition of your peers and sponsors doesn’t hurt either, but it was nice to hear that everyone simply had fun and enjoyed themselves during the weekend. For those of you considering fishing on the Pro Tour next season, this is the event you need to be shooting for at the end of the year. There can only be one Top Angler of the Year, but there were forty-one winners that showed up in Fort Pierce--winners one and all.

Final Standings
(Two Day, Two Fish Aggregate Score)

1. ATTITUDE ADJUSTER.............DAY ONE: 42.1 DAY TWO: 29.9 TOTAL: 72.0 Wellcraft/Mercury David Murphy Kevin Murphy Bob Townsend Jim Davis 2. FISH FEVER..................DAY ONE: 34.7 DAY TWO: 34.7 TOTAL 69.40 Wellcraft/Mercury Ed Mecchella Shawn Mecchella Jim Conway Tim Harris 3. KING BUSTER................DAY ONE: 38.3 DAY TWO: 30.7 TOTAL: 69.0 Contender/Yamaha Fred Hoyt Virgil Tomerlin Brent Bowman 4. ANGLING PURSUITS.........DAY ONE: 36.6 DAY TWO: 29.3 TOTAL: 65.90 Donzi/Mercury Joe Bruce Paul Massey 5. BARELY LEGAL...............DAY ONE: 28.2 DAY TWO: 34.9 TOTAL: 63.10 Contender/Yamaha Tommy Rady Paul Chavis Mark Titus Bian Bushloper Dennis Sergent 6. GOTCHA......................DAY ONE: 32.3 DAY TWO: 30.7 TOTAL: 63.0 Contender/Yamaha Darren Carter Byron Blue Jason English 7. VAMOOSE................DAY ONE: 29.3 DAY TWO: 33.6 TOTAL: 62.90 Contender/Yamaha Randy Crabtree Roy Boone Chad Branch 8. GET REEL...............DAY ONE: 30.4 DAY TWO: 30.9 TOTAL: 61.30 Century/Yamaha Lee McCurdy Stephanie McCurdy Dennis Dowdy 9. CAROLINA GIRL.............DAY ONE: 32.8 DAY TWO: 28.5 TOTAL: 61.30 Donzi/Mercury Glenn Slaughter Gary Slaughter April Slaughter 10. AJS BIMINI/BLACK SHEEP..........DAY ONE: 25.3 DAY TWO: 35.7 TOTAL: 61.0 Donzi/Mercury John Holley Randy Keys Frank Chivas	11. WILD INJUN......................DAY ONE: 27.4 DAY TWO: 32.5 TOTAL: 59.90 Donzi/Mercury Roy Byrd Bear Croft Donald Garner 12. TEAM YELLOWFIN................DAY ONE: 31.4 DAY TWO: 28.0 TOTAL: 59.40 Yellowfin/Mercury David Van Lent Wylie Nagler John Strome Dan Hockett 13. CONSTANT THREAT.............DAY ONE: 35.3 DAY TWO: 23.9 TOTAL: 59.2 Fountain/Mercury Gordon Rogers Spud Woodward Brad Stroud 14. JAWS TOO.........................DAY ONE: 36.6 DAY TWO: 22.4 TOTAL: 59.0 Donzi/Yamaha Dave Mistretta David Heavenridge Bingo Brandano 15. WILD BILL.......................DAY ONE: 31.4 DAY TWO: 27.3 TOTAL: 58.70 Donzi/Mercury Bill Hopkins Jerry Hopkins Sarah Hopkins Johnny Hudson 16. PREDATOR...............DAY ONE: 30.3 DAY TWO: 28.2 TOTAL: 58.50 Century/Yamaha Robert Barus Rick Carrie Tom Stephens 17. JUST NATURAL..............DAY ONE: 33.0 DAY TWO: 25.0 TOTAL: 58.0 ProLine/Mercury Richard Chapman Margaret Chapman 18. EN FUEGO........................DAY ONE: 38.5 DAY TWO: 19.4 TOTAL: 57.9 Contender/Yamaha Stewart Montgomery Joe Montgomery Greg Holmes 19. WARRIOR...........................DAY ONE: 30.4 DAY TWO: 27.3 TOTAL: 57.70 Donzi/Mercury LA Denzer John Lee Ingram Ken Upton Dan Upton David James 20. FISHIN ADDITION.....................DAY ONE: 23.8 DAY TWO: 33.3 TOTAL: 57.10 Palmetto/Mercury Charles Getsinger Sheri Getsinger Daniel Gourley Dee Delegal

Final Pro Tournament Falls to Team Yellowfin
Van Lent and Co. Are SKA’s Top Anglers of the Year
Sam White, Southern Kingfish Association
October 2, 2000

Morehead City, NC—David Van Lent’s Team Yellowfin was in second place for the Top Angler of the Year standings going into the final leg of the Pro Tour in Morehead City, just behind local favorites on the Attitude Adjuster. Mobile, Alabama’s Kwazar was in third without a drop fish, and several other teams were within striking distance. Everyone needed just one more good fish to determine the 2000 Anglers of the Year.

However, the Team Yellowfin would not be denied the win this year. Even more amazing was that this team did it virtually on their own, while most other manufacturers were fielding teams of anywhere from five to twenty boats or more. Van Lent picks up the tale from there.

“We drove all night on Tuesday so Danny [Hockett] and I could prefish on Wednesday. The Dead Tree Hole off Beaufort Inlet produced a 25 for us, but that was about it. Thursday, we were able to catch bait before heading over to the East Side--we fished the East Rock, the P Buoy, Atlas Tanker, then hit the 30 Minute Rock on the way home. Then we had about a 20 pounder on the 30 Minute that hit the second line in the water. It was a good, fat fish, compared to the long, skinny fish we released in the Dead Tree Hole, so we figured out that was the place to go.”

However, the curse of prefishing followed the team all the way to Morehead from their home port of Belleair Beach, on the west coast of Florida. That came in the form of a howling northeaster that blew in Thursday afternoon, turning the East Side of Cape Lookout Shoals into a turbulent mass of whitewater.

As the Team Yellowfin punched out of Beaufort Inlet, they set a course to jump the Shoals across the Slough, a two mile stretch of shallow, breaking water that is the gateway to the warmer, deeper waters of the East Side. “It was a good seven to ten in the Slough,” Van Lent said. “Six to eight on the other side, but that crossing was all you wanted. There were only a few boats on the East Side--a couple of the Wellcrafts and Donzis.”

The team set up over the 30 Minute Rock and were in the fish right away. The first strike was a good kingfish that bit through the light monofilament line. The next line in the water yielded their biggest fish of the weekend, a fat 36.7 pounder. The team also boated a 34 pounder shortly afterward on a toplined ribbonfish before deciding that it was time to head for more protected waters.

“We only fished there about an hour,” Van Lent reported. “Then we decided not to cross the Slough going home.” They ran for the tip of the Shoals at the Knuckle, crossing the shallows farther offshore when disaster nearly struck them down.

“We were crossing back over in a big following sea when the boat took a big wave over the stern quarter,” according to Yellowfin president Wylie Nagler. “The boat immediately filled with water, but luckily the Mercury motors kept running.” The team was able to open the transom door in the stern to let out most of the water as the bilge pumps kicked in. “The worst part was that the fishbag started heading out of the boat!” Nagler said. “John and Danny were able to grab it to keep it from going right out with the water.”

After enduring a three hour trip back to Morehead, the team elected to wait at the dock for the scales to open at 3 PM. Their fish would move them into the lead not only for the tournament but for the tight Angler of the Year points race as well. Several other teams were also within striking distance, and there was one more day of fishing remaining. It was going to come down to the wire.

Day Two found the team fishing with most of the fleet in the lee of the Shoals at the Dead Tree Hole off the beach. “I think the crew would have mutinied if we tried to jump the shoals again,” Van Lent said. “We decided not to push our luck.”

After going strikeless on the beach, they headed to the Barge Wreck where several other boats were already hooked up on good fish. However, the Yellowfin team again went without a good bite at the Barge Wreck, so they were off and running for the beach yet again. Finally, they had a good bite on a toplined pogy fished way back astern behind a pink Kingbuster skirt in forty feet of water. Hockett angled the fish to the boat, where Strome was able to plant the gaff. Later at the scales, that one went 26.3 pounds--enough to give the team a total of 63.0 pounds for the tournament. They also moved into the lead by 10.5 pounds. Now all they could do was wait for the other teams to arrive with their fish.

Once the weigh in finally closed at 5 PM, the Yellowfin team remained in the lead for good. The champagne flowed and the TV cameras rolled as Nagler and Van Lent showered each other with bottles of bubbly. David Murphy’s Attitude Adjuster team would settle for second place with 224 points, compared to Van Lent’s 234.5. The Kwazar wound up third with 219 points, followed by Rick Smith’s Wild Turkey in fourth with 205.4. Buddy Hucks’ Mean C rounded out the top five with 203.2.

Dave Mistretta, David Heavenridge and Evan Morgan placed second in the Morehead Pro Tournament on the Jaws Too, coming off their recent win in Biloxi. “We’re just on a roll,” Mistretta said. “We actually went from something like seventy-eighth place overall all the way to eleventh in just two weekends of fishing. That’s why you can never give up in tournament competition.”

Several other teams from Florida’s west coast prefished the area off Morehead, with Ron Kien’s Team Creative finding the fish in the lee of the shoals before the tournament began. “What we found was that the fish were working the edges of the shoals following the bait. On Friday, we went out there and found the bait squashed into this vee in the shoal. There were fish skyrocketing on the bait pods everywhere, and that’s where we pulled out the 39.3, in about 20 feet of water on the edge of the dropoff. We actually had three fish over 25 on the first day,” he reported.

However, the second day of fishing would be a different story. “It was like pulling teeth, trying to get a decent fish,” Mistretta said. “The water had turned muddy and the kings really scattered.” The Jaws Too had to wait until nearly 4 PM before finally boating their second fish of the tournament, a 20.7 pounder. That would be enough for second place with a total aggregate of 60 pounds even, all from a new triple-Yamaha powered Donzi 35 that made its’ tournament debut just a few short weeks ago in Biloxi. What a way to break in a new boat!

Linwood and Brad Clark would be the highest-finishing local Pro team in the final event of the season, winning third aboard the Thumpin with 56.7 pounds. “We felt pretty confident that we could catch a decent fish or two here, since it’s in our backyard,” Linwood Clark said later. “But that northeast wind wouldn’t let us get across the shoals, so we fished in the hook with pretty much everyone else. We were just lucky enough to pull out two good ones.” After boating a 29.6 on the first day, they returned to the Cape in search of another fish on Day Two. A quick phone call from a teammate had the Thumpin team running another couple miles offshore, where they bagged a 27.1 on a toplined pogy for a total aggregate of 56.7 pounds for the weekend. The Thumpin is a Mercury-powered Donzi.

Another member of the Donzi team, past Angler of the Year Joe Bruce and the Angling Pursuits, won fourth place overall in Morehead. The northeast wind had the team thinking of making the long run to the Cape Fear River channel far to the south, but instead they elected to fish in the Dead Tree Hole off the beach for their fish. They stayed there most all day, catching a short, fat 28 pounder on a ribbonfish and releasing numerous other smaller kings. “There was a pogy boat catching bait off the beach that afternoon, so we decided to go ahead and catch bait then for the next day,” Bruce said.

The next day, the Angling Pursuits team headed back to the Dead Tree Hole, bagging a 24 and change for a total score of 52.6 pounds for the weekend. Bruce also aided fellow Donzi teammates Roy Byrd and Bear Croft on Day Two. “We called in the Wild Injun once we caught our fish. Roy and Bear stayed right there even after we left, and they finally caught their big fish just after four in the afternoon. Those guys just never quit early!”

Sandy Smith and Matt Pitman had high expectations going into this year’s Pro Tour competition. However, they would meet with some disappointment this season despite having a successful season on the divisional level. “We thought we could do a little better in the Pros, but when you’re fishing on such a competitive level as we are it’s hard to get your hopes up too high. And we both had a great season fishing the divisional tournaments,” Smith said. The Gatorbait team rolled into Morehead the night before the tournament, ready to fish. Day One found them at the Hook, where they went 15 for 16 on kings, boating a 28.8 that kept them in the running. However, the changing conditions proved challenging for the Mercury-powered Fountain team. “The swell pushed the bait around a lot,” Smith reported. “It was just tough fishing on the second day. Then we got a call from Skippy [Clayton Kirby] from the shipping channel--he had just boated a decent fish, so we ran in there and got a 23.” Both fish hit pogies fished on top, with few strikes coming on the team’s ribbonfish during the weekend. Their aggregate of 52.1 rounded out the top five.

The 2000 Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour again proved to be the premier showcase for tournament king mackerel fishing this year. Even though the series was faced with rough weather and some changes in venues, the fishermen responded by doing what they do best--locating and catching big kings, and putting on one heck of a show in the process. As of press time, there are some changes still in store for the 2001 Pro Tour series. We will continue to fine-tune the Pro trail to make sure that it remains the biggest and best in saltwater tournament sportfishing, so look for a Pro tournament coming soon to a port near you.

Final Standings
(Two Day, Two Fish Aggregate Score)

1. TEAM YELLOWFIN...............................63.0 Yellowfin/Mercury David Van Lent Wylie Nagler John StromeDan Hockett 2. JAWS TOO............................60.0 Donzi/Yamaha Dave Mistretta David Heavenridge Evan Morgan 3. THUMPIN’...................................56.7 Donzi/Mercury Linwood Clark Brad Clark 4. ANGLING PURSUITS....................52.6 Donzi/Mercury Joe Bruce David Fulford Mark Yokely 5. GATORBAIT................................52.1 Fountain/Mercury Sandy Smith Matt Pitman 6. TEAM CREATIVE............................49.6 Intrepid/Mercury Joe Verilla Ron Kien George Garrastazu 7. OBSESSED.......................49.1 Fountain/Mercury Jeff Lee David Blalock 8. WENDY SEA.......................47.2 Contender/Yamaha Kenny Smith Todd Stafford Chris Ford 9. WILD INJUN..................................46.9 Donzi/Mercury Roy Byrd Bear Croft 10. BIG BAD WOLF...........................45.1 Contender/Yamaha Stacy Wester Clay Walkerv	11. 1/2 LIT........................44.7 Fountain/Mercury Mike Jones Toby Fulford 12. DEALER’S CHOICE..............................44.6 Contender/Yamaha Mike Causley Ike Mauldin David Stevens 13. FOUNTAIN VENGEANCE............................43.6 Fountain/Mercury Clayton Kirby Bryan Gillikin Russ Russell 14. JUST NATURAL......................41.9 ProLine/Mercury Richard Chapman Randall Riggs Margaret Chapman Frank Pope 15. KILL-N-ME...........................41.3 ProLine/Mercury Howard Poe Josh Poe Kent Sanderson 16. HOOLIGAN.......................41.3 Contender/Yamaha Joe Winslow David Haines Diane Brooks 17. GET REEL.............................40.3 Century/Yamaha Lee McCurdy Stephanie McCurdy Phillip Waters 18. LOOSE LUCY..........................40.0 ProLine/Mercury Mike Kaminsky Susan Kaminsky Kevin Hoffman 19. WILD TURKEY............................39.8 Wellcraft/Mercury Rick Smith Tony Thaw Spec Thompson 20. VICTORIA’S SECRET.......................39.2 Contender/Yamaha Ricky Raleigh Vicky Raleigh

Jaws Too Wins Yamaha Pro Tour
Sam White, Southern Kingfish Association
September 18, 2000

Biloxi, MS—The Jaws Too team, captained by Dave Mistretta, won the fourth leg of the Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour today in Biloxi, Mississippi. Mistretta ran the Yamaha-powered Donzi 35 well offshore in the six- to eight-foot plus seas today, returning early to the scales at Point Cadet Marina with the largest kingfish of the day, a whopping 47.0 pounder.

“It was really rough out there,” he reported. “It took us almost three hours to get back out to the spot we had located the fish yesterday. We only fished for a little while, then we decided to come on home.” For their efforts, the Jaws Too team will return to their home port of Indian Rocks Beach, Florida with over $30,000 in cash.

The Day One leaders, Creighton Parker’s Rag Tag team, wound up in second place overall. They had the biggest fish of the tournament, a 51.2 pounder caught yesterday, but could only manage a 30.5 pound king mackerel today.

The Pro Tour has an aggregate format, forcing the teams to weigh in their biggest king mackerel each day of the two-day event. The scores are then totaled to determine the overall winner. The Rag Tag, based in Pensacola, Florida, is a Yamaha-powered Contender boat.

The En Fuego, captained by Stewart Montgomery, took third in the Pro Tour with a combined score of 76.1 pounds. They returned today with a 35.4 pounder to go with their 40.7 pound fish from Day One. The En Fuego team hails from Wilmington, North Carolina.

Geoff Everhart and the Fish Boys team found fourth place with a total score of 75 pounds even, followed by Steve Shook’s Team Thunder in fifth with 74.1 pounds.

The fifth and final stop on the Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour will be in two weeks in Morehead City, NC. The overall winner of the Pro Tour will be declared the SKA’s Top Angler of the Year, the most prestigious award in saltwater sportfishing today.

Even though Parker’s Rag Tag team couldn’t find a larger fish today, they still held on to win the McConnell GMC King Classic, part of the SKA’s Mercury Tournament Trail. This tournament’s format is the biggest fish of the weekend, and that went to Parker and his team with their 51.2 pound kingfish from Day One. They wisely elected to fish in both events, and that decision paid off handsomely for the Pensacola-based team. For their efforts, they will take home a new 23-foot ProLine boat powered by a 250 hp. Mercury outboard motor and resting atop a Loadmaster custom aluminum trailer.

Second place in the GMC tournament went to the King Buster team captained by Fred Hoyt. The Bluffton, South Carolina team nailed a 49.5 pound kingfish yesterday.

Ocean Isle Beach’s Brant McMullen won third place with a 49.3 pound king mackerel, also caught yesterday.

All three of the top finishers in the GMC tournament compete from Yamaha-powered Contender boats, giving that manufacturer the sweep. The top team in the Class of 23 and Under, designed for boats less than 23 feet in length, went to Bob and Robin Cathey on the Last Minute. They are based out of Jacksonville, Florida. The top lady angler for the tournament was Stephanie McCurdy from the Get Reel team, with their 48.3 pound fish.

Final Standings
Boat Name, Capt. Name, Home Port, Biggest Kingfish in Pounds

1. JAWS TOO, Dave Mistretta, Indian Rocks Bch FL, 86.5 2. RAG TAG, Creighton Parker, Pensacola FL, 81.7 3. EN FUEGO, Stewart Montgomery, Wilmington NC, 76.1 4. FISH BOYS, Geoff and Brian Everhart, St. Pete FL, 75.0 5. TEAM THUNDER, Steve Shook, Galliano LA, 74.1	6. KWAZAR, Marcus Kennedy, Mobile AL, 73.2 7. BIG BAD WOLF, Stacy Wester, Wilmington NC, 71.5 8. THAT’S MY DOG, Forrest Taylor, Ocean Isle Bch NC, 71.3 9. WILD BILL, Bill Hopkins, Lexington NC, 71.3 10. GET REEL, Lee McCurdy, Glennville GA, 70.8

 

Attitude Adjuster Takes Georgetown Win
Team Leads Pro Tour for Wellcraft Boats
Sam White, Southern Kingfish Association
August 7, 2000

Georgetown, SC—David and Kevin Murphy and Bob “Radar” Townsend will be the first to tell you that luck doesn’t hurt in tournament king mackerel fishing. They were able to use a pinch tossed their way to win the Georgetown leg of the Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour. The win also catapulted the Team Wellcraft boat into the lead for Top Anglers of the Year honors, with several good kings on their side of the gunwale, not to mention the $30,000 in cash they picked up for the win. But they were nearly dead in the water from the start.

David Murphy picks up the tale from there. “We had boated a decent fish yesterday (Day One) and were starting for home when the oil pump on one motor shorted out. The alarms went off and the motor would only run at 2000 RPMs.” Murphy, being mechanically inclined, quickly diagnosed the problem but was unable to repair the shorted pump. “I still thought we could make it in time since we left early. But as we approached the jetty, I knew we would have to cut the corner to make up some ground. That’s when the other prop on the good motor hit the rocks!”

The Mercury-powered Wellcraft continued on, with everyone on board crossing their fingers. The team was only a couple miles out, with the weigh in docks in sight and the clock running, when it happened: the prop spun on the remaining engine. All they could do was limp home at a stately 6 knots and hope for the best. They checked in with five minutes to spare and were one of the last boats to weigh fish on the first day, but they made it count with a fat king that scaled 33 pounds even.

They were in the running, but still had to get the Attitude Adjuster repaired and ready to fish in just a few short hours. Chris Christensen from Preferred Marine jumped to work, repairing the shorted pump, replacing the busted prop and even changing the spark plugs to get the team back in the game. Day Two found them offshore of the CR6 buoy by four miles. “We caught about a fifteen pound dink right at the buoy and then went hunting,” Townsend said later. “That’s when we got the big fish, away from the fleet and offshore.” The biggest fish of the weekend hit a double pogy rig trolled in the Scarab’s propwash. Angler Kevin Murphy, a past Top Junior Angler of the Year, battled the fish for 35 minutes before it came to the boat. “We really owe it to Mercury and Chris,” David said. “Without them, we couldn’t have gone out there the second day. They deserve a lot of credit for our win.” The fish would also be enough for the Tailwalker King Sting divisional win.

The first day leader was the Vamoose, captained by Randy Crabtree and home ported in Jacksonville, Florida. The Vamoose team of Crabtree, Roy Boone, Paul Dozier, Donna Gowen and Tara Tuten were in early on Day One with a nice 37.40 pound kingfish on the triple Yamaha-powered Contender 36. They would hold the lead for few short hours, but were also determined to return for another nice fish on Day Two. “We were with the fleet at the 6CR before the thunderstorm hit,” Randy said. “We moved off a bit more just to keep the bow into the wind when the fish hit a propwash bait. I mean, the wind must have been blowing 40 knots. So we ran in, weighed the fish, and watched the rest of the weigh in to see who we had to beat on the next day.”

The team returned to the same spot as the day before, having saved the location in the boat’s GPS. The conditions looked favorable, with plenty of bait marking on the recorder. A smashing strike announced the arrival of yet another nice king mackerel. “We had to maneuver around some other boats,” Randy reported. “In fact, I should thank Sandy and Matt on the Gatorbait--they saw us hooked up and cleared their lines for us. We pulled our second fish literally right off their transom.” The team then went inshore to fish out the day at the inlet jetties, hoping for a winner, when they received a call from Matt Pitman saying that the Attitude Adjuster was already at the scales. “You could have knocked me over with a feather. But second is still a great finish, especially fishing against the best,” Crabtree said later. The Vamoose moved into sixth place in the Top Angler of the Year standings following Georgetown.

The Wild Turkey team was able to put a second Mercury-powered Team Wellcraft boat in the tournament’s top five spots, winning third with a two-fish, two-day aggregate of 54.20 pounds. Rick Smith, Spec Thompson and Tony Thaw boated a 29.10 on the first day of the tournament, then returned to Georgetown Landing Day Two with a 25.10 pound kingfish, good for an aggregate score of 54.20 pounds. The team moved into ninth overall in the Top Angler of the Year standings as well. Smith reported that the Wellcraft boats had divided prefishing duties, knowing that some areas had produced fish the week before. Day One of the tournament saw them off the shoals at Cape Romain working bait pods. “We found some good concentrated bait and fished around them,” he said. “That’s where we got our 29. Then the next day we followed another boat to Charleston and worked our way home.” After picking up several good points fish in that area, the team received a call from the Murphys on the Attitude Adjuster. They had just boated their fish at the CR6, so the Turkey boat steamed over to the spot and promptly pulled out a 25.10 that turned out to be slightly bigger than the fish already aboard. “We had expected some stronger fishing, but we did the best we could. The team effort really paid off for us and for Wellcraft during the weekend,” Smith reported.

The Wild Bill team of Bill, Sarah and Jerry Hopkins, fishing with Johnny Hudson, found fourth place in the tournament fishing the Georgetown reef just 8 miles offshore. However, fate would deny them their shot at the win, for the time being at least. They encountered a smoker kingfish on Day One. Bill related the wild story: “The fish hit a short bait and we all saw that it was a real good fish so we decided to let it run, not rush him to the boat, and make just one solid gaff shot. After about 40 minutes, I saw the biggest dorsal fin I’ve ever seen--at least three feet tall.” A huge shark, estimated at fourteen feet in length, inhaled the entire king in nearly one bite, ending the fight for Sarah Hopkins in disappointment. However, they were able to rebound from their disbelief to scale a 19.95 to stay in the race.

Day Two saw them returning over the spot in their Mercury-powered Donzi 32. “We found some Spanish feeding over a good live bottom, and we’ve caught good fish in similar conditions, so we felt confident there would be a good fish there.” A good strike on a ribbonfish pulled deep just off the bottom had angler Sarah hooked up again. “It took her a little while to get that one in, and we were all wondering where that big shark had gone. We knew he was still around somewhere, but we got the fish in the boat intact,” Bill reported. The 33.10 was enough to move them up into the top five for the event, and from oblivion into twenty-eighth on the Yamaha Pro Tour. If the Gulf is kind to them, expect a late season charge from this hard-fishing family team.

Denny Spence and Steve Walton rounded out the top five on the Greenville Marine boat, a Mercury-powered Fountain. Spence had prefished with Gary and Elizabeth Unger off the In The Red before the tournament, having found decent fish at the CR6 buoy. Spence said, “We got lucky and caught bait early, before most of the other fleet. One good throw on a flip and we floated the net. That turned out to be the key, getting there for the early bite. The big fish shut down after 9 AM both days.” They scaled a 26.50 on Day One and returned with a 25.95 on the second day for a great aggregate of 52.45 pounds and fifth overall. They only have three fish to their credit so far, but be careful. A good season in the Gulf, and they move into their home waters off North Carolina for the season finale of the Pro Tour. Anything could happen with these guys.

By all reports, the teams enjoyed themselves immensely during this, the halfway point in the 2000 Pro Tour season. Stuart Ballard went out of the way to provide entertainment, drinks and dinner for everyone at the close of each day’s activities, a move that was appreciated by all involved. The combination of good facilities, nearby hotels and restaurants and a well-organized and run event proved to be a winner for all who participated. The teams will now move to Biloxi and the Gulf of Mexico for the next pivotal leg of the Tour, to finish up late this season in Morehead City, NC--the site of the 2000 SKA National Championships. It will be an exciting finish this year, one that will likely come down to the last hour of the last day of the Tour, so stay tuned.

Final Standings
(Two Fish Aggregate Score)

1. ATTITUDE ADJUSTER.................................73.10 Wellcraft/Mercury David Murphy Kevin Murphy Bob Townsend 2. VAMOOSE......................................63.40 Contender/Yamaha Randy Crabtree Roy Boone Paul Dozier Donna Gowen Tara Tuten 3. WILD TURKEY................................54.20 Wellcraft/Mercury Rick Smith Tony Thaw Spec Thompson 4. WILD BILL...............................53.05 Donzi/Mercury Bill Hopkins Jerry Hopkins Sarah Hopkins Johnny Hudson 5. GREENVILLE MARINE..........................52.45 Fountain/Mercury Steve Walton Denny Spence 6. KING SIZE...................................52.30 Contender/Yamaha Rick Ryan Joel Wood 7. GOTCHA.............................49.10 Contender/Yamaha Darren Carter Jason English Byron Blue 8. GATORBAIT........................................47.95 Fountain/Mercury Sandy Smith Matt Pitman 9. WHITE LIGHTNING....................46.90 Donzi/Mercury Harold Heglar John Hattfield Paul Lewis 10. LOOSE LUCY V..........................................46.20 ProLine/Mercury Mike Kaminsky Susan Kaminsky Kevin Hoffman Doc Martin	11. WARRIOR.....................................46.75 Donzi/Mercury L.A. Denzer John Lee Ingram 12. TEAM DUPREZ.........................45.50 Donzi/Mercury Don Workman Kerry Townsend Mike Collins 13. WILD INJUN.....................................44.85 Donzi/Mercury Roy Byrd Bear Croft 14. CAROLINA GIRL...............................44.55 Donzi/Mercury Glenn Slaughter Gary Slaughter April Slaughter 15. MEAN C.................................44.30 Contender/Yamaha Buddy Hucks Field Hucks Eddie Cameron 16. KILL-N-ME..........................43.30 ProLine/Mercury Howard Poe Josh Poe Kent Sanderson 17. DEALER’S CHOICE...............................42.80 Contender/Yamaha Robbie Murray Ike Mauldin Mike Causley David Stevens 18. BARELY LEGAL.................................42.70 Contender/Yamaha Tommy Rady Mark Titus Bian Bushloper Guy Preston 19. C&H LURES...................................41.90 Donzi/Mercury Dave Workman Wendell Nolan

Reel Nauti Wins Savannah Leg of the Yamaha Pro Tour
Sam White, Southern Kingfish Association
July 10, 2000

Savannah, GA—The husband and wife team of Dean and Angelique Nichols returned to the weigh-in dock today with yet another good kingfish aboard their Yamaha-powered Contender, the Reel Nauti. The team was in ninth place after the first day of fishing, but the tournament’s two-day aggregate format required the teams to return to sea today. The top team would have to have one big king mackerel during each day of the event, and the Reel Nauti was certainly up to the task. They returned to the Port Royal area early this morning and were one of the first boats in line to weigh in at the tournament site on River Street. “I don’t know if our fish will be enough, but we certainly gave it our best shot.” The Wilmington, NC-based team won over $30,000 in cash for their ‘best shot’ during the tournament.

Second place fell to the La Perla team, captained by Randy Keys. Junior anglers Cody and Kyle Chivas were on board during both days, landing a 21.2 pound kingfish on Day One, and a 32 pounder on the second day of fishing. The La Perla is a Yamaha-powered Donzi, home-ported in Madiera Beach, Florida.

Another boat from Florida’s west coast placed third in the tournament. Ron Kien and Joe Verilla put the Team Creative in the tournament’s third spot with a total aggregate score of 51.9 pounds for their best two fish.

The Savannah Coastal Empire Kingfish Tournament also took place today, and was open to anyone interested in competing. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina’s Mean C team, captained by Buddy and Field Hucks, won that event with a 35.1 pound king mackerel. They also chose to fish the Port Royal area to locate their winner. The top prize in that tournament is a 19-foot Yamaha-powered Century boat and Loadmaster trailer. The Mean C is one of the new Contender 36-foot center console fishing boats, powered by three Yamaha 250 horsepower outboard motors. The Roadrunner, captained by Michael Karwacki, won the event’s 23-foot and under class, designed for boats under 23 feet in length. Their prize is a Yamaha-powered Buddy J skiff, also with a Loadmaster trailer. The top divisional fishermen in Georgia will be invited to compete in the Southern Kingfish Association’s prestigious National Championship, to be held in Morehead City, North Carolina later this year. Both the Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour and the Savannah Coastal Empire tournaments are sanctioned by the SKA.

Final Standings
Boat Name, Capt. Name, Home Port, Biggest Kingfish in Pounds

1. Reel Nauti....Dean Nichols....Wilmington, NC.....55.5 2. La Perla...Randy Keys...Madiera Beach, FL....53.2 3. Team Creative....Ron Kien....Tampa, FL......51.9 4. Yellowfin......David Van Lent....Blr Beach, FL.......51.9 5. Fish’d In......Greg Holmes.....Myrtle Bch, SC.....50.9	6. King Size.....Rick Ryan.....Hilton Head, SC.....49.5 7. Hooligan.....Joe Winslow....Ocracoke, NC.......49.1 8. AJ’s Bimini....John Holley....Destin, FL.....48.3 9. Attitude Adjuster...David Murphy...Eld Isle, NC...47.1 10. My Three Sons..Terry Grantham..Florence, SC..44.1

 

New Century Boats Team Predator Wins First Leg of 2000 Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour
Sam White, Southern Kingfish Association
January 29, 2000

KEY WEST, Florida—The Panama City Florida team of Danny Roberson, Rick Carrie and Robert Barris won the first leg of the Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour in Key West, Florida in grand style. Fishing aboard a brand new Yamaha-powered Century center console, the team scaled a 39.7 pound kingfish on the first day of fishing yesterday. That kept them in the running in seventh place, but the newest members of the Century Boats Pro Team went to sea on Day Two looking for bigger and better fish. The Predator was one of several teams into the weigh-in site early, hoping their second big king mackerel of the weekend was big enough. "We fished the Tail End both days hoping to catch a couple good fish," Roberson reported. "Today, that fish hit the first bait in the water. There was a strong bite first thing, then it shut down, he said. When the digital scales settled on 53.4 pounds, the team realized they were now in the driver's seat. Predator's 39.7 pounder on Day One gave them an aggregate score of 93.1 points. They could only wait and watch for the first day's leaders to unload their single biggest king of the day.

Only Marcus Kennedy's Mobile, Alabama-based Kwazar team came close all day. Leading the first day of the two-day event with a 53.8 pound smoker kingfish, they scaled a 37.8 pounder on Day Two to score a two-day aggregate of 91.6 pounds. They were just a pound and a half from the win. "We fished north of the Tortugas both days, near the same place that produced fish for us last year," Kennedy said.

David Van Lent's Marsh Harbor Marina team finished third in the tournament. The Belleair Beach, FL team rebounded from sixteenth place on Day One by scaling a fat 51.3 pounder on the second day of the tournament. Van Lent and company are hot coming into this year's Pro Tour, finishing second in the 1999 SKA National Championships. Their Mercury-powered Fountain wound up the event with a score of 82.9 pounds.

For their efforts, the winners took home the Yamaha Pro Tournament's top prize of $30,000 cash, in addition to a beautiful carved stone and teakwood trophy. Century Vice-President Bob Dardenne was on hand to personally congratulate the winning team. "I can't believe it," he exclaimed, "we put four teams on the water in new boats and one of them wins [Key West]." Roberson and the crew of the new Century 28 praised the boat's speed and ride in the rough conditions, as well as their reliable Yamaha outboards, for the win.

For more information or photos from the first leg of the 2000 Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour in Key West, contact Sam White or Jack Holmes at 904-827-1400, or email to sokingfish@aol.com

Final Standings
Boat Name, Capt. Name, Home Port, Biggest Kingfish in Pounds

1. PREDATOR, Danny Roberson, Panama City FL, 93.1 2. KWAZAR, Marcus Kennedy, Mobile AL, 91.6 3. MARSH HARBOR MARINA, David Van Lent, Blr FL, 82.9 4. HOG HEAVEN, DuWayne Crofton, Tampa FL, 74.6 5. HEATHER RENEE, Larry Fowlor, N. Myrtle Bch SC, 66.5 6. CONSTANT THREAT, Gordon Rogers, Brnswick GA, 66.5 7. FISH FEVER, Ed Mecchella, St. Simons Island GA, 65.1 8. ANGLING PURSUITS, Joe Bruce. Fernandina FL, 62.7 9. WILD TURKEY, Rick Smith, Brunswick GA, 62.6 10. DEUCES WILD, Andy CoIson Darlen GA, 62.1	11. GOTCHA, Darren Carter, St. Augustine FL, 60.2 12. FISH BOY/TEAM HOOTERS, Brian Everhart, St.P FL, 58.4 13. KILL-N-ME, Howard Poe, South Brunswick NC, 57.4 14. FISHIN' ADDITION, Charles Getsinger, Hilton H SC, 56.8 15. OBSESSED, Jeff Lee, Ocean lsle Beach NC, 56.8 16. BIG BAD WOLF, Stacy Wester, Wi!mington NC, 55.9 17. THUNDERHEAD, Torn Butts, Brandon FL, 55.8 18. WENDY SEA, Michael Kennedy, Mobile AL, 55.1 19. AJ'S BIMINI, John Holley, Destin FL, 55.0

Yamaha Pro Kingfish Tour Kicks Off 2000 Season in Key West
Sam White, Southern Kingfish Association
January 28, 2000

KEY WEST, Florida—The Southern Kingfish Association's 2000 season of the Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour kicked off Friday morning at 6:30 AM in Key West, Florida.

While much of the East Coast was suffering under extreme cold conditions, 94 professional teams hit the water today in search of tournament-winning kingfish. The tour is sanctioned by the SKA, and those on the Pro Tour have qualified through strong divisional competition for the rights to do so.

Marcus Kennedy's Mobile, Alabama-based Kwazar team was atop the leader board when the scales officially closed Friday, have boated a monstrous 53.8-pound kingfish during the first day of the two-day event. Fishing aboard a 31-foot Yamaha-powered Contender, Kennedy elected to fish an area to the west known as the "Tail End", making his way to the weigh-in site at Ski Lake by 3:00 PM in order to scale his fish.

The six-foot seas and 15-knot winds made fishing tough, but the team was able to boat their big king by 10:00 AM. First to the scales today was Fred Hoyt's Kingbuster, another Yamaha-powered Contender boat. The Bluffton, South Carolina team of Hoyt, Sam Britt and Ray Goethe also fished the Tail End. The Kingbuster crew held their breath as the digital scale finally settled on 47.7 pounds, giving them second place after day one.

Another South Carolina team, Larry Fowler's Heather Renee, also boated a good kingfish on day one. They came in to unload their fish, putting a 42.6-pounder on their side of the scoreboard and taking third place. Fourth place fell to the En Fuego team of Stewart and Joe Montgomery of Wilmington, North Carolina with a 42.4-pound king caught fishing the Tail End. Georgia's Constant Threat team of Gordon Rogers and Spud Woodward rounded out the top five aboard the Mercury-powered Fountain with a 42.1-pounder.

The Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour has a two fish format, with teams weighing in their single best king mackerel during each day of the two-day event. One point per pound is scored, with the winner having the highest two-day, two fish aggregate score.

At stake during this year's competition is $30,000 in cash for the winning team, with a total purse of $95,000 up for grabs. The Pro Tour pays through 19 places. The scales open at 3:00 PM on Saturday, with all boats returning to the docks by 5:00 PM.

Saturday's competition marks the second day of competition for the pros, and it is also the first day of the two-day Hog's Breath King Mackerel Tournament. An SKA-sanctioned Division Ten tournament, the Hog's Breath is offering the winner a choice of either $10,000 cash or a 19-foot Wellcraft boat, motor and trailer.

Final Standings
Boat Name, Capt. Name, Home Port, Biggest Kingfish in Pounds

1. Kwazar, Marcus Kennedy, Mobile, AL, 53.8 2. Kingbuster, Fred Hoyt, Bluffton, SC, 47.7 3. Heather Renee, Larry Fowler, N. Myrtle Beach, SC, 42.6 4. En Fuego, Stewart Montgomery, Wlimington, NC, 42.4 5. Constant Threat, Gordon Rogers, Brunswick, GA, 42.1 6. Deuces Wild, Andy Colson, Darien, GA, 41.8 7. Predator, Danny Roberson, Panama City Beach, FL, 39.7 8. Voyager, Randy Comans, St. Petersburg, FL, 39.7 9. Kill-n-Me, Howard Poe, South Brunswick, NC, 36.2 10. Fish Fever, Ed Mecchella, St. Simons Island, GA, 36.1	11. The Chase, Chris Chase, Stanwood, MI, 34.5 12. 1/2 Lit, Mike Jones, Wilmington, NC, 34.3 13. Wild Turkey, Rick Smith, Brunswick, GA, 34.2 14. Team Duprez, Donald Workman, S. Ponte Vedra, FL, 33.4 15. Wendy Sea, Michael Kennedy, Mobile, AL, 31.8 16. Marsh Harbor Marina, David Van Lent, Belleair, FL, 31.6 17. Rat Pak, Darren Ratley, Myrtle Beach, SC, 31.4 18. Fish Boy/Team Hooters, Geoffrey Everhart, St. Pete, FL, 31.2 19. Thunderhead, Tom Butts, Brandon, FL, 28.6 20. Hog Heaven, DuWayne Crofton, Tampa, FL, 28.1