(* Denotes a Class of 23 Team)

HIGH WINDS CANCEL KINGFISH OPEN
by Ed Killer

When there are whitecaps in the Indian River, it's a safe bet that the Atlantic Ocean is standing on its ear.
A Small Craft Advisory forecast to last throughout the weekend and into early next week was issued Wednesday by the National Weather Service in Melbourne, Fla. The forecast for 6 to 8 foot seas combined with a large easterly swell forced Fort Pierce Kingfish Open tournament director and Fort Pierce Sportfishing Club president Sandy Smith to cancel the fourth annual event.

Anywhere from 80 to 150 teams - half of which hailed from out of town ports - were expected to compete for the $24,000 purse Saturday and Sunday. At the time, Smith said he does not foresee the FPSC rescheduling the tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the 10,000-member Southern Kingfish Association, the nation's premier offshore saltwater tournament trail. The SKA will host its annual National Championships in Fort Pierce Nov. 30 - Dec. 3 later this year when some 300 boats will be invited from all over the southeastern United States.

The Fort Pierce Kingfish Open was the third event of five in competition Division 10 on the SKA's Mercury Tournament Trail. Many anglers were looking forward to the strong king mackerel fishery near Fort Pierce to produce a catch upwards of 30 pounds to aid in their qualification bid for nationals.

"We had to cancel the tournament in the interest of safety to the fishermen," Smith said. "We already returned entry fees and due to scheduling conflicts throughout the remainder of the season, the Fort Pierce Sportfishing Club will not be able to produce this event this year."

The next tournament produced by the FPSC will be the 20th annual Fort Pierce Open that fishes June 29 and 30. The next SKA Mercury Tournament Trail Division 100 tournament will be the Daytona Kingfish Brawl May 18-19.

BLUE RUNNER NETS SECOND DIVISION 10 WIN IN FINALE
By Ed Killer, SKA Florida Field Editor
August 29, 2001

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. - True to form, the finale of the 2001 Division 10 season that was came to a close with all the subtlety of a space shuttle launch at nearby NASA.

The two-day Canaveral Kingfish Classic hosted 122 entries of which 45 had their sights set on a bigger goal: making good on their final shot at qualification for the SKA National Championships in the Southeastern Florida division. By weekend’s end, a couple of dozen boats had happily succeeded in that endeavor. On the other hand, a handful of others were left on the outside looking in.

One well-known divisional competitor accentuated its story-book run through the league with its second win of the year. Blue Runner, the Yamaha-powered 27 Contender captained by Chris Blackwell, put up a nice king on the first day of fishing, but found the one they wanted Sunday to collect the $10,000 cash prize. Blackwell, wife Becky, brother Mark, brother-in-law Brandon Langel, and family friend Fred Davis found a 38.95-pound king mackerel in home waters off Fort Pierce to add to their already magical year.

"We made the 80-mile run (one way) down to South Beach to start with where there had been a good bite up until last week," said Mark Blackwell. "But the water was pretty dirty there, so we pulled up and moved north until we found a spot with some good clean water. That’s where we found our fish." Mark said the water was clear enough that they were able to catch some blue runners right where they caught the king. But they all felt as though they had come up empty on the potential tourney-winner an hour before getting their eventual winner.

"We had a hit earlier that stripped off 150 to 200 yards of line and fought like a big king," Mark explained. "But it bit through the wire. We thought that was the only shot we were going to get with as slow as fishing was."

For Blue Runner, it was a picturesque close to a wild run in Division 10. Canaveral served as Blue Runner’s second divisional win this year and second career SKA win. The big fish also catapulted Becky Blackwell all the way to the top in the division’s Top Lady Angler race. After giving birth to Chris and her’s first child, Becky rejoined the team in May just in time to net the 51.05 points from their winner in Daytona. She followed that with a 23-pounder in the one-day Fort Pierce makeup and the 38.95 sent her over the top of Sundance Marine’s Debbie Reiland.

The Canaveral fish also enabled Blue Runner to drop its Key West king from the season opener. Blue Runner was saddled with a 34-pounder at the Hog’s Breath when everyone else atop the division had something in the 40’s and 50’s. Yet with 128.8 points, Blue Runner only managed fourth in what turned out to be an epic year in D-10.

Gatorbait’s Sandy Smith of Fort Pierce successfully held off late charges by Hannon’s Cannon and Pilgrim to win his first Division 10 title with an unfathomable 141.6 pounds. Gatorbait entered the Fort Pierce and Canaveral tournaments with a 40-pound drop fish and was unable to find one bigger, but his 47.2-pound average for an Atlantic-fished division in the SKA likely sets a standard that is unlikely to fall in coming years.

Hannon’s Cannon captained by Kevin Hannon of Seminole, Fla. finished with 137.7 pounds while Cocoa Beach entry Pilgrim led by Keith McCullar posted an amazing 130.8 pounds for third in the division. Nine boats in the overall length category finished above the century mark and it took better than 92 pounds just to qualify.

Jeff Aycock and crew aboard Miss Leigh Anne managed to stay on top of the D-10 23 and Under division from wire to wire this year buoyed by their 44.0-pound Key West fish.

The top rod battle in the Lady Angler division for D-10 went right down to the final day as well where no less than four different women held the division leader’s spot between Key West and Canaveral. After leading through the previous two events, angler Debbie Reiland of Sundance Marine was bumped out of the winner’s position on the final day by Becky Blackwell’s big fish. After giving birth to the Blackwell’s first child in March, Blackwell returned to action during the Daytona Kingfish Brawl in mid-May where she helped her team find a 51.05-pound winning king. Her division total of 113.4 broke the heart of Reiland who finished runner-up with 111.15. Ambitious’ Dorothy Riley finished with 93.95, one-time ladies’ leader Marilyn Bunce on Early Riser ended with 93.6, Hog Jaw’s Glena Maggart tallied 92.85, and one-time league leader Patsy Stancil of Whopper Stopper had 92.25.

Brad Butler, 15, collected the SKA Wellcraft Top Junior Angler honors for the tournament with his 31.75-pound slab caught with dad, Dave aboard Season Ticket, also a 23 and Under division competitor. The father-son team from Jacksonville takes pride in being able to qualify for nationals in the 23 and under category in their first year of fishing on their own.

Justin Reed on First Shot added a 22.75-pound king for 71.2 pounds overall to win the Division 10 Top Junior Angler distinction. Chelsea Lau of Whopper Stopper had a 21.75-pounder to finish second overall with 57.0 pounds. Just 0.2 pounds behind was young Katherine Scharfswerdt of 23 and Under with 56.8 thanks to her 20.20-pound Canaveral king.

Kudos to the staff of weigh-in host Rusty’s Seafood and Oyster Bar who safely maneuvered 122 tournament boats in and out of docking quarters made close by a nearby bulkhead construction project. John Conlon and his team of organizers did a excellent job in producing a quality tournament that some anglers hope will become a mainstay of future Division 10 schedules.

Final Standings

1. 38.95, BLUE RUNNER, CHRIS BLACKWELL 2. 38.85, Obsession 3. 38.40, EASY MONEY, D, FULFORD 4. 36.10, KINGBUSTER, FRED HOYT 5. 35.95, High Tailin	6. 35.85, Sandy Lynn 7. 35.75, Spaceman 8. 34.90, Playin Hooky 9. 34.75, KING PIN, GREG SAMUEL 10. 34.36, PILGRIM, KEITH McCULLAR
CLASS OF 23 & Under: 33.6, MARK WHITMIRE, GRINDER Top Junior Angler: 1. 31.75, BRAD BUTLER, SEASON TICKET 2. 22.75, JUSTIN REED, FIRST SHOT 3. 21.75, CHELSEA LAU, WHOPPER STOPPER 4. 20.20, KATHERINE SCHARFSWERDT, 23 AND UNDER Top Lady Angler: 38.95, BECKY BLACKWELL, BLUE RUNNER

 

HANNON'S CANNON HITS THE BULLSEYE AT FT. PIERCE
Ft. Pierce, FL
by Ed Killer, SKA Florida Field Editor
May 21, 2001

FORT PIERCE, FLA. - Steve Rowley, a member of the Hannon’s Cannon fishing team, lives by the credo, "Never pass a hot fish."

Just file that piece of helpful advice under the heading "How to Catch Big Kingfish."

Early Saturday morning, Rowley, Manny Galvao, and Kevin Hannon were steering their Yamaha-powered 28 Intrepid through shallow waters less than two miles south of the Fort Pierce Inlet when they saw the flash and the splash that sends the adrenaline pumping through the veins of every offshore angler: 30-something pounds of king mackerel 10 feet in the air.

They collectively agreed that this place would be a good place to fish. "We saw this huge fish skyrocket in about 35 feet of water," Hannon said. "Manny grabs a blue runner that Double Header’s John Conlon had given us, drops it into the prop wash, and says, ‘I think I got a fish on.’" "Just then - and I wish I had a picture of this - this fish comes out of the water into the air higher than our T-top. In his mouth, he has that blue runner sideways in his teeth."

Galvao battled the raging smoker for 20 minutes in a pouring rain shower before they were able to stick the gaff and bring it over the side. It was then that they realized the grumpy fish had bitten through the No. 6 wire in its teeth, and all that connected him to Galvao was the No. 4 wire and stingerhook lodged in its gill plate.

The fish stretched their scale, was on ice by 7:30, and that’s when the kingfish grapevine began burning up the cell phones. The big fish officially ended up weighing 41.6 pounds, but by midday it sounded like it was a 50. Not too far away from Hannon’s Cannon, Anthony Aracri and crew aboard Miss Analiese were rewarded with a 35.3-pound king on the 20 foot Angler/Suzuki rig.

"We saw a couple of skyrocketing fish and had plenty of action on ribbonfish we picked up at Fish Tales Bait and Tackle in Jensen Beach," Aracri said. "The big one came on a flat-lined eel, but that place was going off all day."

The Fort Pierce Open was a one-day fishing rodeo type format with $15,000 cash paid for the single heaviest fish of dolphin, wahoo or kingfish. Hannon’s Cannon missed out on the big cash by three pounds, a 44.8-pound wahoo, and was behind a 43.0 pound dolphin as well. Still, they were able to collect $2500 for the biggest king. Aracri placed third in kings winning $1000.

Hannon’s Cannon caught and released another fish estimated at 34, but many of the boats that worked that area found big kings, and valuable points. As a result there was plenty of shucking and jiving on what has developed into an epic race for qualification in Division 10. Three more boats broke the 100-pound plateau in D-10 giving this group seven teams above that mark. Three more are already in the 90’s and there is still one more tournament to fish in D-10, the two-day Port Canaveral Kingfish Classic July 27-29.

The 41.6 helped the Seminole, Fla.-based team gain ground on division leader Gatorbait led by Sandy Smith, who did not weigh a fish in the one-day Fort Pierce Open. Gatorbait’s drop fish is an amazing 40.8 pounds. Hannon’s Cannon slid from third to second with 137.7 pounds overall gaining nearly nine pounds on their drop fish. Pilgrim’s Keith McCullar also did not weigh a fish needing at least 37.2 to improve his standing at 130.8 overall.

Joining the 100 Club were Sundance Marine’s Brent Bowman and Debbie Reiland whose 28.8-pounder lift the Mercury-powered Donzi to 107.6 pounds. Double Header’s John Conlon replaced a 12.9-pound fish with an 18.85 for 103.25 pounds on the Yamaha-Mako combination. T & B found an 18.5-pound fish, the third fish for the Mercury-powered Whitewater, and now has 100.8 pounds.

Aracri’s points boosted Miss Analiese into second in the 23 and under class with 86.7 pounds overall. Miss Leigh Anne’s Jeff Aycock added a 16.75-pound fish to maintain a slim lead with 90.85 pounds.

The race for the division’s top lady angler is equally as competitive led by Sundance Marine’s Debbie Reiland with 107.6 pounds. Glenna Maggart’s 29.7-pound king gives Hog Jaw 89.1 pound overall and slips her into third in the top lady race behind Marilyn Bunce of Early Riser with 93.6 pounds.

Final Standings

1. 41.6, Hannon’s Cannon, Kevin Hannon, Seminole, FL 2. 35.3, Miss Analiese, Anthony Aracri, Polk City, FL 3. 33.1, Peeled Back, Mike Doyle, Fort Pierce, Fla. 4. 32.9, Sure Thing, Jim Walukiewicz, Fort Pierce, Fla. 5. 29.7, Hog Jaw, Jerry Maggart, Stuart, Fla.	6. 28.8, Sundance Marine, Jensen Beach, Fla. 7. 25.3, Sak’e, Neil Nix, Fort Pierce, Fla. 8. 23.4, Blue Runner, Chris Blackwell, Fort Pierce, Fla. 9. 21.25, Top Bite, Terry Seabolt 10. 21.1, Ambitious, Mark Malizia, Fort Pierce, Fla.
CLASS OF 23 & Under: 35.3, Miss Analiese, Anthony Aracri, Polk City Top Junior Angler: 35.3, Miss Analiese, Cory Bryant, Polk City, Fl. Top Lady Angler: 29.7, Glenna Maggart, Hog Jaw

 

BLUE RUNNER TOPS BRAWL WITH 50-POUNDER
Daytona, FL
by Ed KilleR, SKA Florida Field Editor
May 21, 2001

Saturday proved to be a great day for a ride up the beach. But for the crew aboard the 31-foot Contender, Blue Runner, Saturday's 130-mile ride from Fort Pierce to Daytona Beach was made a little sweeter by its' precious cargo.

Blue Runner's 51.05-pound king mackerel slammed the scale at the inaugural Daytona Kingfish Brawl to collect the $10,000 cash prize and give the third-year Mercury Tournament Trail competitors their first-ever victory in a Southern Kingfish Association sanctioned event. Brothers Chris and Mark Blackwell, Chris' wife Becky, Becky's brother Brandon Langel, and family friend Fred Davis teamed up to post the crew's largest king caught during competition anywhere.

"This was a total team effort today," said Chris who was just a week removed from a 47.3-pound, sixth place finish in the Kingmaster 100 in Biloxi, Miss.

According to Mark, the big'un couldn't have come at a better time. "We had three fish on first thing in the morning and ended up pulling the hooks on all three," he said. "We barely had time to get disappointed, though, because that fish hit right after we lost the third one."

Fishing with - what else? - blue runners, Blackwell said they worked an area between 20 and 30 feet in depth along the beach south of the Fort Pierce Inlet. The big fish fought for 30-35 minutes before coming to the gaff.

"We were stuck on 32 pounds in SKA tournaments for 2 years, it seems," said Blackwell. "That 39 in Miami finally got us off 32, and we've had big ones ever since."

The 55 boats entered in the first-year event took advantage of rules that enabled boats to check out from any inlet of their choice. A large contingent chose to go to sea via the Fort Pierce Inlet - a good 130 miles south of Daytona's Ponce Inlet. Eight of the leader board's top 10 fish - including the top six fish - ended up being caught by teams that hail from the Fort Pierce area. No doubt, this "team" of 15 or so boats is being motivated by the imagery of raising a National Championship trophy in front of the home crowd come December.

Runner-up Smackdown found a 41.05-pound king fishing next to Blue Runner, despite having to fish without the services of captain and former Blue Runner team member Christian Springsteen who was unable to spring himself from work commitments. Bryan Neill, Tony Vercillo, Von Bishop and friend covered admirably for Springsteen who was there in spirit.

As for the race for the Mercury Tournament Trail's Division 10 title, Gator Bait's 40.8-pound hoss puts Sandy Smith, the division's charter member and unofficial founder, at the top with 141.6 total points after three tournaments. Smith and teammate Anthony Guettler have averaged 47.2 pounds in each of the division's first three events setting a new SKA record for three fish in an Atlantic-fished division.

Gator Bait scored a 54.5 in Key West and legged out a 46.3 in Miami before nabbing the Daytona fish. Both the Daytona and Miami kings were hooked near Smith's home waters, the waters that will play host to this year's SKA National Championships. The amazing thing is that Gator Bait's high water mark could climb even higher with two more D-10 contests slated to fish before the end of July. Imagine having a 40.8-pound drop fish!

But the race is far from over. Hannon's Cannon out of Seminole, Fla. near Clearwater and Pilgrim from Cocoa entered the Brawl in second and third, respectively, with 96.1 and 93.6 points. Pilgrim left from Port Canaveral and landed a 37.2-pound slab off the Pelican Flats, good enough for seventh. Pilgrim now sits second in the SKA standings with 130.8 points. Meanwhile, Hannon's Cannon fished near Sebastian Inlet for their 10th place 32.2-pounder, but slipped to third with 128.3 points.

Now Blue Runner enters the fray courtesy of its big smoker leaping up to fourth with 122.25 pounds. Although T & B, Double Header, and Vamoose were unable to benefit from the Brawl, their good standing and Double Header's 64.6-pound Key Wester mean they are all still in the hunt for the top spot in D-10.

The Brawl also served as the comeback event for two of the division's accomplished anglers who have recently missed time on the water for differing reasons. Blue Runner's Becky Blackwell returned to her spot on board after celebrating the birth of the team's newest junior angler, Brady, back on April 3. Karen Smith ended her 14-month absence from the deck of Gator Bait due to back surgery.

Justin Reed collected top junior angler honors aboard First Shot which also was the best 23 and under boat in the class.

Organizers were not fazed by the small turnout and have already begun working on the 2002 version of the Daytona Kingfish Brawl. Early commitments by downtown business groups have tournament chairman Jim Scharfswerdt already working on improving what was a strong event nestled in an SKA-friendly venue, Halifax Harbor Marina.

The final two events on the Mercury Tournament Trail Division 10 schedule are the newly-re-sanctioned Fort Pierce Open, June 29-30 (fishing will be on the 30th only), and the Port Canaveral Kingfish Classic July 27-29.

Final Standings

1. 51.05, Blue Runner, Chris Blackwell, Fort Pierce 2. 41.05, Smackdown, Bryan Neill, Fort Pierce 3. 40.8, Gator Bait, Sandy Smith, Fort Pierce 4. 38.2, Hog Jaw, Jerry Maggart, Stuart 5. 37.6, Sundance Marine, Brent Bowman, Jensen Beach	6. 37.5, Offshore Warrior, Tom Kenney, Port St. Lucie 7. 37.2, Pilgrim, Keith McCullar, Cocoa 8. 34.6, Peeled Back, Mike Doyle, Fort Pierce 9. 34.0, Miller Tyme, Mickey Miller, Fort Pierce 10. 32.2, Hannon's Cannon, Kevin Hannon, Seminole
CLASS OF 23 & Under: 30.2, First Shot, Scott Reed, Jacksonville Top Junior Angler: 30.2, Justin Reed, First Shot

 

Buoy Marks the Spot for Hannon's Cannon
Ed Killer
March 19, 2001

Miami Beach, FL—The Seminole-based fishing team of Kevin Hannon, Steve Rowley and Manny Galvao have the perfect fishing spot marked just off West Palm Beach. Incidentally, anyone else who fishes there could probably locate it just as easily. And you won’t need GPS coordinates or Loran numbers to find it either. Just look for the anchor buoy.

Sunday, the guys aboard Hannon’s Cannon fished a place in 75 feet of water off West Palm where they encountered a king mackerel in the 50-pound class during a pouring rain cell. Galvao reeled in the big king, but it was 1:20 p.m. by the time Hannon hauled the slab over the side of his Yamaha-powered, 29-foot Intrepid. The problem: They needed to make it inside Government Cut before 3 p.m. in order for the catch to count in the Greater Miami King Mackerel Classic.

"We didn’t even exchange high fives until we got to the inlet," Galvao said. "We didn’t have time to weigh it either. We just untied the anchor line - left the anchor and the buoy - and started running as fast as we could in the pouring rain with no visibility."

Galvao said they knew it was a good fish because they couldn’t even get into their fish bag without bending it.

Hannon’s crew made check in by 2:45, and soon afterwards they hung the tournament-winning 49.9-pound smoker on the scales at Miami Beach Marina. The trio trailered home a 21-foot Contender center console with Yamaha outboard and Loadmaster trailer package worth about $25,000.

For Hannon, Sunday’s big fish provided the perfect cap for what had already been a great weekend, fishing wise. On Saturday, Hannon’s Cannon fiished fifth overall in the Yamaha Pro Kingfish Tour season opener with 50.5 pounds of kingfish caught Friday and Saturday.

"There was no question we were going to fish (Sunday)," Hannon said. "We started off Division 10 in Key West with a 46.0-pound fish and wanted to add to that with a bigger one to try to qualify for the [Southern Kingfish Association] National Championships."

The big fish relegated day one leader Gatorbait’s 46.3-pound king to runner-up status. Sandy Smith and Anthony Guettler of Fort Pierce, and Matt Pitman of Jacksonville ran their day-old 34 Yellowfin from Miami to Sebastian Inlet to find Saturday’s biggest kingfish. Pilgrim’s Keith McCullar of Cocoa boated a 43.7-pound king Saturday to finish third overall, fishing a spot off Lake Worth, not too far from Hannon’s Cannon.

The Greater Miami King Mackerel Classic was the second of five tournaments on the Mercury Tournament Trail’s Division 10 schedule. A fleet of 143 boats were entered in this year’s Classic that fished Saturday and Sunday for the heaviest kingfish. Miami Beach Marina was the host site for the fourth annual tournament.

Final Standings

1. 49.9 pounds, Hannon’s Cannon, Kevin Hannon 2. 46.3, Gatorbait, Sandy Smith 3. 43.7, Pilgrim, Keith McCullar 4. 40.7, Snake Dancer, George Mitchell 5. 38.8, Blue Runner, Chris Blackwell	6. 35.4, Sapelo Son, Tim Harris 7. 34.4, Offshore Warrior, Thomas Kenney 8. 32.8, My Three Sons, Terry Grantham 9. 31.7, Black Sheep, Kris Sahr 10. 31.2, Carolina Contender, Brant McMullen
CLASS OF 23 & Under

1. 30.1, Miss Leigh Ann, Jeff Aycock

2. 19.8, Brute, Dick Russell

3. 19.7, Phoenix, RJ Hamilton

Hog's Breath Saloon 2001 Sees Record King for Double Header
Edward Killer
January 29, 2001

Key West, FL—If he opening event of the 2001 Mercury Tournament Trail is any predictor of the year’s overall theme, then BIG will be the trend.

Double Header’s John Conlon, son, Eric, and nephew, Blake Brown, needed only two blue runners on the first day of the Hog’s Breath Saloon King Mackerel Tournament to find the weekend’s largest kingfish - or for that matter, the largest kingfish in an SKA-sanctioned tournament ever held in the state of Florida.

Conlon’s impressive smoker raised the bar to 64.6 pounds earning the Orlando-based team close to $50,000 in prize money and bonus incentives. Conlon and crew are beginning their second year of competition on the Mercury Tournament Trail fishing from a 26-foot Mako powered by twin Yamahas.

"We had him in the boat by 8:30 a.m. and decided to pull up the lines and make the 30-minute run back to the scales," said Conlon. "The first bait out was cut off immediately and this fish slammed our second bait - a big blue runner fished way back in the spread on a C & H Lures Green Pearl Baby."

After the hefty slab registered a weight that even surprised Conlon, Eric joked about the conservative estimate they had made while on the water, "Well then, I guess he IS over 40!"

Although Conlon’s beast was the best many in attendance had ever seen, the strength of the Day Two weigh-in prevented the trio from a premature celebration. Three fish over 50 were weighed as well as a few in the 40-pound range.

The Florida tournament record-breaker highlighted what was a stellar catch by the tournament fleet of 122. Five kingfish were bigger than 50 pounds in Key West and 15 were over 40 pounds. Most Division 10 teams that elected to fish the Hog’s Breath event will roll into Miami’s mid-March date with a big jump start on the group’s five-event schedule.

"This isn’t a bad start to the season at all," said Sandy Smith of Gatorbait who hoisted a 54.5-pound fish onto the scale just prior to Conlon’s. "This is the best one we’ve caught here in the Keys. I’m hoping this spells good things for us in our home division this year."

Smith and at least 12 other teams hailing from the Fort Pierce area fished the Hog’s Breath hard in order to get into position to potentially win a National Championship on home turf come November. Although Smith’s fish was bumped into third by a Sunday king caught aboard Vamoose led by Randy Crabtree of Jacksonville, Smith was given partial credit for it.

"We went right where Sandy told us to go," admitted Crabtree who was genuinely grateful. "Yesterday, we couldn’t buy a fish, but Sandy pointed out the spot and we owe it to him."

Vamoose edged Gatorbait 54.6 to 54.5.

Marilyn Bunce, James Bunce, John Parks and Mike Hubbard were more than happy to exchange their Saturday-caught 28-pounder for the 52.7-pounder caught Sunday vaulting Marilyn into the Division’s Lady Angler lead.

"I though we were stuck on 28 after catching one here that size last year and that one Saturday," said Marilyn who will also be competing on the Yamaha Pro Tour this year. "It was rough out there, but our Mercury-powered Wellcraft Scarab handled it great."

Anglers visiting the Conch Republic this year were rewarded with balmy air temperatures and north winds on the first day. Seas were manageable until Sunday afternoon due to an easterly wind that made the run back from the west reefs a little sporty.

The big fish caught by Double Header, Vamoose, Gatorbait and one or two other boats were all caught off an area called the Tail End Buoy 20 miles west of Key West.

Jeff Aycock of Miss Leigh Anne, a Yamaha/Contender combination, topped the 23 and Under division with 44.0 pounds. Trey Young of Reel Young won the event’s Top Junior Angler prize for the second straight year with a 39.3-pound fish. Carolina Cocky’s Gene Seiveno leads the divisional standings in the Seniors with 45.9 pounds.

The next Division 10 event on the 2001 Mercury Tournament Trail is the Greater Miami King Mackerel Classic. That weekend will also kick off the Yamaha Professional Tournament Trail. Event dates are March 15-18. Contact the Southern Kingfish Association for more info at sokingfish@aol.com or (912) 466-9434.

Final Standings

1. DOUBLE HEADER.....................64.6 Mako/Yamaha John Conlon 2. VAMOOSE...................54.6 Contender/Yamaha Randy Crabtree 3. GATORBAIT..................54.5 Fountain/Mercury Sandy Smith 4. EARLY RIZER....................52.7 Wellcraft/Mercury John Parks 5. T&B...................51.8 Whitewater/Mercury William Oliver 6. PILGRIM........................49.9 Contender/Mercury Keith McCullar	7. EXTERMINADER....................49.4 Yamaha/Contender Randy Nader 8. FULLY INVOLVED...................49.1 HydraSports/Mercury Brian Cablish 9. HAMMER 'EM.....................46.4 Contender/Yamaha Brian Alstrom 10. HANNON'S CANNON...........................46.2 Intrepid/Yamaha Kevin Hannon 11. CAROLINA COCKY..............................45.9 Contender/Yamaha Gene Seiveno
CLASS OF 23 & Under
1. MISS LEIGH ANN...................44.0 Contender/Yamaha Jeff Aycock 2. TEMPEST FIN...................42.8 HydraSports/Johnson Mike Wallace 3. PHOENIX..........................38.6 Bluewater/Yamaha Robert Hamilton III	4. SEASON TICKET........................34.7 HydraSports/Evinrude David Butler 5. THE BRUTE.........................34.2 SeaCraft/Mercury Dick Russel TopLady Angler: Marilyn Bunce, Early Rizer Top Junior Angler: Trey Young, Reel Young