(* Denotes a Class of 23 Team)

South Brunswick Isles Classic turns into feeding Frenzy!
By Judy Lewis
September 12, 2001

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NORTH CAROLINA--The South Brunswick Island King Classic had 134 boats this year, despite a menacing forecast of small craft warnings in the days prior to the event. The tournament was down about 40 boatsfrom last year, especially in the Class of 23 due to the weather.

It seemed like deja’ vu as to what happened at the Got-Em-On tournament at Carolina Beach, as a terrible forecast turned out to be a false alarm. The seas were said to be very calm on the first day and slick the next day during the morning. Thirty-five boats weighed in the first day with the largest king being a 33.90 pound caught on the Feeding Frenzy.

Eddie Jones and Ricky Babson are co-captains on the 24-foot Mako, powered by a pair of 225 horse Mercury outboard motors. The pair caught their fish in the river channel just eight miles offshore between the red and green sea buoys. To their surprise, the fish held up throughout the second day for the tournament win.

They were really relieved their luck had changed from the previous tournament, when they had a really nice king bitten in half by a marauding barracuda. Babson and Jones have placed in many tournaments, but this was their first win.

 
Several sponsors helped to make this possible: MAC Construction Asphalt Company, owned by W.J. McLamb, J.L. Powell Hardwood Floors out of Whiteville, Steve Hardin Construction from Ocean Isle, and McArthur Construction. Second place went to the Never Ready, captained by Shane Hollar. This team must still feel like the bridesmaid but never the bride, with their third second place finish in three tournaments, but I am sure a win is in their near future.

The Never Ready team caught their 33.10 pound king mackerel at 10:00 AM out in the river channel off Southport. Hollar reported that the boat was "really ready" this time, and securing live bait for the tournament wasn't a problem for a change. They caught fish all day and also had a couple of 20 pounders, but just couldn’t seem to best their 33 pound king from that morning. “After the first day, we had to regroup,” Hollar reported. “The next day, we had one good hit but the fish never was hooked. I told the guys, ‘Just wait, because that fish will be back,’ and about five minutes later it hit again. I think it was the same one.” Once the king was aboard, Hollar weighed it on his trusty set of hand scales and thought it was going to be close to the weight of the Day One leader, so the team kept fishing until later in the afternoon in hopes of finding a bigger fish. But Lady Luck only smiled briefly on the team, and they would have to settle for yet another second place finish. This is one very consistent team to watch out for in tournament competition.

The third place fish was caught by The Law. Jeff Drake felt it was time for Dan-O (Danny Wallen) to be back in action , and it paid off because they caught a 32.35 king the first day. The fish turned the tables on a small shark because it had swallowed it whole. Wallen and his Hook Em Dan-O team were involved in a terrible accident earlier this season, totaling both their tow vehicle and boat. Luckily, everyone survived with minor injuries, although Wallen’s son Travis had to be cut out of the truck at the scene. He’s expected to recover but will be out of action for most of the year with a broken arm and other injuries. Brant, Barrett and Rube McMullan rounded out the top five aboard the Carolina Contender with a 29.25 pound king. This is another team that’s been on a roll so far this year in southeastern North Carolina.

The lady angler for the tournament was Cathy Dineen on the Tenacity with a 22.20 pound king mackerel that she caught on the second day. The fish made a good strong run, but they had it in the box by 10:00 AM. The Tenacity was fishing 20 miles offshore of Lockwood Folly Inlet. This was Cathy's first win this year, but she was the Top Lady Angler for Division One last year. The Tenacity is a Yamaha-powered Contender captained by Cathy’s husband Ed Dineen.

About 20 junior anglers braved a supposedly bad forecast to fish. The top junior anglers for the SKA were Trey Carroll on Dig It III with a 28.15 kingfish, Austin Somers on Somers Salt III with a 19.15 king, and Ian Jones on the Wave Runner with a 18.40 pound fish. Our junior anglers are the future of the sport of tournament king mackerel fishing, and they deserve all the recognition possible for their efforts during the South Brunswick event.

The South Brunswick Isles King Mackerel Classic tournament is put on by the South Brunswick Isles Chamber of Commerce. They had other volunteers, but hope to really increase their supporters by next year, and they ask all SKA fishermen to please help out. This is certainly one of the best events in southeastern North Carolina, and they deserve our support!

Final Standings

1. FEEDING FRENZY.............33.90 Mako 24/Mercury Eddie Jones Ricky Babson Mike Byrd Aaron Goins 2. NEVER READY..........33.10 HydraSports 23/Johnson Shane Hollar 3. THE LAW..............32.25 Century 32/Yamaha Jeff Drake John Wilkins Danny Wallen Brett Holland 4. Black Gold...............31.55 5. CAROLINA CONTENDER............29.25 Contender 27/Yamaha Brant McMullan Barrett McMullan Rube McMullan

6. DIG IT III......................28.15 Contender 31/Yamaha Greg Carroll Tony Carroll Trey Carroll 7. PISTOL...............25.95 Fountain 31/Mercury Wayne Barnhill Jr. 8. SOLID SURFACE.............25.60 Palmetto 36/Mercury Andy Nettles Mike Rumph David Yates, Jr. 9. TOP CHOICE...............25.30 Grady White/Mercury David Gore 10. SEA DANCER..............23.85 HydraSports 28/Evinrude Robert Patterson Joe Doyle Gilbert DuBois

 

Fishing for Mircales win Falls to Reel A Meal
By Sam White
September 12, 2001

SHALLOTTE INLET, NC--There are few family fishing teams in southern North Carolina that are as competitive as the Spatholt clan from Calabash, NC. Dean regularly fishes with his wife Laura. Their sons Greg and Russell have collected enough Junior Angler plaques from the SKA over the years to cover their bedroom walls, but the big win has eluded the Fish Meister team for some time.

Until this year’s Shallotte Inlet King Mackerel Tournament, that is. “This year, we’ve gone back to fishing with just our family,” Dean reported. “It’s a lot morefun for us, and we also seem to be doing better as well. I’ve started letting the boys angle the fish in tournaments, since both are developing a good touch with the drag, knowing how to put just enough pressure on the fish.”

The team had prefished at the Jungle on Thursday prior to the start of the tournament, releasing a fish they estimated at 28 pounds, so they headed right back to the popular live bottom during the first day of  the two day event. After waiting for the fish to turn on, the Fish Meister finally had the strike they were looking for shortly after 2PM. “The fish hit a pogy down 55 feet, right off the bottom,” Dean said.

“Greg grabbed the rod but the fish only ran about 20 yards ahead of the boat, so told him to put some pressure on that shark and get him to the boat.” Their ‘shark’ proceeded to burn off about 150 yards of mono once it felt the hooks, so Greg quickly backed off the drag and let the fish go. A short while later, the fish rolled up alongside the gray Yamaha-powered Contender, where Dean applied the gaff.

The team also learned a bit of Portuguese during their trip back from the Jungle. “We had Caua’ Going on the boat with us,” Dean reported. “He’s a foreign exchange student from Brazil that’s staying with us for a couple months. When we put the king in the boat, he kept hollering ‘Big fish!’ in Portuguese. It was really a lot of fun to share that experience with him.” Congratulations to this top family team for their big win!

Shane Hollar’s Never Ready team placed second in the Shallotte tournament, topping the SKA’s Class of 23 as well. Hollar reported that bait was relatively easy to find, so the team was off and running for the shoals surrounding Frying Pan Tower at first light. “We only had three or four teenagers in the morning,” Hollar said. “There were a couple other boats out there fishing with us, then they moved off the spot after a while. Fifteen minutes later, that fish hit.”

The Never Ready had moved into shallow water when they finally hooked up with their biggest king of the weekend. “Craig [Hamilton] fought him for only about 15 minutes, while Steve [Powell] drove the boat and I gaffed,” Hollar reported. At the scales, their fish would weigh 35.80 pounds, giving the Never Ready somevaluablepoints in the Class of 23.

Ten boats from the Class will go on to the SKA’s National Championship at the end of the season to compete for their own prize structure and the right to crown their own National Champion in the Class of 23. The Never Ready headed right back to the same area on Day Two but were goose-egged. “The fish had moved,” Hollar said simply.

Randall, George and Sally Edens, fresh off their win at Snead’s Ferry, placed third in Shallotte on Reel Greedy. We’ve seen this happen many times this season, once a team gets on a roll with their fishing, they keep doing well. This is certainly the case with the Reel Greedy team, who has been overdue for a good season. Randall’s wife Sonya continues to cheer on the team from dockside, since she is expecting the couple’s first child later this year.

Bob and Luke Sutphen, fishing from a new Yamaha-powered Island Runner, rounded out the top five in the Shallotte event on the Outlaw. The Sutphens are both experienced tournament anglers, and their top finish came as no surprise to anyone familiar with this father and son team. Their 30.60 would also add to their divisional point total, and would be the last fish over thirty pounds weighed in during the tournament.

Final Standings

1. FISH MEISTER....................40.25 Contender/Yamaha Dean Spatholt Greg Spatholt Russell Spatholt Laura Spatholt 2. * NEVER READY..................35.80 HydraSport/Johnson Shane Hollar 3. REEL GREEDY...................31.45 Contender/Yamaha Randall Edens George Edens Sally Edens 4. Miss Sherry.....................31.30 5. OUTLAW.....................30.60 Island Runner/Yamaha Bob Sutphen Luke Sutphen

6. * MUCH 2 REEL......................28.60 Regulator/Yamaha Brian Cheshire Michael Baker 7. MAIN EVENT......................27.40 Contender/Yamaha Chris Register Jonathan Arnette 8. OL’ SEAHORSE..................27.10 Contender/Yamaha Clyde Honeycutt Jonathan Lane Randy Lane 9. EAGLE I......................27.00 Contender/Yamaha Derek Edwards Eddie Edwards Frank Niblock 10. * STEALTH FIGHTER................26.75 Contender/Yamaha Randy Crews Benson Ybanez

 

Miss Emilys 52 Pounder Smokes Topsail Fleet
By Judy Lewis
September 12, 2001

TOPSAIL BEACH, NORTH CAROLINA--The directors of the Topsail Offshore Fishing Club King Mackerel Tournament have always tried diligently to make their tournament one of the best.

This year, they wanted to be the richest "One Day" tournament and succeeded. Their plan was to offer $97,000 in primary prizes to the top 20 places, with 20th Place paying $1,000. Then there could be another $25,000 to be split among the top 3 places in the tournament within a tournament. All this could be done with 300 boats, which is only slightly above average for a tournament field in North Carolina.

If Mother Nature hadn't sent a last minute front their way, they would have probably reached their expected goal. As it was, even in the face of an approaching cold front and small craft advisory, they had 253 boats enter the tournament. This is particularly strong as there were only 48 pre-entries. Over 200 boats of anglers thought that, even with the foreboding weather forecast, they could find a king that would give them a shot at the $40,000 first place prize or at least a part of the purse.

John Batis and Bruce Martin made the decision Thursday night to fish the tournament, even though their teammate Dennis Barbour couldn't leave his new business. They really wanted Barbour on board as the rough seas dictated that a third person was a big plus. It didn't hurt a bit either, that Barbour had held the tournament record for the largest fish until just 2 years ago, and that he still holds the record for the largest fish at the Wrightsville Beach Tournament with a king of just over 58 pounds. After registering the Miss Emily late Friday afternoon, Batis and Martin returned home to Carolina Beach for some final preparations and a few hours’ sleep.

The brash ring of the alarm clock wakened them and began their day at just after 2:00 AM. After loading the last of their tackle, food, and supplies into the Miss Emily, they began the 2-1/2 hour drive from Carolina Beach to Morehead City. The plan was to fish one of several spots east of Cape Lookout and head to the scales early. At this point, they didn't have any idea just how well that plan would work.

Upon arriving at the ramp in Morehead City, they launched the boat and set out in search of bait. With a full live well, they headed out Beaufort Inlet shortly after sunrise. The weather conditions weren't kind. Even in Batis' Mercury-powered Fountain 31, the hard wind, big seas, and chop made the going rough. While many other boats also crossed Lookout Shoals to head east, Batis and Martin were thrilled to find one of their favorite spots empty of boats and loaded with bait.

As Batis slowly motored the Miss Emily around the rock and bait, Martin began putting out the lines. In the rough seas, the baits were being jerked around so badly that Batis suggested getting some baits on the downriggers ASAP. The first downrigger bait got hit immediately, but was cut off and the fish didn't hook up. The next downrigger bait was set with a big pogy that became breakfast for the big king. At about the time Martin got the bait set, Batis called to him to look at the huge wad of bait that was showing on the scope. At that exact time, the downrigger release popped, the rod straightened just a bit before bowing well over, and the clicker on the reel began screaming.

"The fish only made one real run," stated Batis. " She took off hard for about 300 yards into the seas and then came back and circled under the boat. The hardest part of the fight was getting the boat in position the gaff her. The big seas were pushing the boat around and away from the fish." With a smile, Martin added, "Once that big king hit the deck, I got doubly happy. We had a real big king in the box, now we could head for the scales and not have to endure the nasty conditions any longer." In all, they had fished about 30 minutes. Hours later, back in Topsail Beach, the big girl tugged
the tournament scales to 52.95 pounds. The first phone call Batis made was to his absent teammate Barbour to inform him of their success.

Jay Russell, Joey Whitesell, and Benson Ybanez had a similar plan. They had caught bait and penned it on Friday, so they could be on location and put baits in the water as soon as fishing time started. Their spot of choice was
the 30 Minute Rock, also east of Cape Lookout. At first, the early crossing of Lookout Shoals in Russell's Mercury-powered Privateer, Big Time, didn't seem like such a good idea any more. It was nearly dark, the wind was howling, and the sea was building. They continued on because of the good reports that Russell had gotten from the day before.

At about 7:30 they had a double strike, with the two fish headed in opposite directions. Russell picked up the outfit that whined the loudest and moved to the bow. After a few minutes, the other fish, which they thought was also a good fish, tail whipped the line and broke it. About 20 minutes into the fight they saw the big king and knew it was a good one. At
that point, the intensity level went up and the rush to boat the fish slowed some. Russell said, "It was so rough that we took an extra 10 minutes to get the fish just right for gaffing after we first saw it."

"When we put the fish in the boat, we knew it was pretty big, but we put the lines back out and continued fishing," explained Russell. "Then after fishing about another hour in the rough seas, we measured it and decided it should go about 40. In those conditions, we felt that it was big enough to go on and head for the scales." Their measurements weren't bad either--the fish weighed 40.60 pounds.

Harold Hill, Ronnie Adams, and Mary Crocker, fishing on the Shock Wave, caught the third place fish. Jeff Hill, who is a member of the Shock Wave team, had missed the tournament to be at home for his daughter's 16th birthday. They also chose to head Hill's Mariner-powered Contender into the rough seas east of Cape Lookout. They had been holding on and questioning their decision after catching sharks and one king in the teens during the early morning. Then at about 10:00 AM, the day got better. The big fish hit their medium top line and headed off. It made a short run and then paused.
While they were wondering if it might be another shark, it took off for real and convinced them it was a king. "He nearly spooled us on that second run!" exclaimed Hill.

Adams fought the king for 45 minutes in the rough water before Hill could gaff it. Sounding somewhat exasperated, Hill said, "That fish circled for at least 10 minutes, just out of range." The chuckling he added, "Once we finally got it in the boat, we put it in the fish bag, stowed all the gear, and headed back to calmer water and the scales." The Shock Wave king drew a few oohs and aahs as it was weighed, but it only pulled the scales to 37.65 pounds. Still, that would be enough to claim third in the tournament.

In the rough conditions it took a while to get to the Top 23 foot and under boat. The Second Catch, captained by Bert Ferebee, claimed that honor. Ferebee's 17.95 pound king also put them in 20th place overall. The top Junior Angler for the tournament was Marcus Denning on the Reel Heel, captained by Don Westbrook. His king weighed 28.70 pounds.

 

Final Standings

1. MISS EMILY.........52.95 Fountain 31/Mercury John Batis Bruce Martin 2. BIG TIME............40.60 Privateer 28/Mercury Jack Russell, Jr. Joey Whitesell Benson Ybanez 3. SHOCKWAVE.........37.65 Contender 27/Mariner Harold Hill Ronnie Adams Mary Crocker 4. CAROLINA CONTENDER......37.40 Contender 27/Yamaha Brant McMullan Barrett McMullan Brian Aycock 5. Revellie.........34.10	6. Strickly Business......33.00 7. BIG TIME 2...............32.90 Donzi 32/Yamaha Larry Gates Adrian Tyndal 8. Strike Zone.........31.30 9. BARBARA ANN.......29.25 Grady-White 28/Yamaha Daniel Lee John Rogers Bill Royster 10. REEL HEEL.........28.70 Glacier Bay 26/Mercury Don Westbrook Leigh Westbrook Larry Denning Marcus Denning Mark Denning

 

Wild Ride Tops Got-Em-On SKA Field
Big Kings Arrive at Carolina Beach
by Jerry Dilsaver
CAROLINA BEACH, NC
July 27, 2001

The East Coast Got-Em-On Classic King Mackerel Tournament had been missing from the SKA tournament line-up for a few years, but its' return this year showed, with a vengeance, why it is one of the premiere king mackerel tournaments in the Carolinas. It was the second event in the newly formed Division 13 and reinforced just why this may be a very exciting division to watch. Most fishermen don't immediately think of July in North Carolina as the prime time to catch large kings, but the six 40 pounders and nineteen 30 pounders that 216 boats brought to the scales may change that train of thought. It took a fish over 26 pounds to make the top 40 and that only dropped to 23.30 pounds at 60th place.

The top SKA boat of the tournament finished in second place and was also the top Class of 23 boat. Captain Randy Griffin, Jr., of Wilmington, NC, led the Wild Ride crew to their second place finish with a 43.25 pound king. After a less than thrilling day on Saturday, Griffin and teammates Rick Croson and Stan Houfek decided that they would do whatever it took to fish one of their favorite spots off Carolina Beach on Sunday. Unfortunately, or fortunately according to how you look at it, the kings didn't bite well. At the end of Saturday's fishing, a 35 pounder was leading the tournament and over 200 teams thought they still had a chance to beat it.

At 4:00 AM, Griffin, Croson, and Houfek slid the 23 foot Wellcraft, Wild Ride, into the water near Rich's Inlet. According to Griffin, "We couldn't find anything. We worked down through Wrightsville Beach, spent a lot of time in Carolina Beach Yacht Basin and Snow's Cut, and then finally worked our way down off Southport. We had heard on the VHF earlier that there had been bait off Bald Head and the Hot Hole, but by the time we got there it had been thrown on all morning and was impossible to catch."

"At a few minutes after ten, we decided that we needed to go fishing with the few baits we had and hope that we could jig some more once we got there," admitted Griffin. The four spot and three pinfish in their livewell looked awfully lonesome as they closed the lid and headed off. Then, on the way out, they received a cell phone call that said the kings were beginning to fire up. "What an arrival," spouted Griffin, "We pulled up just in time to watch Mike Jackson gaff a 34.85 pounder and drag it into the Light Line. We were both excited about Mike's fish and a little worried about our bait situation."

For the next 2-1/2 hours, they trolled around very uneventfully. Things were so slow that they weren't even marking any bait to jig. Finally, at about 1:00 PM, they marked a good pod of bait and cast a Sabiki rig into it. After a few jerks, some bait grabbed hold and Croson began winding them in. About the time that Croson lifted the fresh bait into the boat, the spot that was on the prop wash line got eaten and the little Diawa reel began to scream. With Croson busy and Houfek's attention diverted, Griffin grabbed the wailing outfit. "That first run took all the line," exclaimed a still excited Randy Griffin, "We had to get moving quick and get after it!"

Once the other lines were cleared, Rick Croson took the reel and brought the big fish back towards the boat. As it got near, Griffin took the reel, Stan Houfek the helm, and Croson prepared to gaff it. Once the big girl was in range, Croson swung the gaff and they welcomed her aboard the Wild Ride. After a short party, complete with dancing, they loaded the big king in their fish bag and headed to the scales. The party began again when the big fish's weight was announced at 43.25 pounds.

John Parks, James Bunce, and Marilyn Bunce had an eventful day also. They took the Mercury-powered Wellcraft, Early Riser, to the Beaufort Inlet Ship Channel for the second day of the tournament. Early in the morning, they hooked up with a wild 42.20 pound king. According to Parks, "I've caught some nice kings, but this one did things that I'd never seen before. First, it ran up under In The Red and tangled in their lines, then around the nearest buoy, and finally close enough to the Jackpot that they saw the line." Thankfully, both boats cleared and cut lines to allow them to land the big fish and Parks stressed to thank them for doing so. He said that the king ran so fast and so wild that, even with their quick reactions, he still ended up with two ribbonfish wrapped around his line.

After weighing the fish and confirming that it was over 40 pounds, they bagged it and immediately began the 70 mile run to Carolina Beach Inlet. "Our plan was to get down there and then fish around the inlet until the scales opened," Park said, "It was the right choice too, as we lost a lower unit about 11 miles out and had to limp in on one engine." They pulled up to the scales, just as they opened, and presented their fish to the tournament weigh master. At 42.20 pounds, it was large enough to claim fourth place in the tournament. The Early Riser would be the second place SKA boat, and garner both Top SKA Lady Angler and Top SKA Senior Angler honors for Marilyn and James Bunce.

The Top SKA Junior angler in the tournament was Ben Strickland, Jr., who was fishing with Jonathan Popkin on the Blues Traveler. After losing a larger fish, when the gaff pulled out and then the hooks pulled, they caught this 37.10 pounder to redeem themselves. Their king hit a naked pogy on the long line. They were fishing the Cape Fear River Ship Channel, which proved t o be a hot spot for many that Sunday. In addition to young Strickland's Junior Angler Award, the Blues Traveler crew finished in fifth place in the tournament and were the third place SKA boat.

Final Standings

1. Fujimo........45.70 2. * WILD RIDE.......43.25 Wellcraft/Mercury Randy Griffin, Jr. Rick Croson Stan Houfek 3. Marsha Marsha.....42.45 4. EARLY RISER......42.20 Wellcraft/Mercury John Parks James Bunce Marilyn Bunce 5. BLUES TRAVELER.......37.10 Yellowfin/Mercury Jonathan Popkin Donnie Butts Ben Strickland, Jr.	6. Team McKee Craft....36.55 7.LIVE LINE.......34.85 Caravelle/Mercury Michael Jackson David Jackson, Jr. Mike Phipps Mike Savage Heather Savage 8. PISTOL........34.65 Fountain/Mercury Wayne Barnhill, Jr. 9. Reel Escape........34.45 10. Wave Runner......34.30 Clayton Robinson Ian Jones Joe Jones Thomas Blount
SKA Lady Angler Marilyn Bunce, Early Riser 42.20

 

WET FLASH HEADS UP DIVISIONAL FLEET IN WILMINGTON
Much 2 Reel Tops SKA Small Boat Class
by Sam White
WILMINGTON, NC
July 3, 2001

Although Rick Ryan's King Size team had taken the lead in the Second Annual Greater Wilmington King Mackerel Tournament with their 40.7 pounder on Day One, there were several teams nipping at Ryan's heels throughout the second day of fishing. Gary Pollard's Mercury-powered Fountain arrived at the weigh in site at the Wilmington Hilton shortly after a heavy thunderstorm had soaked the area with several inches of rain, so it was appropriate when I learned the boat's name--Wet Flash. Indeed. When the team pulled out their big smoker from the fishbag, I knew that Ryan might be in trouble. Their king would weigh 40.10 pounds, just six-tenths of a pound out of the lead!

"We went to the Jungle on the second day," Pollard reported, "but it was a parking lot so we moved east to the 65 Foot Hole and got a fifteen pound snake right off the bat." Pollard began marking bait just off the bottom right before a 20 pounder decided to eat. "It was getting late, around 2:30 in the afternoon, so it was make it or break it time," Pollard said. The next fish hit a double pogy rig deep on the downrigger, and the team decided to let their lady angler Christina Chadwick fight the fish.

"She's only fished with us about three times, so we let her handle the rod," said the proud captain. "Little did we know that he would be the man!" Christina fought the fish around the boat several times before it came to the gaff, at which point Brent Elvington was barely able to hoist it over the boat's gunwale. It was going to be close, so the team quickly stowed any loose gear and hammered the throttles, bound for the scales in Wilmington. They would be disappointed by finishing so close to the tournament leader, but happy to wind up in second place overall. Chadwick would also take top lady angler honors in the SKA for her participation during the event.

Brian Cheshire and Michael Baker were one of the first boats to weigh in on Day Two aboard the Much 2 Reel, a 23-foot Regulator. The team put a 32.80 on the board to finish in fourth place overall. They were also the highest placing boat from the SKA's Class of 23 in the tournament. Longtime tournament competitor Randy Gainey rounded out the top five aboard the Mercury-powered Wahoo, Miller Time. Gainey has probably forgotten more about kingfishing than most others have learned, being one of the first to adopt the live bait techniques for kings over a decade ago. He's also passed along some of those secrets to his son Brent, who was the SKA's top junior angler for the tournament.

The Greater Wilmington event was a success even though they fell short of their anticipated goal of 500+ boats this year. Tournament director Horace Sikes did a very commendable job again this year with the event and should be congratulated for his hard work. The Wilmington tournament also kicks off the SKA's new Division Thirteen, with stops at the East Coast Got-Em-On, Topsail, and Wrightsville Beach tournaments this year. This division offers Championship bids to many teams that would otherwise be forced to head north to the Morehead City area, or south to fish in Division Two, and it's expected to be one of the fastest growing divisions in the SKA this season.

Final Standings

1. KING SIZE....................40.70 Contender/Yamaha Rick Ryan Joel Wood Bruce Gallup 2. WET FLASH...............40.10 Fountain/Mercury Gary Pollard Brent Elvington Christina Chadwick 3. KWAZAR.........................36.40 Contender/Yamaha Marcus Kennedy Steve Shook Max Williams Jeff McCoy 4. * MUCH 2 REEL...............32.80 Regulator/Yamaha Brian Cheshire Michael Baker 5. MILLER TIME.........................32.80 Wahoo/Mercury Randy Gainey Robert Montgomery Brent Gainey Tammy Gainey

6. MEGA-BITE..........................32.60 Fountain/Mercury Robert Dawson Mike Whitman Linda Dawson Brenda Dawson Erecia Whitman 7. Reel Hunter..............................31.00 8. On My Way................................30.20 9. IN THE RED......................30.10 Fountain/Mercury Gary Unger Elizabeth Unger Denny Spence David Spence 10. CAROLINA CONTENDER.................29.00 Contender/Yamaha Brant McMullan Barrett McMullan Amy McMullan Anne Cambell