(* Denotes a Class of 23 Team)

DIVISION 1 WRAP UP
By: Jack Holmes

OVERALL
Who would have thought any different? After placing two spectacular kings, one a 51.95 caught in the Raleigh tournament, then a 50.55 bagged in Carteret on the scale Dean Spatholt had it sewed up. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy! Dean fishes with his wife Laura and his son Russell aboard the 36 foot Yamaha powered Contender, Fish Meister, and is one of the Carolina’s best. Their third fish, a 14.25 gave the team a 117.35 aggregate. Laura won Top Lady honors and Russell won Top Junior also. They now move on to the big show where anything can happen. One thing to remember, when you’re good and if you’re on one of those lucky streaks teams get every so often, then the Spatholt team certainly have to be factored in as a strong contender at this year’s Nationals. The fish are big in Biloxi but the team certainly knows how to pull a smoker over the gunwale. The year isn’t over yet.

John Lewis, Brent Ballard, and Neff Morrison caught a 98.1 pound, three fish aggregate to earn second place aboard the 25 foot Yamaha powered Contender, Second Chanze. They scaled a 12.85 at Raleigh, a 50.55 money fish in Carteret, then a 37.5 money fish at the ABKMT. If you were to rate the top ten fishermen in the Carolina’s, Lewis would be on that list. His 12 pounder spoiled a really spectacular season but we know that the early part of the season was tough. My prediction this year is that Lewis will finish somewhere in the top 20 in the Nationals if not just outright win the whole thing. Oh yeah, he’s that good! Tim Newton’s 81.92 aggregate was good enough to earn third this season. He fishes a 28 foot Mercury powered Privateer, Deal King, and will go to the Nationals on Mercury. What’s really remarkable is that this team has only a two fish aggregate. They bagged a 48.50 money fish in Carteret, then snagged a 33.42 in Snead’s Ferry. If they’ve got another fish in their streak and work with the other Carolina qualifiers, they’ve got a shot.

Al Morris Jr. qualified again. The Sea Drag’n has cashed a lot of checks this year and racked up a 79.4 two fish aggregate. Al fishes with his dad Al Sr., his sister Lauren, and Brent Bunn and has been a consistent SKA qualifier. What’s tough is the team had a 37 pounder in Snead’s Ferry but forgot to fill out the SKA registration form. With that king they would have finished just one pound behind Spatholt. They had a 42.35 in Carteret and a 37.05 in Atlantic Beach. A great season for another super family that fishes together. They’ve got to be proud; I know we are!

Rounding out this year’s top five is James (Pete) Rae with a three fish aggregate of 77.16 caught aboard his Tight Lines, a 30 foot Yamaha powered Shear Line. Pete fishes with Michael Raines who helped put a 10.80 on the scales in Swansboro, then bagged the tournament winning 55.65 in Carteret, and added another ten pounder in Snead’s Ferry. It was a truly good, money winning season for the duo. Neil Weeks moved his Mary Kandis II into the sixth slot with a 68.74. He had two small fish but his 42 pound money fish caught in the Carteret tournament pushed the team into the top ten. Pretty work!

Mike Williams had a 67.55 three fish agg to capture seventh. His Release team posted a couple of teen agers but had a 38.65 in Carteret to give them the good finish. As we always say, one good fish can really make the difference and Mike is one of those guys who never gives up. Guess that really makes him a winner. Skip Conklin had another good year, this time finishing eighth with a 61.91 agg. In fact I would have been surprised not to see the Ocean Athlete not on the qualifiers list. Skip and his team have the ability to be the best of the best and maybe this will be their year.

Finishing ninth was the In The Nick Of Time with Willie Summerlin Jr. at he helm. His team scored a 61.83 three fish agg while Joey Whitesell’s Chain Smoker rounded out the top ten with a 61.04 agg. The Division One contingent looks real strong this year. Carolinians work harder on the water than any other teams from other states and they fish usually in harsher conditions. Never count them out. If they stick together and get some pre-fishing time they will be a force to be reckoned with. Jerry Dilsaver is a prime example.

CLASS OF 23
Chip and Chad Sanders put forth a great effort in Division One and emerged the champions with a 74.92 three fish aggregate. It also gave KenCraft another notch in their belt as the Reel Screamer team runs a 23 foot Yamaha powered KenCraft. The guys started the season by scaling a 22.65 at Swansboro, then used the last two events to pick up their other two fish, a 20.47 at Snead’s Ferry and a 31.80 at Atlantic Beach. Keep your eyes on these guys at the Nationals, they’re good, work hard, and never give up. Can they do what Jerry Dilsaver did last year in Fort Pierce? Absolutely.

Johnny Hudson, Robert Parrott, and Bill Slattings teamed aboard the Just In Time, a 23 foot Mercury powered Contender, and earned second. They caught a 16.85 at Raleigh, a 16.50 in Snead’s Ferry, than added a money winning 35.80 at the ABKMT for a 68.95 aggregate. It only took that one good fish to move them right up the ladder. One good fish at the Nationals will also give them a shot. One thing’s for sure they’ll have over a hundred other Contender owners there to help them with information. Might just give this team an edge in the Class of 23.

King of Kings will accept third place honors at the awards party November 21st. Greg Cundiff and Don West earned it by scaling a 18.15 at Carteret, then nabbed a 18.72 at Snead’s Ferry, and ended up with a 28.05 at Atlantic Beach for a 64.82 agg. Like the Reel Screamer, the King of Kings is also a KenCraft. These teams need to work together, share their pre-fishing info, and hopefully give KenCraft their second big win in the class. This team is definitely capable of making it happen.

Bert Ferebee has been fishing the circuit for many years and is probably one of the better fishermen in the Carolinas. His team of Margaret Ferebee and Darrell Sadler fish the 23 foot Mariner powered Contender, Second Catch. The team caught a 27.35 at Carteret, a 13.65 in Snead’s Ferry, and a 16.95 at Atlantic Beach for a 57.95 three fish agg. I bet if you talk to Bert he’d tell you that he’s happy with his performance qualifying fourth, but Bert is the type of competitor that is capable of winning anything he enters including the Nationals. He and his team have the know how and, with a little luck, will bring the trophy back to North Carolina.

William McLamb’s On The Fly rounds out the top five in Division One’s Class of 23. With Lex Marks onboard they caught a 19.80 in Carteret and a money winning 37.11 in Snead’s Ferry for a two fish aggregate of 56.91. With one more fish on their side of the ledger, an 18 pounder, and this team would have won the whole thing. A fluke, twist of fate, or just luck? I don’t think so. They’re showing promise and I believe with a little more effort next season they’ll be a force in this class. Time will tell.

Doin Nuthin with Merwin Marshburn at the helm nabbed the sixth spot with a two fish aggregate of 46.28 while Joe Tew’s Reel Quick was right on his transom earning seventh with a two fish agg of 45.75. King’s Jester was next with a 39.47. Tim Staley runs the boat. Ashley Jones earned ninth aboard his Jenn-Jenn with a one fish 39.20 which he caught in the Atlantic Beach tournament. Phillip Munden Jr. rounded out the top ten with a 39.16 aboard his Gone Again.

 

ATLANTIC BEACH KING MACKEREL TOURNAMENT
ATLANTIC BEACH, NC
SEPTEMBER 5-8, 2002
By: Andrew Winburn

The Atlantic Beach Tournament is considered the Granddaddy of all Carolina tournaments. It’s the one everyone dreams about winning, carrying home the big money, and of course great bragging rights. While the top three boats were not SKA affiliated, our members did well, having five of the top ten boats in the field of nearly 550 boats.

Jim Harrison, Ricky and Robbie Bishop, from Reelality, were fortunate to have Chuck Arnold, the Northeast representative for Fountain Boats, let them use his personal boat for the ABKMT. That boat helped them bring home the largest SKA king tipping the scales at 40.85 and Jim said, “We are going to be famous this week.” Placing fourth overall and first among the SKA competition is a big deal for this group of guys. They fished Drum Inlet both days, and at 11 on the second day all of that time paid off. “It was about almost an hour. The current got up real bad,” Jim said of Robbie’s fight of the fish. The fish was dead and down deep making it difficult for them to get it to the boat. Once she came to the top the crew ‘stuck’ her and put her on the deck. Their surprise came at 4 p.m. when the weight was announced. They knew she was long but didn’t think she had the body to even reach the mid thirties. Soon after receiving the award Jim said, “We stuck her in the bag quick. When we took her out of the bag and all three of us stood there, we saw how long she really was then, and we realized she was pretty decent.” And she was decent enough to give them the fame they were looking for as they sat at the number four spot on the leader board. Another nice part of this victory is that Robbie Bishop is from Jacksonville, Florida and comes to Atlantic Beach each year to fish with his brother Ricky who fishes with Jim Harrison. A tradition that’s probably more important that the winnings or the glory, but isn’t that what fishings all about?

The 23 foot Sea Ox Jenn-Jenn fished the Dead Tree hole on day two and came out with a 39.20 taking fifth place overall and second place SKA. When the men stepped off of the boat, they said they had a good one, but the scales would tell just how good. No one needed to see the scales or even the fish—hearing the guys start celebrating when they saw the weight flash on top of the scale let you know it was a great fish. “Nothing to it. We got fresh bait and went out there and it just happened,” said Vernon Jones. Captain Ashley Jones then told why they were so excited. “We put him in the bag and I was guessing 31 pounds. My brother guessed 36 pounds, and I told him that if it was 36 pounds we would already be gone to the scales.” They kept fishing after that fish was caught at 8:30 using large pogies from Aaron’s Tackle.

Once again Al Morris, Jr. and crew from Sea Drag’n finished in the money. This time they took seventh overall and third in the field of SKA boats. “Can’t quit my day job yet, got to keep working for the highway patrol,” said Al of placing in four tournaments in a row. While he is going to keep working, he is going to keep fishing too. After bringing in numerous smokers this season the crew was just as happy with this 37.05. They caught a 28 pounder earlier that day and around 2 p.m. the big one hit. Brent Bunn cleared the deck and Al, Sr. drove the boat as Al, Jr. fought the fish. The guys put the fish in the bag and were headed to the weigh in with another great fish.

Johnny Hudson fishing Just In Time, a 23 and under boat, landed a 35.80 on Friday good enough to take the fourth SKA spot and the ninth overall position. John Lewis from Second Chanze followed up their smoker at the Carteret tournament with the fifth place SKA boat and the tenth overall boat. The crew on the Contender with twin Yamahas fished the old 1700 Rock, and that spot produced the 34.70 king. John didn’t know if he was going to be able to fish until 10:30 the night before the first day of fishing. He was having motor problems and got in touch with the guys at Power Marine who hooked him up with the Yamaha support trailer. They fixed the problem and the guys were ready for the weekend.
The young captain and crew aboard the 25 foot Contender Twister had a good fish weighing 32.50. They also fished the Dead Tree hole with a pack of boats.Four of the top 14 boats in the tournament were SKA 23 and under boats. Jenn-Jenn took fifth, Just In Time finished ninth, Fish N Fever was eleventh, and Reel Screamer snagged the fourteenth spot.
As usual the Atlantic Beach Contender Yamaha KMT lived up to it’s billing. Big fish, lots of competition, and of course, great payouts. Kudos to the entire staff.

Final Standings

1. Big Boy 48.55 2. Miss Erica 46.10 3. No Name 42.55 4. REELALITY 40.85 Fountain .... Mercury Jim Harrison Robbie Bishop Ricky Bishop 5. JENN-JENN 39.20 Sea Ox ...... Johnson Ashley Jones 6. Reel Attitude 38.80 7. SEA DRAG’N 37.05 Privateer .... Mercury Al Morris Jr. Al Morris Sr. Kim Morris Brent Bunn 8. Instigator 36.40 9. JUST IN TIME 35.80 Contender .... Mercury Johnny Hudson Robert Parrott Bill Stallings Jr. 10. SECOND CHANZE 34.70 Contender John Lewis 11. FISH-N-FEVER 33.15 KenCraft .... Johnson Timmy Croom John Lavin

12. TWISTER 32.50 Contender ... Yamaha Patrick Bryant Derek Savage 13. Queen Mary II 32.35 14. REEL SCREAMER 31.80 KenCraft ... Yamaha Chad Sanders Chip Sanders 15. REEL ESCAPE 31.35 Regulator .... Yamaha Tracy Pleasant Larry lanier Taylor Plesant Dennis Dunaway 16. Rockin Robin 30.40 17.Express Personel 30.15 18. CHAIN SMOKER 29.30 Privateer ... Mercury Joey Whitesell 19. COOLING IT 29.10 Ranger .... Mercury Tom Jones Bruce Andrews 20. SCHOOL’S OUT 28.75 Contender ... Yamaha Ronald Mabe Don Mills

 

SNEAD'S FERRY ROTARY KING MACKEREL TOURNAMENT
SNEAD'S FERRY, NC
AUGUST 9-11, 2002
By: SKA

The Sneads Ferry Rotary King Mackerel Tournament was a two-day aggregate giving first place a new 23' Contender Open Sea, with a 225 hp Yamaha and trailer. One hundred fourteen SKA boats were competing for that top prize and 48 of those boats weighed in at least one fish with 16 of those boats being 23 feet and under.

Mary Kandis edged out Sea Drag’n by just over one pound to claim that first place prize. Captain Neil, Travis, and Stuart Weeks were able to bring a 42 pound king into the boat on day two to boost their total aggregate weight to 63.27. Their 31 foot Fountain, powered by Mercury, was seen at 30 Minute Rock on the East Side along with about ‘100 other boats’ the second day. “We got out there early because everyone was going to be there,” said Travis. They got bait on the first throw of the net, found their spot, and got to work as soon as they could get lines in the water. The bait was easy to find, and it didn’t take them too long to find their first and only king of the day at 7AM. Live bait was the ticket all weekend, and that’s what the smoker hit. While the crew only landed one King, their five toplines hooked a Sailfish and had a little trouble with another smoking king that eventually was lost.

Sneads Ferry was the first win for the fishing team this year and their first in almost 10 years. Like everyone on the trail, Mary Kandis wants to make it to Biloxi this year for the Nationals and plans to fish Division 9 during the Fall to better their chances.

Al Morris, Jr. came up to me after the awards and said, “We’ve got a story. One like I read in the magazine.” And boy did the crew aboard the Sea Drag’n have a good story to tell. Al Morris, Jr., Al Morris, Sr., Lauren Morris, and Brent Bunn finished 5th in the Carteret tournament in July with a 42 pound King and fished Sneads Ferry for division points. Sea Drag’n finished second in the aggregate with 62.24 pounds and would have added 37 pounds to their divisional points but soon after the weigh in realized they had not paid their $10 form. “I’ve been fishing the SKA for nearly 10 years and have never done this,” said Al, Jr. He then smiled and said that he was walking away happy with the money he won with second place aggregate and would just have to bring in a big one during the Atlantic Beach tournament the first weekend in September. They fished near Ocracoke and Drum Inlet. “We were in 50 feet of water. Now that’s true although where we were may not be, but we were fishing by 7AM,” said Al. Their story continues with a smoking line at 8 AM that they fought for over an hour and a half only to bring in a 100 pound Cobia. Al said, “It killed our time.” They put bait back on the hook and in less than 5 minutes the line was singing again with 250 yards being smoked off. Lauren grabbed the rod and the men cleared the deck as she started the quick fight with little time remaining before they had to head to the scales. The fish was put in the fish bag, and Sea Drag’n started their two hour ride back to the scales in the ocean, not Drum Inlet.

Third place went to Captain Larry Warren, wife Cheryl, and Jimmy Wright on Three Stooges and Cheryl. The Mercury powered Donzi had a two day weight of 46.64 pounds, bringing in a 25.70 on day one and a 20.94 on day two. Larry took the boat to the 1700 Rock and their big fish on day one hit a double pogie around 11AM. Another good-sized King hit a ribbonfish that day, but they weren’t able to get it on the boat.

When asked about the 2-day aggregate, Cheryl said, “I love it.” They have placed the last three years and really enjoy aggregate tournaments because it gives them room for a bad day. The crew thanked Dairy Queen for help this tournament season as they fish Division 1 and 13.

Captain Tim Newton of Deal King had every reason to say, “I’m pumped,” after the tournament. He brought in another nice King with the help of Jim Panknin and Jim Inman. Their fourth place total for the two days was 45.42, but one fish weighed in at 33.42, giving them a division boost. Tim decided to fish the East Side of Cape Lookout and the decision turned out to be the correct one at 10:30 when they saw the king hit their 3-pound bluefish three times. “We knew it was a decent fish when it ate a 3-pound bait,” Tim commented as he went on to explain his recent success. He has fished the boat for three years and this year its color was changed from blue to red. His sarcasm lead him to say, “The fish don’t know who we are anymore.” Later, he got serious and said, “ I credit my 2002 Mercury Optimax.” The credit also goes to hooking the fish properly and having it in the boat within 15 minutes, avoiding another hour plus fight. Tim and crew on the Deal King look to “do it again next time,” in division 1 and his son plans to fish Division 9 with them.

The 22 foot boat On the Fly weighed a 37.11 pound king giving them the second heaviest fish for SKA points. They were followed by the 30 foot Wellcraft, IBIS, weighing in at 34.56. Chain Smoker had the fifth largest SKA fish with a 31.74 pounder followed by the 23 foot Contender, Local Chum, with a weight of 31.61. Doin’ Nuthin, a 23 foot Regulator, followed Local Chum with a 30.78 King.

Bottom Line took fourth place in the SKA 23 foot and under followed by the 23 foot Kencraft, Real Screamer. King of Kings, Just In Time, Mister Stan Man, Burnin Drag, and Southern Comfort rounded out the SKA’s top 10 small boats.

Final Standings

1. MARY KANDI’S III 42.54 Fountain ... Mercury Neil Weeks Stuart Weeks Curtis Whitley 2. ON THE FLY 37.11 Pathfinder .... Yamaha Bill McLamb H. Lex Marks 3. SEA DRAG’N 37.07 Al Morris 4. IBIS 34.56 Wellcraft ... Yamaha Ric Jinkens Cahrles Neal Chad Barnes Terri Stallings Sawyer Jinkens 5. DEAL KING 33.42 Privateer .... Mercury Tim Newton Jim Inman Jim Panknin 6. Big Duck 32.67 7. CHAIN SMOKER 31.74 Privateer ... Mercury Joey Whitesell Bob Whitesell 8. LOCAL CHUM 31.61 Contender ... Yamaha Charles Stevens Ashley Melton Kevin Barbee

9. DOIN NUTHIN’ 30.78 Regulator ... Mercury Mervin Marshburn Shawn Howard Willie Humphrey Jake Cooper Betty Cooper 10. BADLY BENT 30.57 Hydra Sports ... Mercury Seth King Ben Sorrell Phil Mitchell Philip Mitchell Jr. 11. Passin Through 29.64 12. MISS LA 27.49 Donzi ... Mercury Robby Brown Bob Brown Dewayne Fox Angela Brown Brody Brown 13. BOSS GOBBLER 27.28 Contender ... Yamaha Bryan Perry Jr. Jimmy Davis 14. 3 STOGES AND CHERYL 25.70 Donzi ... Mercury Larry Warren Cheryl Warren Jimmy Wright 15.Jus Kooling Out 24.13

 

Final Standings

1. DONNA’S WORRY 31.86 Sea Vee ..... Mercury Ernie Diloreti Mark Drolshagen Pete Ferrara Ed Coggeshall 2. BONNIE B VI 29.46 Hydra Sports ... Evinrude Jim Banks Chris Vines John Gaeto 3. BAD HABIT 28.94 Marlin ... Yamaha Randy Walker Frankie Denmark Randon Walker Peter Maddox Bob Hughes 4. FISHIN’ ADDITION 27.14 Palmetto .... Yamaha Charles Getsinger Tommy Strozzo Daniel Gourley 5. HOGG HEAVEN 25.66 Hydra Sports ... Evinrude Jason Hogg Joe Hodges Ralph Bell 6. G’S TOY 25.24 Mako ,,,,, Mercury John Dunn Don White William Jones Terry Whitstone

7. LOOSE LUCY 24.96 Donzi ... Mercury Mike Kaminsky Kevin Hoffman Susan Kaminsky Doc Martin 8. DOUBLE D 24.80 Mako .... Yamaha Damon Dawson Anthony Dallas Cris Brown 9. Sweet Deal 24.04 10. Special K 23.46 CLASS OF 23: 1. KNOT AT WORK 27.86 Sea Pro ... Yamaha Robert Olsen Kelly Whiddon 2. Comocean 24.02 3. SKERVY DOG II 23.26 Sea Ox .... Yamaha Ted Nettles Baron Brodie Bob Watts Janell Nettles TOP LADY ANGLER: Susan Kaminsky ..... Loose Lucy

 

RALEIGH SALTWATER SPORTFISHING CLUB
KING MACKEREL TOURNAMENT
ATLANTIC BEACH, NC
JUNE 21-23, 2002
By: Andrew Winburn

It rained and the wind blew hard but the dad, mom, and son combination aboard the Fish Meister fought hard and brought the winning fish to the scales of the one day Raleigh Saltwater tournament. Dean Spatholt captained the Yamaha powered Contender and around 9 AM junior angler Russell caught his biggest tournament king. "Didn't think he'd go 50," said Dean of the 51.95 winning fish. Fish Meister battled what many fishermen claimed to be 6 feet seas during the morning. It took 30 minutes to bring the fish into the boat. She got tangled in the prop and after raising the motor she circled the boat and it took one shot with the gaff to bring her in. Russell caught the monster king with a single pogie. Fish Meister was the first fish to weigh in and waited patiently for the 6 o'clock deadline to come.

Duke University sophomore Chesson O'Briant landed the second place fish with a menhaden in about thirty feet of water. He fishes aboard the Emerald Marine Fishing Team, a 29 feet Century with twin Yamaha 250's. Chesson was a few miles from Bogue Inlet Pier and only about 500 yards off the beach before 8 in the morning when he caught the 26.6 pound King. The weather was nasty but luckily Emerald Marine Fishing Team was between two storms and missed the
rain as they landed this fish. Chesson knew where he wanted to fish that morning but almost missed his chance. "I was about to give up and run offshore," he said. Sometimes just a small change in the way you are thinking can bring you some luck. While he was cleaning up and getting ready to make his run he left one line in the water and it started singing.

Twenty minutes later and one run under the boat the fish was brought in with a deep gaff. Keep an eye on this smart fisherman through the rest of Division One. Skip Conklin got a little protection from the storm by staying in the inlet around the shoals about 3 miles from the weigh in. That's where his son and junior angler, Chris, on Ocean Athlete powered by Mercury caught the third place fish. Chris is a past Division One and Nine top junior and doesn't seem to be letting up at all. Fifteen minutes was all it took, even in the rough conditions, to bring the fish onto the boat. The fish was hooked using menhaden and ended up tipping the scales at 22.70 pounds. It was caught around 6:30, and the crew decided not to take off and make too long of a run in the tough weather conditions. They played it smart by
thinking that a fish that size would hold its own with the conditions everyone was fishing in that day. After the third place finish Skip thanked Mercury Outboards and also Morehead Marine who makes sure his boat is always good to go.

This was a tough tournament to fish, and the top finishers deserve congratulations. The winds were said to reach 20 knots and at 7 AM of this one day tournament the rain was coming down so hard in some places that there was little visibility. One fisherman said he saw the Coast Guard flashing lights of warning because of the weather. This was the second tournament in Division One this year leaving three more chances to gain points in the Division. Carteret County Sport fishing Association is the next tournament, taking place the third weekend of July. Hopefully the weather will hold off, and a great weekend will surely produce big kings.

Bill and Theresa Hogshire's Miss Dawn earned fourth place with a 21.50 while Mark Yokeley's Mater Head rounded out the top five with a 20.35.With the exception of the first place fish, the field of 172 boats had a hard time finding fish. You would suspect weather had a big impact on the fishing. The Raleigh Tournament, one of the best on the East Coast, is
held each year at this time to catch the spawning kings usually found near the beach. This year was definitely different but as they say, that's fishing! All of the top five boats were SKA members.

Final Standings

1. FISH MEISTER 51.95 Contender ... Yamaha Dean Spatholt Russell Spatholt Laura Spatholt 2. EMERALD MARINE 26.60 Century ... Yamaha Phil O'Brien Chesson O'Briant 3. OCEAN ATHLETE 22.70 Hydra Sports ... Mercury Skip Conklin Jay Russell Cris Conklin Sandy Conklin 4. MISS DAWN 21.50 Aquasport ... Johnson Bill Hogshire Teresa Hogshire 5. MATER HEAD 20.35 Donzi ... Mercury Mark Yokeley John Preast	6. El Intruso 20.10 7. REEL QUICK 20.50 Hydra Sports ... Johnson Joe Tew Tony Fincher 8. REEL GREEDY 18.95 Contender ... Yamaha Randall Eders Bradley Knight George Eders 9. Big Melon 16.70 10. JUST IN TIME 16.65 Contender ... Mercury Johnny Hudson Robert Parrott Bill Stallings   TOP CLASS OF 23: REEL QUICK 20.05

 

22ND ANNUAL SWANSBORO ROTARY MEMORIAL DAY BLUEWATER/KING MACKEREL FISHING TOURNAMNET
SWANSBORO, NC
MAY 26-24, 2002
By: SKA

The winds blew for the week preceding the Swansboro Rotary King Mackerel, Bluewater Tournament making pre fishing near impossible. While bait was relatively easy to catch, landing a good king was next to impossible or so was the consensus of the near 250 Captain's entered. "This had to be one of the worse days of fishing I've ever seen in the 22 year history of the event,"said Tournament Director Jim Davis after Saturday's weigh in which only 20 fish were recorded and Mark Strickland 16.90 led the field. The bar was raised on day two.

We fished everywhere yesterday but found nothing," said Leonard Gibson of the G - Force. "We just picked the 14 Buoy cause it seemed as good as anyplace on Sunday morning." A better decision could not have been made. After deploying a spanish on the downrigger around 8 am, a fish hit and screamed the reel. "Jerry (Gibson, the Captain of the boat) thought it was a shark at first and came to the bow with knife in hand to cut him off, but I persuaded him to let me bring it up," explained Leonard. Thirty minutes later the tournament winning 29.75 king was in the boat. "We didn't get another bite so at noon we headed for the scales. The 30 minute fight that almost didn't happen netted the team nearly $30,000 which equates about a grand per minute in landing the fish. Not a bad day at the office!

Chip and Chad Sanders fished a new 23 foot Ken Craft and believed that it's the finest boat they've ever owned. "It performed great," said Chip. "We had an 85 mile run to make after bagging our 22 pounder on Sunday and it
was a breeze." Previously they had weighed a 10 pounder on Saturday and the two combined weights gave the Reel Screamer a 32.85 pound aggregate and the tournaments second place prize, an 18 foot Evinrude powered Wellcraft boat with a custom aluminum trailer by Loadmaster. The tournament had aggregate weight for second place. "We were fishing in 90 feet of water and nailed the king on the downrigger using sardines," added Chip. "At first it acted like an amberjack but we had it in by 11 o'clock." Chip and Chad also credit Webb's Fiberglass for all their success.

"This was one of the toughest events I've ever fished," said third place finisher, Joe Winslow off the Hooligan. "We really wanted to get our new Yellowfin close to the top and I'm happy we succeeded," said the frequent
winner. Fishing with Fred Coyne and Chuck Saunders, the team shared in the $10,000 payday.

Skint Back, a Suzuki powered World Cat, earned fourth place with a 24.50 and earned their lady angler, Sandy Jones, top honors. "I had heard that the bluewater boats were seeing kings in deep water so we ran 10 miles past the WR2, about 130 feet of water," said David Jones, the team Captain. "We got him with a pogy trolled 70 feet down." Like most other teams they too reported that they ran all over the ocean looking for fish on the first day. On day two they had their money fish in the boat by 7:30. They won almost six grand. Kevin Jones and Dennis Watson make up the rest of the team.

Job Site Too rounded out your top five with a 17.75. It was their first tournament and the first king ever caught by Duwayne Rough. They caught their king by the Granger wreck using a pogy with a yellow skirt. on the downrigger
50 feet deep. They fish a 34 foot Mercury powered Fountain.Mark Strickland's Haulin Ace was the boat to beat on Saturday leading the field with a 16.90. He couldn't improve on Sunday and finished sixth.King Jester, a Class of 23 boat, earned seventh place with a 16.90 also but it was caught on Sunday. Miss JJ finished seventh with a 13.70. Mike Burris was behind the helm.

The Wild Hair caught a 13.20 to earn ninth while the Ibis made it a clean sweep for SKA anglers in this years event. James Gunter's Sea Horse won the Cobia Division with a nice 42.75 pound fish.The Swansboro Rotary Club has produced this event for the past 22 years and devotes the lion share of the proceeds to area youth for scholarships. it's an excellent run tournament and worthy of all fishermen's consideration. I for one know I'll be back next year.

Final Standings

1. G - FORCE 29.75 Fountain ... Mercury Jerry Gibson Leonard Gibson Lee Ball 2. REEL SCREAMER (agg) 32.85 Ken Craft ... Yamaha Chip Sanders Chad Sanders 3. HOOLIGAN 26,20 Yellowfin ... Yamaha Joe Winslow Fred Coyne Chuck Saunders 4. SKINT BACK 24.50 World Cat ... Suzuki David Jones Kevin Jones Dennis Watson Sandy Jones 5. JOB SITE TOO 17.75 Fountain .... Mercury Alden Thornton 6. HAULIN ACE 16.90 Contender ... Yamaha Mark Strickland Pernell Roberts Brent Elvingten 7. KING'S JESTER 16.90 Key West ... Mercury TimStaley Kent Sanderson Jeff Cronk Rob Pringle

8. MISS JJ 13.70 Wellcraft .... Yamaha Mike Burris JJ Burris Henry Sikes Larry Fink 9. WILD HAIR 13.20 Fountain .... Mercury Randy Gordon Keith Ketner Vicki Gordon Jim Sapp 10. IBIS 13.15 Wellcraft .... Yamaha Ric Jinkens Charlie Sawyer Jinkens Chad Barnes 11.SECOND CATCH 12.55 12. Pair of Kings 12.45 13. DINICOLE II 11.20 14. Bite Me 10.90 15. TIGHT LINES 10.80 16. SANDPIPER II 10.75 17. JUST NATURAL 10.70 18. Tiger 10.60 19. REEL TIME 10.40 20. OPEN WIDE 10.35