(* Denotes a Class of 23 Team)

TEACH'S LAIR DIVISION 9 WRAPUP PART ONE
HATTERAS, NC
NOVEMBER 1-2, 2002
By: Jack Holmes

If you want to catch big fish, go to Hatteras. Most of the competitors knew that to win the division or have a shot at qualifying you needed a good fish in the final event of the season at Teach’s Lair. Many succeeded.

On the strength of a 66.66 king caught on the Outer Banks Andy Hinton’s Hot Grits II earned 119.76 points to take the win in Division nine. With Greg Theodrakis and David Stallings as teammates, the trio caught a 25.80 in the Drum Inlet tournament and a 27.41 in Coral Bay to earn the highest three fish aggregate from the east coast Divisions. It was a tremendous season and also a big boost to Donzi and Mercury.

John Lewis told me at the Coral Bay tournament that he was really trying to win this Division and get the free ticket to the Nationals. He fell short but picked up his second place finish here as well as in Division one. Certainly nothing to be ashamed of. In fact most anglers would die for that kind of a season. John and teammates Phil Munden and Mike Landreth caught a 29.28 in Town Creek, a 33.35 in Drum Inlet, and a 40.40 at Teach’s for a 103.03 total. Their bank accounts certainly benefited from this season.

Al Morris Jr. had also qualified in Division One in fourth aboard his Mercury powered Privateer, Sea Drag’n, but tried also to move up in the rankings by fishing nine. He did finishing 3rd with 86.36 points. With his dad Al Sr., Lauren and Carol Morris and Brent Bunn, they caught a 25.30 in Drum Inlet, a 31.86 winning king at Coral Bay, then added a 29.20 at Teach’s Lair. By finishing higher here he gets bumped from one allowing the next in line to qualify for the Nationals. Way to go Al!

Mitch Yates fishes an Evinrude powered Ken Craft and made the North Carolina bobtailed proud of his efforts when he earned fourth in the Division. With Mike Yates, Jr. Yates, Patrick Murphy, Mike Fan, and Wayne Hardee aboard the Sea Rat, they scaled a 19.30 at Onslow, then added a 24.25 to their ledger in Drum Inlet, and finished their 83.25 aggregate with a 39.70 on the Outer Banks. This was a really great job by the team.

Rounding out the top five was Jack Cox aboard his Privateer, Emily’s Weigh. Thanks to a 55.90 in Teach’s Lair and a 24.75 in Drum Inlet for a respectable 80.65 agg. It just goes to show you, you never quit, the big man can be just around the next buoy and propel you to a great season. Pretty work Jack! What can anyone say about the effort put forth by the Spatholt family this season. They won Division One with 117 points, finished second in Division 13, and now racked up a sixth in nine plus top Junior honors for Russell. Along the way they scaled four kings over 50 pounds. Most teams will celebrate with just one 50 pounder in a season. The Yamaha powered Contender team earned fifth with just two fish, a 28 in Drum Inlet and a 51.9 at Teach’s Lair for a 79.9agg. Stand up and cheer for Laura, Russell, and Dean, the Fish Meister team! Kirk Whorf caught a 46 pounder on the Banks to earn seventh in the Division 9 with a nice 79.75 aggregate. He pilots a 27’ Contender named Reel Time. Tim Newton’s Deal King earned a berth in the big show finishing in third place in Division One but kept right on fishing, this time scoring a eighth place with a three fish aggregate of 79.55. Fishing with him were James Panknin Sr. and James Inman who are now our top senior anglers for the Division.

Mike Williams’ Release was also one of those that earned a berth in the Nationals finishing seventh in Division One but posted a 76.95 aggregate in nine to finish ninth.

Rounding out the top ten was John Moore’s Unreel Fishing Team who posted a 74.16 three fish aggregate.
Eleanor Jenkins won Top Lady honors in the Division with 59.83 points. She fishes the Tight Lines. With the final tournament of the season being held on the Outer Banks anything can happen and it did. Most choose not to compete in this division however for my money not fishing it is a huge, huge mistake.

 

TEACH'S LAIR DIVISION 9 WRAPUP PART TWO
HATTERAS, NC
NOVEMBER 1-2, 2002
By: Jack Holmes

It was the Chip and Chad show all over again. The Sanders boys are making their mark in sport fishing circles this year by posting their second Division win, this time in nine. Ken Craft certainly must know of of their efforts too. In nine the Reel Screamer team caught a 21.15 in Onslow Bay, then scored a 43.35 money fish in Drum Inlet, and ended with a 24.75 at Teach’s Lair. A 89.25 aggregate was nearly twenty five points ahead of the second place finisher. In Division One the had a 75 point total. Because of their larger aggregate in nine, that’s where they receive their National qualification. With their credentials they certainly should pick up some endorsements in the off season if they get out and work.

Mike Webb also runs a Ken Craft, aptly named after his business, Webb’s Fiberglass. He is one of the top anglers in North Carolina and once again qualified for the big show. With Brian Bracy and Ty Conti on board, the team caught a 14.45 at Drum Inlet, a 19.85 in Coral Bay, and ended with a 30.30 on the Outer Banks for a 64.60 agg. This is a good team and work very well together.
Mister Stanman, Stan Jarusinski, caught a giant in Teach’s Lair which immediately propelled his team to victory lane. A 50.35 plus a 12 pounder at Drum Inlet earned them third with a 62.40 agg. Stan fishes with Russ Jones and Ed Watkins and produces one of the best tournaments in Division Nine, The Onslow Bay event which raises thousands for the Eckerd Youth Alternative Program. Glad to see this team do so well.

Greg Cundiff, Don West, and Gary Cundiff fished the King of Kings, an Evinrude powered Ken Craft, to the fourth slot in the final Division standings with a 59.79 aggregate. The team caught a 23.35 in Drum Inlet, a 12.79 in Coral Bay, and added his final fish, a 23.65, in Teach’s Lair. They were in a great boat, fished consistently, and looks like they have what it takes to be in the upper echelon of king fishing.

The Saltwater Redneck rounded out the top five with a 59.30 agg. Lee Buck, Kenny Sullivan, and Matt Christian posted a 16 pounder on the board at Onslow and then let their nice 43 pounder, caught on the Outer Banks, to move them into the limelight. They fish a 23’ Mercury powered Sea Ray. Way to go guys!
In sixth was Robert Terry’s Summer School with a two fish aggregate of 42.78. He gives up two feet to the competitors above him fishing a 21’ Wellcraft but it looks like it didn’t affect his team a bit.

Burt and Margaret Ferebee are masters of this class. Their 23’ Contender, Second Catch, finished fourth in Division One and added a seventh place finish in nine with a 41.75 agg. This is one of the top husband and wife teams fishing the class in the country.

Merwin Marshburn’s Doin Nuthin caught fish but just couldn’t put that big one on the scale to move him past eighth. But don’t worry about Merwin, he nailed sixth in Division One giving him a good season. This is one team that is on the verge of busting one wide open.

John Hutchen’s Daddy’s Dream, a 23’ Key West earned 40 points with a two fish aggregate and finished ninth while Kent Raynor’s Bluewater rounded out the top ten.

 

TEACH'S LAIR KING MACKEREL SHOOTOUT
HATTERAS, NC
NOVEMBER 1-2, 2002
By: Jack Holmes and Andrew Winburn

For years the SKA has preached to the masses that fall fishing off Morehead City to Hatteras was as good a fishery as anywhere in the world. Big smoker kings come in to feed before their migration south. Andy Hinton, Greg Theodorakis, and Greg more than proved us right when they beat the all time SKA record of 66.5 pounds caught off the Mississippi coast several years ago by the Hog Heaven by five one hundredths of a pound. They really raised the bar for North Carolina fishermen by beating the SKA North Carolina record by nearly ten pounds set last year in the same tournament by Paul Prystash and Phillip Cottrell aboard the Long Overdue. It’s the second time this year the record has been broken.

“We ran out the inlet in our Mercury powered Donzi with a Roff’s Fishing Forecast in hand to a temperature break five miles out that we figured no one knew about,” said Hinton, explaining in as much detail as possible for the SKA archives. “The forecast was right however we weren't marking any bait so after just a few minutes Greg suggested we join the fleet fishing the bad bottom area about two miles inside the smell wreck.” Off they went and, as believed, found most of the 61 boats in the tournament slow trolling the area. “We got real frustrated when others were hooking up and we couldn’t get a strike,” explained Theodorakis. “Brad and Linwood called us to say they were hooked up and move their way. After they hooked up we moved over their slick and the big girl hit. At first I told the team it was a high thirties. I saw her hit the 15 inch shad in the prop wash but just didn’t look that big.” The king ran out about 150 yards, turned and came right back at the boat. Greg got a good look then and told the team to get em up fast. “She ran right for Mike William's (Release) lines. In trying to sort it out he discovered it was tangled in his long line and immediately cut the line for us. We wouldn’t have got her if he wasn’t a true sportsman,” he added. The fish made a couple of death spirals, came to the surface, and the team raced over and stuck her. “As soon as the gaff was set Greg dropped the rod, Greg came from behind the helm and the three of us wrestled her in the boat,” said Hinton. “We just stood there looking at the biggest fish we’d ever seen.” Theodorakis went right back to setting out lines while Hinton tried to weigh her on their hand scale but that was lame as it bottomed out. Glen Slaughter came trolling by and the team held up the fish to ask him his opinion. He raised six fingers. That was all Hinton needed to see. “We’re going in,” came his cry to the disappointment of Theodorakis who wanted to keep fishing. “I knew that if this was a record fish and others were on big fish, we needed to be the first to the dock. To earn the bonus it was the first boat to break the record and I just didn’t want to take the chance.”

Hinton recalls the four hour wait at the dock for the scale to open, “It was the longest wait I’ve ever made. We were numb. It was horrible except we showed the fish to Don Ewing who told us that we didn’t know how great a king we had. He knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime fish.” When the scales opened at three, the fish showed 66.55 on the electronic scale, a double record. A call had been placed to Dan Upton working the Donzi display at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show so the team wasn’t the only ones waiting on pins and needles.

“Greg has been fishing for many, many years compared to my five years so I really have to thank him for all his help,” said a joyous Hinton. “Al Morris Jr. has been a true friend and inspiration also. He taught me early on that patience, persistence, and preparation were the keys to big kings. If it wasn’t for Mike Williams, we would have lost the fish. And it was Brad and Linwood Clark who gave us the heads up on their spot. They all had a hand in this.”

“We used those new Avet 8 to 1 retrieve reels which helped us keep up with the fish when it came back toward the boat,” said Theodorakis. They also used VMC hooks, number four wire, and Berkley Big Game Green twenty pound test line. For the record books, the fish measured 60 inches long, and had a 28 inch girth. Jack Cox, Phil Woolard, and Daniel Bunker took second place with a 55.90 aboard Emily’s Weigh. Their 28 foot Privateer ran close to 13 miles offshore where Jack said, “We were mostly around charter boats.” A fresh batch of pogies was caught that morning, and the guys made their run to within 1 __ miles of the winning fish. That smoker took out nearly 200 yards of line and stayed deep, Jack said, “We fought her for about thirty minutes.” While they were fighting that fish there was also another line being hit. “We weren’t sure which fish was going to be bigger. That second fish ended up only being 40 pounds,” the captain said. The guys knew they had a great fish but did not know just how great the scale was going to be to them. They kept fishing. Phil and Daniel were ready to head to the dock, but Jack knew they would be OK. He said, “We weren’t going to break down. I wouldn’t trade my Yamahas for anything.” Emily’s Weigh made it to the dock with over an hour remaining, and their second place fish that was thought to be in the mid 40’s was announced at 55.90. “We are trying to get back in the game with our sponsors,” and Jack knows that this fish will certainly turn some heads.
The Fish Meister crew brought in their fourth 50 plus pounder this year to take third place. Laura Spatholt, Russell Spatholt, and David Haynes fished out of Ocracoke and caught the 51.90 around 11:30am. “There were a couple of charter boats around,” said Laura. David Haynes actually reeled the fish in after they realized it was foul hooked. “Russell had the rod first, but David took it when we knew it was foul hooked. Russell worked the gaff and I drove the boat,” said Laura. They knew the fish was going to be near the 50 pound mark once again and were very worried about getting it to the boat. Being in Hatteras usually means that it will take an extremely large smoker to take the top spot. Laura and crew knew that. They weren’t concerned with winning, only with getting points for Division 9. Laura’s husband Dean usually fishes but had an obligation at their gift shop. Laura and Russell were both sorry that their husband and father could not be there. What a way to finish off the last tournament of the year for this family. A 51.95 early in the summer, then a 52.1, followed by a 51.15, and a 51.90 at Hatteras.

Linwood Clark and his crew aboard his 32 foot Donzi, Thumpin, grabbed the sixth place fish weighing in at 47.65. Their mid-morning fish was caught using live pogies. “We had just run over a big plot of bait,” said Linwood. A 42 pounder was caught, and then their boat made its way back to the spot holding the 47.65. Linwood later said, “We knew it wasn’t a break-the-record fish, but we knew it was a good fish.” Fish estimated at 40, 30, and 20 pounds were all released by Thumpin. “We donated all of our winnings to the Dale Ward Youth prize for next year,” said Linwood.

Seventh place overall went to Kirk Whorf and Van Parrish on Reel Time. The 27 foot Contender/Yamaha was with the crowd of boats nearly 13 miles off shore at the Smell Wreck when their line smoked at 11am. “It hit and wrapped the downrigger line,” said Kirk. The fish made a quick run and ended up under the motors. Kirk cut and raised the motors as Van held the rod and reel completely under water. Kirk knew it was a decent fish. “It was darn close to the props. When we got it in the boat we were high fiving and ready to hit the scales.” With all of the radio talk going on throughout the day the guys knew they didn’t have a winner but were sure happy with their smoker.

“It was nasty Saturday morning,” said Stan Jarusinski of Mister Stanman. Russ Jones and Shawn Beistel joined Stan on the 23 foot Regulator. These guys took a beating in their small boat as they were on their way to claiming the number one 23 and under spot with a 50.35. “A local guy gave them to me,” said Stan of the numbers for the spot he fished. “He called it Squirrel Rock. Nobody has heard of that place before.” The 23 foot Regulator left the marina before day break, found about 30 bait, and had their line singing just after 8am. Stan and his crew saw the fish in the water and said, “She looked like a pickup truck out there.” That monster king hit the bait once, twice, and the third time she was hooked. After a 300 yard run she was in the boat, and the guys kept fishing because they thought she was only in the mid 40s. When their boat was the fifth to weigh in, Stan heard the weigh-master call out 50.35. “That was quite exciting,” Stan said of finally getting that 50 pounder he has been fishing for. Stan is a part of the Yamaha Saltwater Fishing Team. His boat is also sponsored by Shimano and Spro-Gamakatsu swivels and hooks.

This is one of the tournaments everyone in North Carolina should fish. Two years in a row it has produced a new SKA state record and it’s now the holder of the largest fish ever caught in an SKA event. Need any more reasons?

Final Standings

1. HOT GRITS II 66.55 Donzi .... Mercury Andy Hinton Greg Theodorakis David Stallings 2. EMILYS WEIGH 55.90 Privateer ... Yamaha Jack Cox 3. FISH MEISTER 51.90 Contender ... Yamaha David Haynes Laurie Spatholt Russell Spatholt 4. MISTER STANMAN 50.35 Regulator ... Yamaha Stan Jarusinski Russ Jones 5. Shamalama II 49.65 6. THUMPIN Donzi .... Mercury Linwood Clark Brad Clark	7. REEL TIME 46.20 Contender ... Yamaha Kirk Whorf Van Parrish 8. TIGHT LINES 45.45 Shearline ... Yamaha Pete Rae Eleanor Jenkins 9. BIG BAD WOLF 44.10 Contender ... Yamaha Daniel Erwin 10. Fin Quest 44.00 11. UNREEL 43.55 Regulator ... Yamaha John Moore Steve Squires Steve Spear Jimmy Hill Jeff Moore TOP JUNIOR ANGLER: Russell Spatholt TOP LADY ANGLER: Laura Spatholt

 

CORAL BAY OPEN
MOREHEAD CITY, NC
OCTOBER 24-26
By: Jack Holmes

Al Morris Jr. and his team of Al Morris Sr. and Brent Bunn, fishing the Sea Drag’n, a Mercury powered Privateer, added another notch to his belt this weekend by bettering the 130 boat field at Coral Bay. Morris has been in the money a lot this season and this final victory is a true testament to the team’s fishing prowess. “We’ve fished the same area all season,” said the elder Morris. “We’ve managed to place six out of eight times from this area.” Sr. drove the boat when their shot came around 3 o’clock, Jr. fought the king, and Bunn gaffed the fish. “We were 35 miles from the scale fishing in 70 feet of water,” added Al Morris Sr. after the weigh master John Zalud announced 31.86 for their king. “She ate a large menhaden.” When the smoke cleared the Sea Drag’n team picked up about $20,000 in winnings. Excellent for an event this size!

Mark Malizia’s Ambitious team earned second place money with their 30.84, one of only three caught in the one-day tournament. The Fort Pierce, Florida team of Brent Bowman and Chris Blackwell were there to fish the Yamaha Pro Tour and entered the local event. “I never expected this,” said Malizia. “There’s a lot of great fishermen here in this field. I guess the weather turned the fish off, I know we really worked hard as did everyone.” They fish a Yamaha powered Contender. From Venice, Louisiana came the Crawgator team also fishing a Contender. “I came here to find one good fish, thank God it came on Saturday,” said a proud Bill Butler. “This is different from the way we fish in the Delta but we’re adapting.” Mike Butler, Steve Jenkins, and Freddy Travis teamed to scale a 30.77. They too were fishing the Yamaha Pro Tour and elected to fish the Division Nine event. Steve Cunningham from South Florida, fishing with his Georgia team of Lee Rodenberry and John Hall aboard the No Mercy, earned fourth with a 29.62. “We ran all over the ocean looking for a bite,” said Cunningham. “We really needed this fish.” They fish a Mercury powered Contender.

Andy Hinton’s Hot Grits II was next on the leader board. Like Morris, Andy’s team of Greg Theodorakis, David Stallings, and John Gates are having a pretty good year. They already had finished in 26th in the hotly contested Division One and were 12th going into this event in Division 9. “We only had two baits (bluefish) so we went to the sea buoy at Ocracoke in the hopes of jigging up more but no luck,” said Hinton. “We were almost forced to use bally but we got our king.” Their 27.41 earned fifth. They fished the temperature break as did most of the field aboard their Mercury powered Donzi.

Sandy Smith is no stranger to Carolina waters but he prefers his knowledge of waters around his home of Fort Pierce, Florida. He found a 27.40 aboard his Mercury powered Yellowfin, Gatorbait, good for sixth place. Rick Ryan and Joel Wood caught a 26.31 to move into seventh place. Ryan and Wood are really turning up the fishing pressure late in the season. They fish a Yamaha powered Contender named King Size.

David Heavenridge and Ron Kein have won money in their home waters off Florida’s west coast, in the Louisiana Delta, and now in Carolina waters. They ran the Top Gun, a Mercury powered Donzi, to a ninth place finish with a 25.15. Rounding out the top ten was Ken Upton's Team Donzi.

Paul Bell and his team at Coral Bay Marina really know how to take care of the fishermen. Their expertise allowed us to assist in what I consider an excellent event. The fishermen certainly can thank Coral Bay for an excellent pay out. Thanks Paul!

Final Standings

1. SEA DRAG’N 31.86 Privateer .... Mercury Al Morris Jr. Al Morris Sr. Brent Bunn 2. AMBITIOUS 30.84 Contender .... Yamaha Mark Malizia Brent Bowman Chris Blackwell 3. CRAWGATOR 30.77 Contender ... Yamaha Bill Butler Mike Butler Steve Jenkins Freddy Travis 4. NO MERCY 29.62 Contender ... Mercury Steve Cunningham Lee Rodenberry John Hall 5. HOT GRITS II 27.41 Donzi ... Mercury Andrew Hinton Greg Theodrakis David Stallings John Gates

6. GATORBAIT 27.40 Yellowfin .... Mercury Sandy Smith Wylie Nagler Matt Pitman Anthony Guettler 7. KING SIZE 26.31 Contender ... Yamaha Rick Ryan Joel Wood 8. Summer Breeze 25.97 9. TOP GUN 25.15 Donzi ... Mercury David Heavenridge Ron Kien 10. TEAM DONZI 23.63 Donzi ... Mercury Ken Upton Dan Upton Jack Wood TOP JUNIOR ANGLER: Robbie Terry .... SUMMER SCHOOL TOP LADY ANGLER: Rachel Burke ... PENN BOAT

 

DRUM INLET KING MACKEREL TOURNAMENT
EMERALD ISLE , NC
OCTOBER 11-13
By: Andrew Winburn

“That was the week it was 8-12 on Friday. I thought they were going to postpone the tournament but I sure am happy we got to fish on Saturday,” said co-captain Chip Sanders of Reel Screamer. Chip and his brother Chad have been fishing together for years. Howard Patton joined the brothers on their 23 foot Ken Kraft as they claimed first place with a 43.35 smoker. Chip and Chad took their Ken Kraft to the west side for about 15 minutes and got a call telling them to fish the east side. Their small boat made the trip to the 30 minute rock to join the four other boats fishing that spot. By mid-day that spot held 20 boats. Reel Screamer was patient and waited until 4:30 that afternoon when the bite turned on. A smaller fish was hooked when the winning fish fell for one of the lines left in the water. Chip wasn’t too sure how big the king was when it first hit but said, “Once it got close to the boat, I knew it was longer than what we already had in the boat.” That fish turned out to be bigger than any of the fish on the radio that Saturday. High fives were exchanged on the boat, and a little after 5PM the Ken Kraft was on its way to the scales. “We put our Yamahas to the test on the way back,” said Chip. Chip, Chad, and Howard thanked Ken Kraft boats and Webb’s Fiberglass as they accepted their prize money.

Once again John Lewis finished in the money this tournament season. Second Chanze boated a 33.85 good enough to take second place overall. A few other boats saw the 25 foot Contender near the 1700 Rock. Lewis and his crew started catching fish right away and the other boats soon left the area because they were not seeing any action. “We stayed hooked up all morning,” said Lewis about his 25, 28, 30, and 33.85 kings. He was pleased with the turnout and said,“We had a real good day. By noon we had 4 good fish.” The radio talk got the best of his crew, and they decided to head towards Swansboro Inlet where talk of the ‘big’ fish lingered. Lewis pulled his boat into the pack at Swansboro and realized the 30 pounders were much smaller than the talk on the radio. “We then felt good about our fish but didn’t know just how good it would be,” said Lewis. They made it to the scales with about 25 minutes left in the tournament and claimed second place for the twin powered Yamaha/Contender. It was good for the guys to finish near the top again this year and Lewis said, “Power Marine has been very strong for me this year.”

Third place fell to a non SKA boat Captain Harold Hill, son Jeff Hill, and son-in-law Ronnie Adams snagged the fourth place honors with a 28 pound king. Shock Wave, a 27 foot Contender, fished the east side of the shoals about three miles off shore. Harold was running the boat and later said, “We saw boats hooked up and stopped.” That was a smart decision. The 28 pounder hit the first bait in the water, and the guys never got the second bait out of the boat. “We felt good about that one,” said Harold. The Contender boat fished a while longer and made it to the scales around 4PM.

The Spatholt family has made a name for themselves this year and lived up to the name once again. Their Contender Fish Meister ran towards the Drum Inlet area where they boated the fifth place 28 pound king using live pogies. “It was terrible,” said Dean of the weather. At one point Dean and his son Russell had the boat filled with water. Along with the weather problems, Dean said, “We were also very frustrated because we were not doing too well.” It ended up being a ‘one fish day’ for Russell and Dean, but that one fish was good enough for them to finish in the money one more time.

Young Alan Barnes is a great fisherman in the making. His dad, Brett, enjoys spending long days on the water with his Junior Angler son. Their 25 foot Contender, Hot Rod, fished the Cape Fear River Channel that produced their 26.55 King. The sixth place finish assured Alan of yet another Junior Angler plaque for his collection. Alan hooked and boated that fish around ten in the morning but continued fishing all day. A pogie on the short line in the prop wash fell victim to that 26 pound fish.

Russell Spatholt took the top Junior award, followed by Alan Barnes on Hot Rod. The largest king, a 43.35, was caught on a 23 foot boat.

Final Standings

1. REEL SCREAMER 43.35 KenCraft ... Yamaha Chad Sanders Chip Sanders 2. SECOND CHANZE 33.35 Contender ... Yamaha John Lewis Phil Munden Mike Landroth 3. Sea Nutz 31.45 4. SHOCK WAVE 28.45 Contender ... Mariner Harold Hill Jeff Hill Ronnie Adams 5. FISH MEISTER 28.00 Contender ... Yamaha Dean Spatholt Russell Spatholt 6. HOT ROD 26.55 Contender ... Yamaha Brett Barnes Alan Barnes	7. GOBBI 25.95 Fountain ... Mercury Clark Cheek Owen Berkobile Wes Spainhour Tony Rose 8. HOT GRITS II 25.80 Donzi ... Mercury Andy Hinton Greg Theodrakis David Stallings Jack Wood 9. SEA DRAG’N 25.30 Privateer .... Mercury Al Morris Jr. Al Morris Sr. Lauren Morris Carol Morris 10. HOOLIGAN 24.95 Yellowfin ... Yamaha Joe Winslow TOP JUNIOR ANGLER: Russell Spatholt, FISH MEISTER
CLASS OF 23: 1. REEL SCREAMER 43.35 2. SUMMER SCHOOL 24.10 3. Double Trouble 23.65

 

ONSLOW BAY OPEN KMT- BENEFIT OF ECKERD YOUTH ALTERNATIVE- FISHING FOR THE FUTRE PROGRAM
EMERALD ISLE , NC
SEPTEMBER 27-29
By: Jack Holmes

Tim Newton and his son Nick, Jim Inman and Jim Panknin teamed aboard the Deal King to capture the 2nd Annual Onslow Bay Open KMT held out of Island Harbor Marina in Emerald Isle, N.C. Newton started the one day event with purchased bait. “When Stanman announced that the bait sellers were donating half the money from the sale of live baits I couldn’t resist,” said the Captain. “But we also stopped at Harkers Island and picked up a few fresh menhaden.” They then ran to the Dead Tree Hole but according to Newton, found the water not to his liking. “We kept moving out till we found clean water,” he explained. “We were in 60 feet of water when our bad boy hit a pogy on the long line.” The king weighed 31.35 when they got back to the docks just missing a big rain producing storm that most of the rest of the participants had to run through. No wind, just rain. Newton and the rest of his team then sat around the dock watching the fleet weigh in hoping no one had a bigger fish. They didn’t. The Deal King was king this day and Nick picked up Junior Angler Honors. He now also leads Division Nine with a two fish aggregate of 44.59 points.

Kent Raynor picked up third in this event with a 24.50. “We ran all the way to the west side and just kept moving till we found fish,” said Raynor, the Captain of the Bluewater, an Evinrude powered Wellcraft. “We found her at 1:30, she ate a pogy. Helping Raynor onboard was team mate Steve Gurba. The team now leads Division Nine’s Class of 23.

The Bubba Bean team, a Yamaha powered Parker, weighed a 22.35. “We ran, picked up and moved, and ran again,” said team Captain Alex Chandler. “We were about 15 miles from the inlet and it was getting late but at three o’clock she hit a ribbonfish off the downrigger.” David Ennis was the angler and Ronnie Ennis and Greg Foster assisted. They’re now seventh in the Division.The Bite Me, Captained by Perry Mitchell, earned seventh with a 21.30. The Mercury powered Donzi team, with Phillip Mitchell onboard, moved into ninth in the Division with just this one fish.

Chad and Chip Sanders’ Reel Screamer finished eighth with a 21.15 while Bill McLamb’s On The Fly captured ninth with a 20.95

Captain Stanman’s Onslow Bay Tournament is a benefit for the Eckerd Youth Alternatives, a program to introduce kids to a lifetime activity that helps them resist the pressures of their daily lives to do other more harmful activities. When we arrived in Emerald Isles, Stanman was contemplating what to do with the weather. It was blowing 25 mph but was predicted to lay down Saturday. He made the right call and 65 gung ho fishermen signed up. He and his staff put together a great program, tapping the marine industry and local merchants for lots of door prizes and auction items. As I left , Stanman indicated that they raised over $11,000 for the program. The entire staff is to be congratulated. We look forward to returning next year and with good weather have 200 boats all helping this great cause. Kudos Stanman.

Final Standings

1. DEAL KING 31.35 Privateer ..... Mercury Tim Newton Jim Inman Jim Panknin Nick Newton 2. Final Answer 29.45 3. BLUEWATER 24.50 Wellcraft ... Evinrude Kent Raynor Steve Gurba 4. Ram Rod 23.15 5. BUBBA BEAN 22.35 Parker ... Yamaha Alex Chandler David Ennis Ronnie Ennis Greg Foster	6. Jimmy Mack 21.70 7. BITE ME 21.30 Donzi .... Mercury Perry Mitchell Philip Mitchell 8. REEL SCREAMER 21.15 KenCraft ... Yamaha Chad Sanders Chip Sanders 9. ON THE FLY 20.95 Pathfinder .... Yamaha William McLamb H. Lex Marks Al Davis 10. Reel Time 19.60
TOP LADY ANGLER: Margaret Ferebee .... Second Catch	TOP JUNIOR ANGLER: Nick Newton .... Deal King

 

TOWN CREEK SHOOTOUT
TOWN CREEK, NC
SEPTEMBER 13-15
By: Don Ewing

John Lewis and his Second Chanze team is known and respected in North Carolina fishing circles. Maybe it’s because he always seems to get a check in most events he and Phil Munden and Mike Landreth fish. They certainly added to their credibility when they found the biggest fish of the Town Creek Tournament, the season opener for Division Nine. They went to the 30 Minute Rock but left there for a shot at the Fat Belly Reef. It was the right move. “We caught four or five fish in the low to mid twenties but couldn’t find the one we needed to win the tournament,” said Lewis. “We had bait penned up but found some big island shad that did the trick.” They caught their winning king, a 29.28 on a top line trolled way back. Lewis and his team already qualified for the Nationals earning second this year in Division One.

Miss Mercy’s Walter Giese and Ken Johnson bagged a 21.30 to earn the tournament’s fourth slot, second SKA. They fish a Yamaha powered Parker. Ricky Rowland and Scott Parrish earned fifth place in the tournament, but they were the third place SKA finishers. The Miss Micki team caught a 21.30 at the Dead Tree Hole using a top lined pogy. “I really can’t tell you why we fished there,” Rowland told me. “We ran in that direction and when we got there saw kings sky. We were also marking good bait fish so we just put out the lines.” Parrish bagged the fish a little after noon.

Hot Grits II with Andrew Hinton behind the helm, earned sixth place, fourth SKA, with a 18.96. “We fished Drum Inlet and anchored up inside the reef,” he told us. “The seas kept building so we moved to Beaufort. We caught fish all day but they were all about the same size.”

Jerry Gibson’s G-Force earned seventh with a 18.84.

Charles Smith’s Comin in Loaded captured eighth place with a 18.60 while Kirk Whorf finished ninth with a 18.40 aboard his Reel Time.

John Moore’s Unreel rounded out the top ten.

This tournament did not produce the big fish expected, however weather was not the best. As the season progresses you should see all these boats place slabs on the dock.

Final Standings

1. SECOND CHANZE 29.28 Contender ....Yamaha John Lewis Phil Munden Mike Landreth 2. Miss Michaela 27.34 3. Take Five 25.98 4. MISS MERCY 21.30 Parker ..... Yamaha Walter Giese Ken Johnson 5. MISS MICKI 21.30 Wellcraft ... Suzuki Ricky Rowland Scott Parrish 6. HOT GRITS II 18.96 Donzi ... Mercury Andrew Hinton Greg Theodrakis David Stallings	7. G-FORCE 18.84 Fountain .... Mercury Jerry Gibson Leonard Gibson Lee Ball 8. COMIN’ IN LOADED 18.60 Donzi .... Mercury Charles Smith Kenneth Lane Susan Smith 9. REEL TIME 18.40 Contender .... Yamaha Kirk Whorf Van Parrish 10. UNREEL 16.36 Regulator ... Yamaha John Moore Steve Squires Steve Spear Jimmy Hill Rodney Squires
CLASS OF 23: 1. MISS MERCY 21.30	TOP JUNIOR ANGLER: Jake Cooper Doin Nuthin