(* Denotes a Class of 23 Team)

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH KING MACKEREL TOURNAMENT
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC
SEPTEMBER 20-22, 2002
By: SKA

 

Final Standings

CLASS OF 23
Top Lady Angler:	Top Junior Angler:

 

TOPSAIL OFFSHORE FISHING CLUB KMT
SOUTHPORT YACHT BASIN, NC
AUGUST 23-25, 2002
By: SKA

 

Final Standings

CLASS OF 23
Top Lady Angler:	Top Junior Angler:

 

KING OF THE CAPE CLASSIC
SOUTHPORT YACHT BASIN, NC
JULY 26-27, 2002
By: Andrew Winburn

The 2001 National Class of 23 winner and noted Carolina journalist, Jerry Dilsaver, wanted to produce a tournament that would support a cause near and dear to him, the Long Bay Artificial Reef Association (LBARA). He succeeded on both counts, raised some money and held one great event. The LBARA, a non-profit organization, established and administers the renewal of the seven artificial reefs in the Atlantic Ocean off Brunswick County. Unfortunately, the LBARA has gotten caught up in the North Carolina budget crisis and there are no state funds to assist them. In applying for federal funding assistance, the award is based on matching funding from the organization's own fundraising.

"We would have assisted them even if it hadn't been severely affected by the state budget shortfall," stated Tournament Director, Captain Jerry Dilsaver. "They are to be thanked for providing such great locations for us to fish over the years. Now with the funding shortage it is absolutely critical that we step up and support them. The tournament fishermen know this especially well, and it was good to see them so willing to help out." From SKA's standpoint Jerry did a great job however every angler with a boat should have registered and supported this cause. They'll fish the US Open and kill an ungodly amount of fish, but to help the resource, they stay home. It's truly sad!

She's All That took top SKA honors, finishing second in the tournament. "We didn't want to fight the crowd so we went south," said the Captain, Ricky Hobbs. They fish a 38 foot Fountain with 3 Mercury 225's and they needed every bit of boat and motor to bring in their fish. Their run was 80 miles south and said they were the only boat there. They didn't want me to know exactly where the fish was caught, so they said they were down near Charleston, but after doing some quick math I knew they weren't too close to Charleston if they only went 80 miles, but what matters is that they got back to the dock with a 30 pound King.

Ricky and Laura pre-fished Thursday and didn't do as well as they wanted to. Their disappointment didn't keep them from going back to that spot on Saturday and it paid off as Laura brought in her biggest King ever. It didn't seem like it was going to be such a pay off at first because their first bait wasn't caught until 8:30, but that all changed at 10:30 when the line started singing. Top Lady angler, Laura Hobbs, was afraid they were going to lose the fish at first, but that short line with a pogie finally came to the boat with the fish. "I'm so proud of her," said Ricky speaking of his wife's accomplishment. Avoiding the crowd racing north and going south was for sure the right choice to make for the husband and wife team.Charles Jones, Richard Forbis, and Arthur Hall took second in the SKA, third in tournament, with a 28.70 King. The group of guys on Kings Wild fishes a 31 foot Fountain and wouldn't have wanted to take a smaller boat in water that was 4-5 feet all day. People always say that things happen when you least expect them to, and that held true for Richard. "We were done," said Captain Charles Jones. So they started dumping the bait tank about 10 miles out of Carolina Beach around 3:30 and the line went off. Richard brought the fish in in a little less than 20 minutes and said, "It came in pretty easy." Spoken like a true veteran.

"We went north to see how it was," said Captain Bryan Perry aboard the Boss Gobbler. All the talk about going North paid off and the guys know there are more fish there. The Power Marine Outfitters sponsored Contender with Yamaha power got their fish at close to 11:30 on long line with a pogie. David Gore was responsible for bringing the fish in and was joined by Jimmy Davis and Lee Perry. Bryan cut the motors off and was drifting with extra chum in about 50 feet of water when the fish that gave them the third SKA spot hit the line. The fight was your usual 20-minute routine making one long run, and then it was time for the long ride back to Southport. The men left their hole at noon and made it back to the docks around four. They didn't come clean as to where that fish was taken but close to a four hour ride back put them way up there.

Stacy and Ditto Wester's Big Bad Wolf took the fourth SKA spot and was followed by Man-O-War rounding out the top 5. SKA charter member Rick Nifong fished the Frying Pan Tower, and his line was hit at 1pm. Man-O-War also took top Junior award with Josh Mitchell who claims to have the greatest mom in the world. South Harbor Marina sponsors the boat.

The 23 and under boats weighed in nine fish in the one day tournament. While a boat does not make you a great fisherman, those small boats sure would have liked some extra length with the choppy water and blowing wind. The run down of the SKA 23 and under boats starts with Live Line weighing in a 21.30. Live Line had the second place Junior angler with David Jackson. Reel Quick, top 23 and under at Raleigh, brought their 23 footer in with a 15.42 good enough for second. And Reel Music grabbed the number three slot with a 14.46.

Again, we want to extend our congratulations to Captain Jerry for a great job. The cast net contest, the kid's pin fish contest, and of course your organizational skills lent to a very successful event. We'll be back!

Final Standings

1. Tide Lines 38.72 2. SHE'S ALL THAT 30.60 Fountain ... Mercury Richard Hobbs Laura Hobbs 3. KING'S WILD 28.70 Fountain .... Mariner Charles Jones Arthur Hall Richard Forbis 4. BOSS GOBLER 27.44 Contender ... Yamaha Bryan Perry Lee Perry Jim Davis David Gore 5. BIG BAD WOLF 22.38 Contender ... Yamaha Stacy Wester Daniel Erwin	6. MAN-O-WAR 21.50 Avanti ... Mercury Rick Nifong Dennis Hendrick Josh Mitchell Billy Goss 7. FRAID KNOT 21.30 Mike Jackson David Jackson 8. BACK STRETCH 17.16 Grady White ... Yamaha Jonathon Thorn Toby Fulford Roy Ridgeley 9. SANDPIPER 17.12 Hydra Sports ... Mercury Fred Piper Charlie Satterwhile William Dowd 10. Fortune Seeker 16.54
CLASS OF 23 1. FRAID KNOT 21.30 2. REEL MUSIC 14.46 ProLine .... Mercury Gaston Hughes Tolly Hughes 3. SCORPION 11.46 Chris Craft .... Yamaha Ed Croom Chris Benson Garner Welty Linda Croom
Top Lady Angler: Laura Hobbs	Top Junior Angler: Josh Mitchell, Billy Goss

 

EAST COAST GOT-EM-ON CLASSIC
CAROLINA BEACH, NC
JUNLY 12-14, 2002
By: Barret McMullan

For Dean Spatholt and family, fishing aboard the Fishmeister out of Calabash, S.C., catching 50-pounders is becoming old hat. The Got-Em-On tournament out of Carolina Beach, NC served as the second tournament that the Fishmeister
has won with a 50+ in this young tournament season. If you didn't know the Spatholt's and the Fishmeister name before, you do now. They have busted into the winner's circle this year and are taking names and whooping tail. In fact, the North Carolina kingfish tournaments are considering a universal name change for the rest of the season into the Fishmeister beneficiary tournaments. Well, not exactly, but with two big wins already this year the Fishmeister is on a roll. And I assure you they aren't getting any worse at this game.

"An impressive accomplishment" were the words I heard muttered through the crowd at the awards Sunday evening. This comment and many others of similar nature were being directed toward the Fishmeister fishing team, which in this
tournament was made up only of Dean Spatholt and wife, Laurie Spatholt. The normal team consists of Dean, Laurie and their two sons Greg and Russel but on this particular weekend the boys were tied up at soccer camp. Dean explained to me after the tournament, "I was a little nervous with just myself and Laurie onboard for a tournament. I knew that if we did get lucky and get a bite from a big fish that we would have to be operating on all cylinders and have a little help from the fish gods if we were going to catch the fish." On day one the bite came and Dean's fears came true. Dean and Laurie fought what they believed to be a monster kingfish for 15 minutes only to have the wire bit through just before they could get an eyeball on the fish. A heartbreaking incident that many of us have had happen at one time or another. We all know the only way to get over losing a big fish is to lose another one. However, with confidence never wavering, Dean and Laurie returned to day one's fishing hole where they lost their big one and this day would prove to be an unforgettable fishing experience. Dean recalled, "we fished hard all day without a bite and we were just talking about how we blew our chance and we were getting down on ourselves when he hit. We knew we didn't have much time to catch the fish and get to the weigh- in, so we wasted little time in getting on top of the fish." After a 10-minute battle which saw hard runs, death circles and stubborn hard pulling from the enormous kingfish, the fish was brought to gaff where Dean reached in the water up to his elbow with a twelve foot gaff and stuck the hog. "I hit him right in the center of the belly," said Dean, "and I was worried about the gaff ripping through him so I brought him to the back of the boat and grabbed his tail and pulled him in by hand and with the gaff." Dean and Laurie quickly put the fish on ice and then put the 31-foot Yamaha powered Contender into the wind at 50+ mph racing to make the weigh in. "I knew this was a big fish when I grabbed his tail and couldn't get my hand around it. This fish was much fatter than my 51 in the Raleigh tournament and he was nearly as long," said Dean. They arrived at the weigh-in with a few minutes to spare and hoisted the tournament's largest fish, a 52.1lb slab, onto the scales. With this win the Fishmeister took home a cash prize in excess of 30K. Congratulations to Dean and lady angler Laurie Spatholt for a job well done.

Day one leader and eventual second place finisher was the 31 foot Fountain Miss Emily team of John Batis, Bruce Martin, and Dennis Barbour. The Miss Emily team found an impressive 45 lb kingfish on day one and with a fish that size in this area they were expected to accept the 1st place check on day two. This time it was not to be. The Miss Emily procured a livewell full of pogies just outside the Cape Fear River on Saturday morning and then headed to an area of live bottom 15 miles off Carolina Beach. The seas were very tough to run in, but these competitors slugged it on out and were rewarded for their efforts at about 11:00 am when the big boy came calling. According to John, "the big fish ate a single pogy that Dennis had just cleaned some grass off of and was being let back out." The fish put up a 20-minute fight of hard fast running before he was boated. Several other boats were fishing the same vicinity but no others saw the fish come onboard, which John hopes, will keep his spot a secret. John commented on the team chemistry, "the team worked beautiful, six lines and no problems." This was a great tournament for these guys to make such a strong showing in as Carolina Beach is their local port and John, Dennis, and Bruce are all members of the Got-Em-On live
bait club. From virtual obscurity with this hog the Miss Emily has emerged into 3rd place in division 13. Look out!

Joe Winslow and normal team member Fred Coyne combined efforts with team Motivation's Alan Ambrose and Matt Smith on the Hooligan in this year's Got-Em-On. This new combination proved to be deadly as the Hooligan was able
to land yet another nice fish weighing in a 40.55 lbs kingfish which was good enough for 3rd place. The Hooligan, like the Fishmeister, has been a dominant force in North Carolina this year as well as several years past. Joe once again elected to stay closer to his more familiar home waters on the east side of Cape Lookout to find his fish. Day one brought nothing but disappointment, but at 11:00 am on day two their spirits were quickly brightened when one very hungry kingfish obliterated the single pogy in the prop wash. Joe explained, This fish was crazy. It was one of the most exciting and entertaining kingfish fights I have ever had." Ten minutes of intense action passed before Matt sunk the gaff into the stud horse and the celebration began. After fishing for a while longer the Hooligan headed for the scales and added a third place finish to an already successful and lucrative season. Congratulations to the "vamped up" team Hooligan for
another great fish and for giving the rest of us tournament fishermen something to shoot for.

Fourth place finishing SKA boat and sixth in the tournament went to the consistent King Creecher team fishing a 31 Contender composed this weekend of Al Fulford, Dennis Mckracken, Lynn and Deidi Creech and Landy Roberts. Their
fish, a 32.3 pounder, fell victim to a slow-trolled ribbonfish on the downrigger just past the sea buoy in the Cape Fear River shipping channel at around 10:30 am on day one. Al reported, "fishing was slow in the river, we had two strikes all day" one on a mullet that we missed and the one we caught on a ribbonfish." It only takes one bite to be a hero. Fifth place SKA boat and seventh in the tournament went to the Holden Beach based Lindsey Leigh fishing team of Milton Vigh, Wade Clayton, Jason Long, and John Dickerson. These guys battled the rain and wind on day one at an area of live bottom just short of a popular fishing hole called the Jungle off of North Myrtle Beach. They were rewarded for their grit when their big fish, a 32.05 lb kingfish hit a big mullet trolled on the way back surface line. "We were all by ourselves, no other boats, but the fishing wasn't hot by any means," says Wade Clayton. "The fish that were there though were all good sized." This was the Lindsey Leigh's best showing in a kingfish tournament to date. Congratulations, now you're hooked!

Division 13 has taken an interesting turn already and we are only through the second tournament. Hooligan was the leader coming into this event and has certainly made an impressive addition to his already impressive 36 points he had in the first tournament of this division. However, the Fishmeister now has added a whopping 52 and change to his decent 25lb fish that he had in the first event to take a slim lead in the division. These two boats appear to be running away with the division but don't forget there are still three tournaments left and anything can happen. With three events left there is
still plenty of opportunity to make a strong showing even if you have been blanked so far. Remember, the top 15 24 foot and over boats and the top 10 23 foot and under boats all get a ticket to nationals in Biloxi. Some of the other top finishing SKA boats in the Got-Em-On included: the Carolina Contender a 27 Contender with a 31.0, the Fear and Loathing a 31 Contender with a 28.35, the Scooter Bug a 31 Island Runner with a 26.6, the Triple Play a 38 Fountain with a 24.95 and the Tenacity a 25 Contender with a 22.6.The 2002 Got-Em-On king mackerel tournament out of Carolina beach was a huge success.

The fishing was stellar even though anglers were forced to overcome varying conditions up and down the coast all weekend. However, fishing in the tournament was not the only attraction or entertainment to this event. In true "Carolina style" the tournament site came complete with a stage and dance floor where spectators enjoyed a fun atmosphere and Carolina shagging with the sounds provided by a live beach music band called "The Imitators." With 242 competing boats on the water, this year was one of the biggest turnouts in recent memory. Tournament director Kendal Doetsch credits this year's increased participation to the new Grand Slam prize that is up for grabs. The Grand Slam prize is a cash prize paid to the top three finishers that fish in five designated tournaments in the local area where the winners
are determined by an aggregate weight of up to five fish with one fish per tournament allowed. This certainly has already proven to be an effective ploy to get more fishermen in the tournaments.

The Got-Em-On tournament is put on in the interest of raising funds for the Carolina Beach and Kure Beach volunteer fire departments as well as the Got-Em-On live bait club. The entire tournament staff is composed of volunteers from these three organizations and they do a great job in catering to the fishermen as well as to all those who stopped by the tournament site. Between the dancing, the music, the friendliness, and the big fish and big money at the 2002 Carolina Beach Got-Em-On tournament a fun time was most certainly had by all, so don't miss out on all the festivities at next
year's event.

Final Standings

1. FISHMEISTER 52.10 Contender ...... Yamaha Dean Spatholt Laura Spatholt 2. MISS EMILY 45.00 Fountain .... Mercury John Batis Dennis Barbour Bruce Martin 3. HOOLIGAN 40.50 Yellowfin .... Yamaha Joe Winslow Alan Ambrose Fred Coyne Matt Smith 4. Budweiser 39.20 5. Deep Thrills 34.70 6. KING CREECHER 32.30 Contender ..... Yamaha Al Fulford Tim Creech Dennis mcCrockin Randy Robinson 7. Got Cha 32.20 8. LINDSEY LEE 32.05 Grady White .... Yamaha Wade Cayton Milton Via John Dickerson

9. CAROLINA CONTENDER 31.10 Contender .... Yamaha Brant McMullen Barrett McMullen Amy McMullen 10. FEAR & LOATHING 28.35 Contender .... Yamaha Chris Gentry 11. Tigerseye 27.15 12. SCOOTER BUG 26.60 Island Runner ... Yamaha Mack Aman Ryan Aman 13. TRIPLE PLAY 24.95 Fountain ... Mercury Tim Moore 14. TENACITY 22.60 Contender ... Yamaha Eddie Dihneen Cathy Dihneen Jack Barnes Lynn Hinnant 15. MAN-O-WAR SR. 20.90 Aquasport ... Yamaha Dickie Warrrick

 

GREATER WILMINGTON KING MACKEREL TOURNAMENT
WILMINGTON, NC
JUNE 13-15, 2002
By: SKA

Similar to the children's books, Where's Waldo?, in which a character with large eye glasses and a red striped shirt is placed in a large crowd of people where he blends into the environment, the Hooligan fishing team blended into their environment and returned to the scales on both days of the tournament with the winner. That's right; Joe Winslow and team member Fred Coyne did it again. From those attending the awards on Saturday night, the most common phrase I heard, and have heard it at many award ceremonies in the recent past, was "Where was Winslow?" As in his numerous past tournament successes the question still remains, but to fully appreciate this story, I'll start from the beginning with the information I was given.

It all began after last year's GWKMT when Joe and Fred both vowed to fish for "all or nothing" in this year's event. On Thursday before the tournament, the Hooligan team caught 150 fat back pogies behind Harkers Island near Morehead City. The plan was to have the bait pinned up and ready to fish for the following day, but of course like so often is the case, on tournament morning the bait had all died. Joe elected to escape the crowd of boats fishing in nearby waters and "fish alone" by running to his more familiar home waters north of the Cape Lookout shoals. Once again, he caught fresh bait behind Harkers, then jumped the shoals and, after an undisclosed amount of running, anchored up in 35 feet of water over structure. According to Joe they, "chummed like hell." The first day brought only one bite to the Hooligan and it was a good one. The fish hit the prop wash bait at the last minute before they had to leave. After a short, uneventful fight, the fish was taken onboard and immediately run to the scales where it would prove to be the heaviest fish of the day weighing in at 33 and some change. To add insult to injury to the rest of the fleet struggling for every bite, the Hooligan went back to work on the second day of fishing and bettered themselves with the eventual tournament winning 36.78lb slab. Joe explained, "we followed the same exact plan as day one, and we just got lucky." On this day the Hooligan team had only two bites. The first came just as a seagull had entangled itself in the short line while picking at the chum line. Joe described the event that next took place, "It was like crappie fishing, but the bird was the bobber." The kingfish hit the line with the entangled bird, took it down underwater for few seconds and then the line broke. Shortly afterwards, the big fish of the tournament hit the prop wash line again and the Hooligan wasted no time in breaking anchor as they quickly captured the eventual tournament winner. Joe was quick to credit both his fishing partner, Fred Coyne, for his flexible kingfishing abilities and his new Yellowfin fishing boat powered by twin 225-horse power Yamaha 4-strokes. Being able to cruise comfortably at 53mph into a 25 knot southwest wind for over two hours is a testament to both the 4-strokes and the aerodynamics of the Yellowfin. This is the biggest win to date for the Hooligan taking home over $73,000 for first place pushing Joe's career earnings in excess of $225,000. Following suit of last year's tournament winner, Joe admirably plans to donate a large chunk of his winnings to the Teach a Kid to Fish Foundation.
Second place in the tournament fell to the team of Captain Greg Carroll, cousin Tony Carroll and his son Trey Carroll, first place finisher in the junior angler category aboard their 31 Contender the Dig It III. Their big fish of the tournament, a 31.25 lb smoker, fell victim to a slow-trolled pogy on the long line at 11:00 a.m. on Friday near Carolina Beach inlet. With a hard southwest wind greeting fishermen on day one, many boats opted to fish on the east side of the Frying Pan shoals hoping to find more fishable conditions and cleaner water. Greg commented, "It was still pretty sloppy on the east side and the water wasn't all that clear but there was probably 40 or so boats tucked in behind the shoals at Carolina Beach inlet." When asked what his secret to success was in pulling his fish out of the middle of 40 other boats Greg says, "There aint no secrets, just put your baits out there and hope for the best." Congratulations to the team of the Dig It III. Look out for this perennial contender in each of the 4 North Carolina divisions as well as the Pro Division.

Making a strong showing for the second consecutive year in this tournament was the Benson, NC based Reel Quick fishing team composed of Joseph Tew and Tony Finch. After catching a net full of large pogies in the Cape Fear River, this team also opted to fish in the somewhat calmer waters at Carolina Beach inlet where they were the first boat to catch a big fish in the tournament. Their best fish of the tournament came calling at 9:30 a.m. on Friday and after a 25 minute battle the Reel Quick team had a 26.02lb kingfish in the bag. The third place fish, just like the second place fish, chose a slow-trolled live pogy on the long line as its last meal. "There weren't too many boats in there first thing when we caught our fish, but after that, everybody piled in pretty tight," reports Captain Joseph Tew about fishing Carolina Beach inlet. The Reel Quick is a 23-foot Hydra Sport and has now taken an early lead in the 23 and under division 13.

The Spatholt family fishing team of Dean, Laurie, and sons Greg and Russell fishing aboard the Fishmeister found themselves in a familiar position at tournament's endัin the bright lights. Their story starts at 3:30 a.m. in Calabash, S.C. on Friday when the team elected to put their 31' Contender on the trailer and head up to Wrightsville Beach to check out. Dean had gotten word of big pogies hanging around the bridge at Figure Eight Island from a helpful fishing buddy on the Skint Back fishing team. With a baitwell full of "fat backs" the Fishmeister headed to a number just off of the 30/30 on the east side of Frying Pan Shoals to try their luck. At 11:00 a.m. all their hardwork paid off as the long line with a single pogy was sent into orbit. After what Dean called a fight that lasted longer than it should have due to the gaff man (Dean was the gaff man) Gregg Spatholt brought the fish alongside that would eventually push down the scales to 25.54lbs and be good enough for 4th place in the tournament. Because the fish was landed Dean commented laughably, "With the strong current and wind combined with my gaffing fiasco, it was a calamity of errors trying to catch that fish." Dean profusely pointed out what an enjoyable weekend of fishing it was owing to the fact that his team was composed entirely of family and how he was able to work together effectively and share information with other fishermen "friends."

Rounding out the top five was a local Wrightsville Beach team composed of Jot Owens and Dean Nye fishing aboard the Saltwater Insanity, a 26-foot Cobia boat. The Saltwater Insanity fished an area of ledges and hard-bottom offshore of Topsail Island both days. Dean explains, "We heard there were some good fish caught off the piers up that way earlier in the week and that's why we chose to fish that area." Although they didn't catch a fish there the first day, they elected to return to the same spot on the second day due to the abundance of bait holding on the structure. "With all that bait hanging on that spot we just knew there had to be a fish there," reported crewmember Dean Nye with a big smile on his face. The Saltwater Insanity made a good decision returning to the spot as they were able to land a 24.43lb kingfish which was the second biggest fish weighed in on day two and good enough for fifth in the tournament. Their fifth place fish ate a slow-trolled pogy at 40 feet on the downrigger.

The SKA was once again represented well at this year's event. The top five places were all held down by SKA members highlighting the fact that associating with other fishermen and sharing information, theories and stories about kingfishing makes all of us better fishermen. Other top SKA finishers included in 8th place the ever-consistent Man-O-War fishing team of Rick Nifong, self labeled "crazy man" Dennis Hedrick, Brandon Hedrick, and junior angler Josh Mitchell (son of NFL quarterback Scott Mitchell) with a 21.22 pounder. Ronnie Reaves on the Sure E Nuff, the McMullan family on the Carolina Contender, Will Rountree on the Wobbly Box, David Hill on the Stinger and the Three Stooges and Cheryl team also all made decent showings.

Division 13 is up and running again in its second year of existence. Joe Winslow and the Hooligan team have an early jump on the competition but this is the first of five tournaments in this division, so pay close attention to the results from the rest of the tournaments as this promises to be a most competitive race for division 13 champ. With the large number of both new and veteran SKA members in this division we will know that whoever the lucky teams are that do make it to nationals, taking place in Biloxi, MS in November, from this difficult division will have earned it.

The 2002 Greater Wilmington King Mackerel Tournament proved once again to be an exciting, entertaining, fun-filled event where the fishermen were not the only winners. With the proceeds from the tournament a non-profit organization called the Teach a Kid to Fish Foundation was formed in the interest of exposing Wilmington's inner city youth to the joys and importance of the ocean's resources. The goal of the organization is not only to teach kids about the ocean and fishing, but also to give these underprivileged children an escape from their everyday reality and enjoy a thrilling day on the ocean. Last year, the Teach a Kid to Fish Foundation provided an opportunity for over a hundred children to experience an ocean fishing trip for the first time. Thanks to Rick Ryan and team of the King Size's large donation from his first place winnings in last year's GWKMT, this year over 200 disadvantaged youths from the Wilmington area were able to experience the excitement and thrills of the ocean for the first time that many of us have become jaded to and take for granted.

Horace Sikes and partners Tom Aberle and Greg Demeterious and the rest of the staff at the Greater Wilmington King Mackerel Tournament know how to put on one heck of a show not to mention a king mackerel tournament. With historic downtown Wilmington and the battleship North Carolina serving as a backdrop at the tournament site, the atmosphere and excitement is truly a spectacle and is paralleled by few other tournament venues. Although the weatherman didn't exactly cooperate with his forecast for the weekend, which was the reason for this year's decline in entries, there was still an impressive 293 tournament teams on the water competing for a serious payday. Yamaha, Century boats, and Cobia boats served as the title sponsors for this very public event. Myself, having fished in the tournament, as well as all those involved with the tournament directing, would sincerely like to thank all of the sponsors who helped make this event possible. To learn more about the Greater Wilmington King Mackerel Tournament, the Teach a Kid to Fish Foundation, and all the sponsors supporting this tournament, check out www.gwkmt.com.

Final Standings

1. HOOLIGAN    36.78 Yellowfin ... Yamaha Joe Winslow Fred Coyne 2. DIG IT III    31.25 Contender .... Yamaha Greg Carroll Tony Carroll Trey Carroll 3. REEL QUICK    26.02 Hydra Sports ... Johnson Joe Tew Tony Fincher 4. FISH MEISTER    25.54 Contender ... Yamaha Dean Spatholt Greg Spatholt Laura Spatholt Russell Spatholt 5. SALTWATER INSANITY    24.43 Cobia ... Yamaha Jot Owens Dean Nye 6. Blues Man    23.49 7. Rock Fish    23.20 8. MAN-O-WAR    21.22 Avanti ... Mercury Rick Nifong Dennis Hedrick Brandon Hedrick Josh Mitchell 9. Movin Out    20.60 10. Pin Money    19.86

11. Just Because    19.75 12. SURE-E-NUFF    19.51 Hydra Sports ... Yamaha Ronnie Reaves Brian Dousharm Allison Dousharm 13. Black Gold    18.67 14. CAROLINA CONTENDER    18.19 Contender ... Yamaha Brant McMullan Barrett McMullan Amy McMullan 15. WOBBLY BOX    17.60 Fountain ... Mercury William Rountree Bill Royster 16. STINGER    17.49 Donzi ... Mercury David Hill Jeanne Hill Norris Hill Brit Hollann 17. Fortune Seeker    17.45 18. THREE STOOGES & CHERYL 17.43 Donzi ... Mercury Larry Warren Cheryl Warren Jimmy Wright Boykin Wright 19. Hammer    16.75 20. GRATITUDE    16.22 Fountain ... yamaha John Frederick Bryan Everett Adam Herring