(* Denotes a Class of 23 Team)

DIVISION 15 WRAP UP
PANAMA BEACH CITY, FL
AUGUST 2-4, 2002
By: Jack Holmes

Three tournaments made up the newly formed Division 15, AJ.s, Legendary, and Pirate’s Cove in Destin and Panama City. Was it successful? We don’t really know yet, but the majority of the top divisional boats came from the west, not locally. Neal Foster has been on a crusade all season—to win the junior angler honors for his daughter Shea. He did it here, and can possibly do it in Division 7 and 12. Neal found a 26.66 at AJ’s, scaled a second place 52.1 at Legendary, then with a 25.2 in Pirate’s Cove sealed the win with a 103.96 aggregate. Fishing with Foster is Robby Montgomery, Tim Berger, Andy Conklin, and Shea Foster

Gary Smith’s Reel Addiction finished second, nearly one pound behind Foster. His 103.01, three fish aggregate consisted of a 38.21 at AJ’s, a 39 at Legendary, and 25.8 at Pirate’s Cove. Fishing the Division this year on the 27 foot Yamaha powered Contender was John Smith, David and Elizabeth Roberts, and Robert Haywood. John won the Senior Angler honors for the division.

Fourth place fell to the only non Contender boat in the top six, Geoff Gibson and his 27 foot Yamaha powered Cape Horn, the Rusty Hook. With Tim Bronson, J.P. Kelly, and Keith Wells rounding out his team, they will now begin to prepare for the Nationals. They nailed a three fish aggregate of 83.01, their biggest fish being a 38 pounder caught in AJ’s tournament.

Creighton Parker, last year’s Pro Champion, found the division’s fifth spot with a 83.01 aggregate aboard his Yamaha powered Contender. He caught a 14.61 in the first tournament, a 44.2 at Legendary, and finished with a 23.8 in Panama City Beach. Contributing to the Rag Tags effort was Jeff Dees, Geoff Persell, Harold Hudson, and Robert Merritt.

Joe Shuttlesworth Jr earned sixth place with a 81.6 agg aboard his Contender, Hard Tale.

Marcus Whiddon, U-Rig-It, placed his Century into the seventh slot with a 80.64 agg while George Roberts was just a pound behind earning eighth place with 79.2 points. He fishes a Mercury powered Fountain aptly named Smooth Ride.
The Blue Bayou was ninth with 70.33 points. The Century boat is captained by Ryan Bernard and won second place lady angler honors for Lee Bernard. Green With Envy rounded out the top 10 with a 62.9. It’s a 25 foot Contender with Wayne Green at the helm.

Pure Attitude Tops Class of 23, Division 15

Lynn Nolen’s Pure Attitude, a 23 foot Evinrude powered Hydra Sports, earned the top spot in the Division with 88 points. Together with Shawn Smith, Chad Deakle, David and Elizabeth Roberts, and Cecil Capps at AJ’s, the team caught a 26.30 in the season opener, a 43.3 at Legendary, and an 18.4 at Pirate’s Cove. This is one team to keep your eye on at the Nationals Shane Leger needs to get his Reel Addiction II team fired up. They’re going to Biloxi also thanks to a second place Division finish. Mark Butterfield, Blake Hubbard, Curt Vance, and Jerry Leger put a 25.44 on the scales at AJ’s, a 16.8 at Legendary, and ended with a 16.6 in Panama City. They run a 23 foot Yamaha powered Key Largo.

Brian Browning’s 53.84 agg also allows him to go thanks to a 53.86 third place finish. With Brian was Randy Moore on the 21 foot Cape Horn, Fair Game. Together they had a 16.36, a 13.7, and a 23.8 caught in the final tournament.
A 23 foot Mako called the Feeding Frenzy, run by David Alvarez, earned fourth place with a 47.79 aggregate. He fishes with Danny Filardi, Scott Garbell, Ray Martinez, and Steve Anderson.

Rounding out the top five was Chad Parker’s Attitude, a 23 foot Robalo. With Mike Lipport’s help they had a three fish agg of 33.54. Eric Smith brought his sons from the southwest coast of Florida to fish his Proline, Comfortably Numb 2, into sixth place. This team is just learning Gulf waters but in his home waters, they’re hard to beat. Real hard!
Buck Hall’s Island Hopper, an 18 foot McKee Craft, earned seventh with a two fish agg of 24.98.

Fishing was not easy for the Class of 23 foot boats in this division. They really didn’t have the range to run a hundred miles to the west, especially since most of the events were fished in rough water, so had to find new grounds to fish in. It wasn’t easy so all these teams deserve a big “bravo.” Put them in the Nationals and as hard as they had to work, if they apply the same hard work off the coast of Mississippi, any of these teams could run away with all the honors.

PIRATES COVE KING MACKEREL TOURNAMENT
"Hard Tale Wins Final Division 15 Tournament at Pirate's Cove"
PANAMA BEACH CITY, FL
AUGUST 2-4, 2002
By: John Zalud

Joe Shuttlesworth, Jr. and Sr., Jason Rees, and Rich Haddock ran the Yamaha powered Contender, Hard Tale, 130 miles to find fish and land right in the winners circle. “We had a plan at Legendary to run but changed our mind,” said Joe Jr. “This time we made the run and found the fish we needed.” The team was only on their spot for an hour when the 48.80 pound king hit a ribbonfish 55 feet below the surface on the downrigger. They were fishing in 360 feet of water. “The seas were building, maybe to eight feet, so we decided to pick up and head for the scales.
Second place went to a non member.

While there are probably good fish off Panama City Beach, the SKA fishermen have no numbers and really no experience there. So, the ultimate thing to do is run to the west—familiar waters and a chance for big fish.

Like the Hard Tale, Dan and Ronda Abshire did the same thing—ran—162 miles to be exact. “We ran over our fish,” explained the past National Champion. “After finding our spot and fishing for awhile there were no takers. We ran back 30 miles to another spot I was comfortable with.” They hooked and released several small fish, then their 38 pound king bit a Better Baits ribbonfish down 40 feet. Ronda grabbed the rod and made short order of the job at hand. Then it was off to the scale and their third place award.

The Smooth Ride, a 38 foot Mercury powered Fountain, earned fourth place with a 35.4. “I give most of the credit this weekend to the boat,” said George Roberts, the captain. “Seas were rough but the Fountain got us 150 miles to the SW where we set up in 250 feet of water.” They had several small fish released before their king hit a ribbonfish trolled 20 feet below the surface. Blake Roberts Jr. caught the fish and for his efforts was awarded Top Junior Angler status.

Lots of Knots earned the leader board’s sixth place with a 34.80. Scott Lillard was behind the helm. The Green With Envy team scaled a 31 pounder to earn seventh. On board was Wayne Green, Mark Butterfield, Mike Byrd, and Derek Green. The Class of 23 was won by the Fair Game with a 23.8. “Weather was very bad so we decided to fish a live bottom area with a good ledge 15 miles offshore,” said team leader, Brian Browning. Fishing with Randy Moore, they caught their king on a long lined mullet fishing in 70 feet of water. “We felt real good about this fish,” Browning added. “We picked the right spot and adapted to the conditions.” Greg Holstrom’s Size Matters earned eighth place with a 30 pounder while Gary Smith’s Reel Addiction rounded out the top ten with a 25.8.

Bart Bingham helped start AJ’s tournament in Destin then moved to Pirate’s Cove in Panama City. He has been a devoted SKA member and fisherman for years, so it was only natural that he run a tournament in Panama City. As expected, it went off without a hitch. Good job, Bart, and thanks for your continued support!

PIRATES COVE KING MACKEREL TOURNAMENT
"Neal Foster's Intense wins Divsion 15!"
PANAMA BEACH CITY, FL
AUGUST 2-4, 2002
By: John Zalud

Dan and Ronda Abshire did not need to qualify but they did, finishing third with an 87.89 aggregate. That was good enough for Ronda to win Top Lady honors for the division. Fishing their 31 foot, Yamaha powered Contender, RXCape, they bagged a 18.89 at AJ’s, a 31 at Legendary, and finally a 38 at Pirate’s Cove. They will get credit for their standing in the division but purged because they are past National Champions and will receive an automatic invite to the big show.
Fourth place fell to the only non Contender boat in the top six, Geoff Gibson and his 27 foot Yamaha powered Cape Horn, the Rusty Hook. With Tim Bronson, J.P. Kelly, and Keith Wells rounding out his team, they will now begin to prepare for the Nationals. They nailed a three fish aggregate of 83.01, their biggest fish being a 38 pounder caught in AJ’s tournament.

PIRATES COVE KING MACKEREL TOURNAMENT
"Pure Attitude tops Class of 23, Division 15!"
PANAMA BEACH CITY, FL
AUGUST 2-4, 2002
By: John Zalud

Shane Leger needs to get his team fired up. They’re going to Biloxi also thanks to a second place Division finish. Mark Butterfield, Blake Hubbard, Curt Vance, and Jerry Leger put a 25.44 on the scales at AJ’s, a 16.8 at Legendary, and ended with a 16.6 in Panama City. They run a 23 foot Yamaha powered Key Largo. Brian Browning’s 53.84 agg also allows him to go thanks to a 53.86 third place finish. With Brian was Randy Moore on the 21 foot Cape Horn. Together they had a 16.36, a 13.7, and a 23.8 caught in the final tournament. A 23 foot Mako called the Feeding Frenzy, run by David Alvarez, earned fourth place with a 47.79 aggregate. He fishes with Danny Filardi, Scott Garbell, Ray Martinez, and Steve Anderson.

Final Standings

1. HARD TALE 48.80
Contender .... Yamaha
Joe Shuttlesworth Jr.
Joe Shuttlesworth Sr.
Jason Rees
Rich Haddock

2. Renegade Too 39.40

3. RXCAPE 38.00
Contender ... Yamaha
Dan Abshire
Ronda Abshire

4. SMOOTH RIDE 35.40
Fountain ... Mercury
George Roberts
Blake Roberts Jr.

5. Bama Fever 35.20

6. LOTS OF KNOTS 34.80
Scott Lillard

7. GREEN WITH ENVY 31.00
Contender ... Yamaha
Wayne Green
Mark Butterfield
Mike Byrd
Derek Green

8. SIZE MATTERS 30.00
Sport Craft ... Volvo
Greg Holmstrom
Jamie Wright
Blake Anderson

9. Full Throttle 29.00

10. REEL ADDICTION 25.80
Contender ... Yamaha
Gary Smith
Mike Allen
John Smith

CLASS OF 23

1. FAIR GAME 23.80
Cape Horn ... Johnson
Brian Browning
Randy Moore

LEGENDARY KING MACKEREL TOURNAMENT
DESTIN, FL
JULY 26-28, 2002
By: Jack Holmes

Clayton Kirby, two time top Angler of the Year, has always been able to keep pace with the upper Gulf anglers even though it's not his home waters. He proved it again by winning the Legendary KMT in Destin, Florida. "I only had one day to fish, had some business obligations," said Kirby who fished with Jacksonville, Florida's Dennis Sergent, a past National Champion. "We ran south of Mobile and fished in 180 feet of water. Our first fish was a 40 pounder but we knew that wouldn't be good enough to win," Kirby explained. "We picked up and ran six more miles west. Caught several small fish then the big girl hit." The team used ribbonfish and hardtails with the 54 pounder hitting the downrigger.

Neal Foster's Intense put another 50 pounder on the scale to earn second place. "We only had a 37 after the first day so we knew we had to make the long run," said Foster who fishes with Robbie Montgomery, Andy Conklin, and his daughter Shea. "We ran 160 miles west to an area I wanted to fish. We set our flat lines then put a Better Baits ribbonfish on the downrigger. No sooner had we got the baits out when she hit the ribbon." After a brief fight and securing the 52.1 pounder in the fish bag the team headed back to the scales. Coming under the bridge in Destin the motors began to sputter. "We just made it, we were right at the limit of our fuel capacity. Our Yamahas are very fuel efficient." Shea would take top junior honors once again.

Marcus Whiddon, Joel Clark, and Brad Gainey fishing the U-Rig-It put their heads together and formed a game plan that ultimately worked. "We got some good info about an area 150 miles to the southeast that was holding fish," said Whiddon. They were fishing in 150 feet of water when the 47.9 pound, third place king hit a deep trolled ribbonfish. "We put the fish in the bag, high fived each other, then pointed our single Yamaha powered 26 foot Century toward Destin. That fish moved the team into fourth place in the division and will ultimately give them a berth in the Nationals.

Creighton Parker and his Rag Tag team, Robert Merritt and Jeff Dees caught a 44.2 pounder to earn fourth and move into the division's fifth spot.
Rounding out the top five was George Roberts' Smooth Ride, a Mercury powered Fountain. With Blake Roberts onboard the team caught a 43.30.

The Class of 23 winner was Lynn Nolen's Pure Attitude. With Shawn Smith, Chad Deakle, and David and Elizabeth Roberts, the team captured the Class at AJ's to start the season, now making it two in a row in their Evinrude powered Hydra Sports. "We ran 115 miles and fished in 115 feet of water," said the captain. "Our 43 pounder ate a Better Baits ribbonfish off the downrigger trolled 50 feet below the surface." The team also earned sixth place in the tournament and Elizabeth won Top Lady Angler honors. This fish, with just one tournament left, will probably give them a division 15 win.

According to John Zalud, SKA Director, the Legendary Marine folks did an excellent job at producing a first class event. We thank them for all their efforts

Final Standings

1. FOUNTAIN VENGENCE 54.0
Fountain ... Mercury
Clayton Kirby
Dennis Sergent

2. INTENSE 52.1
Contender .... Yamaha
Neal Foster
Robbie Montgomery
Shea Foster
Andy Conklin

3. U-RIG-IT 47.9
Century ... Yamaha
Marcus Whiddon
Joel Clark
Brad Gainey

4. RAG TAG 44.20
Contender .... Yamaha
Creighton Parker
Robert Merritt
Jeff Dees

5. SMOOTH RIDE 43.80
Fountain ... Mercury
George Roberts
Blake Roberts

6. PURE ATTITUDE 43.30
Hydra Sports .... Evinrude
Lynn Nolen
Shawn Smith
Chad Deakle
David Roberts
Elizabeth Roberts

7. REEL ADDICTION 39.00
Contender .... Yamaha
Gary Smith
Mike Allen
John Smith
Robert Hayward

8. RUSTY HOOK 33.10
Cape Horn ... Yamaha
Geoffrey Gibson
Tim Bronson
J.P.Kelly
Keith Wells

9. BLUE BAYOU 33.00
Century ... Yamaha
Ryan Bernard
Lee Bernard
Amanda Bernard
Debbie Bernard
Kevin Bernard

10. GREEN WITH ENVY 31.90
Contender ... Yamaha
Wayne Green
Mike Byrd
David Capps
Derek Green

AJ'S KING MACKEREL CLASSIC TOURNAMENT
"High Definition Wins Divisional Opener at AJ's in Destin"
DESTIN, FL
MAY 3-5, 2002
By: Jack Holmes

I don't know if Brian Bailey was more excited about winning the season opener for Division 15 or puting his sponsored Palmetto Custom on top. "Jimmy Metts and the staff at Palmetto Custom has been so good to us and the boat is incredible," said Bailey as he waited to collect his $15,000 check from AJ's. While the skies were sunny, the wind was pushing the seas to that uncomfortable level and with a west wind blowing all week the water was muddy and the fishing mediocre at best. Those that made the run back to Alabama waters still found the going tough.

For Bailey, his son Brian Jr., Jonathon Begoon, Hutch Thompson, and Steven Summersell, it was an incredible weekend. When they weighed their 35 pounder on day one they were placed atop the leaderboard. "I didn't think a 35 would hold so we went back to the same spot, 120 miles to the west," explained Bailey. "We got our big fish each day within five minutes of puting baits out," said Thompson who has placed or won this event every year he has fished it. " Our winning fish, the 41.89, actually hit a hardtail we were puting out. As the fish came over the rail the hooks fell out. We were lucky." They were fishing in 200 feet of water. Brian Jr. won Top Junior honors. Geoffrey Gibson just couldn't get out of second place all weekend.

His Yamaha powered Cape Horn, Rusty Hook, did the same as the High Definition. They weighed a 33 pounder on day one to earn second then caught a 38.31 on day two to hold on to second. "Tim Bronson caught the big fish," Gibson explained as his crew, J.P. Kelley and Keith Wells, added their comments at the scale. "We were fishing 35 miles south of Mobile in 120 feet of water. the king ate a hardtail drifted on top and came over the side around 11:30, " he added. They won $7,500, not a bad payday at all.

Gary Smith and his team aboard the Reel Addiction was the first to weigh on Sunday and immediately went to the top of the board with a 38.21. "1 knew it was a good fish when she hit the hardtail on the surface," said Smith. "We ran 100 miles one way and fished in the same spot as yesterday.'' They had third place locked after day one with a 29.55 and Elizabeth Roberts had Top Lady in front of her name. After weighing in, the team put their Contender back on the trailer and sat around the outside patio at AJ's, one of Destin's favorite eating and drinking establishments, and watched their competitors weigh in. First came High Definition which droped them back to second. Next in, the Rusty Hook, beat them by just one tenth of a pound. It had to be frustrating but they took it all in stride knowing they still had a $5,000 payday for third. Mike Allen was the angler and they fished 100 miles from Destin in 100 feet of water and caught their fish also at 11:30. Later Smith explained that they used Okuma Reels, Mustad Hooks, and PLine to which they believed was a big part of their success.

Also fishing Alabama waters was Jimmy and Andy Garrett's Out of Control. They were the first team interviewed that caught their king on a ribbonfish. "Andy caught the fish 90 feet deep about 110 miles from Destin fishing in 160 feet of water. On board was Clinton Wells, Brian Minchew, and Steve Sessions. They earned fourth with a 27.26.

Winning the Class of 23 was Pure Attitude who also earned sixth place in the tournament. Lynn Nolan and Shawn Smith piloted their Evinrude powered Hydra Sport to fame and glory with a nice 26.30 and now lead the Division for their catch..

The second place Class of 23 boat also earned eighth place in the tournament. A double payday."We only ran 18 miles, fished a ribbon 13 feet down and got him at 3 o'clock," said Blake Hubbard, angler, aboard the Reel Addiction 11, With Shane Leger, Mark Butterfield, and Curt Vance aboard they scaled a 25.44.

Earning fifth place honors was Neil Foster's Intense.with one other SKA boat earning a spot in the top 10, Marcus Kennedy's Kwazar.Other notable catches by SKA entrants. David Capp's Chum King scaled a 45 pound Cobia but it was not enough to win that division. Jerold Hall beat them all with a 67 pounder aboard his Island Hopper.

Chad Parker's Attitude nailed the Wahoo Division, catching a 33.76. Destin is a great resort town but AJ's makes it even more enjoyable. The staff is friendly, courteous, and willing to help in any situation. This is not one of the biggest tournaments in the country but with a guaranteed first, second, and third payout it ranks as one of the best. It definitely is one of mine!

Final Standings

1. HIGH DEFINITION 41.89
Palmetto Custom .... Yamaha
Brian Bailey
Brian Bailey Jr.
Jonathon Begoon
Hutch Thompson
Steven Summersell

2. RUSTY HOOK 38.31
Cape Horn .... Yamaha
Geoffrey Gibson
Tim Bronson
J. P. Kelley
Keith Wells

3. REEL ADDICTION 38.21
Contender Yamaha
Gary Smith
Mike Allen
John Smith
David Roberts
Elizabeth Roberts

4. OUT OF CONTROL 27.26
Contender .... Yamaha
Jimmy Garrett
Andy Garrett
Clinton Wells
Brian Minchew
Steve Sessions

5-INTENSE 26.66
Contender .... Yamaha
Neal Foster
Robby Montgomery
Tim Bergur
Shea Foster

6. PURE ATTITUDE 26.30
Hydra Sports... Evinrude
Lynn Nolen
Shawn Smith
Cecil Capps

7. Constant Threat 25.86

8. REEL ADDICTION I I 25.44
Key Largo ... Yamaha
Shane Leger
Mark Butterfield
Blake Hubbard
Curt Vance

9. Hattitude 25.08

10. KWAZAR 19.61
Contender .... Yamaha
Marcus Kennedy
Max Williams
Tyler Kennedy

CLASS OF 23

PURE ATTITUDE
CHARTER BOAT Constant Threat

Top Lady Angler:
ELIZABETH ROBERTS REEL ADDITTION

Top Junior Angler:
STEVEN SUMMERSELL HIGH DEFINITION

Largest Cobia:
ISLAND HOPPER 67.57
Jerold Hall
Anthony Williams

Largest Wahoo:
ATTITUDE 33.76
Chad Parker
Mike Lipport