(* Denotes a Class of 23 Team)

"Command Center Seating Team is Top SKA Boat at the HOOK Tournament"
SOUTHPORT, NC
SEPTEMBER 26-27, 2003
By: Barrett McMullan

In the wake of hurricane Isabelle, southeastern North Carolinians were extremely thankful for being spared the fate that unfortunately the Outer Bankers did not escape. Fishing for the most part in this area was unaffected and right on schedule as hints of the Fall kingfish migration were becoming more and more apparent. On the verge of busting into the famous Carolina Fall king mackerel run, anglers in the Helping Out Our Kids (HOOK) king mackerel tournament out of Southport, NC were left to deal with some unfavorable weather conditions. Stable weather leading up to the event on Saturday contributed to the improved close-to-shore king mackerel fishing, however tournament time arrived and like so often is the case so did the foul weather. A hard east wind and some heavy thunderstorms greeted the tournament field early Saturday morning adding a degree of difficulty to the tournament fishing experience. When it was all said and done brothers Stewart and Joe Montgomery of the Command Center Seating team proved they were up to the daunting challenge of catching smoker kingfish in less than ideal weather conditions as they took home top SKA honors and a second place overall finish in the tournament.

When asked for their story for the HOOK tournament Stewart Montgomery replied, "We just went fishing and I guess it was our turn." An understatement to say the least after the Command Center Seating team's strong effort which yielded a second place finishing 32.5 lb slab kingfish landed in the midst of extremely harsh weather conditions. Tournament morning Stewart and Joe checked out of Lockwood Folly inlet and found plenty of pogies shortly after departing the inlet. After loading up on live bait they took off planning to head offshore to the southwest when a big wind and thunderstorm came up on them, which slightly altered their plan. "We were planning to fish offshore," said Stewart, "but when that storm came we decided to stop at a known spot along the way closer to shore until the storm passed." The location of the "spot along the way" was not revealed but it was determined it was located toward north Myrtle Beach and was in sight of land where several other boats were already working. The decision to pull up at this particular spot proved to be rewarding when at 9:30 am the action began. The first of six fish caught between 9:30 and 11:00 am would be the biggest of the day. The 32.5 pounder hit a double pogy rig slow-trolled on the long line. He hit and made a strong run of about 300 yards of line according to Stewart in the downwind direction. Typically, a big kingfish will always run into the sea, but this was not the case. Within ten minutes the fish came into sight in the pretty clear king-green water and Stewart was able to verify that the heavy pull on the other end of the rod was in fact a smoker kingfish. Shortly after the first sighting, but long enough to let the nerves set in the fish was brought into gaffing range and its fate was sealed. Five more fish were brought to the boat in the next hour and fifteen minutes but nothing bigger than the first, which would be good enough to put the Command Center Seating team at the top of the SKA leader board. Stewart Montgomery is the owner of the Command Center Seating company, which manufactures a leaning post / livewell system that many tournament competitors and recreational fishermen are using on their boats. The circular shaped livewell is proving to be exceptionally effective for keeping more baitfish alive and in good shape for longer periods of time than other shaped livewell systems. To learn more about Command Center Seating check out www.commandcenterseating.com.

Following their win earlier this year at the King of the Capes the Carolina Beach based Hot Rod fishing team of Brett and junior angler son Alan Barnes made another strong second place SKA showing this weekend at the HOOK. The Hot Rod is a 25' Contender except on this weekend it was having some work done, which led Brett and Alan to borrow friend Keith Lane's 23' Parker. The 23 footer was able to get the job done posting an impressive fourth place tournament finish and a top SKA junior angler with a 29.45 pounder while the normal Hot Rod boat was on the injured reserve list. Brett and Alan opted to return to the 410/510, an area of live bottom off North Myrtle Beach, to find this fish just as they had done to catch their 40 pounder in the King of the Capes. Brett reported hooking up around 1:50 pm while dropping a live pogy back into the spread. "We had just got done with a double header jack crevalle when this one hit as I was letting it out," said Brett. Alan quickly took his familiar position behind the rod and headed to the bow to do battle. The fish made a strong run down deep, which at first led Brett and Alan to believe it might be a cobia, as several others had already been caught in the area earlier. After 25 minutes the kingfish was angled closer to the boat when he made a more typical kingfish run passing the boat and then headed straight into the signature death circles. A few minutes later Brett sealed the deal and brought the mossy back onboard. This father and son team is quietly becoming a dominant force on the trail and has the enthusiasm and commitment to continue with their success.

The third best finishing SKA boat was long time North Carolina tournament fisherman Jeff Lee and his crew Jeff Cunningham aboard the Obsessed a 32' Wellcraft. On Friday the day before the tournament Jeff Cunningham was able to do some pre-fishing around the Jungle area off of North Myrtle Beach and offshore of the 410/510, which helped Jeff and Jeff decide they needed to return there on tournament day. When tournament morning brought with it heavy thunderstorms and strong wind the Obsessed crew decided to go for it. They gradually made their way back out to the Jungle to try and catch the morning bite that had been experienced the previous day. According to Jeff Lee, just after the storm cleared and they got their lines out the kingfish gods smiled upon them for their effort. "He hit and smoked it good," said Jeff. This fish was the only strike the Obsessed boys would see all day and they made sure they capitalized on this opportunity. After about ten minutes the big boy that ate a pogy on the downrigger at 40 feet was put on the boat making the run they endured that morning worthwhile. Combined with the fact there was no bait holding in the area and the conditions weren't looking too good the Jeffs decided to fish a while longer before heading to the scales early to weigh their catch. A 28.55 was their reward, which was good enough to get the Obsessed back on track for their first good quality finish this year but certainly not their last I'm sure.

The top placing 23' and under class SKA boat was the 22' Proline Reel Music captained by Gaston Hughes. Gaston put up a notable 27.35 lb kingfish to add to his already impressive tournament season. Maryann Webb fishing aboard the Direct Connect with John Hunt was this week's top lady angler for catching a 25.15 lb kingfish that came from an area known as the Schoolhouse off of Wrightsville Beach. Maryann has also already had a great season taking home numerous lady angler awards. The Moon Doggie team and the Trick Z also had good fish to add their division two point totals as we look forward to the final event in division two.

One of the SKA's most competitive divisions is undoubtedly southeastern North Carolina's division two. Wade Long's Long Shot currently holds the lead at 63.84 lbs but it is going to take more than that to take home the highly coveted division two points championship. Numerous other teams are still in the hunt for first place and even more are pressing for top 15 to earn a trip to Nationals. The 23' and under race is also neck and neck with the Sure Thing trying to hold off the challengers with only one event left. Everything will be decided at the final division two event the Fall Brawl held out of the Ocean Isle Fishing Center Oct. 17-18. Stay tuned in to see who takes it all and who gets their ticket punched for Biloxi.

The HOOK (Helping Out Our Kids) tournament was a big hit this year doubling the number of entries of last year despite the less than perfect weather. Long time Southport king mackerel fisherman Mack Aman once again served as tournament director and he and his staff did a great job to provide an enjoyable competitive tournament atmosphere and at the same time serve a great cause. The participation was great this year and the bar has been set high, but the expectations are for an even bigger turnout next year, so come support this worthy cause and put your name in the mix to have a shot at some big bucks.

"The Sure E' Nuff Stays Hot at South Brunswick Islands"
South Brunswick Island King Classic
SHALLOTE, NC
AUGUST 29-31, 2003
By: Barrett McMullan

On a weekend that brought beautiful weather and a hot near shore Fall-like kingfish bite, it was a 28-pounder caught offshore that would end up taking home top SKA honors. Typically when a hot bite turns on in the Cape Fear River Channel or the Myrtle Beach rocks as it did this weekend, you can count on there being numerous fish in the high 20's and 30's brought to the scales. However, this was not the case as most all the fish caught in these areas were teenagers, which left the door wide open for Ronnie Reaves and his Sure E' Nuff team to do what has earned them the respect of kingfishermen up and down the coast, stay consistent.

When tournament morning arrived there was only one decision the Sure E' Nuff team had to make, where to get bait. Once that question was answered with a well full of pogies it was off to their home away from home the Fairway Ledges also known as the Cabbage Patch, which is right on the edge of Frying Pan Shoals. For crew Ronnie Reaves, and Allison and Bryan Doushrarm this particular hole has been quite friendly to them this season and has been a spot producing for the Sure E' Nuff boat for more than a decade. After catching two 30+ pound fish there the week before in the Topsail tournament there was no question this was going to be where it either happened for them or not. Ronnie recalled, "Pretty much as soon as we got there it was on." Within 15 minutes of dropping the lines in two rods were lit up and the battles began. Ronnie took one smoking reel and Bryan took the other. A few minutes later Ronnie was able to get a look at his fish and saw it was about a 15-pounder, and the focus then shifted to Bryan's fish. A few minutes more of angling from Bryan brought the fish close enough for a gaff shot and the larger of the two kingfish was brought on board. So, before most boats had begun fishing, the Sure E' Nuff team had already secured second place in the tournament, top lady angler, and first place in the SKA with a 28lb smoker. Ronnie reported that the big fish, just as the week before, fell victim to a slow-trolled pogy behind a secret colored skirt, which has still yet to be revealed. With the hot streak they're on right now I believe I'd keep it a secret as well. The rest of the day the Sure E' Nuff fought off sharks going through more than 30 rigs and managed to catch three more kings but none better than the first one. Back at the scales the 25' Hydra Sports brought in their day's work and were rewarded with more than $12,000, which included a surprising first place TWT check. This finish just goes to show that you never can know what to expect in the way of what will be brought to the scales. It doesn't always take a 40+ to take home the big money; sometimes it only takes a 28. It's all relative.

Not one but two long runs ended up paying off for Jeff Drake, Keith Carter and Tripp Jackson of The Law fishing team with a strong second place showing amongst the SKA competitors and third in the tournament. The Law team checked out of Little River inlet Saturday morning with the thought of fishing the Georgetown tideline on their mind, but opted to first start at a ledge about 25 miles off of Georgetown. After finding an abundance of non-desirables, namely barracudas and amberjacks, things were beginning to look dim. Jeff reported, "It wasn't going how we had hoped and then we got a phone call from someone fishing the river that a hot bite was going down." The only problem was the river referred to was not the one coming out of the Georgetown jetties, a reasonable 25 miles away, it was the Cape Fear River Channel some 65+ miles away. Nevertheless, The Law team packed it up at 11:15am and steered the 27' Contender northeast at 50 mph. Around 1:00pm they arrived and immediately began catching fish. "We had to go through several small fish before we caught the 27," said Jeff. At 4:00pm the big fish of the day hit a double-pogy slow-trolled in the prop wash just between the Cape Fear sea buoy and the Lighthouse rocks. After a 200-yard initial run, a chase scene, and 30 minutes of up and down fighting, the fish was captured and put on ice. One last 12-mile dash to the weigh-in at Holden Beach left just a few minutes to spare as Jeff and the team scaled their much deserved 27.43 lb smoker. The Law team, with this fish, continues to stay on a hot streak this year already posting two top finishes in division 13 events. They are proving they have the boat and commitment to do what it takes to find a good fish.

Third place SKA boat and fourth in the tournament, also a 27' Contender, was the Ocean Isle Fishing Center based Carolina Contender fishing team composed of Rube McMullan, Brant McMullan and Barrett McMullan. After learning about the incredible bite that took place in the Fishing for Miracles tournament the weekend before out of Charleston, the team made the decision to make the 80-mile run south out of Ocean Isle and start at the 6 CR buoy off of Cape Romain where a few big fish had come from the week before. The day before the tournament Captain Grady Gordon of Captain Brant's Fishing Adventure's and Barrett went on a bait mission and found a school of silver mullet, which were captured with a cast net and kept alive for the next day's fishing. This proved to be a move that made a difference. Arriving first to the 6 CR before a dozen more boats showed, they found perfect conditions consisting of emerald green clear water and a large school of big blue runners holding over the area, which is unusual for this spot. After about 45 minutes of fishing in the slick calm conditions with no bites encountered by any of the boats, our long county line with a silver mullet erupted into a line sizzling high-pitched scream. Barrett quickly grabbed the rod and headed to the bow as his father, Rube McMullan, aggressively put the boat on top of the fish. This fish really had some energy as he burned down the speedmaster twice and nearly came entangled with another boat's gear. After about 15 minutes the foul hooked fish came close enough for Brant to get a gaff shot and he succeeded on the first opportunity. The 25.4 lb energetic kingfish proved to be a decent fish for this particular day and was exactly what was needed to get off the big goose egg in division two points standings. The Carolina Contender team thanks the Ocean Isle Fishing Center for their support. Topping the field of 23' and under boats was the My Turn team of Don Lewis, Don Lewis II, and Tonya Stewart. They found their fifth place finishing 24.94 lb kingfish around Frying Pan tower about 48 miles offshore, proving their 23' Regulator can run to wherever the fish are. Additional top SKA finishers included Parker Dudley's ninth place showing aboard the Buck Wild with 22.32, in tenth was Scott Quaintance's Casual Water with a 22.16, and long time tournament competitor Wyndell Vereen found the leaderboard on the Tough Enough with a 21.84.

This event marked the second of four division two sanctioned events. With the Jolly Mon and now the South Brunswick already played out, still remaining is the HOOK tournament occurring the last weekend in September and the Fall Brawl taking place the third weekend in October. Johnnie Sears's Line One team has taken an early lead in the points standings by just a few pounds over a number of competitors hot on their heels. Less than 15 pounds separates the top ten contenders right now in this division, and with the notorious Carolina Fall big kingfish run mounting nothing will be finalized divisionally until the last fish is put on the scales in mid-October. So remember there are still two chances left to try and qualify for the "Super Bowl" of kingfish tournaments, the SKA National Championship. Earn your chance to come take a shot at fame and fortune! The 15th annual 2003 South Brunswick Islands King Mackerel Tournament was a great success this year. Blessed with a beautiful and accurate weather forecast the tournament attracted 168 entries over Labor Day weekend, which was a dramatic increase in participants from last year's event. Weather has been a huge factor in the overall decrease in tournament entries this year. For once the word "tournament" didn't automatically bring on the 15 to 25 knot southwest wind that this area has seen for nearly every event this year. Holden Beach Marina was once again the host of this event, which was coordinated by the Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce and supported by title sponsor Waste Industries, Inc. Good fishing and good weather made for an enjoyable holiday weekend for all participants.

"The Sea Bandit Steals the Show at the Jolly Mon"
SHALLOTE POINT, NC
JULY 4-5, 2003
By: Barrett McMullan

When all the prop wash had settled in it's first year of operation from the new Ocean Isle Fishing Center, the first division two event of 2003 the Yamaha/Contender Jolly Mon King Classic was won by the highly seasoned Sea Bandit team of Dennis Stark, Jeff Stevens, and Rhett Dickson.

As is often the case with a tournament winner, a game plan was formed on a gut feeling and an understanding of how weather conditions affect big kingfish. Sea Bandit team member Rhett Dickson, also Ocean Isle Fishing Center general manager, has been king mackerel fishing this area of the Carolina coast going on 20 years. On this particular weekend Rhett was locked into running the fishing center, but fortunately along with Captain Dennis and Jeff he shared his gut feeling and knowledge of when and where to be to make his contribution to the team. Rhett explained his reasoning, "it's all about being where the bait is with the right water color. I had a feeling that there would be a pocket of good water near the Myrtle Beach rocks area after the hard southwest wind we had this week, and that there would also be a good bit of bait there so it just seemed right and luckily it all came together for the guys."

After working profusely during the week to repair some engine problems and electrical problems the Sea Bandit was tournament ready on Saturday morning when they left out of Little River inlet. Dennis and Jeff caught a net full of veteran size pogies off of Myrtle Beach and headed to the Myrtle Beach rocks area. "We fished between the rocks and another place called the Fish Market all morning" reported Dennis. Just as they were starting to experience some electrical problems including a down livewell around 10:30 a.m. the double-pogy in the prop wash rigged with the new eye hooked Owner hooks and 30 feet of 25 lb Seaguar fluorocarbon was sent into orbit. Jeff jumped on the rod as the fish burned line from the reel and he announced to Dennis to, "get the rest of this s*** in, this is the man". The fish was angled for approximately 30 minutes before they first got a good look at the mossy back. Soon after the visual Dennis was able make the connection with the gaff and sling a $24,000+ check over the side. After experiencing electrical problems and with still a few engine issues the Sea Bandit team elected to make its way back to the weigh-in and wait for the scales to open at 2:00 p.m. The first fish weighed in the tournament turned out to be the biggest at a whopping 35.60 lbs. The Sea Bandit is a Yamaha powered 31-foot Contender that coincidentally previously was Dean Spatholt's Fishmeister boat. "This boat has a history. It knows how to win, and I'm just glad I'm riding on it now," said Dennis. Congratulations to the Sea Bandit team for a much-deserved victory in the inaugural Jolly Mon from the Ocean Isle Fishing Center.

The 1995 Jolly Mon champion, Mr. Goodhands, once again showed why they are considered one of the top teams in southeastern North Carolina with a strong second place finish in the 2003 Jolly Mon. The Goodhands boat is a local family fishing team composed of Toby, Andy, and father Rusty Russ. At 10:30 p.m. Friday night the Russ's elected to put their 29-foot Emerald Marine Century team boat on the trailer and head to Georgetown in the morning. The Georgetown tideline has been hot for the past month and this weekend was no exception. Arriving alongside 20 other tournament boats in Georgetown at 6:00 a.m. with Rusty serving duty as land team trailer man, brothers Toby and Andy quickly caught bait inside the jetties and were fishing the pretty clear-water tideline by 7:00 a.m. Toby reported experiencing a slow bite all morning before hooking up to the smoker at 10:45 a.m. "He hit a medium line plain Jane pogy right there on the diminishing tideline and made three big runs," said Toby. A 20-minute battle ensued with Toby on the rod and Andy waiting with the gaff. "I was having a hard time turning his head when he was just out of gaffing reach," explained Toby, "so Andy had to reach down to his elbow with our 12 foot gaff to reach him". The expert gaffing job yielded no blood, which came into play at the scales with a tight race for second place. Knowing they had a good fish the nerves set in as rumors of a big fish coming from Georgetown had already spread throughout the tournament field before the Goodhands boat even began to make its way to the scales. Once at the scales the rumors became reality as Toby and Andy hoisted their 34.65 lb slab on the docks and secured second place. All of the Russ's were extremely appreciative of their sponsors including Emerald Marine, Century, Yamaha, and Magic Tilt and very complimentary towards the Jolly Mon staff and the Ocean Isle Fishing Center for a running a great event.

Holding down third place this year was the Hardcore team of Scott Core, Kenny Strickland, and Jeff Shamberg fishing aboard their 25-foot Yamaha powered Cobia boat. On Friday the Hardcore team pre-fished the 30/30 area on the east side of the Frying Pan Shoals. "It was a bit discouraging really," said Scott. "Although we got skunked, we saw a good fish get caught and that combined with what the spot has produced in the last few tournaments is what led us back there on this tournament day". Faith in your fishing hole is essential and it paid off for the Hardcore with 34.00 lb hog. "We caught a few smaller fish in the morning but we just hung on the edges of the 30 boat pack and he finally ate a double pogy being let out around 12:15 pm" reported Scott. The fight lasted around 12 minutes before the big king laid up perfectly for a clean gaff shot in the clear king green water. After boating the fish the Hardcore made its way back to the scales to claim third place and a $10,000 + pay day. The Hardcore team would like to thank Otis Elevator for supporting their fishing team.

King mackerel fishing guru Stuart Ballard and his two right hand men Don Mussman and Frankie Clemmons put the 31-foot Contender Tailwalker Marine boat back in the money again after taking a big pay day last weekend by winning the Patriots Point kingfish tournament. "I don't know what it is," said Stuart "but there is just some kind of magic when the three of us fish together we just always seem to catch a good fish". The Tailwalker boat found their 32.0 lb stud near the Georgetown sea buoy around lunchtime. Stuart is a local to Georgetown and extremely knowledgeable about the kingfish habits in that area. "This year has been different from year's past. There typically will be good numbers of teenager fish, but now there are fewer fish but they are much bigger". The fish certainly have been bigger this year for the Tailwalker team as they add to their impressive finishes this season with a strong fourth place showing in the Jolly Mon. Tailwalker Marine is a Yamaha/Contender dealer out of Georgetown, South Carolina and is a title sponsor of the Jolly Mon. If you are looking to purchase a fishing boat from real fishing experts, history and the facts don't lie; look no further than Tailwalker Marine.

The Jolly Mon is family oriented fishing tournament as was evidenced by the large contingent of both junior and lady anglers. Top finishing junior anglers included in first place Cameron Strickland aboard the Rump Shaker with a 20.25, second was the always consistent Aaron Conyers on the Play'n Hookie with a 19.35, and rounding out the top three for the juniors was the award's ceremony entertainment Jonathan (a.k.a. Jon Jon) Pugh on the Roofing Contender with a 17.95. On the women's side the top finishers were in first place Mary Ann Webb on the Direct Connect with a 19.95, which earned her a custom Jolly Mon pendant from Silverstar Jewelry, and in a tie for second and third place was Jennifer Monko's 15.65 on the Dawggone, and Mary Coleman Hornsby's 15.65 on the Legal Ease.

The hot spots this year for the Jolly Mon were inconsistent with years past due to the volatile weather throughout the week. Typically the winning fish have come from places such as the Jungle, the Lighthouse Rocks, or the 410/510, but combined with the heavy rain and hard southwest wind earlier in the week from remnants of tropical storm George the places that have been holding fish quickly changed. As one of the winners Rhett Dixon alluded to about finding the right watercolor, it certainly seemed to be the key to finding the fish. Each of the top five finishers commented on the clarity and good color of the water where they caught their fish. There was not a strong concentration of where most of the placing fish were caught, but some spots that produced fish were the Georgetown tideline, the 30/30, the Jungle, and the 390/390.

Holding true to his reputation of being an innovator in tournament operating Captain Brant McMullan and family once again raised the bar with this year's event. "We try to bring something new to our tournaments every year to keep the whole family entertained and having a good time even if the fish don't cooperate", said Captain Brant. This year the latest addition to the Jolly Mon besides the new and improved location was the live web cast of the entire event made possible through Captain Brandon Saul's Intercoastal Net Designs. Anyone with access to the Internet could watch the event from the captain's meeting to the award's ceremony live in real time. "Potentially millions of people could have been watching us," said Brant. "This was our first year with the web cast and we have a lot to work out but it should only get better by the Fall Brawl". The original pogy bobbing contest was once again held at the Captain's meeting which in witnessing both kids and adults attempting to catch live pogies in a clear container with only their teeth was alone worth the price of admission. In addition to the pogy bobbing, other ways to win money and prizes included the 3rd Annual Jr. Jolly Mon tournament held on Friday July 4th, raffle drawings, dolphin and cobia prizes, a cast-net throwing contest and the particularly popular Jolly Jugs. The Jolly Jugs are fluorescent painted Clorox bottles with dollar values attached that Captain Brant dropped from an airplane over various fishing grounds during competition hours on Saturday. Those who returned the jugs to the awards redeemed them for their prize money. According to Brant, who had a bird's eye view of the seen, "when I dropped those jugs over the 390/390 it looked like a pack of sharks responding to blood". All in all the Jolly Mon was a huge success despite the less than friendly weather that most certainly hurt the number of entries keeping it down to 256 contestants. If you are one of the few who have not had a chance to enjoy the fishing camaraderie and family atmosphere at the Jolly Mon, you are missing out on a great entertainment venue for the whole the family not to mention an opportunity to fish for big bucks in the second largest kingfish tournament in North Carolina.

The Jolly Mon tournament staff as well as all the supporting fishermen of the Jolly Mon would like to thank all the sponsors of this event including Yamaha, Contender, Magic Tilt, Tailwalker Marine, Hooters, Boater's World, and the GPS Store for providing an opportunity to fish for prizes.