(* Denotes a Class of 23 Team)

"KENNEDY'S KWAZAR ENDS DIVISION 7 WITH BIG WIN IN PALACE CASINO RESORT TOURNAMENT! "
BILOXI, MS
SEPTEMBER 12-14, 2003
By: Jack Holmes

Biloxi, Mississippi--Marcus Kennedy and his Kwazar team of his son Tyler, Max Williams, Billy Young, and Pete Shores, did what they've done so many times, catch a big fish on Saturday, a 52.36, put their boat on the trailer, go to church on Sunday, and still win the two-day tournament. While other competitors scrambled to find a good fish, Marcus ran back to home waters and by 10:30 had her in the bag. "We were about 50 miles south of Dauphin Island fishing in 180 feet of water," said the Yamaha Pro Tour competitor. "It ate a big hardtail. We could see the king way down due to the clear water, I really though it was a 60. In the boat it measured 63 inches but was too skinny. We knew it would go fifty though." This king gave the Kwazar a third place finish in the Division and gave Tyler another Top Junior title.

There were two big stories to come out of this event. A Class of 23 competitor, Linedout, caught a 50.45, finished second in the tournament, and went from sixth in the Division standings right to the top. Then the Johnny B came from Texas after winning Division 8's Class of 23, mostly to do some pre-fishing before the Nationals, caught a 45.08 and won the Class of 23 in the tournament.

Mitch Mosley, Charlie Oberkirch, Duke Parker, and Trey Parker capped the season with a second place finish. The Linedout team ran 40 miles east of Fort Morgan, sat up in 60 feet of water, and caught their 50 pounder at noon. "We got her on a short flat line," said Captain Mosley and the angler of the nice king. "We got the tip that this might produce a good fish from Geoff Gibson, the owner of the Rusty Hook."

Johnny Benkenstein, his dad John, and Nick Garthwaite were shooting blind. "We did this tournament to get familiar with the waters before the Nationals," Johnny told us. Day one saw them weigh a 29-pounder, certainly not one big enough for a tournament prize. "We ran 60 miles south to 110 feet of water. The seas were every bit six to eight feet. Our first big hard tail we set out got hit with the 45. We were on the way back to the scales at 10:30," Benkenstein added. The Texas team did well.

Cecil Capps Jr. Earl Burbridge, Wesley Burbridge, and Gerry Rucker fished the 23 foot Contender, Sea Hagg to a third place finish. Capp's team, one of the most consistent in the upper Gulf, caught a 47.74 on the second day. "We dropped lines in 75 feet of water 45 miles south east of Biloxi," said Capps. It was one of his favorite spots. "Gary caught the king and even though it was rough we released 15 other kings. It was a very good day."

Four boats from Mississippi earned a money berth in the tournament. Gary Smith's Reel Addiction captured fourth with a 47.66. With Mike Allen, John Smith, Robert Hayward, and Doug Nelson on board the team set out for a pre-determined spot 40 miles south and set up in 60 feet of water. "It was an early bite," said Smith. "We had her in the boat before 9:30." They released over 20 other kings. The second Mississippi team boat, Risktaker, earned fifth with a 46.93. "We chose to fish in deeper water, running 60 miles to set up in 130 feet," explained Keith Mercer, team Captain, who used a bar jack as bait. Fishing with Mercer was Don Cambre, Dan Yeatman, and Pat Shoemaker. The last two Mississippi boats were Russell Webb's Sand bartender, eighth, and William Coldwell's Black Magic, ninth.

Bob Wyres captains the 23 foot Mako, Trail Marine and fishes with his daughter and son in-law, Melissa and Aaron Wells. After finishing third in Division 12's Class of 23 the team was hard at it in Division Seven. They caught a 43.95 to finish second in Class of 23 but it also gave them a third place finish in Division 7 also. It was a great year for this team. "It was caught on a Better Baits ribbon fish," said Wyres. "We ran 60 miles to the south and fished in 56 feet of water. She hit the ribbon 25 feet below the surface." They released nine other kings 30 pounds or better and Melissa was the Top Lady angler for the tournament.

As always, Keith Crosby and his staff at the Palace Casino Resort made our job very easy. It was another great weekend in Biloxi

"BOB CLEMENT'S 401K BEST AT WEST DELTA KINGFISH INVITATIONAL! "
One Of The Best Leader boards Ever At World's Largest Saltwater Tournament!
VENICE, LOUISIANA
AUGUST 8-10, 2003
By: John Zalud

Venice, Louisiana. The Butler clan, owners of the Venice Marina, like to show what real cajun hospitality is all about. It's apparent how well they succeed based on the success of their West Delta Kingfish Tournament, a two-day, two-fish, aggregate event. It doesn't hurt when the big fish show up in the Delta also.

Bob Clement retired from the railroad and decided to leave Jacksonville, Florida and return to his roots in Mobile, Alabama with his wife Julie. "It's quieter here and the fishing is superb," said the Captain of the Mercury powered Fountain, 401K. Clement, who also fishes the Yamaha Pro Tour for Team Fountain, needed a good fish in this Division if for no other reason than just to show the home boys his team was a reckoning force. He accomplished his task and got a new Yamaha powered Contender boat for his efforts, winning the event with a two-fish stringer of 99.8 pounds.

"The first day we ran to a spot 32 miles from the scale. We set up and almost at once caught a 41 pounder. Then it shut down," Clement explained. "We moved but found nothing but sharks. We picked up again to go in but both Brian Shumoch and Darrell Farish had managed to set hooks in their hands. I cut the hooks from the wire and fired up the Mercury's. On our way in we passed the spot where we had caught the 41 earlier and found another competitor there, hooked up. The boys said to stop. We did, set a ribbon fish 30 feet down and the big girl hit." They brought the big fish to the scale and headed for the doctor's office. Todd Turner and Al Deane helped with the winning effort also.

Hutch Thompson, his dad Jack, John Ashworth, Bill Lawler, and Robby Bush, pre-fished an area 105 miles to the west. Fishing in 137 feet of water, the trio bagged a few small fish but were in seriously shark infested waters. "Robby was bringing in a hard tail to check. About 50 feet from the boat the big girl hit," Thompson said. "We went right back to the same spot on the second day. It was good to us." Obviously! They captured second place with a 93.1 aggregate caught on the Sujac, a Yamaha powered Regulator.

Jenny Dees skillfully caught two good fish this weekend to put her family into third place. Mike Dees, his wife Sherry, Jenny, his son Jeff, and Rob Goree fish the Top Producer, a 36' Yamaha powered Contender. "I ran to the east side on Saturday where we found a half way decent fish," said the elder Dees and team Captain. "It was a 90 mile run and we had a good bite of fish, just no really big ones. At 2:00 our long line set up with a hard tail went off and Jenny grabbed the rod." It was a 52.60, the biggest fish she had ever caught, and made her the Top Lady Angler of the event. Her mother bagged a 62-pounder just a few weeks ago in the Alabama Deep Sea Rodeo.

On day two the team heard about the bite in the Delta and decided to fish there. The biggest they caught was a 35.7 caught by Jenny using a Better Baits ribbon fish. They had an 88.3 pound aggregate.

P.J. McLeod and his team aboard the Renegade ran 70 miles to the southwest on Saturday and set up in 150 feet of water. "The bite was on but at 12:15 our biggest fish ate a hard tail on the long line," said P.J. after weighing a 40.8. "We decided on the way in to go right back to that same spot on Sunday." Fishing was a little slower but the team hooked up to a 46.7 at 11am which sealed their fourth place finish. Fishing the Renegade, Paul Jr., Matt McLeod, Paul McLeod, and Michael McLeod.

Don Jackson, his son Donny, and Charles DiLeo rounded out the top five this weekend aboard Jackson's Mercury powered Donzi, Sea Cruiser. "We worked real hard on Saturday but could not find anything bigger than a 38.8," said Jackson after he praised his son, Donny, for getting the fish to the boat. "We ran 40 miles back to the same area on Sunday where at noon our big fish of the weekend hit a hard tail in the prop wash." The fish weighed 44.9 pounds and gave the team 83.7 points. Donny won Top Junior Angler honors. The team now has a shot at qualifying in the Division. They need another 40-pounder to make the ticket. Stephen Barfoot, Spencer Johnson, and Kevin Butler, fish the Snafu, a Class of 23 Contender. They were in fifth place in the Division but thanks to a 48.8 caught on the second day, it has moved the team to the top of the Division. "We fished the 95 block after pre-fishing the area," explained Barfoot, the Captain of the team. "We caught a lot of fish on Saturday but our biggest was 38.2. We went right back there on Sunday and a little after noon our big king, a 48.60, ate a hard tail on a long flat line." They earned first in the Class of 23 with 86.8 points.

The Lined Out, captained by Mitch Mosley, caught a 45.5 on Sunday also and now moves up the ladder in the Division. "Charlie Oberkirch and I ran 60 miles to the east where we had found fish earlier. The bite was good on Saturday but the best we could do was 36.8," Mosley explained. "Charlie had said to me when we were coming in, 'You know we never leave fish,' so I took the advice and went right back to our spot on Sunday and it paid off." They bagged a 45.5. The team would have second place Class of 23 with 82.30 points.

Third place in the Class fell to Mark McPherson's Time Out who, along with Lane Carter, caught a 43.90 and a 32.10 for a 76-point aggregate.

Anglers love fishing the Delta. Sid Steverson and David Van Lent both brought their boats over and spent the week fishing for tuna, wahoo, snapper and grouper. You've just gotta do this trip and then stay to fish a great tournament.

"TOP PRODUCER & INSTIGATOR SCALE 62 POUNDERS AT ALABAMA DEEP SEA FISHING RODEO! "
One Of The Best Leader boards Ever At World's Largest Saltwater Tournament!
VENICE, LOUISIANA
JUNE 27-29, 2003
By: Jack Holmes

Dauphin Island, Alabama-What a difference a year makes. Last year Mike Butler on the Crawgator won the 70th annual Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo with a 53.92 with the bottom of the leader board reading 37.64. This year was quite a different story.

The Rodeo is different, different than anything else we fish. You can leave port anytime after 12:01 Friday morning and put your lines in at 5am. While the scales open Friday and Saturday from 10am till 7pm, you really don't need to be in line to weigh until five on Sunday. Stay out all night, trailer your boat to another port, just about everything goes. Most Fridays I sit around twiddling my thumbs and smoozing with the large group of Mobile Jaycees who run the tournament. Not this year.

By two o'clock Roy (ToJo) White has the Dirty White Boys at the dock with a nice 48.65. He did this last year and led the tournament until Sunday.

I was surprised to see the Dees family slide up to the dock on their 36 foot Yamaha powered Contender, Top Producer. "This is the biggest fish we've ever caught," said Mike Dees as he looped a dock line around a cleat. As soon as the customary showing of rodeo tickets for all on board was complete I told them to go to the scale, we've got time for pictures later. Toting a large fish bag to the scale Mike informed me that his wife Sheree had caught the fish.

Dr. Shipp, the world renowned marine biologist and official weigh master of the tournament, hollered out 62.27 and Sheree, Jenny, and Jeff Dees plus Jason Smith went to hootin' and hollerin' and rightfully so. They had just scaled a once-in-a-lifetime king mackerel. After a rather long photo session, everyone wanted pictures, Mike told me that they were not too far rom the 265 Exxon, about 60 miles from Dauphin Island. He caught the eventual tournament-winning king with a Better Baits silver eel.

Later that same day a non member weighed a 52.10. Then the Jordan family's Intimidator 3, a Mercury powered Donzi , came in and scaled a 52.06. George Jordan Sr. told me that the king ate a silver eel off the downrigger. "We were fishing nearly 90 miles from here," explained George Jr. and adding that it was Dwayne Hocker that caught the eventual fifth place fish. Also on board was Earline and Justin Jordan. That king moved the Jordans into first place in the Division with 148.48 points and they've got a 43-pound drop fish with two events left. It's a great position for them especially when you consider they just missed qualifying last year.

Hutch Thompson's Sujac came in next and even though Hutch couldn't get off work, his dad Jack led the team of Robbie Bush, Tim Jones, and Bill Lawler to an eventual seventh place with a 51.10. "We went 60 miles and the king ate the first hard tail we put in the water," an excited Jack Thompson said. That too put them at the Exxon rig.

Aaron Wells was another one who couldn't get off work. It didn't matter. His wife Melissa and her dad, Bob Wyres, and Paul Davis took command of the Mercury powered Mako, Trail Marine, and scaled a 54.59. "We caught nothing but dinks and sharks so we went to the Exxon but arrived after the good morning bite," said Melissa who caught the smoker. "We moved again and this time it paid off. We were in 175 feet of water and the king ate a hard tail. I knew it was a good fish when she hit." The king moved the Trail Marine into the Division Seven lead with 138.62 points.

Neal Foster came to the dock late in the afternoon and scaled a 50.16. "I can't believe it, I catch a good fish and look at all those who had better fish," said the Intense captain. "It sure was a great day out there." The team of Robbie Montgomery, Shea Foster, and Jeff McClure would eventually end up ninth. David Van Lent scaled a 47.85 and Todd King's Kingscape weighed a 45.29 to end the day.

Sheree and Mike Dees were chatting with officials and fellow fishermen on the docks as the day ended. I told them that this was the best Friday I'd ever seen at the rodeo and with the quality of fish coming in I felt that their 62 pounder was not safe. Little did I know just how right I was. Saturday the winds picked up and most small boats fishing for inshore species headed for their trailers.

Starr Boykin was first to weigh. Her all female team of Jan Miller and Shannon Gilmore are the only female team fishing the SKA's Mercury Tournament Trail today and are doing very well. They scaled a 48.07 which would give them eleventh. "We decided to stay out all night and it paid off," said the Starr B captain. They had several other species to weigh in the rodeo that recognizes 29 different species.

Marty Daniels' Instigator slid up to the dock and as I approached their boat Marty proclaimed, "It's probably a mid-fifties." Rick Freed, Robbie Moye, Jesse Ellard, and Pat Flood all piped up saying they all had bets going as to the size. They toted the king to the scale in a bag, opening it for me to see. Marty said, "What do you think Jack?" I declined saying that I didn't want to jinx the team but I had seen one this same size the day before. Again Dr Shipp proclaimed, "62.02." The dock personnel were stunned and members of the media were once again scrambling. Marty did have time to tell me that they caught the king at the Exxon at 9am on a silver eel in the prop wash. "We were just putting the bait out when she ate," he explained. "Rick Freed was the angler." It's one thing to catch such a spectacular fish but to do so and still end up in second place has to be a little disheartening. "We were so close, but that's OK," said Daniels. "I'll take that fish any day." Daniels fishes a Mercury powered Cape Horn.

As the Dees heard about the Instigator's big fish, Jenny came quickly back to the rodeo site for a report. "Is it true?" she asked. It was but they were still in first, by just a quarter of a pound.

J.J. Gilmore, David Rogers, and Jason Andrews were overshadowed by the Instigator's fish but they scaled a 51.56, good for sixth place. Certainly a trophy by any standards. "We were the third boat to the Exxon on Saturday morning," Gilmore told me. "We caught one 40 pounder, then the big girl hit." What's impressive is that they ran the Quietus, a Class of 23 Cape Horn, 60 miles in four- to five-foot seas to catch their fish. They are now fourth in Division standings with 131.18 points. The team has two 50 pounders and a 29-pound drop fish.

Sunday the winds died and a lot went back to the Exxon but the great rig was done, no more big kings were to be given up this weekend. After two events in a row, the Exxon 265 was truly the spot to fish and could even remain so for the rest of the season.

I paced the docks looking for another 50 pounder or better to hit the docks. Nathan Payton's Hardcore would be the last to weigh a 50 plus. "We were in Venice, Louisiana but the Delta had no big fish so we crossed to the east side and got it at 2:30 on Saturday," said Payton. "It ate a silver eel and was caught by Jay Doole." Fishing with Payton was Tony Bryant and Paul Olson. The king weighed 50.23 and earned eighth.

There were other things to keep us all occupied as we waited for the kingfish boats to return each day. A 200-pound swordfish came in, three boats all with billfish releases, yellowfin tuna, an 80-pound amberjack, sharks, and a 31-pound red snapper. But make no mistake, this was one of the most spectacular king fish weekends in the history of the SKA. Two sixties, seven fifties, and the need to have a 42.94 to make the top 20. Lady anglers in first, third, and eleventh. Four Class of 23 boats in the top ten. It was one weekend I'll remember for a long, long time.

The 71st Annual Alabama Deep Sea Rodeo is one of the oldest tournaments in the world and under the direction of Andy Cook this year, the Mobile Alabama Jaycees turned in another rodeo record participation: 3,259 anglers. That equates to 1,086 boats. They gave away three boats this year including one in the king mackerel jackpot division. In their annual kids tournament held the week before they had 1,366 kids participate, another record. The SKA is very proud to be a part of this great tournament. Personally, I really enjoy this event, maybe more than any other I do, and so do the fishermen. Best of all, more than $70,000 was donated to the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of South Alabama. If you really want to pull on some big fish, and not necessarily just big kings, this is the tournament you need to fish. I assure you, you won't regret it!

"Kwazar Adds Another Tournament to Their Conquests. Wins Cypress Cove! "
VENICE, LOUISIANA
JUNE 27-29, 2003
By: Jack Holmes

Venice, Louisiana-Winning a big fish tournament is an accomplishment; winning a two-fish aggregate event is quite another story. The 7th annual Cypress Cove King Mackerel Tournament is one of those events where you either have to be real lucky or fish your butt off if you want to make it to the top. Marcus Kennedy's Kwazar team did it. On Saturday, Marcus led the charge by scaling a fourth place 48.04 pounder he caught. Then he and his son, Tyler, went home to enjoy church services with the entire family on Sunday, leaving the next day's task to long-time fishing partner Max Williams, Pete Shores and Creighton Parker. They were one of the last boats to weigh in and had to beat the Smooth Operator team who after a sixth place 46.78 first day fish, scaled a 41.53 Sunday afternoon for a 88.31 aggregate. "It's going to be very close," Williams said after asking who was the boat to beat. "I think she will go 40." After hoisting the king on the scale they knew they had great news for Marcus, as the electronic scale settled at 41.66. They had the victory by just over a pound. "We ran to the same place as yesterday, west about 90 miles," he added. "We used nothing but hardtails for bait."

The Smooth Operator, captained by Mike Ward, John and Joey Bullock, Tim Berger, and Bruce Davis would settle for second but still picked up $7,000 for their efforts and added a 47-pounder, caught by Davis, to their points total. "We ran 80 miles each day and used hardtails also," said John Bullock. Third place, Class of 23 honors, and the team with the biggest fish of the weekend went to the Lined Out. "My team bailed on me this weekend," said Mitch Mosley after weighing the largest king caught at the Cypress Cove tournament, a 52.36. He slid up to the weigh-in dock 30 minutes early and told me that he needed to get in, it was a good fish. Then he told me, "I recruited a friend, Charlie Oberkirch, who had never been king fishing before. He really came through for me."

On the first day the Lined Out ran just 23 miles from the scale, set up in 120 feet of green water, and caught the smoker on a flat lined hardtail. "This is just the second tournament in my new 23' Contender," said Mosley. "It ran great all weekend." On day two the team just couldn't get one big enough to stay in the lead. They weighed a 33.27 for an 85.83 aggregate and picked up $6,000 in prize money.

The top eight boats in the tournament were Yamaha-powered Contenders. For years competitors have known that when the Sea Hagg team of Cecil Capps Jr., Earl Burbridge, Wesley Burbridge, and Gerry Rucker enters a tournament they may be fishing for second place. Capp's old 23' Sea Craft did the job but he recently took delivery of the new 23' Contender. "The boat worked so well," he exclaimed after getting his and the team's photo with their first day's 47.08. "This is a great way to break in the boat." On day two they weighed a 36.45 for an 83.53 aggregate. They won fourth in the tournament and second place in Class of 23.

"We ran 60 miles and fished in dirty water in 90 feet," said Capps. You must remember that in the Gulf the dirty water may only be five to ten feet on the surface. They caught their kings on hardtails.

Donnie Rouse, J.J. Tabor, and Stephen Ordoyne, fishes Rouse's Contender, Rouses Supermarket, and have done great in the first two events in Division Seven. In Venice they finished fifth with a two-fish aggregate of 83.42.

"We ran 80 miles and fished the same area as we did in the Kajun Tournament," said Rouse after accepting his money from the tournament. "We were fishing in clean, green water, about 180 feet and were using hardtails." The team's biggest fish was 49.80, the second largest of the event.

George Simon fished with his new bride, Jan Oakes Simon and her son Josh. George has had some minor medical problems, and he swears it's not from his rodeo days, and been off the boat for a few months, but he's back and with his new partners have to be considered top competition. Here George put a 40.58 on the scale the first day, then Josh bettered a 41.72 on day two for an 82.30 aggregate and sixth place honors.

Geoffrey Gibson's Rusty Hook took the tournament's seventh place money with an 82.25 aggregate. The team weighed a 40.58 and a 41.72. Neal Foster's Intense captured eighth. He scaled the first day's third place fish, a 48.75, but could only bag a 35.60 on day two for 81.10 points. George Jordan Sr's Intimidator 3 team scaled a 43.02 on Saturday and a 35.60 on Sunday for 78.62 points and ninth in the tournament while The White family's Dirty White Boys captured tenth place and third in Class of 23 with 77.76 points.

Venice, Louisiana is still one of the best fishing destinations in the world. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who's been there to argue that statement. Cypress Cove just adds to the pleasure of being there. It may be noted that the Marina will host a wahoo and tuna tournament the entire month of February next year. Even I'm thinking of going down and get in on that action.

"2ND YEAR IN A ROW HUTCH THOMPSON'S SUJAC WINS KAJUN SPORTSMAN! Season Opener for Division Seven. "
PORT FOURCHON, LOUISIANA
MAY 30 - JUNE 1, 2003
By: Jack Holmes

Grand Isle, Louisiana. For the second year in a row, Hutch Thompson won the season Division Seven opener at the Kajun Sportman and pocketed $12,500. Hutch didn't get to the bayou's until late Friday night but his dad Jack got them all signed up and ready to go. "We ran about 50 miles and started fishing," said a very proud Thompson while waiting for the checks to get passed out to the winners. "We found fish all day but had to keep working our way back in for lack of a good fish." About two o'clock the team which included Skip Stewart and Robbie Bush hooked up to a bruiser in 150 feet of water. "She ate a ribbonfish 80 feet down," Thompson added. "It ran off three quarters of a spool of line, best fight we've ever had, took 20 minutes to get her to the boat. We really thought it was a wahoo." Back at the dock the electronic SKA scale read 57.75 and by the end of day one, the Sujac team was in the cat bird seat and never really challenged. "We almost didn't come," he added. "The weather report from Mobile said it would blow 15 to 20 mph all weekend. We really didn't want to take a beating." On Saturday the seas pushed to 2 to 4 feet and on Sunday laid down to 2 to 3's. Once again the weatherman missed it.

The Jordan family missed the cut for the Nationals by just a few pounds and vowed not to let that happen again. "I really did my homework for this one and we tried real hard to figure out what we did wrong last year. We could only scale mid-30 pound fish," said the family leader, George Jordan Sr. They made a very strong statement scaling a fourth place 48.15 on day one, then came back to move into second with a 53.40. I looked at the big girl in their fish bag and really thought they had a 60-pounder. It had an enormous head and a big tail but she looked like she had just spent. "We went back to the same spot 26 miles from the scale," said Jordan. "The first bait in the water did the trick. We were in 100 feet of water, Dwayne Hacker fought the fish, and it took three of us to bring her in." George Jordan Jr. told me that he had really prepared hard and it really paid off. Earline Jordan, George senior's wife, was awarded the tournament's top Lady Angler honors.

J.J. Gilmore's Quietus led a strong field of 16 Class of 23 boats to a third place finish with a 50.32. He got more money for a third place finish so was not honored with the other Class boats. "We ran to the Sout h Tem area and started fishing," said Gilmore. "We worked our way back and found the king at noon using a rigger-trolled hard tail." David Rogers caught the fish with Joey Poiroux working the cockpit. This is a very good team and should end up near the Division's top spot if they don't just win it outright.

Marcus Kennedy came in from fishing early on day one saying, "he was finished." Citing flu like symptoms and a crew that kept him up part of the night with loud snoring Kennedy indicated he had a good fish and was going home. His 12-year-old son Tyler was named the tournament's Top Junior Angler. Kennedy along with fishing great, Max Williams, Billy Young, and Middle Bay Marine sales rep Todd Kersher knew that a 50-pounder would keep them on the big board and a 50 would give them a great start for top honors in Division Seven.

Finishing fifth was Mobile, Alabama sporting good magnate, Mike Ward on a Contender named Smooth Operator. Mike has put a team together this year that has a better than average chance of being the dominating force in the upper Gulf this season. Tim Berger has been a long time fishing partner of Ward's and Jeff McCoy who has been a part of Kennedy's winning efforts and are considered top anglers among their peers. Ward started the weekend by scaling a 43.80 on the first day, then came back to weigh a 49.99. That's superb fishing in anyone's book.

Stephen Barfoot, Spencer Johnson, and Kevin Butler teamed on Barfoot's Class of 23 Contender, Snafu, to weigh a 49.74 on day two and ea rn the $2,000 top prize in the Class of 23. "We ran about 30 miles and stopped," said Barfoot. "The water was kind of muddy but we thought this was an area we really wanted to fish. She hit at 10:30, smacking a hard tail on the surface. It made two good runs, then came to the boat." Johnson, who caught the fish, indicated that they really needed that fish. They didn't want the rest of the Class boats to run and hide from them.

Brad Pitts wanted our readers to know that their Mercury powered Sea Craft got them to the fish in comfort and back to the scale without missing a beat. With Chris Pitts, Tim Hite, and Mike Delaney onboard they ran 40 miles and had their second place king, a 46.92 in the boat by 10:30. They caught it on a bar jack. Thanks also to Grady Marine.

Nathan Payton, Jay Dode, and Tony Bryant ran Peyton's boat, Hardcore, to a third place Class of 23 finish with a 45.06.

The Cat is Back... the Heisser's are back. Two boats that had a dismal last season turned in stel lar performances that once again have them in the hunt. Danny Mathis, fishing his Cat Daddy, with his brother Rusty and Rusty's 14-year-old daughter April, plus long time friend Guy Koontz, bagged a 48.13 on day one to capture sixth.

"We made a 40-mile run and set up in 140 feet of water," said Mathis. "April, who I believe is our good luck charm, caught the 48-pounder. It's her first king!" She had the big girl to the gaff is a short 30 minutes.

Wendell Heisser, who fishes his Crap Shooter, a Yamaha powered Contender, with sons Merrill and Lyle, won the Division two years ago, then languished in mediocrity. "We caught fish, just none big enough to make us stand out or cash a check, said Heisser. "Now we've got a good fish to start the season." Merrill did the honors in 150 feet of water using a hard tail trolled 60 feet down on day one.

Danny Rouse caught a 46.74 to start the season off and collect eighth place money while Keith Mercer's Risk Take r was just two one-hundredths of a pound behind, a 46.72 to earn ninth.

Rounding out the top ten was David Van Lent's In The Rough with a 46.50. The season opener is a must-fish event if you expect to be in the hunt at the finish. That's not my opinion; I think the leader board speaks for itself. Add to that, the Toups family gives the anglers a great cajun meal, plus paid the whole purse even though 150 didn't participate. The event is now sponsored by Contender boats, Yamaha Outboards, and Boat Stuff, the Louisiana Contender dealer.