(* Denotes a Class of 23 Team)

"Airborne Wins Final Division 12 Tournament Legendary Marine KMT"
DESTIN, FL
AUGUST 22-24, 2003
By:Andrew Winburn

"We made a big mistake by not making the long run on Saturday. It all worked out on Sunday when we ran 130 miles to the west," explained the captain of Airborne, Seve McMullan. That 130 mile run produced the winning 46.5 smoker king at the VK Rig. Steve, Jimmy Madden, Sean McMullan and Jay Watts fought and released numerous 30 pound fish during the first few hours on Sunday and became a little skeptical of their decision to fish so far to the west. "It was evident that there were fish in the area but we didn't know if we were in the spot holding the big girls. All of that thought changed when the long line went off at 1pm," said Steve. Jimmy reached for the rod and had the largest king of the two day tournament to the boat in 25 minutes. It only took the guys a few seconds to realize that fish was larger than the 44.5 holding the first place spot after day one. The bag was zipped and Yamaha powered Contender made the slow and easy ride back to the scale to claim the first place position and the 17 foot Yamaha powered Century accompanied with the victory.

Smooth Ride's 44.5 held the leader board's first spot after day one but the team settled for second with no fish being scaled on Sunday. Angler Jayson Cain, along with George Roberts, Blake Roberts, Tommy Meyers and David Rich found a nice area about 95 miles west of Legendary Marine at Rig 261 while pre fishing. "Patience. That's what it took to find that fish. We thought surely we would not be able to keep a bait in the water after our pre fishing experience in the same area," Jayson said of the slow day on the water. The Mercury powered Fountain's only fish of the tournament ate the hard tail in the prop wash at 2pm on Saturday. In 15 minutes Jason had the fish in the boat and the crew made their way towards the scale to see their name climb to the top spot for day one and end up holding the second position by only 2 tenths of a pound to Rusty Hook's 44.3.

Geoffrey Gibson and the Rusty Hook took the advise of the top Class of 23 boat, Harry Crump's Rocket Man, and ran to the Three Sisters Rig to better their first days 35 pounder by just under 10 pounds and claim the third place spot. "After releasing close to 20 kings our 44.3 pound king came to a ribbon fish on the downrigger set at 75 feet right around the time Harry told us his big fish hit," George proclaimed. Tim Bronson and Keith Wells fished with Geoffrey on his Contender. The captain went on to say, "Thanks again Harry and your boys on Rocket Man."

John Holley, Brad Benton, Tom Stewart and Stan Blacmman on the fourth place Invicta also got in on the action by releasing 10 kings in the 30 pound range. "It took us 107 miles and a lost port motor to find the big girl. Ten minutes after going to one motor the fourth place fish hit the downrigger at 60 feet," said John. "With the motor problem and a 40.2 pound fish in the bag we knew the right decision was to make our way back to Legendary," added the captain. The team had no fish on Sunday.

"It is that time of year again," said Harry Crump from the Rocket Man. "I had to have Benton and Judson back home for school so we only had Saturday to fish. Luckily we knew where the fish were so we only need that one day." Rocket Man released 15 kings before the 37.2 found the hard tail on the surface. Benton brought that fish to gaffing range and the crew had the top Class of 23 prize in the boat. The Yamaha powered Contender Rocket Man took fifth place overall and top Class of 23 with their 37.2.

Sea Hagg took second place in the Class of 23 with their 33.7. Cecil Capps, Earl Burbridge, Wesley Burbridge and Fred Watkins made the long run to Mobile where they fished in 135 feet of water. "The bait was all over and so were the kings. At 2pm the big fish hit the ribbon fish on the downrigger," said Cecil. "We had a long run back in our Class of 23 Contender boat so we turned towards the scale as soon as she hit the deck."James Simmons took top Junior Angler honors with his 34.2 on The Works. And Rhonda Abshire was the top lady on the Rxcape with a 32.1.

 

 

"THE WORKS 48.40 TOPS PIRATE'S COVE SKA LEADER BOARD! "
PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL
AUGUST 1-3, 2003
By: John Zalud

Panama Beach, Florida--The further east you go in the Gulf, the harder it is to find big kings. Kings that probe the deep-water oil rigs looking for a fast, easy meal. It's what makes fishing the upper Gulf of Mexico so exciting. But when you fish out of Panama Beach you've got to head west to more productive waters.

That was the game plan for Ken Simmons and his Mercury powered Fountain team, The Works. "We knew where some good fish were holding," said Simmons after accepting second place in the Pirate's Cove King Mackerel Tournament. "We ran southwest 140 miles. Had good bait so we set up in 180 feet of water. Fishing was slow but we were patient. At 11 o'clock I put out a big blue runner on a long line and got hit right away. My nine-year-old son James picked up the rod and in 20 minutes she was within reach of the gaff." Justin Gorezynski cleared the lines and did a great job on the gaff. After the fish was secure in the bag, the team set out for the scale. Imagine the elation of a nine-year-old when the weigh master proclaimed 48.40 pounds. It was the biggest fish he ever caught and would be crowned the event's Top Junior Angler.

Ken Stafford and his Ken's Car Tunes team are one of those teams you just have to look out for. They're more than capable of putting that big slab on the scale and proved it again this weekend. "From past experiences we knew we had to make the long run," said the third place finisher. "After a 160 mile run we set up and found the bite to be very strong. After releasing six kings over 35 pounds, the big girl hit a Better Baits Ribbon Fish 125 feet down." Dick Hearn handled the angling chores, with Stafford and David Howell making his life easier. The scales read 48 pounds even, another great weekend for the Car Tunes boat. The Renegade Too, Captained by Tom Stephens, didn't make such a big run, relying on his pre-fishing skills to find fish 65 miles from the scale. "We got lucky and found some fish on Friday so we went back there on day one," said the fourth place finisher. "We released several small kings then at 2:15 she ate a blue runner trolled way back." In 25 minutes the fish was in the bag and the Fountain team of Jimmy Lumley and Gaston Phares, who caught the king, was on their way to claim their rewards. The fish tipped the scales at 47.20. Pretty work!

Geoff Gibson's Rusty Hook team went fishless Saturday. "We had our work cut out for us," explained Gibson. "I took a chance, got some bait from Dan Abshire who did not fish on Sunday, and ran just 17 miles to the east." With Tim Bronson, Keith Wells, and J.P. Kelly on board they started deploying their baits. "We put out a blue runner on a long line," said Bronson who caught their 40-pounder. "We were putting out another line when she hit. It was only 6:50 in the morning." They made short order of the fish then set out lines again hoping to improve on their score It didn't happen, but that was OK. They earned fifth place honors. Ray and Karen Martinez fish the Class of 23 in their Key West, Fore Reel. "We don't have the range other bigger boats have so we went pre-fishing to see where we could find some fish," Martinez explained. "We set up in 65 feet of water 25 miles from the scale. We released 12 kings and kept the largest, a 23-pounder." They still felt that a good fish was in the area and went back there Sunday Just after noon the reel screamed and Karen picked up the rod. Jeff Hall set out to clear the lines and within a few minutes they had a 30.8 in the box and a first place SKA finish in the class. Perseverance has its rewards!

Sixth thru ninth places all went to SKA competitors. Ryan Bernard put his wife Lee onto a 37-pounder that earned her Top Lady honors and put their Blue Bayou into sixth place. Wayne Greens' Green With Envy placed seventh on the strength of a 37.6-pound king while Mark Cumpton finished eighth with a 34.80 aboard his M-Pact. Bert Barroco finished the top-ten leader board for the SKA earning ninth with a 33.60 caught on the Fully Involved. Our thanks to Bart Bingham and his staff at Pirate's Cove for a great

 

 

"CRUMP'S ROCKETMAN BEST AT MISSISSIPPI DEEP SEA Fishing RODEO, BAGS A 52.36! "
GULFPORT, MS
JULY 3-6, 2003
By: Jack Holmes

Gulfport, Mississippi-Harry Crump and his two sons, Judson and Benton, ran to the Exxon 126 on the second day of the Mississippi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo and captured the largest fish of the tournament-a 52.36. "We heard where the big fish were being caught on day one," Harry explained before accepting the event's $10,000 top prize. "We left at 5am, trying to be the first boat at the rig. Within minutes we had a monster on, got it to the side of the boat, but I missed it with the gaff and she broke off. We were devastated. It was bigger than the fish we weighed and we thought the tournament was over for us. A few minutes later we had our winner on." Benton angled the fish. Harry went on to explain that he had put the boat in neutral to allow the hard tail to go deep and that's when the king ate. They were fishing their new 23 foot Yamaha powered Contender for which they had nothing but praise.

The Mississippi Deep Sea Rodeo, now in its 55th year, gives prizes for 22 different species of fish, including several freshwater species. It is one of the largest events in the country. This year they held the Captain's meeting on July 3rd, gave the fishermen the 4th off to spend with their families, and fished the fifth and sixth.

Mark Cumpton and his M-Pact team was the second boat to weigh on day one. He indicated to me that all the boats with big fish today were probably caught at the same place. "Everyone around us was hooked up and I suspect they will all be big ones," He said as we were taking his eventual second place 49.60 to the scale. "Scotty Bowden caught the fish on a hard tail on the surface. It was the third fish we caught." Also on board was Sam Bowden, Joey Guidry, and Cumpton's son, Taylor, who accepted the tournament's Top Junior award. Only 11 boats weighed this day.

When we arrived at the Grand Casino Gulfport docks on day two, Marty Daniels' Instigator team was sitting at the dock waiting to scale their catch. "It's a decent fish," he told me unzipping his fish bag for me to get a look at it. It had the length and girth but lacked a decent tail. The scales read 48.90, a nice king in anyone's book but would be only third this trip. The Mercury powered 24' Cape Horn team consists of Daniels, Rick Schultz, Rick Freed, and Ed Gillespie. They too were on the same rig and caught theirs at 9:30.

The second place leader after day one was Gary Smith's Reel Addiction with a 48.01. With Gary were Michael Allen, John Smith, Robert Hayward, and Doug Nelson. They were the ones who really discovered that the fish were deep after pre-fishing on the 4th and finding no fish in shallower water. Gary caught the fish at noon after the bruiser skied on a top lined hard tail.

Jake Adams, Matt McLeod, Tim Land, and John Bitto pushed the Wampus Kat, a Yamaha powered Pro Sport into fifth. They too made the long run to deep water and were on the bite.

Bob Wyres, Aaron Wells, and his wife Melissa were on the deep water bite on day two, and caught a 40-pounder to earn first place honors in the Class of 23. Melissa was the Top Lady Angler. They fish the Trail Marine Mercury powered Mako.

Donnie Conner, James and Ryan Frizzel earned second place Class of 23 aboard the Crazy D with a 36.24.

In other action, Tommy Saucier's Bow'd Up caught a 90-pound 11-ounce Spinner Shark at one o'clock Saturday trolling a ribbonfish which is a pending IGFA world record. Lee Fox caught the rodeo's first place Barracuda, 32 pounds 4 ounces, aboard the Back Again, while Mike Allen had the rodeo's big king at 41 pounds, 5 ounces.

The MDSFR is a fun event. The competitors were treated to some good eats at the Captain's meeting along with a steak dinner after the awards. The rodeo site even has a full midway carnival for fun and excitement for the whole family plus produce the Fourth of July fireworks show for all of Gulfport to enjoy. Kudos to the entire staff who work so hard to make this a great family event and to the Grand Casino Gulfport for their wonderful hospitality.

 

"AJ's King Mackerel Classic 2003 Ken Stafford's Kens Car Tunes takes the top spot at AJ's. Contender boats take top 4 spots "
DESTIN, FL
JUNE 13-15, 2003
By: Andrew Winburn

It only took one day of a calm sea for Ken Stafford to produce the winning 49.75 king. Ken, David Howel and Dirk Hearn on Ken's Car Tunes knew they needed a fish over 40 pounds to take the top spot in the field of 59 boats. "There is an old spot about 120 miles from Destin that we thought might produce that one fish over 40 pounds," said Ken. "We took last year off because of our baby and we were hoping for a good start for this year. That old spot sure gave us that boost we were looking for," Ken told everyone as he accepted his award. The winning fish hit a bluerunner a little after noon 85 feet down on the rigger in 150 feet of water. After Ken had her to the boat and she was stuck and in the bag their weekend of fishing was over. That fish tipped the scale at just under the 50 pound mark and never would be challenged.

Marcus Kennedy, Max Williams, Tim Berger and Tyler and Rene Kennedy made the long run to South Pass on Saturday. That spot produced sharks and dirty water. With South Pass producing nothing of worth Kwazar headed south of Dauphin Island. "We were in 200 feet of water when that 36.25 ate a hardtail 70 feet down," said Marcus. Max Williams took the rod and got this fish to the boat with no trouble. It was getting late so Kwazar headed to the scale. After 480 miles of running Kwazar heard the weigh master announce 36.25. They did not fish on Sunday leaving the door open for someone to take that second place spot they held after the first day.

With no fish on Saturday Mark and Taylor Cumpton, Sam and Scotty Bowden and Jeff Gaddy of M-Pact knew they needed a good plan for Sunday to put them in the money. "We decided to go further west. The spot we found was about 130 miles from the scale," said Mark. M-Pact heard that most of the fish on Saturday were taking bait on the downrigger but their fish surprised them by hitting a hardtail on the long flatline. Jeff took control of the rod as the rest of the crew cleared lines and waited for a chance to get a look at the smoker. That 39.2 was in the boat at 1pm. "It was going to be close. We caught the fish late and were just hoping we would make it back in time," said the captain. They made it and took over Marcus Kennedy's spot in second place.

Airborne, a Yamaha powered Contender, took the fourth position. Steve and Sean McMullen, Christopher Searano, Jay Watts and Jimmy Madden made the 130 mile run to the west to fish their home waters. "That fish hit a hardtail on the surface at 11am. Jay grabbed the rod and had her in the boat within minutes. We were really looking for something bigger there in familiar waters but fourth place is a nice finish," said Steve. They give much credit to their Contender for success in such a tough weekend for fishing.

Mike Kennedy's Wendy Sea, a Mercury powered Yellowfin, made the big run to the West Delta on the first day of fishing. After a few of their hot spots didn't produce a fish they started their way back to the east. Wendy Sea was pushing the time limit when they finally got a hit at one of the rigs that have always produced fish. "We set the lines out at 3:05 and had our fish in the bag and on our way in by 3:18," said Mike. That fish ate a hardtail 80 feet down. Wendy Sea made it back to the scale with 5 minutes to spare and chose to play their luck and not fish on Sunday. They took the fifth place spot. Fishing with Mike and Wendy were Kenny Smith, Brett Rutledge and Todd Stafford.

Blake Hubbard's Hammered Time was the top 23 and under boat. Blake, James Sherwood, Curt Vance and Justin Barfield made a quick run 18 miles east of the Destin Inlet to a spot they have fished before. They released three small fish before the 31.35 took the bait in the prop wash. That fish hit at 3:30 and Hammered Time raced back to the scale.

Taylor Cumpton of M-Pact was the top Junior and Rene Kennedy of Kwazar was the top lady.

 

"Instigator's 43.10 Best at Outcast! Walk away with keys to Yamaha-powered Contender boat "
PENSACOLA, FL
JUNE 6-8, 2003
By: John Zalud

Pensacola, Florida'To win the same tournament two years in a row is a major accomplishment but to Marty Daniels and his Instigator crew it was just another day at the office. "We really had a good crew," said Daniels after accepting the keys to a new Yamaha powered Contender boat for the team's first place victory in Tommy Holmes' Outcast Tournament. "It was a mix of those from Instigator and those who had previously crewed Wringer. This was a very solid team and it was their efforts that won the event." The team, Edd Gillespie, Rick Schultz, and Larry Crawley, and Daniels decided to fish 27 miles south of Pensacola Pass. Their 43.10 was caught in 120 feet of water off the downrigger set 30 feet down with live hard tails at about ten in the morning. Sounds simple enough, except that weather conditions were terrible. Seas were running by some estimates six to eight feet on day one and four to six on the final day. Daniels caught the fish on the first day and they fish a 24' Cape Horn which Daniels said ran great and his Mercurys flawlessly. "I really need to thank Chris Ford and Robbie May who prepared the boat for this tournament for us," added Daniels.

Neal Foster put a good tournament under his belt, scaling a 41.90 on day one to earn his Intense second place honors. "Our GPS lost power on the way out but with the sea conditions what they were we just couldn't get it fixed so we decided just to rig hop," said Foster. "We were 50 miles off Orange Beach and the kings just weren't cooperating. It was getting late so we stopped at the last rig of the day at 3 o'clock." It paid off for the team as their big king ate a long trolled hard tail in 125 feet of water. On board the Yamaha powered Contender with Foster was Robby Montgomery who caught the fish, Steve Webb, Roy Hudson, and Foster's daughter Shea.

Darren Ratley and Derrick and Chris Blanton remain atop the leader board in the Pro standings after a strong third place finish. The Mercury Powered Fountain team, Rat Pak, caught a 23.24 on day one then bagged a 25.37 on day two for a 48.61 aggregate. They now have 132.15 points which relates to a 33 pound average. That's strong! Their closest rival is Paul Massey's Outrageous, a Mercury powered Yellowfin. The team of Joe Bruce and Mark Yokely earned an eighth place finish in this event with just one 36.51 pound king. They're now in second place on the tour with a 105.24 three fish aggregate. That's a 35 pound average, enough to give the Rat Pak just cause for concern.

A 40.90 was caught on day two by the Bodacious crew to earn third. Robby, Brad, and Bruce Bodree couldn't buy a fish on Saturday so they decided to run off Mobile Pass to a rig that had been good to them in the past. "We were 22 miles out of the pass in 118 feet of water and fishing was still slow," said Robby Bodree. "It wasn't until 1:20, when Bruce was reeling in a bait to check it when our fish hit about 50 feet from the boat." It was the biggest fish caught on day two. The Bodacious is a Mercury powered Fountain.

Cecil Capps piloted the Sea Hagg to another Class of 23 victory with a 39.40. "We ran the ICW due to weather conditions to Mobile Bay on Saturday," explained Capps. "We had good bait so we just took a slow ride out to 100 feet of water. Our fish came at 11:30 on a hard tail trolled back about 250 feet. We knew it was a good fish and with conditions as bad as they were we went to the scales. Fishing with Capps was partner Earl Burbridge and Wesley Burbridge who caught the king.

The Trail Marine boat, a Mercury-powered Mako, had engine problems on Saturday, got it fixed, and on Sunday had one bite 85 miles from Pensacola. It turned out to be a 39.20-pound king that earned Bob Wyres, Arron and Melissa Wells second place honors in the Class of 23. "Melissa caught the king on a hard tail with a red King Buster in 117 feet of water on a flat line at 12:30," said a proud Arron Wells. "It was our only fish all day."

Mark Maus, who heads up this year's Fountain team, captured seventh place in the tournament with a two-fish 38 point aggregate. The Cabela's sponsored boat; aptly named Fountain Cabela's wasn't close after the first event in Fort Pierce but has now moved into 16th place. One good event and he'll be a challenger. Fishing with Mark is Tripp Fletcher, Kim Minkis, and past National Champion Dennis Sergent, a very formidable team.

Third place in the Class of 23 went to Harry Crump's Rocketman with a 36.70. Harry and his sons Judson and Benton broke in a new 23' Yamaha powered Contender and showed everyone that this new boat could catch fish.

Dan and Ronda Abshire and Quint Higdon decided to tighten their belts and make a long 125-mile run to find fish. Their RXCape was up to the task but they found no fish in the early hours. "A little after noon the 38-pounder ate a Better Bait Ribbon Fish 120 feet down on the rigger," said Abshire. "Ronda fought the fish to gaff." They earned fourth place honors.

James Baroco's Fully Involved rounded out the top five with a 38.30, an identical size fish as the RXCape.

As usual, Tommy Holmes put on a very special event, one of the best on the tournament trail. He is to be congratulated. Make sure you stop in at his Outcast Bait and Tackle shop in Pensacola and personally thank him and his team for a job well done.