T1: Texas
KMT T2: Freeport
T3:
Aransas
(* Denotes
a Class of 23 Team)
NOTORIOUS
VICTORIOUS AT TEXAS KINGFISH CLASSIC!
June
18-24, 2004
by Jack Holmes
TIKI
ISLAND, TEXAS-This tournament had as much drama
as a Patricia Cornwell novel. Clifford McCrummen's
Family Attraction led the tournament after day one
with a 48.53. Good fish and it was caught by his
daughter Jennifer, her biggest king ever, and Alan
Rosser, his junior angler, had a good fish. The
whole family was there rooting for Cliff's team
on day two. Unfortunately, shortly after scales
opened on day two, Jose Reyes' Papotanic slid up
to the dock and presented the weigh master with
a 50.28 of course disappointing all gathered who
were supporting Jennifer. Papotanic's reign at the
top was short lived however. Almost as fast as their
king came off the scale, Notorious' Dorothy Medearis
was there to get her king weighed. "52.96!"
Deona Holmes barked over the PA system. Papotanic
and Family Attraction was bumped and that's fishing,
tough as it may be, it's emotional, dramatic, and
something you don't easily forget. But it's the
drama that really sets some tournaments apart and
make them live in stories told for many, many years.
The
Notorious team took the gamble of making a long
run on Sunday even though they knew the scales would
open and close early. "We knew that we would
have only a couple of hours to fish making the run
we did but after only finding a small fish on Saturday
we knew we had to roll the dice," explained
Brian Medearis. "We fished a clay pile by ourselves
and at 11:20 she hit a cigar minnow. We couldn't
find live bait so we had to chum heavily."
It was their first tournament on the SKA circuit
and the first event they've fished in a long time.
Their efforts won them a 21' Yamaha powered Contender
boat with a McClain Trailer.
The
Papotanic team made the long run on day one but
after scaling a 47.03, they decided to stay closer
to shore and duke it out for a big fish with the
rest of the fleet. They already had second place
on the board but understand Jose Reyes, Bill Platt,
Marc Bledsoe, and Aaron Regan, they never give
up. They like being number one, that's why they
won the Division last year and they've only been
fishing the trail for kings for three years.
There
were a lot of other fish caught in the event thanks
to some great weather and seas two feet or less.
You could run anywhere you wanted. Sailfish were
caught and released, cobia were gaffed and put into
fish boxes for table fare, and many, many boats
caught exceptionally large wahoo including an 85
pounder caught on the Papotanic which we weighed
for the large spectator crowd.
Jennifer
Long caught the biggest king of her career and led
the Family Attraction, a Class of 23 boat, to third
place honors in the tournament. Allen Rosser, their
junior angler also caught a nice king. Cliff McCrummen
led the team 88 miles from the scale to a spot that
obviously was holding nice kings. They bagged their
big girl at 1 o'clock.
Another
Class of 23 boat, Who's Your Daddy, scaled a 48.53
and took 4th in the tournament because the money
was greater than the 23 Class. Mark Holland, David
Moffett, David Lewis, Craig Rucka, and Kelly Holland
chose to fish 90 miles from the scales at Teakwood
Marine both days. "We were fishing rocks and
about ten o'clock she ate a top lined blue runner,"
said Holland, who scaled the 48 pounder on day two
after weighing a 46 on day one. They had a lot of
fish including an estimated 40 and 45 pounder in
their fish box. A great weekend of fishing and a
super start to the Division 8 season.
Tommy
Nolan's new Mercury powered Fountain got delivered
just before the event and he showed the competition
he and team members Tom Hilton and Michael Reed
were there to play. They scaled a 47 pounder to
earn fifth place on day one, caught nice fish on
day two but nothing bigger.
In
the Class of 23, David Markham's Mellow Yellow,
a 23' Contender led the 22 boat field to the number
one slot. "We were fishing 63 miles from Galveston
in 160 feet of water," said Markham who fishes
with Eric Schwab, Joe Dan Larrison, and Drew Dean.
"Eric caught the king at 11 o'clock with a
blue runner on the surface." It weighed 42.03
and the win was their best finish to date.
Another
Contender, The Aquarius, with Jason and Gina Patschke,
Kirt Wells, and Mark Williams picked up second place
with a nice 40.65 while the Division 8 winner last
year, the Johnny B earned third with a 39.11. They
too run a Contender.
Mike
Parker's La Sancha picked up sixth place honors
with a 46.71 while Easy Come Easy Go's James Howell
earned seventh with a 46.44.
Carl
Christoph was eighth fishing his Fear Knot and Chris
Machacek picked up ninth for his factory sponsored
McKee Craft, scaling a 44.55.
Bobby
Schoenfeld rounded out the top ten with a 43.99.
His Team Dakota almost missed the awards because
he stopped to render assistance to a tournament
team who lost their motor well off shore.
Many
thanks to Texas Marine, Contender Boats, Yamaha
Outboards, and McClain Trailers for all their help
and to McClain who sponsored the great barbecue
dinner. Al and Tom and the whole staff at Teakwood
Marine came thru as they've done the past several
years.
| 1.
NOTORIOUS 52.96
Baja ... Mercury
Brian Medearis
2.
PAPOTANIC 50.28
Contender ... Yamaha
Jose Reyes
Bill Platt
Marc Bledsoe
Aaron Reagan
3.
FAMILY ATTRACTION* 48.53
Triton ... Mercury
Clifford McCrummen
Tre McCrummen
Dylan McCrummen
Jason Long
Jennifer Long
Allen Rosser
4.
WHO'S YOUR DADDY* 48.24
Contender ... Yamaha
Mark Holland
David Moffett
David Lewis
Craig Rucka
Kelly Holland
5.
TEXAS SPORT FISHING 47.00
Fountain ... Mercury
Tommy Nolan
Tom Hilton
Michael Reed
|
6.
LA SANCHA 46.71
Contender ... Yamaha
Mike Parker
Ken Yarbough
Raymond Laurell
7.
EASY COME EASY GO 46.44
Contender ... Yamaha
James Howell
Billy Howell
John Gardner
8.
FEAR KNOT 44.67
Contender ... Yamaha
Carl Christoph
Chris Zube
Chris Christoph
9.
TEAM MCKEE CRAFT 44.55
McKee Craft ... Evinrude
Chris Machacek
Terry Pool
Darrell Rittiman
D.J. Kuchar
10.
TEAM DAKOTA 43.99
Dakota ... Mercury
Bobby Schoenfeld
Mark Lee
Carla Schoenfeld
Cullen Lee
Greg Horacefield
|
| CLASS
OF 23 |
1.
MELLOW YELLOW 42.03
Contender ... Yamaha
David Markham
Eric Schwab
Joe Dan Larrison
Drew Dean
2.
AQUARIUS 40.65
Contender ... Yamaha
Jason Patschke
Gina Patschke
Kirt Wells
Mark Williams
|
3.
JOHNNY B 39.11
Contender ... Yamaha
Johnny Benkenstein Jr.
Nick Garthwaite
John Benkenstein
TOP
LADY ANGLER:
NOTORIOUS
TOP
JUNIOR ANGLER:
TEAM MC KEE CRAFT D.J. Kuchar
|
MIKE
REED'S TEXAS SPORT FISHING WINS FREEPORT,
TEXAS KMT WITH A 55 POUNDER!
July
30 - August 1, 2004
by John Zalud
FREEPORT,
TEXAS-It took a 135 mile run to the southeast to capture
the Freeport King Mackerel Tournament title. "We
knew that the fish were there but 135 miles is a long
run," said the Texas Sport Fishing Captain Mike
Reed. "We were in 117 feet of water and had caught
three nice kings, kept one in the forties. At 10:30
the 55.20 hit a ribbonfish with a jigalo rig on a
long line." Tom Hilton picked up the rod and
maneuvered the king to the boat in 40 minutes. Immediately
after the team picked up and made the long run back
to the scales in the Mercury powered Fountain. On
board the winning boat with Reed and Hilton were Tommy
Nowlan, Deena Davis, and Paul Drott. Deena Davis was
the Top lady Angler for the event. After two tournaments
the team leads the Division Eight open class by nearly
six points over Jose Reyes' Papotanic.
It
should be noted that the tournament directors let
boats leave port as early as midnight with lines in
early in the morning. It played a paramount role in
teams being able to reach destinations before lines
in. It is not a practice favored by SKA Management
which will seek information from tournament participants
as to their pros and cons.
Robert
Flores Hard Knocks went fishless on Saturday but battled
back on Sunday. "We ran 101 miles to a spot we
had previously fished," said Flores. "We
caught two small kings then at 8am we were letting
out a blue runner on a flat line when our second place
king skied on the bait. Gary Hervy picked up the rod
and as soon as she was in the boat it was off to the
scales. With teammates Jeff Pantle and Terry Haynes
watching, the scale settled at 54.80. They now hold
fourth place in Divisional competition.
The
Texas Contender team of Brett Donnahoe, Brian Gauadin,
and Danny Atchison caught and scaled a 42 pounder
on Saturday but knew they needed more if they were
to finish in the money. "We didn't make a long
run on Sunday," said Donnahoe. "We went
just 60 miles south to a spot we had fished before."
Sitting in 135 feet of water the team caught a 53.3,
just a half pound out of second, on a blue runner
early in the morning. This is the team's biggest team
ever caught in an SKA event.
The
fourth place king was also a 50 pounder, 51.3 to be
exact. The Big Bite, an Evinrude powered Contender,
with Glenn Cook, Bill Couch, and James Lawson on board
ran 80 miles southeast to a rock ledge they had fished
previously. "We had a 36 on Saturday and thought
we could better our catch on Sunday," said the
proud Captain. "She hit a runner on top at 9am.
We already had several other good bites but none to
top this big girl, she's the biggest one we've ever
caught."
The
Yamaha powered Marlin, Outcast, caught a 47.9 to round
out the tournament's top five. Captain Bruce Fuselier,
the angler Kevin Arnold, Tyler Fuselier, Chris McLian,
and Bryan Keen ran 115 miles on Saturday and fished
in 115 feet of water. At 2 o'clock their king ate
a blue runner on the surface. They went immediately
to the scale. Tyler was the event's Top Junior Angler.
Three
boats are separated by only five pounds at the top
of the Divisional leaderboard in Class of 23 with
one event remaining. Whos' Your Daddy, Aquarius, and
Family Attraction.
Aquarius,
a Yamaha powered Contender, led by Jason Patschke,
won the Class of 23 in this event with a 44.90 and
moved into second place in the Division. "We
were 65 miles east of the scale in 140 feet of water,"
said Patschke. "She hit a hardtail on a short
surface line at 3pm." The team of Mark Williams,
Jina Patschke, and Kirt Wells had pre-fished this
area a few days prior to the event.
Second
place fell to the Insta Gator, scaling a 40.3. Darrin
Taylor, David Marshall, Doug Sweeney, and Sean Larson,
made the long run 115 miles east. They caught a bunch
of high 20s and 30s but at 11:30 a long lined blue
runner got hit. Forty minutes later they were scale
bound.
Mark
Parker's LaSancha bagged a 46.3 to capture the events
sixth place and Jose Reyes' 44 pounder caught on the
Papotanic earned seventh.
Albert
Vrazel also caught a 44 pounder but due to time ended
up eighth. He fishes the Lured Away. Greg Lusk and
his No Worry's team scaled a 43.9 to capture ninth
and Dale Colburn's Bail Out rounded out the top ten
with a 42.8.
It
took a 42.8 to make the tournament's top ten. This
was an event you certainly could make up ground in
the Division. You just needed to do your homework.
| 1.
TEXAS SPORTFISHING 55.20
Fountain ... Mercury
Mike Reed
Tom Hilton
Tommy Nowlan
Deena Davis
Paul Drott
2.
HARD KNOCKS 54.80
SeaCraft ... Mercury
Robert Flores
Gary Hervey
Jeff Pantle
Terry Haynew
3.
TEXAS CONTENDER 53.30
Contender ... Yamaha
Contender ... Yamaha
Brett Donnahoe
Brian Gauadin
Danny Atchison
4.
BIG BITE 51.30
Contender ... Evinrude
Glenn Cook
Bill Couch
James Lawson
5.
OUTCAST 47.90
Marlin ... Yamaha
Bruce Fuselier
Tyler Fuselier
Chris McLian
Bryan Keen
|
6.
LASANCHA 46.3
Contender ... Yamaha
Mike Parker
Cliff Mountain
Ken Yarbough
Raymond Laurel
7.
PAPOTANIC 44.00
Contender ... Yamaha
Jose Reyes
Bill Platt
Marc Bledsoe
Aaron Regan
8.
LURED AWAY 44.00
Contender ... Yamaha
Albert Vrazel
Win Haggard
Sharon Kamp
JC Garrett
9.
NO WORRY'S 43.90
Contender ... Yamaha
Greg Lusk
Gerald Lusk
Nelson Sucarichi
Carl Reed
Ray Malone
10.
BAIL OUT 42.80
Fountain ... Mercury
Dale Coburn
Tony Sappington
Hugh Sutton
Larry Meacham
|
| CLASS
OF 23 |
1.
AQUARIUS 44.90
Contender ... Yamaha
Jason Patschke
Mark Williams
Jina Pataschke
Kirt Wells
2.
INSTA-GATOR 40.30
Triton ... Yamaha
Darrin Taylor
David Marshall
Doug Sweeney
Sean Larson
|
3.
WHO'S YOUR DADDY 37.70
Contender ... Yamaha
Mark Holland
David Moffett
Kelly Holland
Craig Ruka
David Lewis
TOP
JUNIOR ANGLER:
Tyler Fuseliar ... Outcast
TOP
LADY ANGLER:
Deena Davis ... Texas Sport Fishing
|
YELLOWFIN'S
52 POUNDER DOMINATES ARANSAS PASS!
August
30, 2004
by Jack Holmes
ARANSAS
PASS, TEXAS-The Yellowfin team of John Dusek, Pat
Varga, and Heather Niles were 15th in the Division
8 standings after two events. After the Ronnie's Marine
Aransas Pass KMT, the Division's third and final event,
they were the proud owners of a new 21' Yamaha powered
Contender boat for the tournament victory and the
Division title.
"The
final day and we pull it off," said a happy Dusak
who with the same team won the Division two years
ago. "We were rig hopping, just looking for anything,
fishing was really slow. At 11 o'clock Pat Varga picked
up the rod that had been trolling a blue runner on
the surface and struck the fish." Within just
a few minutes the biggest king of the team's career
slid over the gunwale, a tournament winning 52.18.
Obviously there was much jubilation back at the scale,
as many of the front-runners who were in the hunt
for the title plain fizzled out. However in everyone's
defense fishing was really slow.
Insta-Gator,
a Class of 23 boat earned second scaling a nice 46.08
also caught on day two. "We went east the first
day but found nothing," said Darrin Taylor, team
Captain, who fishes with David Marshall and Doug Sweeney.
"We went south 40 miles to a rig because there
was no where else to go. Wind was blowing and we are
a Class of 23 boat. At 12:15 Doug had the big girl
to the side of the boat. She had succumbed to a blue
runner trolled on the surface. Prior to this event
they were sitting with just one fish in the standings
but now are going to the Nationals.
Glenn
Cook, Frank Hilson, and Bill Couch had a good weekend
fishing the Big Bite. "We found this spot pre-fishing
but didn't go there until Sunday," said Cook.
"It's a rocky area about 40 miles from Aransas.
It hit a ribbon on the surface and I caught the fish."
The scale read 39.98, good for third place honors.
Another
Class of 23 boat, Family Attraction, set the pace
on day one by scaling a 34.17. "We fished the
rigs, about 42 miles from here, 122 feet of water,"
said a proud Cliff McCrummen who had just won the
Division with this fish. It's a family affair on his
boat, daughter Jennifer, son in-law Jason Long, and
Tre and Dillon McCrummen. "Tre caught the fish
on a ribbonfish trolled deep off a Scotty Downrigger
at 12:30." They were fourth.
Brett
Donnahoe's Texas Contender would earn fifth on the
strength of a 33.32.
David
Markham captured the Class of 23 win with a 39.50
from his Mellow Yellow boat. Fishing with Joe Dan
Larrison, Eric Schwab, and Drew Dean, the team headed
east 45 to 48 miles where they fished a rig. "She
hit a blue runner on the surface and Eric did the
honors of getting her to the boat." It also placed
them third in the Division, pretty good for a first
year effort.
Jason
Patschke's Aquarius earned third in Class of 23 with
a 18.28. Not a big king but enough to propel the team
into second in the Division. Good job Jason!
Brice
Fuselier pulled the Outcast into sixth place with
a nice 32.80 while Jose Reyes who won this Division
last year settled for seventh with a 32.11 caught
on his Papotanic.
Albert
Vrazel pushed his Lured Away into eighth place with
a 31.81 and James Howell bagged a 31.02 off his Easy
Come Easy Go to finish ninth.
Chris
Machacek's Team McCraft Craft took tenth however D.J.
Karcher was the event's Top Junior Angler scaling
a 28.55.
Jay
Jones at Ronnie's Marine did a great job of helping
the SKA with the event. The Aransas Pass Chamber of
Commerce proved once again that they want us in Aransas
Pass. It's a great place to host an event.
| 1.
YELLOWFIN 52.18
Yellowfin ... Yamaha
John Thomas Dusek
Pat Varga
Heather Niles
2.
INSTA-GATOR 46.08
Triton ... Yamaha
Darrin Taylor
David Marshall
Doug Sweeney
3.
BIG BITE 39.98
Contender ... Evinrude
Glenn Cook
Frank Hilson
Bill Couch
4.
FAMILY ATTRACTION 34.17
Triton ... Mercury
Clifford McCrummen
Jennifer Long
Jason Long
Tre McCrummen
Dylan McCrummen
5.
TEXAS CONTENDER 33.32
Contender ... Yamaha
Brett Donnahoe
Brian Gaudin
danny Atchison
Bert Vasut
|
6.
OUTCAST 32.80
Brice Fuselier
Chris McSwain
Kevin Arnold
Kyle Arnold
Brian Keen
7.
PAPOTANIC 32.11
Contender ... Yamaha
Jose Reyes
Bill Platt
Aaron Reagan
Marc Bledsoe
8.
LURED AWAY 31.81
Contender ... Yamaha
Albert Vrazel
Sharon Kamp
Win Haggard
JC Garrett
9.
EASE COME EASY GO 31.02
Contender ... Yamaha
James Howell
Bill Howell
Greg Stunz
10.
TEAM MCKEE CRAFT 28.55
McKee Craft ... Evinrude
Chris Machacek
Terry Pool
Darrell Rittiman
DJ Kuchar
|
| CLASS
OF 23 |
1.
MELLOW YELLOW 39.50
Contender ... Suzuki
David Markham
Joe Dan Larrison
Eric Schwab
Drew Dean
2.
Blondie 23.58
|
3.
AQUARIUS 18.28
Contender ... Yamaha
Jason Patschke
Gina Patschke
Kirt Wells
Brian Carroll
TOP
LADY:
Heather Niles Yellowfin
TOP
JUNIOR:
D.J. Karcher Team McKee Craft
|
