NEW SKA RECORD SET IN NAPLES ...
DELPH FISHING TEAM WINS A NEW DODGE TRUCK!

March 5-7, 2004
By Jack Holmes

Brothers Robby, Mike, and Bill Delph teamed aboard Robby's Yamaha powered Sea Vee, The Delph Fishing Team, and scaled a 71.89 pound king mackerel on the first day of the two-day event to not only win the Naples Dodge Kingfish Classic but set a new SKA Florida state record and all-time SKA record.

The record of 66.50 was set in the mid 90's by Captain Duwayne Crofton's team while fishing a tournament in Orange Beach, Alabama. The Florida west coast team still holds the Alabama SKA state record. The Crofton's overall record was finally broken when Andy Hinton's team scaled a 66.55 in '02 while fishing the Teach's Lair tournament on North Carolina's Outer Banks. It too remains the fish to beat in the Tar Heel state.

"Records are made to be broken," I explained to a local reporter in Naples. "I just never expected our record to be broken by a 70-pound fish," I added. After the crowd left following first day's weigh-in, we took measurements of the spectacular catch. To my amazement its length was only 62 inches, I've weighed 50 pounders that were that long, but the girth was 28 1/2 inches. I estimated the king to be a least 30 years of age, and maybe as much as 35. On a lot of 60's I've weighed and examined, the teeth were in real bad shape but this old girl's teeth looked like a teenager. It was also revealed later that she was full of roe, which was surprising when you consider the time of the year.

The winning brothers are the product of Ralph Delph, legendary Key West guide. Obviously Dad has taught the boys well and must be very proud of their efforts. Team Captain Robby Delph has followed in Dad's footsteps by becoming a Keys guide. He's participated in many Hog's Breath Tournaments and this year helped the XFT team win the tournament by scaling a 62 plus pound king. Five years ago he also won the event with a 65 pounder. Now the three brothers are seeking their own fame and fortune, fishing Division 11, trying to qualify so they can turn pro next year.

"We were fishing about 100 miles south on a reef line," said the Captain. "We weren't far from all the other boats who were fishing Key West waters." They found the record breaker in 60 feet of water around 1:30 PM when the big girl hit a blue runner on the surface. "This area has produced good kings for us over the years," Robby added. The team is already sponsored by Sea Vee boats, Yamaha Outboards, Stren, Daiwa, Biscayne Rods, Icey-Tek, Mustad, and Furuno but I know that they're working hard to increase that list.

At the close of business Sunday night the Delph brothers had the keys to their new quad cab Dodge 4 X 4 Hemi powered truck, ah but the age old problem of how to divide the vehicle three ways was now at the top of their list of priorities. "I don't know yet what we'll do with it, it's such a beautiful truck," explained Robby. "We'll just have to figure it out in the morning."

The king is on its way to the taxidermist who will craft a mount for the SKA office, one for the Delph's, and one for Johan Kriek, the Naples Tournament Director. History was made this year in Naples.

Six of the top ten teams caught their kings on day one and both second and third place in the Class of twenty three did the same thing.

Bryan Wallace's Desperado captured second place with a 52.02 caught on Sunday. A super fish but not a 72 pounder that he was looking for.

"We had several fish break wire or pull hooks on Saturday," said Charlie Dewire, one of the team members. "We got very frustrated knowing the fish were there but we just couldn't get them in the boat."

They ran back to a spot 18 miles west of the tail end buoy in Key West Sunday. After releasing several 30's the 52 pounder ripped a blue runner from the line attached to the downrigger clip. Scott Wallace picked up the rod and the battle was on. This time everything worked and Bill Pierce stuck and pulled the fish over the gunwale. "That bait was 25 feet down and we were fishing in 72 feet of water," added Wallace who fishes a Mercury powered 31' Yellowfin.

Tracy Steele and his son Kevin fished the Naples event last year and caught a mid twenties fish. What a difference a year makes. This year Kevin caught a 50.30, the biggest he's ever caught, earned third place in the tournament for the boat and picked up Top Junior honors for himself. "We love coming to Naples, said the elder Steele, who normally fishes SKA's Division 10 on Florida's east coast. "We ran 127 miles and then after not finding anything started moving back." Fishing close to the tail end buoy, the all A & B eighth grade student set the hook and with the help of matt Reed and Mike Rule had her in the boat in no time. There aren't many juniors in the SKA that can brag that they've bagged a fifty. The finish gave Yellowfin boats their second finish in the top five. Steele loves the triple Honda's he has on the transom.

Yellowfin would also be proud of Kevin Hannon who just bought their new 34' cuddy and immediately went out, bagged a 49.65 and captured fourth place. Hannon, Kevin Barker, Steve Rowley, and Rick and Zac Cook, did it on Saturday but went right back to the spot on Sunday but couldn't find a bigger one. "We were west of the tail end in 100 feet of water," said Hannon. "Kings were skying everywhere. We nailed ours at 1:15 with a blue runner on a long surface line." He also said the new boat worked perfectly.

Vic Vazquez piloted his Midnight Madness, a triple engined Midnight Express, to fifth place honors after scaling a 48.55 on Sunday. His team of John and Mike Guitard, Sean Morton and Matt Bruno brought the large spectator crowd to life as they realized this local team was doing well. "We were having some motor problems so we stopped about 50 miles south. We were close to where I had some numbers so we just started fishing," Vazquez explained. Sometimes situations produce the best results. Fishing in 80 feet of water the team hooked up to their king when it engulfed a blue runner trolled on the surface.

The other local boat was Ozzie Fischer's Game Hunter. Anthony Delduca slid a 43.48 over the gunwale and that was good enough for tenth place.

Ninth place in the tournament fell to John Molfetta, Frank Breadlove, and Gary Osborn fishing the 23' Hydra Sports, Legend. The team caught a 43.90 at the Graveyard, a location Brian Hasson told them about and 77 miles from the inlet. It also got the team first place honors in Class of 23, so they picked up two nice checks. "We needed it," said Molfetta while siting at the dock waiting for the 3 o'clock scale opening. "We had to really scrape to get here, I've only got 78 cents left in my pocket."

This is a good team and finally got the break they were looking for not to mention the notoriety. They did what they had to do to get there, then fished smart. After scaling a fish they took to the scales in a bait bag on Saturday, they duked it out on Sunday and came out the winner. That's what makes Champions. "There were 30 boats in the area but we moved just away from them and there was our fish. "We were in 66 feet of water and at 10 it ate a runner trolled 40 feet down," added the excited Captain. Now they lead the Division 11's Class and if they keep it up, which they're capable of doing, they will be hard to beat.

The Eric Smith family caught a 27 on day one and repeated with another the same size on the second day. The Comfortably Numb 2, last year's winner of the Class of 23, would settle for second this weekend.

Chris Workman and Elizabeth Otero took third place money aboard the Get Snookerd with a 23.94.

Mike Kaminsky came down from South Carolina with his Loose Lucy, a Mercury powered Fountain, to fish with the '01 Anglers of the Year, Chris and Jan Chase. The team bagged a 47.20 on Saturday which was good enough to get sixth place money and Top Lady honors for Jan Chase.

Mark Liberman's Team Yellowfin scaled a 44.97 to earn seventh while Jack Penny's Penny Wise team hit the dock with a 44.82 to finish eighth.

With 80 degree temperatures and seas less than three feet, competitors could run just about anywhere their vessel would allow. The results were not only a new SKA record but a very strong leader board. The Bayfront Center, Naples premiere shopping, dining and entertainment district is a great area for showcasing our anglers talents. Johan Kriek and Phil Wells have this tournament thing down pat. The event is rapidly becoming a must do for serious anglers who love to pull on big kings. The Dodge truck for a top prize is nothing to sneeze at either.

 

THE DELPH BROTHERS MAKE IT TWO IN A ROW...
TAKE HOME A CONTENDER BOAT

March 19-21, 2004
By Andrew Winburn

Two weeks went by after the Delph brothers broke the all time SKA record and the talk about that fish was still in the air at the captains meeting for the Fort Myers tournament. All eyes were on Mike, Billy and Rob. An out-of-towner saw the brothers standing in front of the SKA trailer and came to shake their hands. Rob simply said, “Thanks. This has been more than we could have expected.” How were they going to match that performance? The plan was to make the run back to home waters. Only one problem- the forecast called for up to four foot seas. But the only four footers found on day one were tucked under the six and eights and occasional tens. Many of the boats making the run to the far south pulled up lame and fished closer to the tournament site. Quite a few of the teams who chose to battle the ocean and wind finished the day with broken parts on the boat and others weren’t able to make it back. Still, 49 pound fish held the first two spots on the leader board when the scale closed the first day.

Rob, Mike and Billy Delph on the Delph Fishing Team made the run back to their home waters near Key West on the second day and slid up to the dock with blank looks on their faces. When asked if they had a good fish in the box their only response was that it wasn’t a record breaker. That fish tipped the scale at 49.77 pounds- knocking La Perla/Yellowbird into second with their 49.68. “I am going to see the numbers on that scale bouncing up and down in my sleep tonight,” said Mike.

When things are going your way nothing can stop you, and this is the case for the Delph team. At 11 am on Sunday the winning fish ate a bluerunner on the surface in 60 feet of water. Mike controlled the rod and said of his battle, “We all saw the fish come up and flash its colors. It made some aggressive runs; in fact it ran harder than our 71.” And it was foul hooked. Once the fish was by the boat the line went slack and the brothers did everything in their power to save the fish. Billy stuck the fish and pulled her over the side to see that only the tip of one hook on the treble was stuck behind the gills. The guys made the long run back to Fort Myers on tenterhooks. “I can not believe we did it again. We really didn’t think it was going to weigh what it did,” Mike said shortly before he accepted his new 21 foot Yamaha powered Contender sitting atop a Loadmaster trailer. Delph Fishing Team, sponsored by Sea Vee, Yamaha, Stren, Diawa, Biscayne Rods, Mustad, Icey-Tek and Furuno is well on its way to qualifying for the Nationals and a spot on the Pro Tour next year. Congratulations to the Delph brothers on their second win in Division 11.

Harry and Keith Thomas aboard the La Perla/Yellowbird left the Naples check-out on Saturday with all intentions of heading south. “After 35 miles of pounding we turned around and ran north up the beach for 90 miles. We fished with the beach in sight all day,” Harry said of his second choice that produced the second place 49.68. “It was a little before 2 o’clock when the reel started to peel. It acted like a shark the whole time,” explained Harry. Keith continued to fight the fish and didn’t know it was a king until it was beside the boat. That is when Harry and Keith realized that their fish was also foul hooked- it had one single hook partially stuck by the nose. Harry did a great job of using all twelve feet of the gaff to bring the fish to the boat. And then the question of ounces comes into play. Their fish hit the deck and lost two large puddles of slime before they could get it into the bag. Would it have made a difference? Who knows, but ounces surely played a role in the outcome. The La Perla/Yellowbird team fish a Mercury powered Fountain and use a Loadmaster trailer. They are also sponsored by Sports USA.

Third place went to Mark and Rhonda Wicker and Jerry and Sarah Stephenson with a 49.61 on the Digestible. Ounces do make a difference! The Yamaha Four Stroke powered Contender ran 80 miles south of Fort Myers and fished in 75 feet of water. “We took a big risk and fished with some rather light tackle. It all worked out for us when that fish took a bluerunner down 45 feet and we got it in the boat,” said Mark. Jerry angled the fish to the boat and helped Rhonda and Sarah claim the top lady and junior awards. The two ladies are great anglers! Digestible had another fish that was just a few ounces lighter than their third place fish but just couldn’t manage to find one a little bigger.

Milton Shows, Tom Peterson and Ashley Peterson weighed a 25 pound king on the first day. Day two was much better. They ran their 28 foot McKee Craft called Anytime 135 miles south and fished in 85 feet of water with no other boats. The fourth place 48.87 took a bluerunner off of the surface and Milton carefully brought the fish to the boat. “Thanks to the Devocean team for a little clue on the area,” Milton mentioned.

JR Baker, Dan Davis and Steve Deloache ran their 31 Yamaha powered Contender 80 miles south of Gordon’s Pass to claim the fifth place prize for the Humdinger with a 45.03. They fished a wreck they knew was holding fish in 80 feet of water. The fish fell victim to a surfaced bluerunner at 10am and the guys were on their way to the scale by 11am.

Brian Hasson and Billy Hasson along with Jennie Ann Feola fished the Knot Me, a 23 Mercury powered Fountain, into a Class of 23 victory with a 41.68. It should be noted that the team weighed fish in the 40 pound class range both days. Knot me checked-out of Fort Myers and ran 40 miles to the North West and used a Spanish Mackerel to catch their fish at 8:30. “We prefished the area last week and knew the fish were still there. The first day there were three boats with us and the second there were several more. Thankfully we were able to pull decent fish both days,” Brian said. Keep an eye on this team during the next West Coast division.Second place for the Class of 23 went to the Minus One team. Henry Colston, Greg Campbell, Tim Colvard and Rick Baruta caught their 22.9 pounder the second day. They fished in 40 feet of water 10 miles off of Naples and had the fish in the bag by 8:30.

 

IN THE ROUGH MAKES THE BIG RUN TO WIN THE
10TH ANNUAL WELLCRAFT / MERCURY SARASOTA SERTOMA KING MACKEREL TOURNAMENT!

by Jack Holmes

After a first day’s weigh-in of only 33 fish from a field of 107 boats and the leading fish, a 36.67, David Van Lent decided to make the long run south to find the winning fish on the final day of the Wellcraft / Mercury Sarasota Sertoma King Mackerel Tournament, the final event in Division 11. “We ran 150 miles to the south and the farther we went the rougher the seas got,” said the In The Rough Captain. “We got to our spot at noon and Keith and Jeff Hall immediately deployed three blue runners. No sooner did we get them out than all three lines went off. Jeff and I each got our fish, both 40 pounders, but Keith’s fish was the one we were after.” They fished for a few more minutes but knew at one o’clock they needed to be back on the props to make the 5pm deadline. With 20 minutes to spare they slid up to the dock and presented Tournament Director Sandy Blowers with the tournament winner, a 48.42. 

The tournament’s top prize, a 19’ Mercury powered Wellcraft center console boat complete with a custom aluminum Loadmaster Trailer was theirs. “We took a beating and it was a big gamble but we knew that the west wind and only one tide change that day the run was the only thing we could do if we wanted a really big fish. We knew a few other boats were contemplating the run so we just went for it, said Van Lent. He never did reveal the exact location but did say that they have been in the same area the Delph brothers had caught their two big kings in the Naples and Fort Myers tournaments. “We were in the same spot 45 minutes earlier than the Delph boys in Fort Myers. They came in, put out some baits and at once caught that 50 pounder that one the tournament. It was very frustrating but that’s fishing,” he added. Van Lent and the Hall’s were the 2000 Angler of the Year and fish a triple Yamaha powered 36’ Contender.

John Zalud Jr. checked out of Venice on Friday morning while his brother Joel stood on the jetty, unable to fish Saturday due to a earlier commitment. So John added his daughter Catherine to the roster along with teammate Joe Keene and pointed the 08: Seconds bow south waiting for the 7am Bimini start. “We ran the beach south with a well full of blue runners and mullet to a spot we have done well in before,” said Zalud. Fishing all morning without a strike the team watched other boats who were fishing the area disappear on the horizon looking for more fertile water. “We had a double hookup, the first fish was huge but we missed her but did manage to get the mid 30s in the boat,” he explained after getting the Yamaha powered Contender to the dock. Having the first day lead they ran back to the same spot looking for that big girl that got away on Sunday. “We were nervous all day and after not catching a bigger fish we put it on the trailer and called Dad (SKA manager John Zalud) who was working the weigh in to see where we stood,” he added. They had the tournament won until In The Rough hit the dock. They earned second, got a nice payday, earned Catherine Top Junior angler honors, and went home proud of their effort. Add to that, they qualified also. All in all, not to shabby!

Team Chaos ran south also and pulled a 36.02 out of 30 feet of water. “A goggle eye did the trick,” said Dan Hess, Captain of the team who brought his team of Gil Strelec, Bill Wummer, and Tek Watts cross state to fish in different waters. “We normally fish in Division 10 but wanted to fish the south west coast also. Gil caught the fish at three o’clock.” The Sebastian, Florida, Mercury powered Yellowfin team put together a three fish stringer of 109 points to earn third in the Division and earned third place loot in the tournament. The team lost a place in the tournament to the 08: Seconds by a half a pound but finished ahead of them in the overall standings by a half a pound. Sounds like a great rivalry forming among these two superb teams.

Like Team Chaos, Greg Samuels, Carl Carder, and Billy Chilson also travel across state with their Yamaha powered Contender, Kingpin, to try to earn some cash and earn a berth at the big show in Biloxi. They’ve succeeded. They too ran south and fished in 40 feet of water where they found a 35.98 on day one at 11:30. “We had some nice runners and they really worked,” said Samuel. ” The team accepted fourth place honors a little after 6pm knowing they had done great plus vastly increasing their fishing knowledge.

Keith Thomas was the Class of 23 winner but also helped himself to fifth place tournament money. His Yellowbird plucked a 33.33 from the depths however he wasn’t like the rest, he fished Egmont Channel to the north. “We’ve got some holes up there that you can pull a good fish out of and we knew that some fish were caught there earlier in the week,” he explained. Thomas usually fishes in Division Six and can be counted on to be in the hunt for the Divisional title especially now by fishing the Sertoma event qualifies for the Nationals and can now concentrate on just winning.

Mark Whitmire’s Grinder finished second place in the Class of 23 with a 30.73 and also picked up tenth place in the tournament. Mike Smith fishing his Reel Gator can also make his early Biloxi reservations by finishing third in the Class this weekend with a 29.92.

Sixth, seventh, and eighth place all finished within a half pound of one another. Ozzie Fischer and his Game hunter team needed a good fish to qualify and they got it, scaling a nice 32.85 caught on the first day. That fish gave the team a top ten overall Divisional standing.

From North Carolina came past National Champions Forrest Taylor and Don Ewing on the That’s My Dog. They lost a great fish on Saturday but came right back on Sunday to capture seventh with a 32.67. Ewing wanted to fish the Division because of the challenge, great prize structure, and for the shot of capturing Top Senior honors for the Division; he succeeded. On board was my wife, Deona, for all the Divisional events and earned Top Lady honors in this event. Only problem, the duo now want her to join their pro team. It won’t happen! Forrest’s son Adam has graced the cover of Angler Magazine a couple of times. Because of good grades, Dad let him come south and fish and he got second place Junior.

Eighth place honors went to the brothers from Key West. Some people wanted to see if the Delphs could catch fish outside their home waters. Despite motor problems that kept them from fishing where they wanted to they still stuck a 32.25. I think everyone has their answer, these guys are for real and a threat in any event they enter. Congratulate them for a 153.91 three fish, Division winning aggregate. Not only do they have the record big fish, a 71.89, but also the three fish Florida aggregate record.

Mark Wicker’s Digestible earned second in the Division thanks to a ninth place 31.42 weighed this weekend.

The Sertoma team under the direction of Sandy Blowers once again pulled off a great event. thanks to Mercury, Wellcraft, and Loadmaster Trailers the bar has definitely been raised. Plans are already underway to step it up another notch next year by moving the event to a larger facility.