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Sea Drag'n Wins Seventh SKA Tournament at Onslow Bay Open by Captain Barrett McMullan

I often read and hear kingfish anglers debating the topic of who is the best team in kingfishing today. That topic is then further divided into who is the best in certain geographical areas. Then, thrown into the mix is whether or not the team fishes away from home, if they have one engine or three, if they win events or are consistently in the top 10 . . . etc. One team that you rarely hear put into the mix of top teams on a regional level is Al Morris' Sea Drag'n team based out of Atlantic Beach, NC. But come ask any tournament fishermen in the state of North Carolina who is the best team in kingfishing today and there is no doubt the Sea Drag'n boat will be at or near the top of every list. Captain Al hasn't taken his show on the road yet to compete in various areas of the southeast, but if he does, don't be surprised to see the Sea Drag'n name rubbing shoulders with the top regional players.

The 2005 5th Annual Onslow Bay Open King Mackerel Tournament was the latest showcase for the Sea Drag'n team. It was here they placed a 32.93-pounder on the scales to take home their seventh SKA tournament victory. Because I was not on board the Sea Drag'n on tournament day I will hand over the storytelling duties to Captain Al Morris who takes us through the event from start to finish.

"The Sea Drag'n fishing team went into the OBO KMT beat up and tired from the Atlantic Beach KMT where it battled six- to nine-foot seas to bring home an 11th place Friday finish. The team was undecided until the Monday before the tournament whether or not to fish. First mate Brent had obligations and could not make the trip down and the rest of the crew had obligations. I had to the work late , but Al Sr. talked me into fishing. He and I fished the tournament last year without any other of the crew so we decided to try and make it happen. I went down on Tuesday and prepped the boat and gear, taking a little time to scope out the bait and water conditions. Dad drove down Friday with Mom and stopped at his favorite food buffet before signing us up at the tournament in Swansboro. I worked until 2 a.m. then drove over to Topsail and picked him up. We got to AB around 5 a.m. and had the Sea Drag'n floating by 5:30. A co-worker, Nick Taylor, and his friend Steve were invited to join us for the trip. Nick was a beginning king fisherman whom had never used live bait to fish. Both were new to the sport but turned out to be good help on the boat. First stop was Harkers Island where after two warm-up tosses the bottom of the Privateer was slicked over with pogies. We cleaned up and were breaking the shoals of Cape Lookout by 7:15 a.m. After an 18-mile run up the ocean side of core banks we settled down with about five other boats on some hard bottom near Drum Inlet. Lines went out and we all settled back enjoying the light west wind and calm seas. The water had not completely cleared since Hurricane Ophelia, but it was clear enough to catch fish. Water temperature was at 79 degrees and with the west wind; I expected the fish to be gnawing at the boat. After about 45 minutes of no action the long line sang out. I grabbed the rod and gave it to Nick while the deck was cleared. He turned the rod back over to me where I made quick work of a 20- to 23-pound. fish. It was an ok point-fish, but not what we were looking for. We hung in the area as boats began to overcome the area again. We picked up and decided to make a move back toward the shoals making some quick stops along the way. The cut-off time for fishing was 2:30 p.m. because I had to be at work in Wilmington by 7:00 p.m. First stop was just a few miles away. Lines went out and immediately the downrigger ripped off. I gave the rod to Nick and he got into a tug of war for about 35 minutes. The fish ripped off about 40 yards, then settled under the boat. I figured AJ, but was wrong, it was a 35-pound barracuda. Next stop put us landing at 1:20 p.m. on a spot of bottom I had found three years ago inshore off the D Wreck while bluefin tuna fishing. Lines were out and we began marking a lot of bait. Several pods of bait were on the surface drawing the Sea Drag'n to attention. We made a pass near the surfaced bait and the long line squealed for a second. I looked back and saw a 30-pound fish skying back down on the crippled pogy. The line ripped off as we cleared the deck. I took over the rod and in about ten minutes had a 30-pound fish on the deck. Lines went back out quick as I knew the bite had to be on. As I began to toss the third bait out the trailing laser-sharp hook drove into my left thumb. After saying several choice words, I took the cutting pliers and cut the hook clear from the rig. I continued to put out baits until the entire spread was out. Now, surgery took place quickly with the help of a piece of 30-pound test line and a quick jerk. OOOUCH! Before I could stop the bleeding the short line ripped off. Ten minutes later a 26-pound fish was cut free and lines back out. As I got a Band-Aid on my thumb the downrigger screamed my pain. Line was being ripped off as we cleared the deck again. I climbed to the bow and took aim at the fleeing king. Dad rolled the Privateer in the direction of the screaming line. After a 30-minute battle the big girl rolled up under the boat with the last ribbon fish rig hook hanging in the side of her head. I gently pulled to gain the last 15 feet of line as I gave gaffing instructions to my guest rookie king fishermen. The big girl broke the surface exhausted, laying on her side. Steve made a good enough gaff and the fish was gently eased over the side of the boat. Loaded in the bag and off to the scales in Swansboro. We arrived around 3:45 p.m. and she pulled down the scales to 32.94-pounds and a first place finish in the tourney. The Fish Gods had lead us to a hot spot and we were fortunate enough to land a nice fish. It was a great day on the water and all involved in the tournament were super-nice. As always special thanks for the support from Mercury, Sea Striker Inc., Star Rods, and Coastal Carolina Marine. Hope to see everyone on the water for the great NC fall fishing. Tight Lines...Capt. AL"

Following hot on the heels of the Sea Drag'n was the Sittin' Pretty team Captained by Eric Swain. Eric had his A team with him for this event which is composed of Timmy Midgette, who had to fly in from Europe just to fish the tournament, Nolan Midgette and Harold Midgette. On Friday the Sittin' Pretty team loaded up the boat for a day of research and development to try and find the hot spot for the following day's event. After fishing numerous spots on the east and west side of Cape Lookout Shoals it was determined that Drum inlet's 4-Mile Rock was the place to be. Saturday morning arrived and the team headed to Beaufort inlet and waited for the sun and the pogies to reach the surface. While waiting for the bait the crew watched closely for any signs of kingfish, but nothing indicated the presence of a fish. When bait was secured the decision was made to head across the shoals sticking with the plan and head for 4-Mile Rock. Within minutes after arrival the Sittin' Pretty team had been attacked by a couple of teenage-sized fish. After that the action died for the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon. At 12:30 an unexpected battery alarm startled the crew. A weak battery would not enable the port engine to stay running. The team decided to pick up the baits and try running the boat to see if it would recharge the battery. At the same time they were aiming to get closer to home just in case they had a problem that would require assistance. After running a few miles it appeared the batteries were back in action. The decision was made to check out a few spots on the east side before heading back across and finishing the day at Beaufort inlet. The 30-Minute Rock and the East Rock were both visited but dirty water led the team further offshore to a number just offshore of the 1700 Rock. Water conditions remained less than perfect, but time was running out and they needed to get some baits in the water. A short 30 minutes later around 2:30 their number was called when a ribbonfish trolled at 70 feet with a Turbo Rattler snapped free from the downrigger. Eric was on the rod for what he thought to be another shark after the fish did not make a big run. A few minutes into the fight the fish on the other end remembered that he was a king mackerel and proceeded to test the gears on the reel Eric held in his hand. A half-hour battle yielded a gaffing opportunity for Timmy and he came through. The fish came over the side and straight into the sack. Knowing they had a good fish on board the decision was made to call it a day and head for the scales. At the scales there were mixed emotions from the crew of the Sittin' Pretty when the weight was announced at 32.67 pounds. They were very pleased with their fish, but slightly disheartened when they realized they missed a tournament victory by less than a half-pound. However, what the crew did come to find that was on the strength of the Onslow Bay Open fish the Sittin' Pretty team has now taken over top position in Division 1 with only one event remaining.

The event's third place team was also the SKA's third best overall and top Class of 23' boat. Frankie Holloman's Rock Steady team has been on a roll this year in their 23' Sea Fox. Todd Casey, Kevin Lancaster and Junior Angler Kristie Holloman have crewed on the Rock Steady this year and are hitting on all cylinders. With a 37-pounder already posted in Division 1 from the Sneads Ferry event, the 30.86-pounder caught at Onslow Bay catapulted the team into second place in the points standings for the 23' and under category. The last event in Division 1 is the Toys for Tots tournament, which will be a one-day shootout for the 23' and under crown in Division 1 between the Rock Steady and Division leader King of Kings. The story behind the Onslow Bay Tournament fish is relatively standard. In Frankie's own words, "it went real smooth." Live pogies were caught at Harker's Island with little effort on tournament morning. The plan was to shoot over to the 1700 Rock and that's just what they did. The water was a little murky, but the team felt they could pull out a fish if they just stayed patient. At 10:00 a.m. the crew made an adjustment to a ribbonfish they were pulling on the downrigger by adding a bright colored Cape Lookout skirt in front of the bait. Several minutes later the ribbonfish was in the mouth of a hungry king mackerel. Todd angled the fish for 25 minutes before getting close to the boat. The fish made one more run where it was able to dislodge two hooks on the rig, but Todd gently brought her back within gaffing range and Kevin made good on the opportunity. With a solid fish in the boat the team opted to call it a day around noon and headed to the scales with their catch.

The overall consensus of fishing for this event was the bite was slow as a direct result of Hurricane Ophelia that passed through the area less than two weeks ago. Water conditions were still stirred up causing the majority of the fish to head for deeper water. However, excellent weather conditions allowed tournament contestants to fish wherever they wanted within tournament boundaries. All involved with the event had a good time and as stated by tournament director Captain Stan Jurinski, "every team that weighed a fish won money."

The Onslow Bay Open King Mackerel Tournament is put on by a group of volunteers of Onslow Bay Fishing Club members and is headed up by Captain Stan Jurninski. Despite another kingfish tournament competing for entries and the gas situation, this event attracted 78 competing teams and was a large success. According to www.obokmt.us, "2005 proceeds will go to Camp Emahenwu, Boys and Girls Home of N.C., Childrens Flight for Hope, Miracle Farms Therapeutic Riding Center and the Onslow County Christmas Cheer Program".