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Play’N To Win Plays For Keeps…
POPPELL’S HAULIN “S” TEAM WINS CLASS OF 23’, HAS BEST AGGREGATE OF ALL TEAMS FISHING DIVISION 4!
By Jack Holmes

Scott Poppell, Johnny Wildes and their teams have put on a spectacular display of fishing prowess this season in the Class of 23’ beating all competitors including the Open Class by nearly five pounds. It was Poppell’s team fishing the Haulin “S” that came out on top by less than a half-pound.
Poppell fishes a Yamaha powered Regulator with T. Shaun Boaen and Scott Goodwin. Together they caught a 28.97 at Sapelo, then a 31.53 in St. Mary’s, and wrapped the season victory up in Golden Isles with a 31.31. A great season! Last year Scott joined the SKA and fished both Division 3 and 4 but didn’t show up on the radar. That certainly changed this season. While some may say the team just got lucky, I’d agree. You’ve got to have some luck but you don’t put three good fish on the scale like this without a pretty good degree of fishing ability. Whatever happened it worked; now if they can carry that degree of success to the Championship round, they’ve got great shot at the title.
Wildes on the other hand won the Class of 23’ last year and just missed it this year. His Reel Wild team of Taite Crews, Brock Music, Joey Wildes and Courtney Herndon scored a 91.38 three fish aggregate by scaling a 30.99 at Sapelo, a 31.45 Two-Way, and finally a 28.94 in Golden Isles. The big aggregate gave Courtney Top Lady Angler honors. Wildes also fishes Division 5 and is doing great there also. I think Wildes is one of the top Class fishermen in the country. His one challenge left goes through Biloxi. A win there would confirm what I, and a lot of others, feel.
Jim Mason’s Sea-N-Double, a 23’ Mercury powered Pro Line, captured third with 82.54 points. Another team with poor performance last year and rock solid performance this season. Did someone spike the water in Georgia? No, because everyone would have done well. Mason, who fishes with Tim Mason, Brad Hooks and Billy Mason, put together a three-fish stringer, 26.78, 25.55 and 30.21 to rattle the competition. Love what you did, kind of humbles some of rest of the field, and I know it makes you guys feel real good. But don’t rest on your laurels, there’s work to be done. Biloxi is just around the corner. Time to show everyone just what you’ve learned this season.
Harris Hines’s Holiday Out, James Karwacki’s Double Deuces, Clayton Wright’s Just Wright, Tony Hinson’s T-Nail and Mark Covington’s Hooked Up either weren’t in last year’s standings or were near the bottom but here they are this year occupying fourth through eighth place. I have never seen a season like this one! A tip of the SKA hat to all these teams.
The Holiday Out picked up fourth with a 81.33 aggregate. Hines fishes his Yamaha powered Contender with Trey and Taylor Hines and scaled a 25.67, a 19.30, and ended with a 36.36 in Golden Isles.
James Karwacki had the biggest fish of the Division, a 40.92, caught in St. Mary’s. His Double Deuces team of Randy Newbury and Edward Bacon also scaled a 25.67 and a 19.30. The team finished fifth and fish a Yamaha powered Contender.
Clayton Wright’s Just Wright was really consistent this season scaling a 20.47, 20.90 and a 29.20. His team of Bobby and Reba Wright fish a Mercury powered Fountain.
Tony Hinson’s T-Nail picked up seventh in the Division on the strength of a 20.41, 27.23 and a 20.50. The Yamaha powered Contender team of James Garrett, Larry Garrett, Jr. and Joella Hinson are fishing very well.
Rounding out this group of extraordinary fisherman in this Division is Mark Covington’s Hooked Up. Mark and his team of Dawson Covington, Thomas and Shannon Miller and Christopher Ray had two good fish, a 26.20 and a 27.52. Their third fish was a 10.57. They fish a McKee Craft.
Clifton DeLoach has fished The Fox with the SKA for as long as I can remember. This very consistent team of Charlie and Marvin DeLoach and Daphne Zeigler, who I know has more fun than any other team on the water, earned ninth this year. Last year it was fifth. They are always in the top ten. They had a good fish in the Nationals last year but couldn’t pair it up. I expect this just may be their year in Biloxi! Their aggregate was 63.97.
Rounding out the top ten was Michael Crabtree’s Plumb Fun. With Arthur Sanders and Michael Crabtree on board they scored a 63.25 aggregate fishing their Yamaha powered Pro Sport.
This is a tough Division to fish because their season starts early before the big fish arrive. But Georgia fishermen are tough, they know how to dig out a good fish and they never give up. Maybe that’s why we have a lot of Champions from this state.
Good luck to all at the Nationals. I know you’ll make us proud!