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POSSE BRAVES THE ELEMENTS IN FERNANDINA… Crowley’s Team Reels in a 42.64-Pounder in One Day Event! by Ian Warner

The 23rd Annual Tournament of Champions drew nearly 200 boats to compete at Fernandina Beach, FL June 23-26, with anglers competing for the $22,500 grand prize. While conditions were rough, with the seas tossing the smaller boats around in the three- to five-foot swells, the teams still managed to get out there and find some good kings. Posse’s Dan Crowley took the gold, landing a 42.64 to bring home the big money. Beer Money followed a few pounds behind with a 39.10 for second, while Exterminader rounded out the top three with a 35.04.

After getting hammered by the weather at the Kingbuster 400 and finishing 12th, Posse was ready for a win in Division 5, and they pulled through in Fernandina with the only 40-plus-pounder of the tournament, a 42.64. “We got some good information a few days before the tournament,” said Captain Dan Crowley, “so we took a chance and made the 35-mile run to the Red Top.” Throughout the day the team had three small kings but the seas were building. “We didn’t have a very good feeling about it, but finally at 2:30 our long line was hit,” reported Crowley. The winning king nailed a pogy in 35 feet of water, and Crowley quickly maneuvered his 31’ Mercury powered Yellowfin into action. After Chuck Kalbfleish reeled in the king they “put her in the bag and went straight to the scale,” smiled Crowley. This was Captain Dan, Lucas and Travis Crowley, Tom Taylor and Chuck Kalbfleish’s first win and largest king in a SKA tournament. Their 42.64-pounder would prove to be worth a check for $22,500 to take home to Ponte Vedra, FL, and it placed the team in second for Division 5, almost eight pounds ahead of third place Papa Joe. The team’s first win was also good to earn Lucas Crowley the Top Junior Angler Position. Congratulations, guys.

Captain Chris Stephens and Jerry Richardson nailed a 39.10-pound mack to take second place and the overall lead in Division 5. Hailing from Jacksonville, FL, the team had brought their 25’ Johnson powered Hydra-Sports boat to Fernandina early to do their homework. “We pre-fished a hard bottom area 50 miles south of the scales,” reported Stephens. “So we got to our spot and didn’t have a hit for two hours,” he continued. “We were pulling line to go to another spot when our downrigger with a ribbonfish 20 feet down took off.” Jerry made short work of the king and they soon had their smoker in the box. The team kept fishing until 3 o’clock, but couldn’t top that 39-pounder, their best fish ever in an SKA event. You know they’re going to be fishing hard at Ancient City to keep that lead.

The Junior Anglers were fishing hard in this tournament despite the weather, and Samantha Nader pulled in a 35.04 aboard the Exterminader to take third place and earn the second place Junior Angler position. Captain Randy and Samantha Nader and Lance Cote Jr. and Sr. fish a 36’ Yamaha powered Contender out of Jacksonville, FL. “We made a 45-mile run south,” stated Randy. “It was raining and the seas were building with no fish.” Finally at 2:20 their luck changed and a ribbonfish with a green skirt in the prop wash was hit in 38 feet of water. “We put her in the bag and took a slow ride back to the scales,” said Randy. After landing a 23-pounder in St. Augustine the team stands in fifth place divisionally.

“With a second place finish here last year, we had one thing on our minds: ‘to win’,” reported Captain Tommy Anderson of Team Optima Batteries. While the 33.62-pounder wasn’t the 36.98 Anderson and David Vining got here last year, it still proved to be worth fourth place for this Yulee, FL team. “We made the long run to St. Augustine,” recalled Anderson, and while the team had lots of hook-ups, they weren’t having a very fruitful time of it. “We only had one out of 15 kings that was in the mid-20’s,” he continued, “and were ready to leave and go to a spot 15 miles north.” Then, at 1:30, a pogy on a long line was hit and David reeled in the king in 15 minutes. With the weather worsening the team headed the 26’ Mercury powered Island Runner straight for the scales. “I just want to give a special thanks to Optima Batteries and Double Strike Chum,” concluded Anderson, “we couldn’t have done it without their support.” Non-member Reel Shady landed a 33.32 for fifth place.

Up next are Captain Joe Wallis, Vince Coyce and Clayton Pudjak aboard the Know Pressure. The team pulled in a 33.24 on their 25’ Johnson powered Hydra-Sports boat, good for a sixth place spot to take home to Jacksonville Beach, FL. Seventh place went to Captain Howard and Donna Poe, Mark Chappell and Chris Cathery on the Kill-N-Me. Poe and his team hail from Darien, GA, and landed a 33.04-pounder on their 36’ Mercury powered Contender. Next in line is the Double K, a 24’ Mercury powered Everglades, with a 32.50. Captain Kevin and Carrie Faver and Brian Lesage earned eighth place to take home to St. Augustine, FL. Carrie earned Top Lady Angler title with that 32-pounder.

Captain Steve Thompson led the Sea Snake crew to ninth place and top honors in the Class of 23’ with a 31.46-pound mack. Thompson and angler Tim Roush fish a 23’ Mercury powered Pro-Line out of Jacksonville, FL, and decided to stick to a tried and true spot. “We went to the ‘old fishing hole,’ the Red Top, 28 miles south. We’d been there before and always got a good fish,” recalled Thompson. Fishing in 38 feet of water the team had two small kings during the day until their big girl hit a pogie on a long flat line at 2:30, and Tim got her to the boat in short order. “With conditions getting bad we went right to the scale,” reported Thompson, and the rest is in the books.

Rounding out the top ten and taking second in the Class of 23’ is Richard Geiger’s Wave Buster. Captain Geiger, Dave King and Rex Wyatt decided not to make a long run with the weather conditions, so they headed the 19’ Mercury powered Pro-Line south to make the 18-mile run to the Chum Hole. That’s when things decided to get a little difficult for the team. “We lost our electronics on the ride there! We had to get the depth of water by putting our downriggers down to the bottom. Everything else was guesswork,” recalled Geiger. The team had a slow day at the Chum Hole, and didn’t have a bite until 2:00. Fishing in 32 feet of water a ribbonfish on a downrigger set at 14 feet was nailed. “We put her in the bag and were very happy with our catch,” said Geiger. He should be, at the scales it weighed in at 30.54 pounds. That just goes to show, you don’t necessarily need all those high-end electronics to catch big kings, just perseverance.

Playin’ Hooky, a 26’ Yamaha powered Triton, came to the scales with a 29.88-pounder. Captain Sam Roach and Walter Brown received 11th place for their efforts. Easy Drinkin took 12th with a 28.88. Captain Joel McKenney and Rocky Tolfa fish a 33’ Yamaha powered Palmetto. Captain Jerry and Jeremy Carter and Jim Thomas fish a 32’ Mercury powered Donzi, the Reel Quick. They gaffed a 28-pounder for 13th place.

Gotcha came to the docks with a 27.90-pound mack to take 14th place. Captain Darren Carter, Jason English, Chad Branch and Travis Carter fish a 36’ Mercury powered Contender, and you know young Travis likes the boat because he earned third place Junior Angler on it. Team Young Guns, Captain Lee Way, Sebastian Butarelli and Marc Pincus, nailed a 26.54 king. They rounded out the top 15 on their 29’ Mercury powered See Vee.

Captain Richard Tipping and the Papa Joe team took 16th with a 26.54-pound king. Tipping sits in third place divisionally on the strength of the 35-pounder he got in St. Augustine. Next was Papa Styles with a 26.46 for Captain Darrell Smith. Fishtastic took 18th place for Captain Craig Sutton with a 26.40. Captain Al Cumbie’s Channel Master landed a 25.98 for 19th and Fred Peet’s Wishful Thinking rounds out the top 20 with a 25.56-pounder.

Wrapping things up, Captain Joe Bruce and David Fulford Jr. and Sr. took 21st place overall and third in the Class of 23’ with a 25.36-pound king. They fish on Angling Pursuits, a 23’ Mercury powered Triton out of Fernandina Beach.

With Division 5 off to a rough start weather-wise, you know competitors are crossing their fingers for Mother Nature’s blessing at Ancient City in July. Both the Open Class and the Class of 23’ are tight races, with less than a pound separating the top two spots. But you know no matter what, there’s going to be some good fishing at the Division’s midway point in St. Augustine.

Fernandina Final Standings
1. POSSE 42.64
Yellowfin/Mercury
Dan Crowley
Travis Crowley
Lucas Crowley
Chuck Kalbfleisch
Tom Taylor
2. BEER MONEY 39.10
Hydra-Sprots/Johnson
Chris Stephens
Jerry Richardson
3. EXTERMINADER 35.04
Contender/Yamaha
Randy Nader
Lloyd Cooke
Ray Nader
Samantha Nader
Lance Cote Jr.
Lance Cote Sr.
4. TEAM OPTIMA BATTERIES 33.62
Island Runner/Mercury
Tommy Anderson
Eric Faulk
David Vining
5. Reel Shady 33.32
6. KNOW PRESSURE 33.24
Hydra-Sports/Johnson
Joe Wallis
Vince Coyce
Clayton Pudjak
7. KILL-N-ME 33.04
Contender/Mercury
Howard Poe
Donna Poe
Mark Chappell
Chris Cathery
8. DOUBLE K 32.50
Everglades/Mercury
Kevin Faver
Brian Lesage
Carrie Faver
9. SEA SNAKE 31.46
Pro-Line/Mercury
Steve Thompson
Tim Roush
10. WAVE BUSTER 30.54
Pro-Line/Mercury
Richard Geiger
Dave King
Rex Wyatt
11. PLAYIN’ HOOKY 29.88
Triton/Yamaha
Sam Roach
Walter Brown
12. EASY DRINKIN 28.88
Palmetto/Yamaha
Joel McKenney
Rocky Tolfa
13. REEL QUICK 28.00
Donzi/Mercury
Jerry Carter
Jeremy Carter
Jim Thomas
14. GOTCHA 27.90
Contender/Mercury
Darren Carter
Jason English
Chad Branch
Travis Carter
15. TEAM YOUNG GUNS 27.76
Sea Vee/Mercury
Lee Way
Sebastian Butarelli
Marc Pincus
16. PAPA JOE 26.54
Palmetto/Evinrude
Richard Tipping
Tim Pugh
Waylon Townsend
17. PAPA STYLES 26.46
Contender/Yamaha
Darrell Smith
Styles Smith
Jerry McCoy
18. FISHTASTIC 26.40
Whitewater/Yamaha
Craig Sutton
Gary Schmidt
19. CHANNEL MASTER 25.98
Fountain/Mercury
Al Cumbie
Jon Cheney
20. WISHFUL THINKING 25.56
Yellowfin/Yamaha
Fred Peet
Matt Matheson

Class of 23’
1. SEA SNAKE 31.46
2. WAVE BUSTER 30.54
3. ANGLING PURSUITS 25.36
Triton/Mercury
Joe Bruce
David Fulford, Jr.
David Fulford, Sr.

Top Lady Angler
Carrie Faver Double K
Top Junior Anglers
1st Lucas Crowley Posse
2nd Samantha Nader Exterminader
3rd Travis Carter Gotcha