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BEAR CAUGHT TOP SKA TEAM IN THE BELL SOUTH GREATER JACKSONVILLE BIG FISH CATEGORYS! By Jack Holmes

By Jack Holmes

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA. On the first day of the largest king mackerel tournament in the world, the Greater Jacksonville King Mackerel Tournament, James "Bear" Croft got off his Yellowfin boat named Bear Caught and held his king mackerel over his head for all to see. Up the gangway and onto the scale he came. His 46.10 was the biggest king of the tournament and immediately throngs of media besieged him. Questions flew, cameras rolled, and microphones were pushed just inches from his face. It was deadline and everyone was in a hurry. Bear savored the limelight as well he should but there was still one day to go, and as fate would have it, the first boat to the scale would steal his thunder.
It was an 18-foot Carolina Skiff captained by Bill Rew, his wife and two grandkids. He couldn't even get the 48.95-pound fish off the boat without assistance. The little guys, as he put it, had done it. Bill later told me that he was going to take the first place prize, a 25’ Yamaha powered Contender valued at over a $100,000 home, park it in his driveway, and just look at it for a few days. Then he would decide what he was going to do with it. "I don't even know if I can afford the gas for this boat," he added. Because seas were so calm he was able to run south to an area between the jetties and the Red Tops.
On day two, word filtered back to the tournament site that Bear had another good fish. "I caught that 46 at the HH using goggle eyes. She was the bigger of the double header we had on. Sure wish I could have that forty that came in with her also," explained Croft who had second place locked up already. "We went back to that spot again but moved into Nassau Sound shortly after. We found a 25 then got this nice 32-pounder." It was calculated that he had the biggest two fish aggregate since the tournament started an aggregate division but the prize was bigger for second place big fish so that's where he stayed. "This is my biggest win ever," said Bear. "I'm happy for Bill Rew, it just goes to show you, you don't need a big boat and a lot of fancy equipment to win this tournament.” Sharing in all the excitement was Rick Dopson, and Ryan and WD Rodeffer, who certainly added to the Bear Caught's efforts.
The Bear Caught won a 225LX Bay Runner by Sea Chaser with a 150 hp Yamaha Outboard and Loadmaster Trailer valued at $37,795.
Shenan Foster, Charles Shiroky, Steve Anderson, Luther Thomas and Chris Hutchinson teamed aboard the 25’ foot Yamaha powered Contender, Lucky Strike, to capture third in big fish. "We were with a lot of boats at the Elton Bottom," said Foster the team Captain. "It was 12:30 on the first day. We were trolling a double pogy rig with a purple and black squid when she hit. Chris grabbed the rod and the rest is history." At the dock they were excited to see their name on the leaderboard, next to 44.40, the weight of their king. "We followed the lead of the Pros earlier in the week, they found some fish there so that's where we went," Foster added.
The Lucky Strike won an 18' Sea Fox Center Console boat with a Mercury 90 hp outboard and Loadmaster trailer valued at $32,385.
Howard Poe, who is the local Contender Dealer and supporter of the event, bagged a 43.40 to earn fourth in the big fish category. Poe and Carl Johnson Jr. fished the Kill-N-Me at the Elton Bottom. "We fished there all four days," said Poe referring to the fact he fished the Yamaha Pro Tour, the VIP, and the general tournament. "We lost a really good fish on the first day but we went right back on day two and got the 43. She came from 120 feet of water and we were dragging an eel fifty feet down." Poe was also the SKA's National Champion in '96. This fish moved him to the top of Division 5 standings with 101.64 points. His wife Donna also competed in the event fishing an all girl-team on the Contendress.
The King Slayer was fifth. Johnny Wood and teammates Henry Colston, Rick Baruta and Mac McClellan also found themselves plying the waters of the Elton Bottom. "We were in 120 feet of water at 9:30 on day one when she hit," said an excited Wood. "We've been planning this event for a month but threw it all out the window after we heard where the big fish were being caught earlier in the week. She ate a blue runner with a yellow and chartreuse skirt." At the dock the scale read 41.80.
Ray Green's Free Spoolin went south to Daytona where on day two and scaled a 41.30 to earn sixth. "Now I know why a lot of guys make the long run," said Green. "We weren't there ten minutes and she was hooked up. Mike had her to the boat shortly and we immediately said good bye to Daytona, we were coming to the scales." On board with Ray were Mike Pepper and Bob Sanders.
Non-members scored the next three spots.
Rounding out the top ten was Jeff Parsons, Wayne Cone, Mike Hurst, Danny Shore and Chris Cone aboard the Final Approval. They scaled a 39.30. "Finally we got the monkey off our backs," said Parsons. "We needed this fish and it couldn't have come at a better time."
Also making it into the top twenty was Dorry Testa's Knock Down, 13th with a 37.65, and Todd Veal's Sea Ducer, 14th scaling a 37.55. Samuel Roach's Playin’ Hooky picked up 17th with a 37.10 while Edward Claxton's Never Give Up's 35.85 made 20th.
Ten of the top 20 boats in the big fish division were SKA members.

19-FOOT WAVE BUSTER CAPTURES AGGREGATE DIVISION!

Richard Geiger, Dave King and Rex Wyatt are having a great year and they're doing it in a 19' Mercury powered Pro Line. Who says you need a big boat to catch big fish? In fact one more good fish in the 30-pound range and they could win the Division. You gotta love these guys.
Let's set the stage, 803 boats fishing the tournament. To win the aggregate division you must scale two good fish, one per day. On day one the team bags a 39.80 that would be good for ninth place overall in the big fish category. Then on day two they add a 30.05 for a combined aggregate of 69.85. They've got first and the biggest win of their career. "We fished in the southeast hole, ran to Nassau, came back, we just kept working hard and it paid off," said Geiger, Captain of the team. "We used blue runners and ribbonfish and both worked." This is a very good team that is using their fishing abilities to speak for them.
They won a 20' Key West 2020DC with T-Top, Mercury Opti-Max 135 hp outboard and Loadmaster trailer valued at $30,495.
Jerry and Jeremy Carter and Jim Thomas ran the Mercury powered Donzi, Reel Quick, one hundred miles to the south, caught a fish each day, and picked up third aggregate. "We knew there were some fish south and we wouldn't have a lot of boats in our water," said Carter. "We saw a lot of fish but our 30.15 we weighed on Thursday told us we had to go back. We needed another king in the 30's or a big fish for that category." They ran back on Friday and in their first 15 minutes hooked a 37.85 and came right back to the scales. Third aggregate was theirs but they missed second by just five one hundredths of a pound.
They picked up a nice 13' Boston Whaler Legend with a 40 hp Mercury 4 stroke outboard and Loadmaster trailer worth $15,700 for third aggregate.
Hat Trick's Rod Hatfield called the Raymarine electronics representative whom they're sponsored by, "We've got a big king and we're coming in." They also ran way south to come back with a 38.50, sixth biggest fish on day one. "We went back on day two needing a good second fish to protect a leaderboard finish. We caught a 27.90 which got us fourth aggregate. A good finish." On board were Lynn Hatfield and Ken Dewitt.
Colt Lewis, Brandon Lewis, Sean Henner and Mike Hutto picked up fifth aggregate with a 33.65 and a 32.60 aboard the Wet Dream 2. It not only was a good win for the Class of 23’ team but the 33-pounder propelled them to the top of the Division standings.
Trip Fletcher's 32.35 paired with a 32.15 was good enough for sixth place aggregate. The No Limit with Kim and Hunter Fletcher on board fished their Yamaha powered Contender.
Frank Strickland, Marty Rowland and Tim Short caught a good 37.95 on day one, then scaled a 25.75 on day two to give them a seventh place 63.70 aggregate for the Rebecca Ann.
Vincent Serrano wrapped up the top ten for SKA members earning eighth fishing his Vanisea. His 32.45 helped his overall 63.15 aggregate finish.
Eleventh place fell to Jim Bryant's Reel Shady with 62.25 points while George Vink's Sea-Ment, a beautifully wrapped Mercury powered Fountain, picked up 12th with 62.15 points.
Matthew Henderson fished the Sweet Maria into 14th with 58.65 points and Chris Stephens Beer Money had 19th with 55.65 points. His big fish, a 31-pounder vaulted his team into second place in the standings just four one-hundredths of a pound out of first. This team is really fishing well.
The Posse was the final team on the board in this class with 55.55 points. Daniel Crowley was at the helm.

PACK DOG TOP SKA BOAT IN CLASS OF 23!

Nick Caruk and Jeff Biresong teamed to put the Pack Dog, a 21' Contender, into second place in the Class with a nice 35.70-pound king. "We were fishing a mile south of the Gate Station (south of Jacksonville) on the first day," said Caruk. "We were in 35 feet of water putting lines out using pogies. We had two in and were just putting out a third when she hit. Jeff had her to the boat in no time and we thought we had a pretty good fish." That fish also moved them way up in the standings. One more like this and they're going to the Nationals. What a great year that would be!
Turn 3 was another of those teams whose fish jumped its captain, Geoff Stam, way up in the standings. It was also nice seeing a third place check in the tournament thanks to his 35.30.
Carl Pecora, Wayne Yvon, Kevin O'Mera and Dave Dininny caught a 34.70 to capture fourth in the event. "We really want to win the Division," said Pecora before going up on stage to accept their cash and prizes. They are now in second in the Division and could realize their goals this season.
Ken Newman's Lickskillet with John Parente and Rebecca Parente on board picked up fifth with a 33.50. They fish a Yamaha powered Key West and are now in the top ten in the Division.
Rocky Warpool caught a 32-pounder fishing his Polar, Damage Inc., and earned sixth for his efforts. Lewis Terrell and Ron Roberson were on board.
Richard Thomason's Crackin' Dude, who has fished the trail since its inception, had another good performance. Seventh this weekend with a 31.95 while Vernon Rice's 31.95 ended the SKA members dominance of the Class this weekend. His 31.65 captured eighth place.
The SKA certainly wishes to thank Mike Wheeler, Executive Director of the event, Bob Brindle, this year’s Tournament Chairman, and the host of committee members who made our involvement with the tournament so enjoyable.

The Bell South Greater Jacksonville King Mackerel Tournament has three ways of winning. 20 places in the big fish category, 20 places in the aggregate division (one fish per day) and 10 places in the Class of 23 (big fish). The computer places the team in whichever category gives them the biggest prize.

FINAL STANDINGS:

BIG FISH DIVISION:

1. The Rew Crew 48.95
2. BEAR CAUGHT 46.10
Yellowfin …. Suzuki
James Croft
Rick Dopson
Ryan Rodeffer
WD Rodeffer
3. LUCKY 7 44.40
Contender …. Yamaha
Shenan Foster
Charles Shiroky
Steve Anderson
Luther Thomas
Chris Hutchinson
4. KILL-N-ME 43.40
Contender … Mercury
Howard Poe
Carl Johnson Jr.
5. KING SLAYER 41.80
Fountain …. Mercury
Johnny Wood
Henry Colston
Rick Baruta
Mac McClellan
6. FREE SPOOLIN 41.30
Mid Ocean …. Mercury
Ray Green
Mike Pepper
Bob Sanders
7. Silverback 41.00
8. Big E. 40.25
9. Just Do It 39.40
10. FINAL APPROVAL 39.30
Donzi ….. Mercury
Wayne Cone
Jeff Parsons
Mike Hurst
Danny Shore
Chris Cone
11. In Tropic 38.60
12. Let’s Go 38.55
13. KNOCK DOWN 37.65
Contender … Yamaha
Dorry Testa
John Conlon
Kyle Smith
Ralph Smith
14. SEA-DUCER 37.55
Contender … Yamaha
Todd Veal
Tom Whittingslow
Kelly Veal
Dillon Veal
Rhett Veal
15. Stick It 37.50
16. Reel Therapy 37.45
17. PLAYIN HOOKEY 37.10
Triton … Yamaha
Sam Roach
Walter Brown
Lillie Roach
Erik Bishop
Tommy Bishop
18. Blue Seas 36.85
19. Quality Express 36.80
20. NEVER GIVE UP 35.85
Fountain …. Mercury
Edward Claxton
Mark Meierdierck

AGGREGATE DIVISION:

1. WAVE BUSTER 69.85
Pro Line … Mercury
Richard Geiger
Dave King
Rex Wyatt
2. No Excuse 68.05
3. REEL QUICK 68.00
Donzi …. Mercury
Jerry Carter
Jeramy Carter
Jim Thomas
4. HAT TRICK / TEAM RAYMARINE 66.40
Hydra Sports …. Yamaha
Rod Hatfield
Lynn Hatfield
Ken Dewitt
5. WET DREAMS 66.25
Bluewater … Yamaha
Colt Lewis
Brandon Lewis
Sean Henner
Mike Hutto
6. NO LIMIT 64.50
Contender … Yamaha
Van (Trip) Fletcher
Kim Fletcher
Hunter Fletcher
7. REBECCA ANN 63.70
Yellowfin … Yamaha
Frank Strickland
Marty Rowland
Tim Short
8. VANISEA 63.15
Hydra Sports … Yamaha
Vincent Serrano
9. Dream Lover 63.05
10. Great Times II 62.25
11. REEL SHADY 62.25
Fountain … Mercury
James Bryant
12. SEA-MENT 62.15
Fountain … Mercury
Michael Moore
George Vink
13. Fish Candy 59.15
14. SWEET MARIA 58.65
Sailfish …. Yamaha
Matt Henderson
Alex Rodriguez
15. Reel Sharpe 57.70
16. Sea Dancer 57.30
17. KNOT HOME 56.25
18. Royal Flush 56.05
19. BEER MONEY 55.65
Hydra Sports …. Johnson
Chris Stephens
Jerry Richardson
Joey Kaylor
20. POSSE 55.55
Yellowfin …. Mercury
Daniel Crowley
Travis Crowley
Thomas Taylor
Chuck Kalbfleisch
Lucas Crowley

CLASS OF 23:

1. Lottatail 35.75
2. PACK DOG 35.70
Contender … Yamaha
Nick Caruk
Jeff Biresong
3. TURN 3 35.30
Contender … Yamaha
Geoff Stam
4. ALL IN 34.70
Baja ….. Mercury
Carl Pecora
Wayne Yvon
Kevin O’Mera
Dave Dininny
5. LICKSKILLET 33.50
Key Largo … Yamaha
Ken Newman
John Parente
Rebecca Parente
6. DAMAGE, INC. 32.00
Polar … Yamaha
Rocky Warpool
Louis Terrell
Ron Roberson
7. CRACKIN DUDE 31.95
Donzi … Mercury
Rick Thomason
Bob Thomason
8. ATTITUDE 31.95
Sailfish … Yamaha
Vernon Rice
Steve Wood
David Rice
Tyler Rice
9. Georgia Lee 31.65
10. Rock Bottom 31.35

TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS:

1. ERIC SMITH ….. COMFORTABLY NUMB II

VIP TOURNAMENT:

1. Kenny Crawford ….. CRAWFISH
2. Paul Massey ………. OUTRAGEOUS
3. Terry Johnson ……. FINAL STRIKE
4. Johnny Wildes ……. REEL WILD
5. Matt Pitman ………. BLUE THUNDER
6. Thomas Mulligan … WOUND TIGHT
7. Rusty Kennedy …… HIGH HOOK
8. Scott Routh ………. DEVOCEAN
9. Jeffrey Weathers …. TRIPLE GOBBLE
10. Allen Mills ………. The Wahoo
11. Todd Veal ………… SEA DUCER
12. Charlie Lyons ……. RIVER MARINE
13. Chuck Permenter … MINING MY BIDNESS
14. Richard Coates ….. Chinook
15. Terry Grantham …. MY THREE SONS
16. Randy Nader ……. EXTERMINADER
17. Linwood Clark ….. THUMPIN

GENERAL TOURNAMENT INFORMATION:

Weather …… Perfect all week.
General Tournament participation …… 803 boats
VIP Tournament, Tournament of Champions, Yamaha Pro Tour …… 207 boats.
Out of the 68 money places excluding the Pro Tour and Kids event, 45 SKA members came away happy.
This was the Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament’s 25th Anniversary. It is owned and operated by Jacksonville Marine Charities who donate thousands each year to marine science, education, and preservation.