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DIRTY WHITE BOYS REIGN SUPREME AT CYPRESS COVE! TOUGHEST TOURNAMENT OF THE SEASON IN DIVISION 7!
By: Jack Holmes

VENICE, LOUISIANA. If you had to select one team that epitomizes true SKA values, it would be the Dirty White Boys. They've fished the Upper Gulf waters with SKA in the Class of 23' for years. Like most teams it's been hit and miss but they've managed to qualify, finish near the top of the Division, and they never quit. This weekend's Cypress Cove Tournament was theirs. It just happens to be the toughest test of skill in Division 7, perhaps the reason a few teams decided to skip the event. It was also one of those weekends where the Class of 23' boats ruled.
ToJo White, George White, Tony Sicola and Mark McPherson teamed on the Dirty White Boys, a 23-foot Mercury powered Contender. On day one they ran 30 miles south and fished in what ToJo called muddy water. "We fish this area because history has proven it to be a good spot, and this weekend we were right," explained the winner ToJo White. "We caught a 40.38 on day one and after looking at the leaderboard we knew we were still in the hunt." The team ran back to the same spot on day two and at noon he set the hook on what would become the biggest king of the weekend, a 52.72. "We had to have caught 50 fish on Saturday before the big girl hit a blue runner. We had double and triple hookups. It was a great day," the Captain added. For their efforts the team picked up $12,500 plus another $3,000 for being the top Class of 23' boat.
Another Class boat, the Hardcore, picked up second place. Captain Nathan Payton fishes the Pro Division, one of the few who fishes a small boat in that Division, a Mercury powered Contender. As a rookie he is doing just fine with a 39-pound average. He fished this weekend with Jay Doole, Paul Olson and Rodney Willard, all good anglers in their own right. They scaled the largest fish of the event on day one, a 51.51. "We went to the east side of the river, about 12 miles from South Pass," said the Captain who is exactly what his boat name implies, hardcore. "We caught a lot of fish but at one o'clock she hit a hard tail. We've chased this fish for a while so I guess you could say we were due." The team went back to the same area on day two and came back to the scales with a 40.22 for a 91.73 aggregate and the $7,000 that goes with second place plus second place Class money. Nathan will go down in the SKA history books as one of the best ever, take that to the bank.
Third place fell to the Sand Bar Tender with Russell Webb and Joseph Allen. Together they caught a 46.43 on day one and then scaled a 45.11 on day two for a 91.54 aggregate, just two tenths of a pound out of second place. Russell is one of the few teams who fish out of Mississippi. "We ran home, so to speak," said Webb. "We went east 35 miles and fished in 150 feet of water where I thought there would be fish. We caught both on hard tails and both made long hard runs. They were good healthy fish." He should have no problems qualifying this year after this weekend's performance.
The boat that Mike Galster, Van Woodham and Richie Ladnier fish is called a PSI. It's an all aluminum hull that looks like it could take anything the Gulf could throw at it. Very intriguing. No it's not a sleek craft like a Fountain or a Donzi, but it is a true fishing boat that gets the job done and things don't break. I like it but better yet I like the way this Cavalla team is fishing. They were fourth in this event with 91.08 aggregate and in a position to qualify. "That's really what we want to do, get to the Nationals," said the Captain, Van Woodham. "We've got a lot of spots to fish and I think we will do real good." On both days the team ran 20 miles east from the pass and fished 130 feet of water. "We caught five kings in the 40's on day one, and weighed a 42.22," he explained. "Hilton's charts said this would be a good area so here we were. There were no boats around us on day one but on day two they all came."
Rounding out the top five was the XS Rated team who scaled a 46.26 and a 41.20 for 87.46 points. Matthew Caldwell, Damian Bond, Zachary Lewis, Kevin Higginbotham and Mark Smith are putting the quad Mercury engine Yellowfin into the Division lead. In this event they caught a 46.26 on day one, then picked up a 41.20 for 87.46 points. "We are definitely fishing well this year," said Caldwell. "We too ran back to familiar waters, about sixty miles to the east." The team's goal is to win the Division then fish the Pro Tour.
Another Class of 23' boat, Rocketman, earned sixth and moved into striking distance of Division leader, Sea Hagg. The Crumps, Harry, Judson and Benson are as good as they get having finished near the top or in that first position virtually every year since they started fishing the SKA. "We went to the West Delta, about 40 miles, and fished in 130 feet of water," said Harry. Day one they caught a 40.25, then picked up a 44.90 on day two for 85.15 points. It is going to be real interesting to see who's in the Division lead after the Alabama Deep Sea Rodeo. They also took third place money in Class of 23'.
Jesse Morris Jr.'s Reel Joy picked up seventh place in their Grady White. They had an 84.84 aggregate with their biggest fish being a 44-pounder. Jeff McCoy was eighth with 83 points. The team caught a 44-pounder on day one but couldn't get that good second fish to push them to the top.
Neil Foster, after taking a year's hiatus, is back and beginning to show his old form, that being scaling big kings. His Intense team picked up an 81.54 aggregate with the big fish, a 45-pounder going into their Divisional points.
The Lined Out, captained by Mitch Mosley, picked up tenth with an 80-pound agg. He had a good 43.85 to add to his team's points.
Four Play, RXCape, Rag Tag, Out of Control and In The Rough all had good first day fish but failed to capture that second one to put them into the top ten.
This was an exceptional tournament with management putting on a great feed on Thursday night. It was also suggested to extend the fishing hours on day two which management approved for next year.

FINAL STANDINGS:
Two Fish Aggregate

1. DIRTY WHITE BOYS 40.38 ... 52.72 = 93.10
Contender ... Mercury
To Jo White
George White
Tony Sicola
Mark McPherson
2. HARDCORE 51.51 ... 40.22 = 91.73
Contender ... Mercury
Nathan Payton
Jay Doole Jr.
Paul Olson
Rodney Willard
3. SAND BAR TENDER 46.43 ... 45.11 = 91.54
Regulator ... Yamaha
Russell Webb
Joseph Allen
4. CAVALLA 42.22 ... 48.86 = 91.08
PSI .... Mercury
Van Woodham
Mike Galster
Richie Ladnier
5. XS RATED 46.26 ... 41.20 = 87.46
Yellowfin ... Mercury
Matthew Caldwell
Damian Bond
Zachary Lewis
Kevin Higgginbotham
Mark Smith
6. ROCKETMAN 40.25 ... 44.90 = 85.15
Contender ... Mercury
Harry Crump
Judson Crump
Benton Crump
7. REEL JOY 40.65 ... 44.19 = 84.84
Grady White ... Yamaha
Jesse Morris Jr.
Richard Kearley
Robert Kearley
Brent Tilyou
Eddie Kearley
John Broekman
8. REEL MCCOY 44.79 ... 38.25 = 83.04
Contender ... Yamaha
Jeff McCoy
Creighton Rollins
Josh McCoy
Jonathan McCoy
9. INTENSE 36.46 ... 45.08 = 81.54
Contender ... Yamaha
Neal Foster
Robby Montgomery
J.J. Tabor
Shea Foster
Andrew Montgomery
10. LINED OUT 43.85 ... 36.44 = 80.29
Contender ... Yamaha
Mitch Mosley
Bubba Carter

CLASS OF 23':

1. DIRTY WHITE BOYS
2. HARDCORE
3. ROCKETMAN