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Reel Krazy Dominates Greater Wilmington with a 46.74! by Barrett McMullan

Tournament morning of the 2005 Greater Wilmington King Mackerel Tournament brought end of the world type weather. Fishermen were greeted with steady rain, lightning and waterspouts as they tried to make their way through catching bait and getting to the fishing holes. I’d like to tell a story about a team who awoke at 4:00 a.m. and braved the conditions in a 21’ boat overcoming Mother Nature by catching the winner, but that isn’t exactly how it happened this time. This year’s Greater Wilmington champion did not have to work harder to win, just smarter.

Captain Bryan Edwards, Mike Glover and Joan Meyers are owners of Carolina Boat & Yacht Sales in North Myrtle Beach, SC. They sell Sea Chaser and Wellcraft fishing boats and on the side have been known to fish a kingfish tournament or two. Their boat, the Reel Krazy, may be a little more familiar to most as the Kellogg’s sponsored 35’ Wellcraft. As Wellcraft dealers, the Reel Krazy team is constantly switching boats as theirs is sold. The newest Reel Krazy is the brand new 2006 Tournament Edition 35’ triple powered Wellcraft, the third of its kind. Just one day before the Wilmington tournament this boat arrived on the Carolina Boat & Yacht sales floor. On the day of arrival Bryan, Mike and CB&Y mechanics/pit crew Bobby Lovingood and Sean Raynor spent the entire day rigging the boat trying to get it ready for the next day’s tournament. By Friday evening the boat was far from complete, but the decision was made to go ahead with the tournament and they would make do.

On tournament morning the Reel Krazy team packed up the boat on the trailer and headed north to Southport’s Wildlife boat ramp where they had planned to put in before heading to the Carolina Beach inlet. Upon arrival at the ramp it took only a simple window lowering to convince the team they had better wait the weather out for a while. So, while much of the rest of the tournament was out getting rained on and dodging lightning bolts, Bryan, Mike and Joan were having a nice warm cup of coffee at the local McDonald’s. By 8:00 a.m. the weather had subsided enough that the decision was made to go ahead and drop the boat in and go catch the winner. At this point in the morning it was known there were plenty of pogies in the Cape Fear River so on their way to Carolina Beach inlet the team stopped and netted enough for a short day. At 9:00 a.m. the lines hit the water on the tideline at the inlet with five other boats already fishing. Amidst a light rain just as the baits were all in the correct position it happened. At 9:45 a.m. a single pogy in the prop wash met his maker. A quick 100 yards screamed off the reel as the fish on the other end made a strange move heading in towards the beach. Mike was on the rod, Joan was clearing the deck and Bryan was on the wheel chasing down the fish. Once on top of the fish she figured out the game and didn’t like what was happening. She took off for another hundred yards this time back offshore. This sequence took place one more time before finally the up and down battle began. By this time the weather had really picked up again as lightning rained down all around while they were fighting the fish. Finally, 30 feet from the boat the monster fish rolled up. She made one pass by the bow and Bryan nailed her with the gaff. It was at this time the crew realized how big the fish was. Bryan attempted to pull the fish over the rail but was unsuccessful. Mike threw the rod to Joan and grabbed the gaff with Bryan and in one motion brought the slob over the side and on the deck. The thrill of catching a smoker kingfish on tournament day under these conditions was summed up best by Joan when she said a few days after the win, “now I understand what it’s all about.” The 46.74-pound stud kingfish would be more than enough to hold off all challengers and take home the first place prize of $26,000. Just think, if they had gotten drive-through instead of sit down coffee, they might not have been in the right place at the right time.

Craig Hughes and father Charlie Hughes picked a great time to catch their second ever 40-pound kingfish. Aboard their 27’ Suzuki powered Trophy the Reel Time, Craig and Charlie started off tournament morning like most teams looking for live bait. This tournament season has been a challenge for Craig as work has him in New Jersey during the week. A committed tournament angler though, Craig takes the red-eye back to southeastern NC each weekend and rarely misses a tournament. The traveling leaves him dependent on his fishing friends to provide him with information on what’s happening where. Teams Craig would like to recognize include Knockin’ Fire, Ron Jon, Wild Ride and Team Hammer. While looking for bait unsuccessfully at Carolina Beach, Ronald Sutton from Team Hammer called informing Craig of the abundance of bait in the Cape Fear River near Sunny Point. After that bit of info, the rest was left to instinct. With the light southwest wind the decision was made to stay close and head for the end of the Cape Fear River Channel. As soon as lines hit the water they had action. The first bite at 8:15 a.m. was a Spanish. The next bite at 8:30 a.m. was the man. A single pogy on the short line was mauled as the monster kingfish rolled on the bait before eating it. A short 100-foot run left the crew wondering what they had. After the brief stop the fish lit it up dumping 75% of the spool. Now there was no doubt what they had. As lighting popped all around, Craig angled the fish to the boat where Charlie was able to sink the gaff. By 8:45 a.m. the day’s work was complete. Craig and Charlie opted to start trolling in towards the scales as they waited for them to open. On the way in they caught one more fish between 30 and 35 pounds, but this was just icing on the cake. At the scales they found the Reel Krazy already waiting. A fun but nervous conversation concerning the size of each other’s fish ensued, but once on the scales the Reel Time’s 40.44-pounder was not enough to edge the Reel Krazy. However, the fish was good enough to bring home second place and the team’s biggest tournament payday to date.

Following in a close third was Jeff York’s Trick Z boat. Lynn Fox, Kevin Petty and Thad Harris joined Jeff for this event. Leaving out of Oak Island, Jeff steered his 35’ Donzi in the direction of Lockwood Folly inlet for bait. Once bait was secured they headed offshore to a depth of 80 feet where they had caught several big fish during the week. However, on this day the barracuda and sharks were ruling the roost where the big kingfish had been. Plenty of bait was still holding in the area but no sign of any kingfish activity led the Trick Z team to start looking for alternative destinations. Mid-morning Jeff got a call that a little bite had been going on at the River Channel. Upon arrival at the River it was apparent the bite was still on. After losing the first fish, they next bagged a 22-pounder followed by five other fish mostly on pogies behind an orange and chartreuse Fat Boy skirt. At 1:00 p.m. the big fish of the day came looking for a snack. Instead of going for the much-advertised must-have live bait, this lazy 40-pounder ate a naked dead cigar minnow trolled on the surface. The fish swirled on the bait leaving a hole in the water that looked like a bomb had gone off. He peeled off a quick 200 yards of line and carried on a 20-minute battle complete with line screaming and death circles. Eventually Lynn was presented with a gaffing opportunity and he made contact. A 40.14-pounder was the end result, which put the team into a third place finish in the tournament.

Topping the 23’ and under class was none other than John Cruise and his Cruise Control fishing team. Fishing aboard his 23’ Sailfish John had help from Scott Dalton, brother in-law Curtis Bolick, and Top Junior Angler for the event Hunter Bolick. Tournament morning started off rough for the Cruise Control when they were forced to sit through a thunderstorm inside the Cape Fear River. After the storm passed bait was collected and it was off to the fishing grounds. John opted to head for the Cabbage Patch area on the east side of Frying Pan Shoals where it looked like the least threatening weather was located. Shortly after arrival though the storms built once again and the Cruise Control team found themselves right back where they started in the middle of a storm. After this weather system passed things turned around for the crew. Like a light switch the fish turned on as it was hot and heavy all afternoon. At the day’s end the Cruise Control team had put two 30-plus-pound kingfish on the boat including a 35.9, which would win the Class of 23’ and put Hunter into first place on the junior side. The big fish of the day bit a single pogy on top around 1:30 p.m.

The Greater Wilmington Hydra-Sports King Mackerel Tournament has been a highlight on the North Carolina kingfish trail for years. It boasts a large payout and typically has great participation. Tournament director Tom Aberle is an accomplished tournament fisherman and as such runs an event for the fishermen by a fisherman. Benefiting from the 05’ edition of the GWKMT is the Teach a Kid to Fish Foundation, which is an organization aimed at teaching disadvantaged youth in the area the joys of fishing. Tournament sponsors in this year’s event include Hydra-Sports, Budweiser, Loadmaster, and Collins, Inc.

Wilmington Final Standings
1. REEL KRAZY 46.74
Wellcraft/Yamaha
Brian Edwards
Mike Glover
Joan Myers
2. REEL TIME 40.44
Craig Hughes
Charlie Hughes
3. TRICK Z 40.12
Donzi/Mercury
Jeff York
Lynn Fox
Thad Harris
Kevin Petty
4. GONE AGAIN 38.52
Bayliner/Mercury
Daniel Mason
Andy Smeltzer
5. MY HOOKER 38.22
Palmetto/Mercury
Grady Gordon
Al Davis
Kyle Hughes
6. Miss Emily 37.54
7. KING CREECHER 35.22
Contender/Suzuki
Al Fulford
Jason McDowell
Mike Fields
Drake Phelps
8. TRIPLE PLAY 34.22
Yellowfin/Mercury
Tim Moore
Mike Gilgo
Brian Edwards
9. Reel Justice 30.62
10. THE RIGHT ONE…BABY 30.36
Contender/Yamaha
Garland Sewell
Jim Davis
Barry Matthews
11. Four C’s 29.96
12. Fish Whistle 29.90
13. HONEY HUSH 29.58
Fountain/Mercury
Ralph Simms
Alex Dewey
Jimmy Hatcher
14. ROCK CANDI 29.54
Contender/Yamaha
Terry Wells
Rock Wells
15. GRACE 29.18
Pro Sports/Honda
James Hammonds
Chad Brown
Austin Brown

Class of 23’
1. CRUISE CONTROL II 35.90
Sailfish/Yamaha
John Cruise
Curtis Bolick
Scott Dalton
Hunter Bolick
2. SECOND CATCH 33.00
Contender/Mercury
Burt Ferebee
Margaret Ferebee
3. SHOWTIME 30.86
Neptune/Johnson
Mark Tinnin

SKA Top Lady Angler
Joan Myers Reel Krazy
SKA Top Junior Anglers
1st Hunter Bolick Cruise Control II
2nd Drake Phelps King Creecher
3rd Austin Brown Grace