BLUE RUNNER LEADS SKA BOATS IN LAUDERDALE…Lands 39.38-Pounder in One-Day Event by Ian Warner

While nobody is happy when plans get cancelled, everyone fishing the Greater Ft. Lauderdale Kingfish Classic on its rescheduled weekend of May 6th–7th had to be pleased they weren’t fishing during its original dates. The weather for a day of fishing was gorgeous, and the seas mostly calm at three- to four-feet with a fairly heavy ground swell. When the kings were brought to the scales, there were a fair number of tales of sailfish, tuna, and dolphin being hooked throughout the tournament.

A team that normally fishes the ASA New Jersey tournaments, Dr. Zass took top honors for the weekend, landing a 44.88-pound king early. Captain Josh Coe, Mike Kissell, and Donna Goldner were fishing in 100- to 110-feet of water off the Diplomat Hotel in Hallendale for the first few hours of the day with no luck. Then they sensed a change in the breeze. “When the wind shifted, for about a half-hour to an hour, the bite was finally on,” reported Captain Coe, and at ten o’clock the team hooked up. Landing the hawg in the boat, they knew they had a winner, headed straight for the scales, and were the second team to weigh in. Their 44.88-pounder would prove to hold throughout the day, sending Captain Coe back to Jersey with first place.

Captain Chris Blackwell and the team aboard Blue Runner took second place. Captain Blackwell, Mark Blackwell, Joey Casson, and Doug Miller headed the 31’ Yamaha powered Contender north and made a 70-mile run to find their spot. “We had good bait and good green water, but we thought we made a mistake when we fished a good part of the morning with no fish,” said Blackwell. Finally, trolling in 80-feet of water a blue runner in the prop wash was hit at 11:30. After a 30-minute fight the team headed right back to the scales to weigh their only fish of the day. The 39.38-pounder would hold for the rest of weigh-in, and the Blue Runner team took second place home to Ft. Pierce.

Hailing from Dania, FL, Captain Dick Russell and Mike Brown landed a 36.56-pound mack aboard their 23’ Mercury powered Dusky to take third place in the open class. “We went to a favorite spot about 15-miles north of the scale, trolling in 90-feet of water,” reported Russell. “We were fishing an hour when we put our first fish in the box, a good 28, then a nice 34,” said Russell. Then at 10:30 the team got their big one on a large mullet on a long surface line. “We were happy with the last fish and went right to the scales,” he said. Weighing in at 36.56-pounds their last king landed Brute Dusky in the money, definitely cause for happiness.

The Reel Tension team from Boca Raton, FL, reeled in a 34.46-pounder on their 29’ boat. Captain Victor Jensen, Pat Wilson, and Ana Limonchi headed north about 45-miles to their spot. “We had pre-fished this spot before and found some real nice fish,” said Jensen. The team had a good day’s fishing, with a few small fish early, when their big one hit at 1:15, eating a blue runner on a medium flat line in 75-feet of water. They landed the girl quickly, and decided that was it for the day. “The water was getting a little sporty, so we went back to the scale,” reported Jensen. Their king was good to earn the team fourth place and Ana Limonchi the top Lady Angler position.

Rounding out the top five is Captain Steve Croy and the Reel Keeper. Captain Croy, Matt Beauregard, and Justin and Brandon Croy headed their 32’ Mercury powered Donzi north, running 60-miles to find a spot with good clean water. The team had good bait, and at 9:45 one of their ribbonfish on a downrigger set at 65-feet went off. “After a 20-minute fight we put her in the bag and tried for a bigger fish,” stated Croy, “but no luck.” Their 34.36-pounder was still good to earn Justin and Brandon Croy top Junior Angler honors as well as Reel Keeper a nice win to take home to Jacksonville.

Local team The Natural, Captain Jon Gundlach, Bud Randall, and Chris Gundlach, took sixth aboard their 34’ Mercury powered Yellowfin. Their 33.62-pound mack kept them in the money and earned Chris second place Junior Angler honors. Captain David Wayt maneuvered his 29’ Mercury powered Fountain Wayt-N-Sea into seventh place with a 30.87-pound mossback.

Team Chaos has been fishing well this year, riding their 31’ Mercury powered Yellowfin to multiple top ten finishes. Captain Dan Hess, Ryan Lee, and Don Lamb landed a 30.87-pounder to take eighth place and head back to Sebastian, FL, sitting in eighth place divisionally as well.

Captain Kevin Hannon of Hannon’s Cannon is having a great year so far, landing a 29.27-pound hardtail on his 34’ Yamaha powered Yellowfin for ninth. Hannon, Steve Rowley, and Joe Spangler currently sit in third place for Division 10, and need to land a hawg in one of the next two tournaments to take home the honors to Seminole.

Finally, Pilgrim, a 31’ Yamaha powered Contender, rounds out the top ten with a 28.62-pounder. Captain Keith McCullar of Cocoa Beach and Jerry Stephenson reeled in a good fish that keeps the team in the top five divisionally.

Hooked Up landed the biggest fish of the day in the Class of 23’, a 27.51-pounder, to earn first place. Captain David Tonsberg and wife Jenell spent most of their day fishing 40-miles north in 65-feet of water to no avail. With an empty fishbag the team headed back and decided to take a shot in the Lauderdale shipping channel, and at 4:08 a long flat line dragging a blue runner was hit. “Thanks to my wife working together with me we got our fish in the bag and went to the scales,” smiled Tonsberg. A great last minute fish, the 27-pounder knocked No Limits down a peg and secured Hooked Up top Class of 23’ honors.

Taking second place in the Class is the consistent No Limits team. Captain Grant Cloughley and Travis Whitfield fish a 23’ Yamaha powered Contender and are the only Class boat in Division 10 to land a fish in all three tournaments, leading this category by over 20-points. Cloughley and Whitfield made the run to Jupiter but found the fishing slow. Finally at 1:00 a blue runner on a long flat line was hit and the team quickly had their fish in the bag. No Limits was the first boat to the scales, and their 23.79-pounder would hold the Class of 23’ leaderboard until the end of the weigh-in, when Hooked Up pulled in with their last minute fish.

Third place in the Class of 23’ went to Running Game. The team landed a 22.96-pound king to round out the top three.

With Division 10 over half finished some boats have a lot of work to do. Kellie Ann isn’t one of them, leading the open class by almost 30-points on the strength of the largest fish caught in this division so far, their 60.10 from Key West. Second place R-Rated and third place Hannon’s Cannons really need to weigh a slab as May draws to a close to even threaten Captain Thomas’ lead. In the Class of 23’ No Limits has a commanding 22-point lead with three fish, but as other Class boats land their third fish this could quickly change, so you know Captain Cloughley will be fishing hard to up the ante in this Class as the Division finalizes at the Stuart Kingfish Brawl and Canaveral Mac Attack.

Ft. Lauderdale Final Standings 1. Dr. Zass 44.88 2. BLUE RUNNER 39.38 Contender/Yamaha Chris Blackwell Mark Blackwell Joey Casson Doug Miller 3. BRUTE DUSKY 36.56 Dusky/Mercury Dick Russell Mike Brown 4. REEL TENSION 34.46 Sea Vee/Evinrude Victor Jensen Pat Wilson Ana Limonchi 5. REEL KEEPER 34.36 Donzi /Mercury Steve Croy Matt Beauregard Justin Croy Brandon Croy 6. THE NATURAL 33.62 Yellowfin/Mercury Jon Gundlach Bud Randall Chris Gundlach 7. WAYT-N-SEA 30.87 Fountain/Mercury David Wayt 8. TEAM CHAOS 30.87 Yellowfin/Mercury Dan Hess Ryan Lee Don Lamb 9. HANNON’S CANNON 29.27 Yellowfin/Yamaha Kevin Hannon Steve Rowley Joe Spangler 10. PILGRIM 28.62 Contender/Yamaha Keith McCullar Jerry Stephenson Class of 23”

1. HOOKED UP 27.51 McKee Craft/Bombardier David Tonsberg Jenell Tonsberg 2. NO LIMITS 23.97 Contender/Yamaha Grant Cloughley Travis Whitfield 3. Running Game 23.35 Top Lady Angler Ana Limonchi Reel Tension Top Junior Anglers 1st Justin & Brandon Croy Reel Keeper 2nd Chris Gundlach The Natural 3rd Ryan LaFave No Loose Ends