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Weather forecasters predicted that Saturday, September 23rd would be a nice fall day on the Atlantic Ocean, with good conditions for the Sixth Annual Onslow Bay Open King Mackerel Tournament. The anticipated ten-knot breeze would complement a three- to five-foot, widely spaced swell to make it a very comfortable weekend. Unfortunately, the forecasters weren't exactly right.

“When I got up at 4:00 Friday morning and heard the wind whistling through the pines, I knew the weatherman blew it,” said Tournament Chairman Captain Stan Jarusinski.

With 20-plus-knot SSE winds stacking a confused two-foot chop atop four- to six-foot ocean swells, fishing the Onslow Bay Open was significantly less comfortable than most anglers expected. However, the top boats in the event overcame the tough sea conditions to weigh big kings, which has become a theme for this season on the SKA Division 1 and 2 Tournament Trail.

Continuing a long streak of tournament successes, the Miss Teny from Walstonburg, North Carolina weighed a 26.81-pound king to capture the SKA victory in the Onslow Bay Open. Captain Ashley Jones and his brother Scott were fishing with teammate Randy Chase aboard the 23' Mercury powered Palmetto on this weekend, and a check for $3,747.50 rewarded the team for dealing with the tough sea conditions.

The Miss Teny was not only the overall winning SKA boat in the event, they topped the Class of 23' as well, continuing their domination of the SKA Division 1 Class of 23'.

A naked pogy fooled the Miss Teny king into biting around 9:00 Saturday morning. The Palmetto was trolling around the 1700 Rock in what Ashley Jones described as “fishable, but not comfortable” seas. When the big king bit, the crew was already fighting a cobia. The king identified itself by quickly tearing line off Chase's reel, so the team cut off the cobia they were fishing to focus on the potentially valuable mackerel.

The king stayed down for most of the fight, which lasted around 20 minutes. It was not until Scott Jones planted a gaff in the winning king that the crew realized what a smart decision it was to cut off the cobia. The Miss Teny crew also caught several false albacore, two citation size spanish mackerel, a second king and another cobia. All of their bites came within one and a half hours of catching the 26-pound tournament winning king.

Chase and the Jones brothers caught bait without difficulty Saturday morning in Town Creek, and they were able to begin the rough run to the 1700 Rock earlier than many of the other tournament boats.

The Dig It IV took third overall with a 23.16-pound king. Tony Carroll, his son Bryant, his cousin Greg Carroll, and his son Daniel were all fishing Saturday aboard the Dig It IV, a 36' Contender powered by three 275 hp Mercury Verados. A check for $1988.50 went back home to Raleigh with the Carroll family. Daniel and Bryant Carroll were also the Top SKA Junior Anglers.

The Dig It IV king bit a naked pogy 40 feet deep on the downrigger. The big Contender was trolling around the 1700 Rock when the fish attacked the bait at 2:20 Saturday afternoon. Greg Carroll took the rod. After striking, the king took 200 yards of line from him. The king went on two more strong runs before Greg Carroll was able to get it boatside where Tony Carroll gaffed it and brought it aboard.

Several hours before getting the second place kingfish, the Dig It IV crew had a huge fish sky on their medium line. When the fish ran with the medium line, it turned out that it had also eaten the long line and was hooked on both rods. After a short run, the fish went down. Greg and Bryant Carroll, who had picked up the rods, proceeded to slug it out with the fish for 45 minutes.

When the fish tired and neared the surface, the Carrolls thought they had a massive, tournament-winning king. However, when the giant fish became spent and rolled on its side, the team saw stripes and knew they only had a wahoo. The big wahoo pulled the scales all the way down to 74 pounds (and would have been the king of a lifetime).

Other than the wahoo and second place king, the Dig It IV caught only sharks on Saturday. The crew caught bait Friday afternoon at Town Creek Marina and penned it up. The bait still looked good Saturday morning, so the Carrolls wasted no tournament time catching bait. The Dig It IV team would like to thank sponsors Power Marine Outfitters, New River Marina, Contender Boats and Mercury Outboard Motors.

SKA third place went to Al Morris, Jr. and the Raleigh, North Carolina-based Sea Drag'N team for a 22.96-pound fish. Al Morris, Sr. usually fishes on the 28' Mercury powered Privateer with his son, but he stayed on land Saturday due to the rough conditions. Morris, Jr. had to work in Wilmington on Sunday, so his father was on hand at the awards ceremony to collect the $1,434 check.

Trolling in about 80 feet of water east of Lookout Shoals, the Sea Drag'N got a solid hit on a long, naked pogy around 11:00. After Morris, Jr. fought the fish for around 20 minutes, the crew gaffed their king and continued trolling, looking for a bigger fish. Not finding one, the team decided to head for the scales early Saturday afternoon.

However, when they tried to start the port motor, it wouldn't crank. The Sea Drag'N carries a spare prop to make the boat run better on only one engine, and Morris, Jr. climbed out onto the engine bracket and changed the prop on the starboard motor in the 5-foot seas. Even with the new prop, though, the boat was only able to make 12 mph.

It did not appear as though the Sea Drag'N would be able to make the weigh-in. When they decided to lower the port motor in the hopes of reducing the starboard's cavitation, they heard the flywheel turn and decided to try the starter one last time. Miraculously the motor started, and the team ran back to Swansboro with two different props, making the 5:00 p.m. weigh-in cut-off with ten minutes to spare.

The Sea Drag'N team caught some pogies at the Beaufort high rise bridge on Saturday morning, but they netted most of their bait at a spot in Core Sound. Morris, Jr. would like to express gratitude to their sponsors, including Mercury Outboard Motors, Star Rods, Sea Striker and Coastal Carolina Marine.

A 21.91-pound king mackerel secured fifth overall and a check for $879.50 for the Smithfield, North Carolina team Nail It. Todd Casey, Tim Casey and Tim's son Sterling Casey were aboard the Mercury powered 234 Mako that fought four- to six-foot seas with an occasional eight-foot wave to bring home fifth. Nail It took second place in the Class of 23' as well.

The Casey team's king hit a naked pogy around 7:30 Saturday morning. The crew had originally planned to go to the 1700 Rock. Rough seas forced them to abandon that plan, and they ended up catching their nearly 22-pound king at the Dead Tree Hole. The fish was foul hooked in the tail, and angler Tim Casey thought it was a bigger fish when it made its initial 200 yard run. After a fairly quick 15-minute fight the king revealed itself and Todd Casey gaffed it.

The Nail It crew caught bait Friday at Snead's Ferry and penned it until Saturday morning. They would like to thank sponsor AW Rhodes Plumbing of Smithfield.

The Bear Cat II team of Swansboro, North Carolina secured SKA fifth place with a 20.01-pound king mackerel. Barrington Page and teammate Pam Dobkins caught the fish aboard the 23' Yamaha powered Cape Horn. Pam Dobkins also took SKA Top Lady Angler in the Onslow Bay Open, and the Bear Cat II secured third place in the Class of 23' as well.

Dobkins and Page were trolling the rough seas at the 1700 Rock when their king bit around 11:00 Saturday morning. The fish hit a naked pogy on top, and Page picked up the rod as the mackerel ran. The first run was also the last, and Dobkins was able to gaff the king just seven minutes after it bit.

Catching menhaden Saturday morning was tough, but the Bear Cat II anglers found enough bait in Town Creek to head out by 7:20, an unusually late start for this crew.

Page wished to thank sponsors LB Page Landscaping, Coastal Marine Sports, and The Reel Outdoors for their contributions to the team's success in this tournament. A great day, that 20-pounder moved the team up to second place in the Class race.

The Onslow Bay Open King Mackerel Tournament is staffed entirely by volunteers. This arrangement allows even more money to go to the tournament's many beneficiaries. This event is strongly focused on raising money for children in need, and it funds a wide variety of children's charities. The Boys and Girls Home of NC, Camp E Ma Henwu, Camp Sunshine, Children's Flight for Hope, FOP Carteret County Shop with a Cop, Miracle Meadows Therapeutic Riding Center, and the Onslow County Christmas Cheer Program all receive much needed support from the money raised at the Onslow Bay Open.

Without sponsors Yamaha Outboard Motors, TowBoat US, Andy's Cheesesteaks and Cheeseburgers and The Reel Outdoors, there is no way the Onslow Bay Open could provide both anglers with a great fishing tournament and local beneficiaries with such great support.

With only one event remaining things are looking good for the Barnes family on the Hot Rod. They lead the Open Class by almost 11 pounds. In the Class of 23’ things could get interesting. Bear Cat II started out the year leading the Class, and with only two fish going into the final event, Captain Page could easily land a good king and retake the lead at the Division 1 season ender. Keep reading, it will all be decided at Topsail this October.

Onslow Bay Final Standings

1.   Reel Wiener............................................ 33.68

2.   MISS TENY............................................ 26.81
      Palmetto/Mercury
      Ashley Jones
      Scott Jones
      Randy Chase

3.   DIG IT IV.............................................. 23.16
      Contender/Mercury
      Tony Carroll
      Greg Carroll
      Daniel Carroll
      Bryant Carroll

4.   SEA DRAG’N.......................................... 22.96
      Privateer/Mercury
      Al Morris, Jr.

5.   NAIL IT................................................. 21.92
      Mako/Mercury
      Tim Casey
      Todd Casey
      Sterling Casey

6.   Four Day Break....................................... 20.42

7.   BEAR CAT II.......................................... 20.01
      Cape Horn/Yamaha
      Barrington Page
      Landon Taylor
      Pam Dobkins

8.   SOUTHERN BALE................................... 18.86
      Contender/Yamaha
      Matt Gay
      Mike Gay
      Vernon Jones
      Tyler Jones

9.   POWER MARINE.................................... 16.72
      Contender/Yamaha
      Rick Tudor
      Robert Lewis Hayes
      Gary Johnson

10. WHITE LIGHTNING............................... 15.62
      Yellowfin/Mercury
      Tim Hudson
      Sam Ballou
      Brandon Hudson

11. UNREEL................................................. 15.25
      Regulator/Yamaha
      Steve Squires
      Mel Hoard
      Rodney Squires
      Danny Wallace
      Grayson Ketterer

12. RUGMAN............................................... 13.35
      Fountain/Mercury
      Jamie Wallace
      Craig Stanfield
      Mark Springfield
      Bob Adams
      Renee Wallace

13. MR. STANMAN...................................... 11.31
      Regulator/Yamaha
      Stan Jarusinski
      Kevin Hill
      Ed Watkins

14. YOUNG GUNS........................................ 11.14
      Sea Vee/Mercury
      Lance Irvine
      Harrison Smith
      Cassie Smith

Class of 23’

1.   MISS TENY............................................ 26.81
2.   NAIL IT................................................. 21.92
3.   BEAR CAT II.......................................... 20.01

SKA Top Lady Angler
Pam Dobkins................................................ Bear Cat II

SKA Top Junior Anglers
Sponsored by Power Marine Outfitters

1st Daniel & Bryant Carroll............................. Dig It
2nd Daniel Sterling Casey.............................. Nail It
3rd Tyler Jones............................................. Southern Bale