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Swansboro, North Carolina - The huge 24th Annual Swansboro Rotary Club’s Memorial Day Bluewater KMT served as the inaugural event for this year’s leg of the Mercury Tournament Trail in Division 1. An appropriate event to kick off the season, the Swansboro Rotary KMT has been hosting the SKA since its inception in 1991. It sure shows at the Captain’s meeting, over 180 teams arrived for a weekend of great fishing, great food, and a shot at the $25,000 grand prize. When strong winds and high seas threatened fishing on Saturday, the tournament committee wisely moved the KMT a day back in hopes that Sunday’s fishing would prove more productive. They were not disappointed. Hot Rod’s Captain Brett and Alan Barnes landed a whopping 43.63-pounder, almost beating last year’s two-fish aggregate of 44.68 pounds, and secured top honors for the weekend.

So what’s the secret to landing such big kings in North Carolina? Practice, practice, practice. “We fish almost every weekend,” grinned an ecstatic Alan Barnes after weighing that tournament winner. This is the Hot Rod’s third year fishing the Swansboro event, they took seventh last year with a 19.38, and they were one shark bite away from taking it then too. Last year the father and son team arrived at the docks with another fish that could have gone mid-20s easily, and it was only half a king! “But this one is even bigger,” assured Alan.

The Hot Rod’s monster mossback came early, an 8 a.m. bite while trolling in 90 feet of water offshore of the Frying Pan Tower. A pogy on the surface was snatched and Alan grabbed the rod on what would be a surprisingly short 15-minute fight. When Brett’s gaff brought the big slab over the side both father and son knew that the day’s fishing was over. They immediately iced down their king and headed the 25’ Yamaha powered Contender back to the docks, but slowly. “It took us about four hours to get back, I took it real easy just in case of any motor problems,” reported Captain Brett. That’s experience talking, and by 1:00 the Hot Rod was safely anchored up and waiting the start of weigh-in. At 3:00 when the announcement of 43.65 pounds came over the loudspeaker it was clear that the remaining teams would be hard pressed to top it, but Alan waited anxiously in the wings just to be sure. “I really want to take second place and win the boat,” Alan grinned, referring to the Bayrider 2060 skiff. But it was not to be and the Barnes’ had to settle for top honors and the grand prize check of $25,000.

A local non-member, the Whats Fa Suppa, took second place with the only 30-pounder of the event, a 30.10. Captain Colin McDuffy and crew out of Pine Knoll Shores knew they had a good one and were the second team to weigh in.

Hooligan landed a mid-20s fish here last year both days to win both the tournament and the aggregate category, but this week a 25.50-pounder would only go as high as third place. Captain Joe Winslow had navigated his 31’ Yamaha powered Yellowfin to the Frying Pan Tower and was working the area offshore with mixed results. “We were having a very good dolphin bite, we had at least 12 gaffer-sized ones, but it was tough to get the mackerel to bite,” reported Winslow. “All of our usual spots in the shallower depths were holding only tiny fish, so we decided to go offshore and try our luck.” Winslow’s instincts were dead-on again, and at 11:00 he was holding a screaming rod. “He blistered it right off the bat, hit the long line and dumped a good 200 yards. He torched it, but he came up pretty easy after that.” In addition to that king and all the dolphin, Hooligan also made it to the docks with a nice 50- to 60-pound wahoo.

The next boat up is the 23’ Yamaha powered Cape Horn, Captain Barrington Page’s Bear Cat II, a local Swansboro team. Working an area 20 miles out of New River at Jesse Ledge the team already had a good teenager in the bag when their biggest king hit a double pogy rig on top at 11:00. “It only took us about eight minutes to get him in. Catherine was on the wheel and Pam had the gaff with me fighting the fish,” reported Captain Page. “It was only Pam’s second time gaffing a fish,” he continued, but she worked it like a Pro and the team soon had a mid-20s in the bag. At the dock their king would go 23.15 pounds, earning the team a great multiple win victory: first place in the Class of 23’, fourth place overall, SKA Top Junior Angler honors for Catherine and SKA Top Lady Angler honors for Pam. Watch out for this team in Snead’s Ferry as they do their best to defend their Class lead.

Fifth through ninth places were all swept by non-members. Reel Culture took fifth with an 18.95-pounder. Ibis had an 18.90 and Release followed with its twin a little later in the weigh-in. Miss Mercy took eighth with a 15.80 and Pure Pleasure landed a 15.55 for ninth.

2004 Swansboro champion Captain Ashley Jones and the Miss Teny crew round out the top ten. Fishing a 23’ Mercury powered Palmetto, Captain Ashley and Scott Jones and Randy Chase landed a 14.70-pounder to take the honors home to Walstonburg, North Carolina.

Our hats are off to the Swansboro Rotary Club for once again hosting such a wonderful and well organized event. It’s a great way to start off the Division 1 season and North Carolina fishing. Congratulations to all the teams that fished and keep following Angler as the Division heats up again in August.

Swansboro Final Standings

1. HOT ROD 43.65
Contender/Yamaha
Brett Barnes
Alan Barnes

2. Whats Fa Suppa 30.10

3. HOOLIGAN 25.50
Yellowfin/Yamaha
Joe Winslow

4. BEAR CAT II 23.15
Cape Horn/Yamaha
Barrington Page
Catherine Page
Pam Dobkins

5. Reel Culture 18.95

6. Ibis 18.90

7. Release 18.90

8. Miss Mercy 15.80

9. Pure Pleasure 15.55

10. MISS TENY 14.70
Palmetto/Mercury
Ashley Jones
Scott Jones
Randy Chase

Class of 23’
1. BEAR CAT II ......... 23.15
2. Miss Mercy ............ 15.80
3. Pure Pleasure ........ 15.55

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

SKA Top Junior Anglers
Sponsored by Power Marine Outfitters

1st Catherine Page .......... Bear Cat II
2nd Chris Burleson, Jr. ..... Sea Rat
3rd Jordan Norris ............. G’s Machine