>>read more Mercury Trail stories<<

On Saturday, September 16th there were 75 boats that departed North Carolina inlets with one thing in mind: Striking It Rich. Only one boat would achieve this goal and win the first annual Gregory Poole Marine Power Strike It Rich King Mackerel Tournament, a winner-take-all event to benefit the United Way of Coastal Carolina.

Unlike other SKA-sanctioned KMTs that pay out over 20 places in several categories, in the Strike It Rich all $50,000 in prize money goes to the one team with the heaviest king. That team was Southern Bale.

The sea conditions that met the participants in the Gregory Poole event were less than ideal, but not unbearable by any means. Saturday morning brought the team three- to four-foot seas and northwest winds blowing 15 knots that made the ocean a little bumpy, but still very fishable.

It took a 36.80-pound king mackerel to bring home the big check for the Southern Bale crew out of Walstonburg, North Carolina. Teammates Mark and Vernon Jones and Mike and Mitch Gay brought the big kingfish to the weigh-in at the Beaufort waterfront aboard their 25' Contender powered by 250 hp Yamaha motors. Regular team captain Matt Gay had previous obligations and was unable to fish this tournament, so Mark Jones was running the boat this Saturday.

The Southern Bale team began fishing Saturday morning at 30 Minute Rock off Drum Inlet. The first two hours of fishing only produced a five-pound spanish mackerel. Then they heard on the radio of some big fish at the 1700 Rock. They were uncertain of whether to believe the report, but they weren’t catching much where they were, so they pointed the Contender towards the 1700 Rock and punched the throttles.

Arriving at the Rock, the crew quickly boated a 32-pound king, confirming the presence of big fish in the area. Soon after the first king hit, they caught a 15-inch peanut dolphin. Deciding to incorporate the little dolphin into their spread, Mark Jones began free-spooling it behind the boat at around 10:20 am.

The dolphin didn't make it out of the prop wash before a big fish annihilated it. After the bite the fish swam rapidly under the lines of a Team Furuno, a neighboring boat. Southern Bale hailed the boat on the radio and advised them of the situation.

“They were very generous,” Mike Gay said appreciatively. Team Furuno cut off their lines and pulled the downrigger up to assist the Southern Bale boat. “They done good,” added Gay.

The Southern Bale big king then took off on a tremendous run. “I told everybody it was either a wahoo or a big king,” Mark Jones said. The big run tired the fish, and despite the crowd of boats in the area, the crew was close to it after around 15 minutes. As soon as the king was in range, Vernon Jones sank a gaff in it and brought it aboard.

With a winner-take-all format, they knew that they needed to have not just a big fish, but the biggest fish to get a check. They continued fishing until 1:30 without catching a larger king. Then the crew decided to head for Beaufort in time for the start of the weigh-in at 3:00.

Although the Strike It Rich event only paid one place, other fish weighed in were eligible for the SKA TWT and SKA points.

The 35-pound fish that put the Swansboro-based Bear Cat II team in second place also gave them first place in the Class of 23'. Team Captain Barrington Page was fishing aboard his 23' Yamaha powered Cape Horn with Landon Taylor and Pam Dobkins, who was the Top Lady Angler in the event.

A naked Boston mackerel fooled the Bear Cat II king into striking at 11:30 Saturday morning. The team came across a school of Boston mackerel on a color change a few miles short of the 1700 Rock, and they quickly jigged two up before heading to the rock. Then 30 minutes after the Bear Cat II arrived, the big mackerel struck the bait.

The king got hooked in the gill plate. Page, who worked the rod, said fighting the king was “like pulling a great big planer around.” It took him around 40 minutes to tire out the foul-hooked fish enough for Taylor to gaff it.

The Bear Cat II crew fished another 45 minutes at the 1700 Rock, then crossed the shoals and trolled around the Dead Tree Hole and the rock jetty unsuccessfully.

Other than the Boston mackerel, catching bait presented little trouble for the Bear Cat II. The team caught pogies around Marker 14 in the waterway, and then caught some large 15- to 16-inch mullet on the beach near the rock jetty.

Page wished to thank sponsors LB Page Landscaping and Coastal Marine Sports, both of Swansboro, for contributing to the Bear Cat's success in this tournament.

Morehead City's Ocean Athlete fishing team brought home third place with a 30.45-pound king. Skip and Sandy Conklin, fishing with teammate Jay Russell aboard the 28' Mercury powered Privateer, caught their fish around 10:00 Saturday morning.

The 30-pound king struck a naked pogy on top at the 1700 Rock. After biting, the fish took off on a long run, and the Ocean Athlete followed it. When they caught up to the king, it went deep and began to circle. This forced Russell, who had the rod, to follow it around the boat. Then 30 minutes after it hit, Russell had the king at the boat. Skip Conklin gaffed it.

The Ocean Athlete hooked and lost another king at least as big as the one they weighed, and had to deal with lots of small sharks over the day as well. They did not have to worry about finding bait Saturday morning, as Conklin caught it over previous days and penned it up. Skip Conklin wished to thank sponsors Mercury Outboards and Outback Marine of Morehead City.

A 29.00-pound king secured fourth place for Thumpin’, a 38' Mercury powered Donzi. Linwood Clark, Bran Clark and Herbert McDowell were all aboard for the Gregory Poole tournament.

The Thumpin' was trolling around the 1700 Rock when the king attacked the short bait with a huge splash. The double pogy rig proved to be the 29-pound mackerel's last meal. After the dramatic strike, the fish took off, and Bran Clark grabbed the rod. The big Donzi followed the king for around 20 minutes before Bran was able to grab a gaff and sink it in the tired fish.

Other than the fourth place king, the Thumpin' crew caught only sharks. They caught plenty of bait for the day with a single throw of the net at Harker's Island. Bran Clark wished to express gratitude to sponsors Donzi Boats and Mercury Outboards.

Fifth place went to Atlantic Beach’s Sea Drag'N team, who weighed a 27.10-pound king mackerel. Fishing aboard the 28' Mercury powered Privateer were Al Morris, Jr., Al Morris, Sr. and David Stallings.

The Sea Drag'N found their king east of Lookout Shoals off Drum Inlet. The king bit a naked pogy on top as the Privateer trolled in 74 feet of water about eight miles from the beach. After the 27-pound king hit around 10:30 Saturday morning, Stallings took the rod.

The fish immediately peeled 150 yards of line off the reel before settling down. Since the king was hooked cleanly in the mouth, Stallings was able to put a fair amount of pressure on it. He had it near the boat in around 20 minutes. When the king was close enough, Al Morris, Jr. planted the gaff in it and brought it aboard the Privateer.

Aside from the 27-pound fish, the Sea Drag'N crew stayed busy Saturday catching eight to ten smaller kings and a handful of sharks. They caught bait easily at Harker's Island, and had the well full by 7:00 a.m. The Sea Drag'N crew would like to thank their sponsors Mercury Outboards, Star Rods, Sea Striker and Coastal Carolina Marine.

The Top Junior Angler in the Gregory Poole event was 14-year-old Brandon Beasley, who caught a 23.05-pound king mackerel that also placed eighth overall. Beasley was fishing aboard the 27' Yamaha powered Contender Hi-Speed Wobble with his dad, Ben, and Merwin Marshburn.

The Hi-Speed Wobble king bit a bluefish as Brandon was letting it out behind the boat near the D-Buoy. After the fish bit around 10:30, it went deep. At first Brandon thought it was an amberjack. When the fish popped to the surface after the 15 minute fight, it surprised everyone aboard that it was a king mackerel. With the king now in sight, Ben Beasley scrambled to get a gaff in the fish.

Ben Beasley wished to thank The Right One Baby and Liquid Fire fishing teams for their help. “We've been friends for a long time. We help each other out and it works out good,” he said.

The Gregory Poole Strike It Rich King Mackerel Tournament benefits the United Way of Coastal Carolina. This organization funds a variety of charitable causes in Carteret, Craven, Jones and Pamlico counties.

When asked why the United Way of Coastal Carolina was chosen as the tournament's beneficiary, Gregory Poole Marine Division General Manager Dan Webb replied: “They support such a wide variety of charities. The United Way is like a clearinghouse for all the charitable organizations in the area.”

Webb also spoke of his hopes to get other local marine businesses on board to support the United Way. “The real deal is getting some money out of this marine industry to fund local people in need,” he said.

United Way of Coastal Carolina Executive Director Sandra Phelps was very excited about the tournament. “I can't say enough about the Gregory Poole folks,” she said. “We are already planning for next year.” In addition to the king mackerel event, plans are in the works for a 2007 blue water tournament series benefiting the United Way.

Phelps wished to express gratitude to all the volunteers who helped out during the tournament, as well as the anglers who entered the event. “We can't do it without them,” she said.

The post-tournament celebration was a festive event on the Beaufort waterfront. Attendees were treated to live music and a fried chicken and barbecue dinner before the Southern Bale crew was presented with their check.

Gregory Poole Final Standings

1.   SOUTHERN BALE............................ 36.80
      Contender/Yamaha
      Matt Gay
      Mark Jones
      Vernon Jones

2.   BEAR CAT II.................................. 35.00
      Cape Horn/Yamaha
      Barrington Page
      Alfred Taylor
      Pam Dobkins

3.   OCEAN ATHLETE........................... 30.45
      Privateer/Mercury
      Skip Conklin
      Sandy Conklin

4.   THUMPIN....................................... 29.00
      Donzi/Mercury
      Linwood Clark
      Bran Clark
      Herbert McDowell

5.   SEA DRAG’N.................................. 27.10
      Privateer/Mercury
      Al Morris, Jr.
      Andy Hinton
      David Stallings
      Al Morris, Sr.

6.   SHARON LEIGH............................. 26.45
      Sea Vee/Mercury
      Jeff Morris
      Buddy Dozier
      Rhett Ricks

7.   NAIL IT......................................... 24.90
      Mako/Mercury
      Tim Casey
      Todd Casey

8.   HI-SPEED WOBBLE........................ 23.05
      Contender/Yamaha
      Ben T. Beasley III
      Merwin Marshburn
      Brandon Beasley

9.   R/C HOMES.................................... 22.85
      Fountain/Mercury
      Rick Hill

10. MISS TENY.................................... 21.95
      Palmetto/Mercury
      Ashley Jones
      Scott Jones
      Randy Chase

11. DIG IT........................................... 20.45
      Contender/Mercury
      Tony Carroll
      Daniel Carroll
      Bryant Carroll

12. UNREEL......................................... 18.05
      Regulator/Yamaha
      Steve Squires
      Mel Hoard
      Rodney Squires

13. GIT-R-DONE.................................. 17.90
      Pro-Line/Honda
      Ty Cobb

14. SEA DRIFTER................................ 17.05
      Sailfish/Yamaha
      Walter Simpkins
      Emmett Pittman

15. JACKPOT....................................... 16.55
      Wellcraft/Yamaha
      Tat Fearing
      Gary Johnson
      Benjie Doughtie

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

SKA Top Junior Anglers
Sponsored by Gregory Poole Marine Power

1st Brandon Beasley.............................. Hi-Speed Wobble
2nd Daniel & Bryant Carroll.................... Dig It