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Charleston, South Carolina – Although inclement weather
threatened the Key West Boats Fishing for Miracles KMT this August 17th through 19th, over 225 boats still arrived to test their mettle against South Carolina’s finest anglers. With seas reported at six to eight feet, strong winds and rain, teams had their work cut out for them on Friday. But Saturday made up for it, and the day’s fleet came to the dock and displaced the top five positions. Among those top five boats was Bowed Up, Captain Jeffrey Mitchell’s team,
with a 32.33 to secure SKA top honors.

“Friday was just nasty,” reported Mitchell. “There was a northeast wind coming right down the beach, and we had to run back against it.” As fate would have it, their Friday king hit at 3:45, a solid 23-pounder, and the Bowed Up was hammer down back to the scales. “We barely made it,” continued Mitchell. But the extra effort was worth it as that king held the 11th spot on the leaderboard for the day, as well as setting the team up for the aggregate category.

If anything, Saturday was a complete reversal for the team. After waiting all day on Friday for a single bite, the Saturday king came at 7:30 a.m. Fishing the Evinrude powered Grady White south of Edisto off the beach, the big king hit a mullet on top and the fight was on. “After about 20 minutes we saw the fish, and five minutes later we had the gaff in her,” smiled Mitchell. “We were done fishing after that. We headed to downtown and anchored up, that’s where we sat all day.” At the scales their king went 32.33 pounds, taking top honors for the SKA, top Class of 23’ honors for the SKA, and third overall in the tournament and the Class of 23’. In addition, Bowed Up took third place aggregate with 55.62 pounds. “Well, we were debating whether or not to go to Savannah, but now we’re definitely trying to get a crew together,” concluded Mitchell. That king sits the team fifth in Class with only two fish, you know they’ll be fishing hard at the Divisional ender.

The next boat up is Captain David Ballard’s Yamaha powered Contender, the Iron Man, with a 31.77-pounder. Securing bait north of Price’s Inlet the team headed out to Notso, approximately 30 miles from the scales. Iron Man was the second boat to the spot, Yates Sea had beaten them out there, but Ballard and his team were hooked up by eight o’clock. “We came across Yates’ chum slick and that big fish hit,” reported Ballard. Trolling in 65 feet of water, their big king nailed a pogy on the long shotgun line with a Pearl Baby skirt and a Turbo Rattler. Dowell Coker made quick work of the fish, bringing it to Shawn Todd’s gaff in five minutes. The team continued working the area, and managed another pair of 20-pounders, but couldn’t beat that initial 31.77. A great fish, it secured fourth place for the team and moved them up to ninth in the Division. Unfortunately, due to prior obligations Ballard won’t be able to fish Savannah, he’s just going to have to sweat it out to see if his 66-pound aggregate will hold in the top 20. “It’s been a real slow year. I’m just glad to end it on that note,” concluded Ballard.

Dirty Work is the next SKA boat up, scoring a 30-pounder despite distractions. “We just got our new boat and got it all tricked out with all these fancy electronics and we can play a movie now on one of our Raymarine E120 screens. On Friday we got set up and had two blue runners out on balloons and a good chum slick going, and started watching a movie,” reported Captain Joe Wells. Long story short it was a good movie, and the kings appreciated the free blue runners. The team got down to business on Saturday, fishing deeper waters, the same spot they found the third place king two years ago. “We were covered up with cobia, we had three on at once and a fourth chasing a bait.” The team finally got a king to take their blue runner on the long line late in the morning while trolling in 65 feet of water, and Joe’s daughter Amelia stepped up to wrestle the king to the Mercury powered Venture. She pulled a 30.60-pounder to the boat in short order, taking the SKA’s Top Lady Angler spot in this tournament yet again. Joe, Paula, Amelia and Logan Wells and Randy Worth took tenth place overall with that fish, and are sitting in 11th place Divisionally with only two fish. A strong showing in Savannah could really propel this team up the standings.

Captain Ron Greene, Mario Difelico and Jay Hall teamed on the Miss Jenn IV to take the next SKA spot. With the rough weather on Friday the team found their big king on Saturday, fishing a spot offshore of Georgetown among a half a dozen other boats. Their second line in the water was a menhaden with a chartreuse Kingbuster skirt on the long flatline, and it was immediately nailed. Mario was the angler of the hour as he quickly worked the king to the side of Ron’s Mercury powered Baja, and Ron pulled out the gaff for the finishing touch. The team worked the area for another hour, trying to better that fish, then headed back to the scales for a 28.54-pound, 12th place finish. The Miss Jenn IV was also the second place SKA Class of 23’ boat, and Greene’s team presently sits third in the Division headed to Savannah.

Captain Allen Horrex and the Phat Chance team rounds out the SKA top five with a 28.02-pound king. Captain Horrex was joined by Adam and Stella Horrex, Kevin Ham, Barret Edwards and Matt Thomas on the Yamaha powered Triton. One of the few teams to find a quality day one fish, Phat Chance really had to work for it. “Yeah, it was ugly Friday, we took it pretty hard on the nose for four or five hours,” reported Captain Horrex. Fishing the Yamaha powered Triton near Georgetown in 38 feet of water, the team’s big fish came calling at 10:30 while anchored up and chumming. A pogy was nailed and the Captain got a chance on the rod, bringing the king to the boat in 15 minutes. Kevin sealed the deal with the gaff, and the rest is in the books. That 28-pounder earned Matt Thomas SKA Top Junior Angler honors and the team 13th overall. Sitting 14th in Class, the team is on the way to Savannah to defend their qualifying position.

Captain David Perry’s MSC took the 14th position with a 27.98. He and his crew of Michael Smith, Ralph Turner and Jay Sims fish a Mercury powered Triton. The Cusack’s One Shot rounds out the top 15. Captain Bruce, Chris and Rocky Cusack fish a Yamaha powered McKee Craft and landed a 27.58 for the slot. In the Junior Angler race, Drew Nettles crewed on the Solid Surface to find a 26.92, good for 17th place and second place Junior. Robbie Hempton rounds out the Junior Angler top three, landing a 25.09 on Adam’s Eve.

There’s a tight race in both Classes headed to Savannah. Nettles’ Solid Surface holds the Open Class by nearly five pounds, but second place Half Mine has a good 19-pound drop fish. In the Class of 23’ Berlin’s Suits Me has nearly two pounds on second place In 2 Deep, but Captain Greene and the Miss Jenn IV crew sit less than five pounds out of the top with only two fish. It will all be decided the last weekend of August at the Shootout, keep reading to see the conclusion of Division 3’s Mercury Tournament Trail.

Fishing for Miracles Final Standings

1.   Two Sons................................................... 34.79

2.   III Nauti Boys............................................. 33.99

3.   BOWED UP................................................ 32.33
      Grady White/Evinrude
      Jeffrey Mitchell
      Matt Priester

4.   IRON MAN................................................. 31.77
      Contender/Yamaha
      David Ballard
      Shawn Todd
      Dowell Coker

5.   Off the Hook............................................... 31.62

6.   The Chance................................................ 31.53

7.   Ole Yella.................................................... 31.29

8.   Weed Line.................................................. 30.94

9.   Two Putt..................................................... 30.71

10. DIRTY WORK............................................. 30.60
      Venture/Mercury
      Joe Wells
      Paula Wells
      Randy Worth
      Amelia Wells
      Logan Wells

11. Stray Dog................................................... 28.60

12. MISS JENN IV............................................ 28.54
      Baja/Mercury
      Ron Greene
      Mario Difelico
      Jay Hall

13. PHAT CHANCE........................................... 28.02
      Triton/Yamaha
      Allen Horrex
      Kevin Ham
      Barret Edwards
      Adam Horrex
      Matt Thomas
      Stella Horrex

14. MSC........................................................... 27.98
      Triton/Mercury
      David Perry
      Michael Smith
      Ralph Turner
      Jay Sims

15. ONE SHOT................................................. 27.58
      McKee Craft/Yamaha
      Bruce Cusack
      Chris Cusack
      Rocky Cusack

Class of 23’

1.   Two Sons.................................................... 34.79

2.   III Nauti Boys.............................................. 33.99

3.   BOWED UP................................................ 32.33

SKA Top Lady Angler
Paula & Amelia Wells.......................................... Dirty Work

SKA Top Junior Anglers
Sponsored Carolina Boat and Yacht Sales
1st Matt Thomas................................................ Phat Chance
2nd Drew Nettles............................................... Solid Surface
3rd Robbie Hempton.......................................... Adam’s Eve