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St. Simons Island, Georgia - The stage was set for the final day of fishing at the 2006 Golden Isles Kingfish Classic. Triple Play was leading with a good 45-pounder, and while the team decided not to rest on their collective laurels and instead went out trying to find a bigger king, the general consensus on the grounds at Gascoigne Bluff Park was that their 45-pound king was going to take it all. But out on the docks, amid the hustle and bustle of preparations for the event, a pair of women stood watching. It was a beautiful day to be out enjoying the vista, but their eyes seemed to be more searching than gazing.

“My son called me in Jacksonville earlier,” confided Kim Benjamin. “He told me ‘Momma, jump in the car and come up to Georgia! We’ve got a big one!’” Not one to disappoint Momma, Captain Jerry and Jeremy Carter and Jim Thomas were the first to the scales, and from the look on their faces they knew they had it in the bag. The first fish of the day would prove to go 47.85 pounds, a weight that could not be challenged for the rest of the event, earning the Reel Quick their first SKA tournament title.

“We had fished the same spot on Friday,” reported Captain Carter, “but we got there late and missed the early bite.” The team didn’t repeat their mistake, and after a 58-mile run in their Mercury powered Donzi to their spot 20 miles offshore of Jacksonville, the team already had a pair of smaller kings in the boat by nine o’clock. Trolling in 67 feet of water their tournament-winner nailed a ribbonfish submerged 45 feet at 9:30, and Jeremy grabbed the rod on the most valuable kingfish of his life. It was a quick fight for such a large king, and the Reel Quick soon had that hog hanging from a Boga Grip. “It was bouncing between 46 and 49 pounds, so we knew we’d topped the leaderboard,” smiled Carter, who camped out at the end of the dock, eyeballing each king brought to the scales, just in case.

As it would turn out, Carter and his crew had nothing to worry about. Their 47.85-pound king remained atop the leaderboard, earning the Reel Quick a new 21’ Contender with 200 HPDI Yamaha Outboard and Loadmaster trailer compliments of Contender, Yamaha, Loadmaster and Hickory Bluff Marine.

Captain Ricky Bradley and family on the Full House team picked up the consistency award; second place was awarded to the team with the best two-fish aggregate. Captain Ricky, wife Jennifer and son Ridge, Shawn Driggers and Keith Pirkle fish a Yamaha powered Contender, and are in their rookie year as a team. “I told my son that when he turned seven we’d get a boat,” said Ricky, who had fished on the Double Down team the seven years prior. “It’s the only reason we have the boat.” While the team had a slow start this year, they made up for it by adding up two good kings for a 64.35 aggregate.

The Full House fished the same area both days, approximately 50 miles south of St. Simons Island. On Friday their big king came calling at two o’clock, nailing a blue runner on the long line, and young Ridge was the angler of the hour. When the Junior Angler had that smoker on the deck the team knew that they had a solid 30-pounder, and at the scales she went 31.89 pounds. On Saturday the team repeated their performance by landing an even bigger 32.46, which Shawn Driggers maneuvered to the boat. “Everything went real well,” reported Captain Bradley, “I really didn’t think we had the aggregate, we just kept fishing hard.” That’s the way to do it, and Bradley and crew were rewarded for their efforts with a new Yamaha 150 hp outboard motor to take home to Glenville, Georgia.

Captain Mike Reed and Gregg Howarter took third place with their 45.14-pound king caught on Friday, their best SKA finish to date. The Triple Play team had done their homework and pre-fished on Thursday, so they thought they had a pretty good idea of where to find a big king. “We were fishing about 16 miles north, right off the beach,” reported Reed. The team had a bit of a wait for what would turn out to be their only king of the day, but when it finally came, it came big. At 11:30, trolling their Yamaha powered Contender in 25 feet of water, a ribbon on the surface was snatched and Howarter began the battle with the biggest king of the day. Bringing the big girl over the side Reed and Howarter knew they had a serious contender, and were among the small pack waiting to weigh when the scales opened. They easily led the leaderboard through the conclusion of Friday’s fishing until being bumped down a spot by Reel Quick’s 47-pounder.

Non-members Rocky Top, Eagles Nest and Open Container swept the fourth through sixth places with a 37.74, a 36.46 and a 36.23, respectively.

The family team Sea Ducer took seventh place overall and a host of other awards. Captain Todd, Kelly, Rhett and Dillon Veal, Tom Whittingslow and Mitch Matthews fish a Yamaha powered Contender out of Waycross, Georgia, and landed great fish both days. Their big king, a 36.19, came on Friday fishing in an area of live bottom east of HH. On Saturday the team went out and backed it up with a 27.23-pounder and what had to be at least a 70-pound wahoo! With that consistency the team had the second largest aggregate, just missing out on that Yamaha motor but picking up good TWT money, with 63.42 pounds. In addition, that 36.19-pound king earned Kelly Top Lady Angler honors as well as earning Rhett and Dillon Top Junior Angler honors yet again. Kelly received a check for $1,000 and Rhett and Dillon got to share a $500 reward. But that’s not all. That 36-pounder sealed the deal for the Sea Ducer team, and they retained their lead on the Open Class in Division 4, as well as naming Kelly Top Lady Angler and Dillon the Top Junior Angler for the Division. Great fishing, guys!

Captain Phillip Waters and the Double Down crew picked up another good Saturday fish to take eighth place. Captain Waters, Chris King, Tyrone and Luke Joyner and Walter Ray fish an Evinrude powered Hydra-Sport out of Townsend, Georgia, and landed a 36.12-pounder for the honors. A great fish for the team, it secured second place Junior Angler honors for young Luke as well as eighth overall for the Division.

Ninth place went to Captain Rusty Kennedy and the High Hook team. Rusty fishes an Evinrude powered Sea Chaser out of St. Simons Island, and landed a 36.07 for the win. Captain Ed Mecchella, the 2002 Angler of the Year and National Champion, rounds out the top ten. Fishing his Yamaha powered Yellowfin, Ed nailed a 35.19 on Fish Fever Saturday for the victory.

In the Class of 23’ the Cleghorn family boat, C-Legs, took top honors by landing the third 40-pounder of the event. A local team out of St. Simons Island, Captain Mac Cleghorn and his two sons Allen and Jason fish a Yamaha powered Donzi. The team didn’t find a fish on Friday, but came back early on Saturday when their 40.62 hit at 7:05 a.m. The team was working nine miles off of St. Simons Beach in 40 feet of water when their blue runner on the long line was snatched. Captain Mac worked in the big king while Jason and Allen cleared lines and chased down their smoker. Knowing that they had to beat a 45, the Cleghorns kept working but decided to weigh the fish as early as possible, and were the third boat to the scales on Saturday. “I’d like to give a special thanks to Jake Walters with Ameris Bank,” acknowledged Cleghorn. The C-Legs team earned a guaranteed check for $5,000 for that king, their only Division 4 fish of the season. Non-member Eagles Nest took second in Class with a 36.46.

Captain Randy Smith and the Pack Rat team landed their first king in Division 4’s race to the tune of a third place Class finish. Captain Smith, John Dibble and Denise Zimmerman fish a Mariner powered Mako out of Jacksonville, Florida. Their big king came on Saturday, a 35.81-pounder for the victory and the $1,000 check.

Golden Isles Final Standings

1.   REEL QUICK...................................... 47.85
      Donzi/Mercury
      Jerry Carter
      Jeremy Carter
      Jim Thomas

2.   FULL HOUSE..................................... 64.35(Agg.)
      Contender/Yamaha
      Ricky Bradley
      Shawn Driggers
      Jennifer Bradley
      Ridge Bradley
      Keith Pirkle     

3.   TRIPLE PLAY..................................... 45.14     
      Contender/Yamaha
      Mike Reed
      Gregg Howarter

4.   Rocky Top.......................................... 37.74
5.   Eagles Nest........................................ 36.46
6.   Open Container.................................. 36.23

7.   SEA DUCER....................................... 36.19
      Contender/Yamaha
      Todd Veal
      Kelly Veal
      Rhett Veal
      Dillon Veal
      Tom Whittingslow
      Mitch Matthews

8.   DOUBLE DOWN................................. 36.12
      Hydra-Sports/Evinrude
      Phillip Waters
      Chris King
      Tyrone Joyner
      Luke Joyner
      Walter Ray

9.   HIGH HOOK....................................... 36.07
      Sea Chaser/Evinrude
      Rusty Kennedy

10. FISH FEVER...................................... 35.19
      Yellowfin/Yamaha
      Ed Mecchella

11. WILD TURKEY................................... 33.85
      Wellcraft/Evinrude
      Rick Smith
      Tony Thaw 
      Carl Alexander
      Jimmy Mancil
      Dylan Thaw
 
12. KNOT SURE....................................... 33.75
      Contender/Yamaha
      Sanford Carter
      Bob Wedincamp
      Bobby Wedincamp
      Mellissa Holland
      Ford Carter, Jr.

13. GOIN’ DEEP...................................... 33.67
      Contender/Yamaha
      Mike Zabarac
      Jared Fruchtl
      Al Bradshaw
      Clinton Fonseca
      Tyler Holland

14. THE FOX........................................... 33.64
      Contender/Yamaha
      Clifton DeLoach
      Charlie DeLoach

15. TAIL CHASER.................................... 32.59
      Fountain/Mercury
      Richard Stone
      Chris Jonsson
      Bill Baldwin

      Class of 23’

1.   C-LEGS............................................. 40.62
      Donzi/Yamaha
      Mac Cleghorn
      Allen Cleghorn
      Jason Cleghorn

2.   Eagles Nest......................................... 36.46

3.   PACK RAT......................................... 35.81
      Mako/Mariner
      Randy Smith
      John Dibble
      Denise Zimmerman 
    
SKA Top Lady Angler

Kelly Veal................................................. Sea Ducer

SKA Top Junior Anglers
Sponsored by Coastal Marine Center
1st Rhett & Dillon Veal............................... Sea Ducer
2nd Luke Joyner. ..................................... Double Down
3rd Dylan Thaw........................................ Wild Turkey