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Shellman Bluff, GA - The Division 4 leg of the Mercury Tournament Trail kicked off with the Sapelo Open King Mackerel Tournament, May 26th and 27th, and over 125 boats arrived to help start the season off right. At the Captain’s meeting teams were eager to discuss plans for the following day, and by the gathering’s end popular opinion seemed to be split between Gray’s Reef and Elton Bottom as the spot to be. As it would turn out, Elton Bottom produced the largest king of the weekend, a fact that Captain Lon Bryan and the crew of the Southbound happily discovered when they landed their 34.12-pounder to score their first SKA tournament win.

“We had pre-fished the Elton Bottom, so that’s where we headed on Saturday, a good 70-mile run,” reported Captain Lon Bryan. The team reached their spot in 110 feet of water and had caught and released three small kings when Bryan heard on the radio that Gray’s Reef had a good bite going on. “We were just starting to pull lines and run to the spot that was hot with fish,” recalled Bryan. “We were getting the downrigger line up and it was smashed thanks to our two-pound blue runner.” Andy Miska grabbed the rod on the big king while Chris Miska and Ryan Keith finished clearing lines and getting the other downrigger up. When Andy got the big girl over the side Captain Bryan decided to call it a day and head his 23’ Yamaha powered Contender to the scale. “34.12 pounds and the tournament lead,” would be the weighmaster’s verdict, a score that could not be topped for the remainder of the day. Only his second year in the SKA, Bryan took home Sapelo Champion honors and a check for $15,000 to Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Watch out for this team in two weeks as they fish their home waters at the Kingbuster 400.

“I’ve fished here for a long time, and when fishing is slow Gray’s Reef is the spot for me,” confided Captain Pete Owens. He and Dave Beam and Josh and Will Owens rode their 31’ Yamaha powered Contender, Jet-Lag, to the Reef and had one great day of fishing. Trolling in 81 feet of water the team already had a 30 and a 31 by noon, but the kings kept getting bigger and at 1:10 a pogy on a long line was nailed. “My son Will fought the fish the whole way to the gaff,” reported a proud Captain Pete. This team knows what a winning king looks like, they won the Two Way event last year, and they knew that they had another contender on their hands. But at the docks their king would prove just shy of the top notch. A 32.48-pounder earned this St. Simon’s Island, Georgia team a $5,000 second place victory, placing them in the lead for the Open Class as well as naming Josh and Will Owens Sapelo’s Top Junior Anglers.

When choosing their fishing spot Captain James “Bear” Croft and the crew on the Bear Caught used one of the oldest, most time-tested methods of divination. “We flipped a coin,” smiled Croft, “Elton Bottom or Gray’s Reef, and Elton won.” Trolling the 31’ Mercury powered Yellowfin in 121 feet of water, Captain Croft, Jack Ross, Rick Dopson and Debbie Portier had found three small fish by noon, but no moneymakers. Fifteen minutes later the long line trailing a fat blue runner started screaming and Rick stepped up to make short work of the king. “We felt it was a top three fish, so we put her in the bag and went right in,” said Croft. He couldn’t have been more correct, that king would tip the scale at 31.45 pounds, naming Debbie Portier Top Lady Angler and earning the Bear Caught third place honors to take home to Yulee, Florida.

Jacksonville, Florida’s Captain Richard Stone and the crew of the Tail Chaser spent the day chasing kings, and it paid off to the tune of a fourth place, $2,000 finish. “We went to a few close spots, but only landed a couple small fish. Fortunately, we had saved the best for last, and ran to Elton Bottom,” reported Stone. The team had been trolling the 38’ Mercury powered Fountain in 122 feet of water for over an hour and had to be getting nervous, but at 2:15 their bell was rung when a double pogy rig on a long line was taken. “We got her to the gaff and came right in,” smiled Stone. At the scales the Tail Chaser’s king would weigh 30.20 pounds, securing fourth place for Captain Stone, Nathan Stuart and Don Smith.

Captain Mike Zabarac, Jared Fruchtl, Al Bradshaw, Clinton Fonseca and Tyler Holland teamed on the Goin’ Deep, a 31’ Yamaha powered Contender out of Midway, Georgia. For Zabarac and crew, deciding where to fish in Georgia is a no-brainer. “The only place we fish for kings is Gray’s Reef. It’s a good old spot that has always produced for us,” said Zabarac. Trolling in 62 feet of water the team had hooked up and released at least 15 kings in the high teens and low 20s, but not the monster they were looking for. Zabarac decided to make a move to slightly shallower water at 2:00, and was immediately rewarded when a pogy on the top in the prop wash was hit. At the docks Goin’ Deep’s king would go 28.11 pounds, earning the team fifth place as well as naming Tyler Holland second place Junior Angler.

Captain Stan Kane and Team Key Largo out of Hinesville, Georgia took sixth place with a 27.82-pounder. Kane, Jason Christner and Talmage Bennett fish a 25’ Yamaha powered Key Largo. Seventh place fell to the Veal family on the Sea Ducer, a 31’ Yamaha powered Contender. Captain Todd, Kelly, Rhett and Dillon Veal and Tom Whitingslow hail from Waycross, Georgia, and landed a 27.34 for the honors. Also, Rhett and Dillon earned third place Junior Angler honors with that king.

Tenacious is the next boat up, weighing a 21.70-pounder for an eighth place finish. Hailing from Brunswick, Georgia, Captain Greg Slayton, Preston Hendrix, David Wallace, Matt Amee and Brenda Miller fished a 38’ Mercury powered Donzi for the win. Ninth and tenth places fell to non-members Shellin’ Out and Roy’L C with a pair of 21-pounders.

With Southbound earning the overall tournament win, top Class of 23’ honors went to Captain Dean Hinely and the Miss D crew. Unlike some Captains in this event, Hinely had no trouble deciding where to fish. “We call Gray’s Reef our ‘Home Hole’. We’ve fished this spot forever and it’s always good to us,” said Hinely. “Days like these are what keep us coming back to it.” Trolling in 58 feet of water the Miss D crew of Captain Dean and James Hinely, Tommy Waddell and Brandon and B.A. Blair were one of the few teams with an early money-fish. Their big girl came calling at 9:15 on a pogy on a long line, and Waddell got the fish in the boat in short order. The Miss D kept trying to better what they knew to be a good mid-20s fish, landing and releasing 15 smaller kings, but they couldn’t better that initial 25.38-pounder.

Rookie team Daddy’s Toy had a great day on the water, landing a 22.27-pounder for second place in the Class of 23’, but it didn’t come easily or quickly for Captain Matthew Bradshaw and crew. “We were moving from spot to spot all day with no fish, we were really getting worried. Then, at 2:05, we decided to put a ribbon fish down. Just as we were letting it out it was hit,” smiled Bradshaw. “We had no time to spare; we went right to the scale.” The team has got the bug now, watch out for Daddy’s Toy when they fish next at St. Mary’s.

Captain Blake Merrill’s Yank ‘Em rounds out the top three in the Class of 23’, scoring a 16.31-pounder. Captain Merrill, Sutton Biletzskov and Ryan Waters fished a 23’ Yamaha powered Contender to the victory.

With June’s arrival the competition in Division 4 is about to really get started. St. Mary’s always puts on a good show in early June, and by Two Way’s conclusion the Division will be half decided. Stay tuned as these Georgia fisherman start racking up some big kings and some big points in the Division 4 race.

Sapelo Final Standings

1. SOUTHBOUND ............ 34.12
Contender/Yamaha
Lon Bryan
Ryan Keith
Andy Miska

2. JET-LAG ..................... 32.48
Contender/Yamaha
Pete Owens
Dave Beam
Josh Owens
Will Owens

3. BEAR CAUGHT ............ 31.45
Yellowfin/Yamaha
Bear Croft
Jack Ross
Rick Dopson
Debbie Portier

4. TAIL CHASER ............. 30.20
Fountain/Mercury
Richard Stone
Nathan Stuart
Don Smith

5. GOIN' DEEP ................ 28.11
Contender/Yamaha
Mike Zabarac
Jared Fruchtl
Al Bradshaw
Clinton Fonseca
Tyler Holland

6. TEAM KEY LARGO ....... 27.82
Key Largo/Yamaha
Stan Kane
Jason Christner
Talmage Bennett

7. SEA DUCER ................ 27.34
Contender/Yamaha
Todd Veal
Kelly Veal
Rhett Veal
Dillon Veal
Tom Whitingslow

8. TENACIOUS ............... 21.70
Donzi/Mercury
Greg Slayton
Preston Hendrix
David Wallace
Matt Amee
Brenda Miller

9. Shellin' Out ............... 21.47

10. Roy'L C .................... 21.03

11. Jolly Mon III ........... 19.66

12. KNOT ON CALL ......... 18.48
Sailfish/Yamaha
Sammy Perkins
Brandi Durrence-Perkins
Zach Bowman

13. TALL TAIL ................ 18.40
Contender/Yamaha
Scott Pope
Wes Pope
Ryan Harrison
Ryan Bradford

14. KNOT SURE .............. 18.38
Contender/Yamaha
Sanford Carter, Jr.
Bob Wedincamp
Bobby Wedincamp
Ford Carter

15. KNOT STRESS’N ...... 17.45
Donzi/Mercury
Doys O’Steen
Owen O’Steen

Class of 23’
1. MISS D ...................... 25.38
Pro Line/Mercury
M. Dean Hinely
B.A. Blair
Brandon Blair
Tommy Waddell
James Hinely

2. DADDY'S TOY ............ 22.27
Mako/Johnson
Matthew Bradshaw

3. YANK ‘EM .................. 16.31
Contender/Yamaha
Blake Merrill
Sutton Biletzskov
Ryan Waters

SKA Top Lady Angler
Debbie Portier....................... Bear Caught

SKA Top Junior Anglers
Presented by Coastal Marine Center

1. Josh Owens/Will Owens ..... Jet-Lag
2. Tyler Holland .................... Goin Deep
3. Dillon Veal/Rhett Veal ........ Sea Ducer