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Jacksonville, Florida - Billed as the “World’s largest saltwater fishing tournament,” the BellSouth Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament drew nearly 900 boats this year. While the lion’s share of teams arrived from local waters and nearby towns, this tournament always packs them in, and boats from as far away as North Carolina came to compete for the big prizes and prestige of winning this huge event. But this year you just couldn’t mess with the local boys. Jacksonville, Florida’s Robert Holmquist, Lon Bryan and Chris Stephens took home the top honors of the weekend. Captain Holmquist on the Part Time added up two big kings to win the aggregate competition, Lon Bryan led Southbound to another Class of 23’ victory, and Captain Stephens on the Beer Money landed the fourth largest kingfish in tournament history to win the big king category.

“Well, we’d fished Elton Bottom a few weeks before and only gotten smaller fish,” reported Captain Stephens. The team had good bait and calm seas and they were off to their spot in their 31’ Mercury powered Fountain. “When we got there, there were at least a half a dozen boats already fishing, so we moved off about half a mile south of the pack.” Stephens’ team of Jerry Richardson, Joey Kaylor and Clay Russell were trolling in 116 feet of water for the first hour without a single bite. “Then, at 10 o’clock our blue runner on a long line was smashed,” continued Stephens. Clay Russell proved to be the angler of the tournament as he fought that smoker for over half an hour, and you can be sure the sight of that 52-pounder flopping on the deck made it all worthwhile. It sure made the decision of what to do next an easy one to reach. “We put her in the bag at 10:40 and went to the scale,” recalled Stephens.

“We fished the same spot on Friday, trying to get a bigger fish, but no luck.” The team did manage an 18.50, just to cover all the bases, but no one could come close to that 52.35-pounder. “We’d just like to give a special thanks to our sponsor Plumbers, Inc. and Jerry Richardson,” said Stephens at the awards ceremony. The team has a lot to be thankful for, their biggest king of the season came at the best time, and the Beer Money won the grand prize 25’ Contender with twin Yamaha 200s complete with Loadmaster trailer. That package was valued at over $116,000. Plus, that 52-pounder propelled Beer Money from second to a very strong first place in Division 5; the team leads by over 17 pounds and everyone in the top five needs at least a 40-plus to even come close. Non-member Gotcha took second place with a 43.35-pounder.

The husband and wife team of Captain Tom and Tina Whittingslow on the Sweet T took third. The couple didn’t manage a king on Thursday, but more than made up for it on Saturday with a 41.15-pounder. “We went to the magic spot, Elton Bottom,” reported Tom. Trolling their 23’ Yamaha powered Pathfinder in 115 feet of water their winning king was enticed by a pogy 40 feet down on the downrigger. “My wife had a good fighter on her hands, but she boated the big girl in 40 minutes,” continued Tom. Not only was that 41-pounder good for a third place finish, but it also named Tina the Top Lady Angler. “That’s why we call our boat Sweet T,” smiled Tom. Their first fish of the year in Division 5’s Class of 23’, this Neptune Beach, Florida team has the opportunity to come from behind with a 20-pounder at the season finale to qualify for Nationals. Non-member team Miss V took fourth with a 40.50.

Jacksonville, Florida’s Captain Ray Green, Mike Pepper and Bob Sanders round out the top five with Free Spoolin’s 40.30-pounder. “We made a good, 96-mile run south of Daytona,” reported Green. “We went out there on a hunch; it was the same spot we fished last year when we finished sixth.” Throughout the day the team was frustrated by a string of low 20s, and with the long run home they knew they were running low on time as well. Finally, at 2:30 the downrigger trolling a ribbon fish 15 feet down was hit, and Mike stepped up to the plate. “My son did a great job getting her to the boat without error,” beamed Green. With the clock ticking and the biggest king of the year in the bag, Green headed his 25’ Mercury powered Mid Ocean back to the scales, and the rest is in the books. Non-member Play Dough took sixth with a 39.95.

Captain Randy Nader and the Exterminader team, fresh off their Canaveral win and second place showing in the VIP event, landed another great king, a 39.80-pounder for seventh. This team of Captain Randy, Ray and Samantha Nader, Jerry Moulton and Lance Cote Jr. and Sr. hails from Jacksonville, Florida and fishes a 34’ Yamaha powered Contender. Their 39-pounder also named Samantha and Lance Jr. the Top Junior Anglers. With that fish Samantha sits third overall with only two kings, landing a good king at the Boater’s World even could seal the deal for her. The eighth through tenth places all went to non-members. Blue Seas hooked a 39.05, the Bandit Boat got a 38.75, and Miss Sassy rounds out the top ten with a 36.10-pounder.

In the Class of 23’ top honors went to, you guessed it, Southbound! This Jacksonville, Florida team is on one heck of a roll. “We ran to our spot that everybody knows about – Elton Bottom,” reported Captain Lon Bryan. Fishing there both days the team struck out on Thursday, despite having good bait. “On Friday we made it a point to get some good blue runners.” The team was trolling their 23’ Yamaha powered Contender in 116 feet of water, but the day was wearing on and the team was only stirring up dinks. “We really thought our chances were getting slim, but at 1:30 our blue runner on a long line was hit,” said Bryan. The team of Bryan, Andy Miska, Tyler Eicholz and Thomas Cowan worked their usual magic and quickly maneuvered the king to the gaff. “Thank you Elton Bottom,” grinned an enthuastic Bryan at the awards ceremony. With that big 40.05-pounder, the smallest the team has weighed in Division 5, Southbound is sitting pretty in the Class of 23’. They lead second place Square & Level by 36.20 pounds, and even lead the Open Class leader Beer Money by almost 20 pounds. Second place in the Class went to non-member First Coast Moving with a 37.15.

Captain Steve Carman and the Reel Slick team round out the Class of 23’ top three. “With the water conditions we decided to fish off of the inlet at Mayport,” said Carman. He and his team of Paul Harnage, Keith Grovenstien and John Clements fish a 23’ Honda powered Pro-Line out Oviedo, Florida. The team reported hooking and releasing a lot of small kings, but at 3:05 their perseverance paid off when a blue runner on top was smashed while trolling in 38 feet of water. Clements was the man on the rod and the team soon had a 36.65-pounder flopping at their feet. “We felt pretty good about our fish and went in to the scale,” continued Carman. That fish also moved the Reel Slick up to eighth in Division 5’s Class of 23’.

In the Junior Angler race Cameron Heavenridge took second place honors for the event on the Top Gun with a 32.30, his first king of the season in Division 5. Third place Junior Angler honors went to Matt Scharfschwerdt with a 32.00-pounder on the Wound Tight. That king propelled him to the top of the Junior Angler standings, you know he’ll be fishing hard to hold on to that lead at the Boater’s World event.

In the aggregate competition the SKA continued its sweep of the top positions as Part Time landed the second-largest king of the regular event, a 45.65, then backed it up with a 22.40 to score a 68.05 total. “We figured if we were lucky enough we could do it at Elton Bottom,” smiled Captain Robert Holmquist. He and Ryan Pugh and Newsome Corbitt fish a 21’ Yamaha powered Sea Chaser out of Jacksonville, Florida, and were trolling in 120 feet of water using goggle eyes Thursday and Friday. “It was great, both days our first bait on the water was hit, and 20 minutes later we had a fish in the bag and were on our way to the scales,” continued Holmquist. It’s hardly ever that easy, but you have to love it when it is, especially when you take home a new 25’ Sea Chaser 250LX complete with Loadmaster trailer. Second place went to non-member UGA IV with a 65.40 aggregate.

A1A is next up in the aggregate competition with a 64.50 total. Captain Ron Gibson and his crew landed the 10th largest king of the event, a 37.95, and backed it up with a 26.55 for the win. The team fished the Matanzas Inlet both days, trolling in an area with a depth of 40 feet. On Thursday their king nailed a goggle eye on the surface at 1:30 and Gary Gibson brought her in to James Schulte’s waiting gaff. “Friday was a bit sporty, and we weren’t having any luck on top,” reported Ron, who decided the team needed to change their tactics. “We put a ribbon fish down on the downrigger with a blue runner in front of it. We call that our ice sandwich rig,” said Ron. Their ice sandwich worked, and a scant three minutes after dropping the rig down 18 feet Gary found himself fighting another good king. With those two fish Captain Gibson and his crew earned third place honors to take home to St. Augustine, Florida. Non-members I.T.S. and Rebecca Ann took fourth and fifth places with 63.25- and 62.10-pound aggregates, respectively.

Team ProMarineUSA.com / Hannon’s Cannon pulled down a 62.05 aggregate to take sixth. Captain Kevin Hannon, Shannon Armstron, Lee Way, Steve Rowley and Sebastian Bartinelli fish the distinctive 34’ Mercury, Yamaha and Evinrude powered Yellowfin out of Seminole, Florida. Seventh through ninth places all went to non-members. The Seafood Kitchen got two for 61.75 pounds, Channel Master added up 60.60 points, and Indian got a 59.60 aggregate.

Rich Mabry and the Low Pressure team round out the top ten. Captain Mabry, Jerry Cloer and Mickey Malone fish a 31’ Yamaha powered Contender out of Jacksonville, Florida. They added up a 58.40 aggregate, with their larger king weighing in at 34.25, for the win.

In the unsanctioned VIP event Mercury’s Captain Scott Beattie continued the SKA sweep by landing a 46.00-pounder for the $50,000 grand prize. He and his Preferred Marine crew landed that winning king on their 36’ Mercury powered Dakota. Second place went to Captain Randy Nader and his Exterminader crew with their 40.15-pounder, and Captain Jeff Parsons and the Final Approval team pulled in a 35.80 to round out the top three.

Greater Jacksonville Final Standings

Big Fish:

1.   BEER MONEY.............................. 52.35
      Fountain/Mercury
      Chris Stephens
      Jerry Richardson
      Joey Kaylor
      Clay Russell

2.   Gotcha.........................................43.35

3.   SWEET T.................................... 41.15
      Pathfinder/Yamaha
      Tom Whittingslow
      Tina Whittingslow

4.   Miss V..........................................40.50

5.   FREE SPOOLIN........................... 40.30
      Mid Ocean/Mercury
      Ray Green
      Mike Pepper
      Bob Sanders

6.   Play Dough.................................. 39.95

7.   EXTERMINADER...........................39.80
      Contender/Yamaha
      Randy Nader
      Ray Nader
      Samantha Nader
      Jerry Moulton
      Lance Cote
      Lance Cote, Jr.

8.   Blue Seas.................................... 39.05

9.   Bandit Boat.................................. 38.75

10. Miss Sassy................................... 36.10

Aggregate:

1.   PART TIME................................. 68.05
      Sea Cruiser/Yamaha
      Robert Holmquist
      Ryan Pugh
      Newsome Corbitt

2.   UGA IV........................................ 65.40

3.   A1A............................................ 64.50
      Dusky/Mercury
      Ron Gibson
      Gary Gibson
      James Schulte

4.   I.T.S........................................... 63.25

5.   Rebecca Ann................................ 62.10

6.   PROMARINEUSA.COM
/HANNON’S CANNON........................ 62.05
      Yellowfin/Mercury, Yamaha, Evinrude
      Kevin Hannon
      Shannon Armstrong
      Lee Way
      Steve Rowley
      Sebastian Bartinelli

7.   Seafood Kitchen........................... 61.75

8.   Channel Master............................ 60.60

9.   Indian......................................... 59.60

10. LOW PRESSURE.......................... 58.40
      Contender/Yamaha
      Rich Mabry
      Jerry Cloer
      Mickey Malone

      Class of 23’

1.   SOUTHBOUND............................. 40.05
      Contender/Yamaha
      Lon Bryan
      Andy Miska
      Tyler Eicholz
      Thomas Cowan

2.   First Coast Moving........................ 37.15

3.   REEL SLICK................................ 36.65
      Pro-Line/Honda
      Stephen Carman
      Paul Harnage
      Keith Grovenstien
      John Clements
     
SKA Top Lady Angler
Tina Whittingslow................................ Sweet T

SKA Top Junior Anglers
Sponsored by Subway
1st Samantha Nader & Lance Cote, Jr......... Exterminader
2nd Cameron Heavenridge........................ Top Gun
3rd Matt Scharfschwerdt............................ Wound Tight