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The Choplin Marine Jolly Mon King Classic, one of the highest attended KMTs in southeastern North Carolina, was held on June 23-25, 2006, at the Ocean Isle Fishing Center. There were 280 boats that fished the event, a tournament that is in its second year of its popular Captain's choice format—pick either Saturday or Sunday as your one day of fishing. 

Twister and Captain Patrick Bryant were the overall winners of this year’s event. Alex Bryant was the angler of the tournament-heavy 38.40-pound king mackerel. Also on board was Austin Bryant, who took home the Jolly Mon Senior Angler award. Twister is a 25' Contender powered by twin 150 Yamaha four strokes.  The fish brought the Holden Beach, North Carolina, team almost $20,000 in prize money.

The Twister team jigged a live well full of bait at a local wreck after leaving Lockwood Folly Inlet Saturday morning, but a dead cigar minnow with a Turbo Rattler accounted for the winning fish. The fish struck around 8:00 a.m. near the Horseshoe. The king hit the bait and then headed in the direction of the boat. Once Alex got the line tight, the king took a good run peeling off about 200 yards of line. Then 25 minutes later the big king was in the boat.

The Bryants continued to fish for another 45 minutes, catching several smaller kings and an 18-pound dolphin that was only six ounces away from winning the Jolly Mon Dolphin Division. They then headed back to the Ocean Isle Fishing Center where their king was the second one weighed.

“It was great to win this tournament,” said Patrick Bryant. “It’s a big, well known local tournament, and I’ve been fishing it for about eight years. The people in this tournament are more like friends than competitors”

Scott Quaintance secured second place and an $11,500+ payout with a 33.20-pound king. He and partner Chris Gravatte, both of Ocean Isle Beach, were originally planning to fish this event aboard Quaintance's 34' Mercury powered Yellowfin Casual Water, but they were forced to fish on the substitute 27' Contender Eagle One as the Yellowfin was undergoing some work. 

Quaintance and Gravatte caught their fish at the 30/30 on a naked pogy set back on the long line. Quaintance reported that catching bait was tough, but they found a school of small pogies in Snow's Cut, and then headed out Carolina Beach Inlet. The team could only catch sharks at first, including an estimated 300+ pounder, before their big king bit at 10:30 a.m. They were back at the weigh-in by 2:30.

Quaintance said he was extremely happy with their finish in the Jolly Mon, but he added that the tournament is fun, win or lose, because of the “real good family atmosphere.” The Casual Water team thanked Radio Shack of Ocean Isle Beach for its sponsorship.

Third place went to Kevin Lawson’s Wrench Head for a 30.30-pound king. Michael Byrd on Surf N Byrd took fourth place with a 30.15-pound king. 

Laura and Richard Hobbs of Carolina Beach, North Carolina, brought in fifth place overall, top SKA Lady Angler, and Jolly Mon Lady Angler with a 29.40-pound king caught aboard She's All That, a 32’ Mercury powered Fountain. The fish brought them a combined payout of over $6000.

The couple isn’t strangers to winning money at the Jolly Mon King Classic, as they caught a 38.65-pound king in the Carolina Beach Inlet from a 21’ skiff last year to sweep every division of the event and take home $38,000.  This year they coaxed a king to eat a tiny naked pogy at 12:00 off Georgetown, South Carolina. The couple wanted to thank Fountain Powerboats, Mercury, Myco Trailers and C&H Lures for their sponsorship and support. 

Sixth place overall went to Rob Ferris on the Mad Mouse out of Harrisburg, North Carolina, with a 25.75-pound king. He was fishing with David Sharon and Sam Locklear. They were just off one of the Southport area inlets when the king hit a pogy on the top in 20 feet of water. The strike came at 11:00 a.m.

“Everything hit on top,” said Rob Ferris. They kept fishing, but a bigger king never came into their baits. Mad Mouse is sponsored by Sea Craft, and they fish a 32’ Sea Craft with Mercury power.

Alan and his father Brett Barnes on the Hot Rod, a 25' Yamaha powered Contender out of Wilmington, North Carolina, took overall seventh place. Their 25.30-pound king ate a pogy fished on a long line while they were offshore of the Horseshoe. The Hot Rod team, sponsored by Terminator Wire, is rolling in 2006 as they are coming off of a first place finish in the Swansboro Rotary KMT.

Two other SKA boats rounded out the overall top 10. Larry Warren, aboard the Three Stooges & Cheryl out of Hampstead caught a 25.20-pound king good for ninth place. Larry was joined by regular crew members Cheryl Warren, Steve Straughn and Ken Garvey, and they fish on 29’ Donzi with twin Mercury 250 Verados. Their strike came at 11:40 at the Jungle. The king hit a pink skirted pogy about 35 feet down.

Toby and Rusty Russ, Ocean Isle Beach locals, caught the 22.00-pound tenth place king fishing aboard Mr. Goodhands. They are a Century/Yamaha team.

Sandlapper and Thomas E. Haselden was the top SKA 23’ and under finisher. They landed an 18.10-pound king at the Horseshoe on a cigar minnow. They were pulling it 30 feet down on a downrigger. It was rigged with a green and chartreuse Cape Lookout skirt. Striking at 11:00, it was the fifth king of the day—all of the others were released due to the eight- to ten-pound size of the fish. The team is out of Aynor, South Carolina, and fish Sea Pro/Yamaha.

The Sandlapper team thanked Boater’s World in Myrtle Beach for all their help in tournament preparations.

Second place in the Class of 23’ went to Motley’s Crew out of Southport. Michael Motley and Leonard Woodring caught the king in the Cape Fear River area. It hit a ribbonfish about 20 feet down with a red lead head. Motley’s Crew is a 20’ Edgewater with a Yamaha 200 hpdi.

Brandon Hudson won the SKA Junior Angler award. He was fishing on the Second Chanze with John Lewis out of Morehead City. The king weighed 15.40 pounds. Second Chanze is a Contender/Yamaha combination.

The overwhelming majority of the 280 boats that registered for the event fished on Saturday. Saturday morning was pleasant with southeast winds at 10-15 and 2-3 foot seas, with conditions deteriorating slightly to 15-20 knot southeast winds and 3-5 foot seas in the afternoon.

Only 30 of the boats elected to fish Sunday, with conditions described as squally, with wind and rain making fishing a little tough.  Only two boats that made the top 20 ventured out on Sunday.

The Jolly Mon King Classic has been held on the Fourth of July weekend in past years, but was moved ahead one week for 2006. Tournament Director Brant McMullan estimates that entries for the event were down about 20% from last year, mostly due to the date change. Many families who regularly fish the Jolly Mon come to the beach for the July fourth weekend, and they could not make it to the event one week early.

McMullan emphasized the family-friendly nature of the Jolly Mon, calling it a great venue for families to compete together. "I want the husbands to try to get their wife and kids and grandparents to fish," McMullan said. McMullan went on to say that two other objectives of the Jolly Mon are to “stimulate the first time tournament fisherman” and “provide more ways for the whole family to win.”

The Jolly Mon King Classic could not be put on without the help of its many sponsors.  This year's title sponsor was Choplin Marine. Other major sponsors for the event include B.B. & T., SeaTow, Magic Tilt Trailers, Guy C. Lee Building Materials, R and R Allstate, The GPS Store, and Elite Homes. 

Jolly Mon Final Standings

1.   TWISTER.................................... 38.40
      Contender/Yamaha
      Patrick Bryant
      Austin Bryant

2.   CASUAL WATER.......................... 33.20
      Yellowfin/Mercury
      Scott Quaintance
      Chris Gravatte

3.   Wrench Head................................ 30.30

4.   Surf-N-Byrd.................................. 30.15

5.   SHE'S ALL THAT......................... 29.40
      Fountain/Mercury
      Richard Hobbs
      Laura Hobbs

6.   MAD MOUSE................................ 25.75
      Sea Craft/Mercury
      Rob Ferris
      David Sharon
      Sam Locklear

7.   HOT ROD..................................... 25.30
      Contender/Yamaha
      Brett Barnes
      Alan Barnes

8.   Main Event.................................... 25.25

9.   THREE STOOGES & CHERYL........ 25.20
      Donzi/Mercury
      Larry Warren
      Cheryl Warren
      Steve Straughn
      Ken Garvey

10. MR. GOODHANDS........................ 22.00
      Century/Yamaha
      Toby Russ
      Rusty Russ

11. KEEPING IT REEL........................ 21.35
      Contender/Yamaha
      Jeff Page
      Jared Floyd

12. BANK ON IT................................ 20.50
      Donzi/Mercury
      Craig Rabon
      Ricky Rabon
      Joe Vafeades
      John McCarthy III

13. WATER FOUNTAIN...................... 20.50
      Fountain/Mercury
      James Jones
      William Kenyon
      Robbie Kennedy

14. Wave Paver.................................. 20.00

15. Tiger Rag...................................... 19.25

16. STITCHWIZARD.......................... 19.05
      Trophy/Mercury
      Randy Lingerfelt
      Nathan Lingerfelt
      Cory Swink

17. SANDLAPPER.............................. 18.10
      Sea Pro/Yamaha
      Thoma E. Haselden

18. Prime Time................................... 17.65

19. Shaka-Bra.................................... 17.45

20. Trac Attack................................... 17.10