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Carolina Beach, North Carolina - The 2006 Got-Em-On Classic King Mackerel Tournament put a monster 50-pound king mackerel on top of the leaderboard on Sunday, but the big king probably wouldn’t have been caught if the tournament hadn’t changed it’s format a few days before the event.
Due to poor weather forecasts for Saturday, the format of the Got-em-On King Classic was changed this year. Instead of one day of fishing on July 8th, the decision was made to go with a Captain’s choice format. Boats in this year’s Got-Em-On Classic could choose to fish either Saturday, July 8th, or Sunday, July 9th.
Although the decision was made on the Wednesday preceding the tournament, coordinator Ty Cobb estimates that around 70 more boats entered the event when they heard of the change. Of the 189 boats registered for the event, only 39 fished on Saturday due to the windy, rough conditions. Saturday proved not to be worth the trouble. Only two of the top 20 fish came on Saturday.
The conditions were better on Sunday, but it was still described as choppy. However, if you ask Hal Wells about Sunday’s conditions, he’ll probably tell you the conditions were just right.
Hal Wells' Remedy team out of Wilmington, North Carolina, took overall first place in the event. They landed a huge 52.85-pound king on Sunday. Wells coaxed the giant fish into eating a pogy with a blue Cape Lookout skirt fished on top. The bite came around 7:45 a.m. near the 30/30 area of live bottom off Carolina Beach.
The Remedy crew was able to start the fishing day early, as Wells had caught bait the night before. He found a school of pogies Saturday evening near William's Landing, between Carolina Beach and Masonboro Inlets.
Initially, the monster mackerel only took a little bit of line, but when Hal pulled the rod from the starboard t-top holder, the reel started screaming. The team then attempted to clear the other lines and chase the fish, but by the time Hal had reached the bow of the boat, three quarters of the spool was gone.
With the rest of the lines trailing behind the boat, the team got the boat on plane and attempted to chase down the fish. The standard strategy of chasing a king down and gaffing it as quickly as possible only succeeded in spooking this fish into another long run.
The second time the Remedy chased down the king, the fish stayed near the boat.
After a tense 20 minute fight, the king was gaffed and brought aboard Remedy, a 25' Parker powered by two 225 Yamahas. The team continued fishing for another hour and a half, and then decided to head for the dock. They were pretty confident the king would put them in first or second place.
After reaching Carolina Beach Inlet around 10:30, the crew idled through Snow's Cut and into the Cape Fear River, killing time until the weigh-in began at 2:00. At weigh-in's close, their fish had bested the second-place king by over 12 pounds, and earned the Remedy team over $28,000.
"Hopefully we can do this again, place high in Division 12, and make it to the Nationals," remarked Hal Wells.
The Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, team Logan's Run captured second place with a 40.15 pound fish. Their big king hit a naked bluefish suspended beneath a kite around 8:45 a.m. on Sunday. They were 15 miles from Carolina Beach Inlet.
After the strike, the line became stuck in the release clip, and the fish nearly spooled the reel before the line was freed. The fish was brought aboard Logan’s Run, 34' Yellowfin powered by three 250 Yamaha four-strokes, after a 20 minute fight.
Captain D. Logan and David Logan took home over $12,000, and they wished to thank Builder MT for their sponsorship.
A 34.90-pound king secured third place overall for George Everhart's Heat Seaker team from Salisbury, NC.
Hunter Woodell and the Contend This, of Sanford, NC, nailed down SKA third place with a 33.10-pound king. Their fish bit a pogy with a Turbo Rattler trolled on top near the Atlantic Ledge. The bite came around 8:15 a.m. on Sunday. Contend This is a 31' Contender powered by two 300 Yamaha HPDI's.
Angler Lyle Phillips grabbed the rod and the king stayed within 20 feet of the surface. When Woodell pulled the boat up to the fish, it came right to the top, and Phillips sunk a gaff in it. The entire fight, from bite to boat, lasted less than a minute.
The Contend This team was also able to get an early start without stopping to catch bait. They caught pogies between the piers at Long Beach Saturday night, and penned them up for Sunday.
Woodell reported catching a 12-pound dolphin on Sunday, as well as the big king. He described sunny conditions with a one to two-foot chop. The Contend This team expressed gratitude to ProFinder Charts and Turbo Rattler for helping them win almost $2000 in the Got-Em-On Classic.
The Burgaw, North Carolina, based Prime Time, a 32' Donzi, caught the 31.50-pound SKA fourth place king. Captain Jim Milam was fishing with Jamie, Jason and Michael Milam and Mark Bullard when the fish struck around 9:00 a.m. Sunday off Topsail Island.
A naked pogy trolled on top fooled the king, and the Prime Time team had no difficulty catching a live well full of pogies with one throw of the net in the Carolina Beach boat basin Sunday morning.
After striking, the fish made a 200-yard run, staying on top the entire time. The fight was uneventful after the initial run, and Bullard sank the gaff in the king's side 20 minutes after the bite.
The team boated two smaller kings in addition to the 31.50-pound fish. Prime Time gave a thank you to Coastal Carolina Marine.
Shannon Hollar on the Reel Culture captured SKA fifth place with a 30.85-pound king mackerel. The bite came at the Navy Wreck, around 40 miles off Ocean Isle Beach. A naked pogy trolled on the surface enticed the king to bite. Hollar had no difficulty locating a live well full of pogies just inside Shallotte Inlet.
The king immediately tore almost 300 yards of line off the reel. Following the long run, it took Hill around 20 minutes to get the fish to the boat, after which Hollar gaffed it.
The Reel Culture boated several dolphin and four other kings on Sunday, which Hollar described as sunny with a good chop on top of a three to four-foot sea.
Chris Carroll and the Wilmington-based Team McKee Craft finished on top of the SKA Class of 23', weighing a 27.70-pound king mackerel. Team McKee Craft was one of the few teams who elected to fish Saturday due to church obligations on Sunday. Carroll described conditions as a solid four to six-foot sea and 20 to 25 knot winds going out Carolina Beach Inlet at 6:30 a.m., and building throughout the day.
The Team McKee Craft king bit around 12:30 at the 30/30, where the McKee Craft was the only boat fishing. The king fell for a naked pogy, and Carroll had no difficulty catching a live well full of large ones at the Carolina Beach boat basin.
Up until 10:15, the team had only landed several dolphin and dealt with cut-offs from sharks. They considered moving but finally started hooking kings, which successively got bigger until they hooked the 27-pound fish after 12:00 noon. Team McKee Craft thanked McKee Craft, Webb's Fiberglass and Calusa Cast Nets for their sponsorship.
The Top SKA Lady Angler in the Got-Em-On Classic was Mary Pendergrass, aboard the Mr. Goodhands, a 29' Yamaha-powered Century out of Wilmington, North Carolina. The Mr. Goodhands team brought a king mackerel weighing 25.20 pounds to the scales.
They coaxed their fish to bite just north of the Georgetown jetties at around 11:00. The king ate a naked pogy fished on top. The team easily found a live well full of pogies just inside the jetties.
After biting, the fish smoked 200 yards of line off Pendergrass' reel, but could not go deep as it was hooked near the beach in about 15' of water. It took Pendergrass around 15 minutes to regain the line and bring the fish to the boat. Toby Russ, also the Captain, gaffed the fish. Also aboard were Andy and Rusty Russ.
The Top Lady Angler payout brought the Mr. Goodhands team a check for $2500. They thanked Emerald Marine, Century Boats and Yamaha Outboard Motors.
The Top Junior Angler in this event was Joshua Henderson aboard the Cape Carteret-based Liquid Fire, a 25' Contender powered by 200 Yamaha Saltwater Series motors. His fish weighed 25.80 pounds.
A naked bluefish accounted for the bite, which came at 8:00 a.m. while they were 32 miles from Bogue Inlet near the 200/200 ledge. Co-Captain Mark Henderson caught bluefish and pogies for bait near Harker's Island.
Their king skied on the bait, cutting it in half, and then returned for the second half of the blue. After eating the bait, the fish did not make the signature king mackerel run, apparently unaware it was hooked.
When Joshua put some pressure on the fish, it made a short run. This forced Mark to chase it with the boat. Once the boat was near the fish, Mark sank the gaff in its side. The Top Junior Angler position netted the Liquid Fire team a check for $5251.
Joshua was fishing with co-Captains Mark Henderson and Chris Waters and fellow anglers Crockett and Charles Henderson. The Liquid Fire team thanked Carolina BG, Andy's of Swansboro, Terminator Titanium Wire, TICA Fishing Tackle, Spro/Gamakatsu, Xtools, Fairway Restaurant and Dr. James Wells, D.D.S. for their sponsorship.
Tournament organizer Ty Cobb wished to emphasize that proceeds from this event went to benefit the Carolina and Kure Beach Fire Departments, as well as the Got-Em-On Live Bait Club.
Cobb went on to thank all of the tournament sponsors, especially the Golden Anchor sponsors that include: Randy Gibson Allstate Insurance, Sea Coast Coldwell Banker Realty, Clark General Contractors, Taylor's Heating and Air and Secof Construction Company. For more information on the Got-Em-On Classic King Mackerel Tournament, you can visit www.got-em-on-classic.com.

Final Standings

1.   REMEDY..................................... 52.85
      Parker/Yamaha
      Hal Wells

2.   LOGAN’S RUN............................ 40.15
      Yellowfin/Yamaha
      D. Logan
      David Logan

3.   Heat Seeker................................ 34.90

4.   CONTEND THIS.......................... 33.10
      Contender/Yamaha
      Hunter Woodell
      Lyle Phillips

5.   PRIME TIME............................... 31.50
      Donzi/Mercury
      Jim Milam
      Jamie Milam
      Jason Milam
      Michael Milam
      Mark Bullard

6.   REEL CULTURE........................... 30.85
      Wellcraft/Yamaha
      Shane Hollar

7.   HOT ROD................................... 30.60
      Contender/Yamaha
      Brett Barnes
      Alan Barnes

8.   Man-O-War................................. 28.60

9.   BIG BAD WOLF.......................... 28.50
      Contender/Yamaha
      Stacy Wester
      Field Hucks

10. GAMBLER................................... 28.50
      Hydra-Sports/Evinrude
      Allen Kinney

11. TEAM McKEE CRAFT.................. 27.70
      McKee Craft/Yamaha
      Chrtistos Carroll

12. Talkin Trash................................ 26.70

13. LIQUID FIRE.............................. 25.80
      Contender/Yamaha
      Mark Henderson
      Chris Waters
      Charles Henderson
      Joshua Henderson
      Crockett Henderson

14. MOON DOGGIE........................... 24.95
      Contender/Yamaha
      Billy Emmart
      Mark Emmart
      Maurice Emmart

15. NAUTI LADY.............................. 24.70
      Hydra-Sports/Yamaha
      Boyce Broadwell

      Class of 23’

1.   Wild Thing................................... 32.55

2.   Southern Sport Fishing................. 28.11

3.   TEAM McKEE CRAFT.................. 27.70
      McKee Craft/Yamaha
      Chrtistos Carroll

SKA Top Lady Angler
Mary Pendergrass.............................. Mr. Goodhands

SKA Top Junior Anglers
Sponsored by Profinder Fishing Charts

1st Joshua & Crockett Henderson........ Liquid Fire
2nd Nick Chase.................................. The Chase
3rd David Jackson.............................. Live Line