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The weather facing participants in the fourth annual Rumble in the Jungle King Mackerel Tournament was uncharacteristically cool for mid-October, but the temperatures and stiff north winds didn't discourage a record 161 boats from registering and fishing the event, which took place October 13th and 14th, 2006 at Harbourgate Marina in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

However, overnight lows in the mid-40s and a breeze gusting to 20 mph did have the fishing teams dressed more like they were after mid-January bluefin tuna instead of early fall king mackerel.

Crushing the competition by over 14 pounds, the Lured Away team out of Houston, Texas weighed a 52.48-pound king on Saturday afternoon to finish first. Fishing aboard their 38' Donzi powered by three 275 Mercury Verados, Captain Albert Vrazel and teammates Chico Chamorro, Sharon Kamp and Bobby Schoenfeld earned a check for $15,895 with the big king. Kamp was the event's Top Lady Angler, winning an additional check for $750. The 52-pound king also contributed to Lured Away's second place finish on the Yamaha Pro Tour, with a seven-fish aggregate weight of 273.58 pounds.

A naked bluefish trolled long on top got the winning mackerel's attention at 1:00 Saturday afternoon. The big Donzi was trolling with a number of other boats around the Summerland Reef, located just east of Cape Lookout Shoals. When the fish hit, Vrazel grabbed the rod.

“The king ran like he had three gears and he shifted all three,” commented Schoenfeld.

With the reel's spool getting small, the team hurriedly pulled the spread and began pursuing the fish. Schoenfeld then said, “The next thing we knew, we were chasing a 27' Contender.”

As it turned out, the Lured Away king had gotten around another boat's downrigger. The team in the Contender, who were fishing the TOFC King Mackerel Tournament, pulled up their downrigger and cleared the line only to have it tangle with one of their surface baits.

“They were super about the ordeal,” noted Schoenfeld, as he thanked them for untangling the line and freeing the Lured Away to fight their fish.

No longer tangled with the other boat, the huge king took off on a long run. The crew, with Schoenfeld at the helm, followed. When the team had nearly caught up to the king, Schoenfeld told Chamorro, “When you get the gaff ready, I'm going to turn around him and cut him off.” The maneuver worked perfectly, and Chamorro gaffed the fish around 25 minutes after it bit.

With the big fish in the boat, the Lured Away had to hurry to make the 130-mile run back to the 4:30 p.m. weigh-in close at Harbourgate Marina. However, running 60 mph down the Intracoastal Waterway, the crew made it with time to spare.

The Lured Away had a few other bites over the day, but the 52-pound king was the only one they landed. In Myrtle Beach they bought blue runners and goggle-eyes that had come from Florida, as well as bluefish and menhaden. The team wished to thank all their sponsors, including Donzi, Mercury, American Fishing Wire, Pelagic Clothing, CK Blanton Electronics, Accurate Reels and E-SeaRider Bean Bags.

The Hooked for Reel fishing team, hailing from Jacksonville, Florida, took second place in the Rumble in the Jungle with a 38.21-pound king mackerel. David Howard and sons Adam and Cory Howard caught the fish Saturday aboard their 32' Mercury powered Fountain. They pocketed $9,532, with Cory receiving an additional $500 as the Top Junior Angler in the tournament.

The Hooked for Reel king bit a naked single pogy rig as the Howards trolled an area of live bottom 100 miles south of Murrell's Inlet in 100 feet of water. The strike came around 1:30 Saturday afternoon, and the king came completely out of the water with the bait in its mouth.

After the dramatic bite, Adam Howard grabbed the rod, and the king took off on a solid run. When Adam worked the fish back to the boat, it took a shorter run, staying on the surface. The next time he pumped the fish back to the boat was the last, and his father sank the gaff in the 38-pound king about 10 minutes after it bit.

Fishing in the same area all day, the Hooked for Reel team also caught four smaller kings. They had no difficulty catching a livewell full of menhaden in Murrell's Inlet on the morning of the tournament. David Howard wished to express gratitude to team sponsors Fountain, Mercury, Loadmaster Trailers, Raymarine and Scotty Downriggers for the roles they played in the Hooked for Reel's success in the tournament.

Third place went to the Port St. Lucie, Florida-based Bandit fishing team for a 37.01-pound fish. A check for $5,958 went back to Florida with Captain Ron Mitchell, Justin Burgreen, Tom Kenney, Curt Johnson and David Pendergraft, who were all fishing aboard the 36' Yamaha powered Contender on Saturday.

The king mackerel they caught at Little River secured the Bandit team's spot as Yamaha Pro Tour Angler of the Year. With a 283.14-pound aggregate weight for the season, they edged out tournament winners Lured Away by nearly 10 pounds.

The Bandit crew was pulling a double pogy rig 40 feet deep on the downrigger when the third place king bit around 1:30. They were trolling around the Parking Lot.

Kenney was the first to the rod, and he picked it up as the mackerel began the first of two solid runs. After the runs the fish dove, circling the boat in a tug of war with the angler that lasted 20 minutes overall. When the king finally surfaced, Burgreen was ready with the gaff and put the fish in the boat.

It took the Bandit a fair amount of time and effort to secure bait for the tournament, as the pogies weren't flipping on the surface. After marking them with the electronics, however, it only took one toss of the cast net to catch plenty for the day. Mitchell wished to thank all the Bandit's sponsors, including Yamaha, Contender, Ande, Raymarine, Loadmaster, Costa Del Mar, Cannon, Rugged Shark, Reflex Rods, E-SeaRider and Fish Flow.

The hometown team Mining My Bidness took fourth place, hauling a 31.28-pound kingfish to the scales aboard their 38' Mercury powered Donzi. Chuck Permenter, Patrick Bellamy, Todd Sanders and Kent Taylor made up the Little River, South Carolina crew, and they won $2,400 with their fish.

The bite came on a naked hardtail trolled long at 8:30 Saturday morning. The team was fishing in the Cape Fear Shipping Channel when the king struck, and Todd Sanders took the rod. Initially, the mackerel made a short run and went deep, but after a quick fight it began to swim back towards the boat. Bellamy was waiting for the fish with a gaff, and when it got within range, he planted it and brought the king aboard. The entire fight lasted less than 10 minutes.

The Mining My Bidness crew easily caught pogies on the beach near Oak Island's Ocean Crest Pier. In addition, they purchased hardtails at Harbourgate Marina. They thanked sponsors Donzi, Hi-Seas and P Mining.

Team Simrad caught the fifth place 30.79-pound king aboard yet another 38' Mercury powered Donzi. Mark Maus, Heath Daughtry and Mark Smith comprise the Sarasota, Florida-based team, and they earned $1,900 for fifth.

The Simrad team was trolling around the Cabbage Patch when their king struck a naked pogy on top around 3:30 Saturday. Knowing that if they didn't land the fish quickly they wouldn't be able to make the weigh-in closing time, Daughtry picked up the rod and the crew began to pursue their king aggressively. The fish managed to run about 150 yards before the big Donzi caught up to it and Maus was able to gaff it.

With the fish in the boat at 3:40 and the scales closing at 4:30, the Simrad ran back to Harbourgate Marina at a blistering 75 mph. Their muscle paid off as they made it just in time to weigh their fish.

In addition to the fifth place fish, the Simrad caught over 20 other kings, some spanish mackerel and a shark. The Simrad crew would like to thank their sponsors Simrad, Mercury, Donzi and Myco. They would also like to give a big thanks to Randy Nader on the Exterminader for calling them in to the big kings.

Topping the Class of 23’ the Reel Buzz crew, from Wilmington, North Carolina, weighed a 23.72-pound fish that earned them $3,220. Chip Nifong and teammates Brian Schoenwiesner and Wes Hege caught the king aboard the 21' Mercury powered Sea Pro. The 23.72-pound king put Reel Buzz in the lead of the Class of 23' in Division 12, and they also are leading in the Class of 23’ in Division 9.

The Reel Buzz was trolling in four- to six-foot seas at the Jungle when they caught their king. They were the only single-engine boat at the spot. The fish ate a double pogy rig with a silver and red skirt around 12:30, and Schoenwiesner grabbed the rod. The king made three long runs and the rough seas made chasing it difficult. After the third run, however, the king came to the boat nearly dead, and Nifong gaffed it.

Aside from the nearly 24-pound fish, the Reel Buzz crew caught plenty of other kings, a 5-pound spanish and some sharks. They caught bait Saturday morning on the beach just west of Shallotte Inlet. Nifong wished to express gratitude to the team's sponsor, Brookelynn Premium Cigars of Wilmington.

Tournament organizer Fred Coyne thanks sponsors West Marine and Outback Steakhouse, the SKA and tournament host Harbourgate Marina.

Although logically the weekend's unpleasant forecast and competing tournaments on the same weekend should have cut down entries to the 2006 Rumble in the Jungle, the record number of teams succeeded in landing several kings that would have broken the Rumble’s previous tournament record of 34.58-pounds. This confirms the Rumble in the Jungle’s status as one of the area's premier tournaments, as it continues to grow every year.