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High winds and nasty seas met anglers participating in the 20th Annual Wrightsville Beach King Mackerel Tournament, the final event on the SKA Division 12 tournament circuit. Held October 19th through the 21st, with a Captain's choice format allowing teams to fish Friday the 20th or Saturday the 21st, the event tested Captains’ and crews’ abilities to find and land big kings in rough water.

Just 30 boats of the 158 registered chose to battle five- to eight-foot seas and fish on Friday, but two of the top five fish, including team Rawhide's 40.15-pound, overall first place king mackerel were caught the first day.

Saturday's fishing produced some big fish as well, such as Smithfield, North Carolina-based Nail It team's 36.45-pound, SKA first place fish. Tim, Todd and Sterling Casey caught the king Saturday aboard their Mercury powered 234 Mako, and they won a total of $7,815. The 36-pound fish not only gave the Nail It crew the SKA victory in the Wrightsville Beach Event, it also earned them first place in the Class of 23' and named Sterling Casey the SKA Top Junior Angler.

The Caseys had not even planned to fish the Wrightsville Beach tournament, as they usually fish Division 2 events; however, a friend caught some big kings up to 40 pounds at a spot east of Lookout Shoals on the Wednesday before the tournament and called Tim Casey to give him the numbers to the spot. “That's when I told Todd we had to fish Wrightsville Beach,” Tim said, “and that's why we fished out of Division.”

Saturday morning found the Nail It crossing Lookout Shoals through Queen Anne's cut before dark, headed for their spot, which lay about a mile from the George Summerland artificial reef. Although the wind was blowing hard, Queen Anne's Cut lies close enough to the beach that crossing the shoals in the morning was not too bad for the 23' Mako.

As the sky got light, the Nail It reached their spot. Tim Casey said of the locale, “It holds bait, but according to the depth finder the bottom is pretty slick.”

After arriving, the Caseys began trolling a spread featuring both bluefish and menhaden they'd caught on Friday. They were also chumming with hand-ground menhaden. Almost immediately, a mid 20s king skied on a bait. After catching the fish, Tim Casey brought the boat back across the numbers where the king bit, and immediately another fish struck.

A live bluefish fooled the 36-pound king into striking right at 8:00 Saturday morning, and Todd Casey took the rod. The king took a solid run at first, staying on the surface, as Sterling Casey drove the boat towards the fish in the bumpy seas. The Casey crew followed the fish for around 15 minutes before it came within gaffing range. Once close, Tim Casey sank a gaff in the king and brought it aboard the Mako.

With the king in the boat at 8:20, the Nail It continued fishing the spot. They caught a few more kings and two citation-sized spanish mackerel before 9:00, when the wind shifted to the northeast. “When the wind changed directions, it was like flipping a switch off,” Tim Casey commented.

In addition to killing the hot bite, the wind change also made an already bumpy ocean turn very ugly. The team continued fishing, looking for a bigger king, but conditions deteriorated. “We took two or three waves over the bow while trolling,” said Casey.

Early in the afternoon, tired of dealing with the rough seas and not having caught any more fish, the Nail It crew decided to head for the scales, located at Wrightsville Beach Marina. Coming back across the shoals, the ocean looked significantly uglier than it had in the morning. The Nail It crossed without problems, and began running a few hundred yards off the beach, staying in the lee of the shore. The team ran the ocean to New River Inlet, and the Intracoastal Waterway back to the weigh-in.

The crew netted their pogies at Harker's Island on Friday, and caught the bluefish trolling spoons in Beaufort Inlet. The Caseys would like to thank their sponsors AW Rhodes Plumbing Co. and Bay Racer Marine of Havelock.

Wilmington's Reel Buzz fishing team, consisting of Chip Nifong, Wes Hege and Brian Schoenwisener, caught the SKA second place king mackerel, weighing 35.75 pounds. The crew won $7,231 with the king, which they caught aboard the Reel Buzz, a 21' Mercury powered Sea Pro. The fish also secured the 2006 Division 12 Class of 23' title for the Reel Buzz.

The Reel Buzz crew was trolling in Saturday's 15 to 20 north winds and five- to six-foot seas around the Cucumber when their big king struck around 10:30 a.m. The fish ate a naked pogy on top, and didn't take much line from Schoenwisener, who picked up the rod. However the king eventually realized it was hooked, and then took several long runs, staying deep throughout the fight. After about 15 minutes the fish tired and when it came to the boat, Nifong gaffed it.

After boating the third place king, the Reel Buzz crew continued trolling around the Cucumber for 30 minutes. With no other bites and a big fish in the boat, the team decided to head in and weigh their fish. The Reel Buzz caught menhaden with little difficulty just off the beach at Bald Head Island. They would like to express their continued gratitude to sponsor Brookelynn Premium Cigars of Wilmington.

Last year's Wrightsville Beach champion Allen Kinney and Shane Berry, fishing aboard the 24' Evinrude powered Hydra-Sport Gambler, caught the SKA third place 35.00-pound fish on Friday. The Oak Island-based Gambler also won money in both the High Roller and regular TWTs, for a total of $8,094. The 35-pound king placed the Gambler atop Division 12's Open Class for 2006.

Kinney and Berry caught their king trolling East of Frying Pan Shoals, around 13 miles off the beach in 55 feet of water. Kinney picked up the rod after the mackerel took a naked pogy on top, and the fish took off on a long run.

Ordinarily the crew would have chased the fish, but according to Kinney, “there wasn't much chasing.” This was due to the six- to eight-foot waves. Berry got the boat pointed down sea, and Kinney was able to work the fish to the vessel in around 10 minutes. When the tired fish was at the boat, Berry planted a gaff in it and brought it aboard. The Gambler crew also caught bait just off Bald Head, and it only took one toss of the net to get all they needed.

Braith Lovett, Sr.'s Godspeed, fishing out of Hampstead, North Carolina, took SKA fourth place with a 34.00-pound king. In addition to Lovett, Sr., the Godspeed team includes Captain Rusty Barnard, Jodie Gay and Braith Nelson Lovett, Jr. The Godspeed is a 34' Suzuki powered Yellowfin, and the crew took home $1,860 for their king. Lovett, Jr. was the SKA second place Junior Angler in this tournament.

The Godspeed was trolling East of Cape Lookout Shoals at the 1700 Rock when their king bit around 9:30 Saturday. The fish inhaled a blue and white skirted pogy trolled long on top, and Lovett, Jr., the team's designated angler, took the rod as the king began a 250-yard run. The crew then cleared all the lines, and with Gay at the helm the Yellowfin chased the king down. The long run didn't fully tire the king, and when the Godspeed caught up to the fish it went deep, taking Lovett, Jr. around the boat.

After coming to the surface and going back down several times, Lovett, Jr. worked the king close to the boat, where Barnard waited with the gaff. Barnard swung the fish into the boat around 25 minutes after it struck.

The Godspeed stayed at the 1700 Rock searching for a bigger king until 12:30, when finally sick of dealing with six-foot seas with a five second period, they decided to head for Wrightsville and the scales.

Lovett, Sr. was pleased with the Godspeed's finish in the Wrightsville Beach King Mackerel Tournament, but was even more excited that the 34-pound king qualified the team to fish in the Nationals, which was their goal coming into the event.

Lovett, Sr. wished to thank Tex's Tackle, Blue Water Candy Lures, Seapath Marina, Saltwater Marine, Yellowfin and Suzuki for the roles they played in the Godspeed's success. He also lamented the absence of usual Godspeed crew member Captain Russell Weaver.

SKA fifth place went to Mike Jackson and the Wrightsville Beach-based Live Line fishing team, with a 32.10-pound king. Mike's son David took third place SKA Junior Angler, as well.

A 28.15-pound king put the Liquid Fire team in SKA ninth place, but more importantly, it put the team's two Junior Anglers, Crockett and Joshua Henderson, in a tie for first place Junior Angler in 2006 Division 12 competition. It also gave Charles Henderson first place Senior Angler for the Division.

The Wrightsville Beach King Mackerel Tournament benefits the UNCW Seahawk Club, which helps provide scholarships for student athletes, and the Wrightsville Beach Lions Club.

Wrightsville Beach Final Standings

1.   Raw Hide.................................................. 40.15

2.   NAIL IT................................................... 36.45
      Mako/Mercury
      Tim Casey
      Todd Casey
      Sterling Casey

3.   REEL BUZZ.............................................. 35.75
      Sea Pro/Mercury
      Chip Nifong
      Brian Schoenwiesner
      Wes Hege

4.   GAMBLER................................................ 35.00
      Hydra-Sports/Evinrude
      Allen Kinney

5.   GOD SPEED............................................. 34.00           
      Yellowfin/Suzuki
      Braith Lovett, Sr.
      Jodie Gay
      Braith Lovett, Jr.
      Rusty Barnard

6.   Liquid Asset.............................................. 33.10

7.   LIVE LINE............................................... 32.10
      Contender/Yamaha
      Mike Jackson
      David Joyner
      David Jackson

8.   SATISFIED............................................. 32.05
      Cape Horn/Yamaha
      Allen Rippy, Jr.
      Michael Davis, Jr.

9.   FRICK N FISHIN...................................... 31.35
      Triton/Mercury
      Lee Frick
      Barrett McMullan

10. MISS LA.................................................. 30.55
      Fountain/Mercury
      Robby Brown
      Bob Brown
      Kevin Jones

11. Reel Thrill................................................. 28.45

12. LIQUID FIRE........................................... 28.15
      Contender/Yamaha
      Mark Henderson
      Chris Waters
      Charles Henderson
      Joshua Henderson
      Crockett Henderson

Class of 23’

1.   Fish Whistle............................................... 27.45

2.   Fish-A-Billity............................................. 25.80

3.   REEL MUSIC............................................ 24.30
      Contender/Yamaha
      Gaston Hughes
      Tolly Hughes

SKA Top Junior Anglers
Sponsored by Profinder Fishing Charts
1st Sterling Casey........................................... Nail It
2nd Braith Lovett, Jr........................................ God Speed
3rd David Jackson........................................... Live Line