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Savannah, Georgia - When a team gets hot, look out. That's exactly what's happened to Randy Nader's Exterminader team. Randy, Ray Nader, Jerry Moulton and Lance Cote picked up a nice win in Division 10's Canaveral tournament and a Yamaha powered Contender boat. Then they finished seventh in the Greater Jacksonville and now picked up the $40,000 top prize in the fourth leg of the Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour in Savannah.

On day one of the tour event the Exterminader ran south to Gray's Reef where Cote bagged a 34.89. “We had some good baits we bought,” explained Randy. “Good blue runners, but we had also jigged up some pogies. We used the runners for teasers. It was a pogy weekend for us.” On day two they ran to the humps straight off of Savannah where Ray added a 31.23 to their total. The 66.12 aggregate was nearly six pounds better than any other team. “The only thing I regret is not having Sam on board, she's back in school,” added Randy, referring to his daughter who has been on the boat all summer and is regarded to be a very accomplished angler. The Jacksonville, Florida, team fishes a Yamaha powered Contender and moved to eleventh in the overall standings.

Richard Stone's Tail Chaser was the top Fountain team earning second with a two-fish aggregate of 60.62. Richard, Randy Wilson, Rickey Sirmon and Bill Baldwin fished south and caught both of their kings on ribbonfish. “There's been a lot of good fish caught this season off the Snapper Banks,” said Stone. “We tried to get to the other side of the small front to the south of us. Fishing was really better there, but it was a long run.”  The Tail Chaser team needed the 24.10 and the 36.52, the biggest king caught in the event, to get them back in the chase for the title. “I still want to win that Rolex Reggie is giving away this year,” Stone added.

Ron Hildum started the season with a new boat in the ditch thanks to a badly driven 18-wheeler. It's been uphill since then however. “It's tough dealing with the insurance people, but once that was behind us we went to work,” explained Hildum fishing his Mercury powered Donzi, Sweet Caroline II. “This is our rookie season so I don't think we're doing too bad.” After Savannah, the team sits in 13th place in overall standings, very good indeed.

“We fished Gray's Reef both days and caught our 21.52 on a ribbonfish on Friday, then added a nice 34.74 on Saturday,” said Hildum. “We flipped a bottle cap to determine which way we were going to go. South won. But I have to say the team really worked their butts off this weekend and it paid off.” Ronald Hildum, Sr. was the event’s Top Senior Angler.

James “Bear” Croft picked up fourth overall with 52.26 points. Bear, Eddie Claxton, Jack Ross and Rick Dopson decided to fish about 30 miles southeast of the Savannah River, in 95 to 100 feet of water. “Jack caught both fish,” said Bear. They bagged a 33.15 on the first day but could only scale a 19.11 on day two. “This definitely wasn't the best fishing we've seen this year. It was tough out there, so we're really happy to pick up fourth.”

Rounding out the top five was Luis Urbay's Rabbit's Foot with a two-fish aggregate of 50.56 pounds. “We had a nice 32-pounder on the first day but couldn't back her up,” said Urbay, who Captains a Yamaha powered Contender. “We're learning, this is our rookie season and we are fishing against the best in the country and doing pretty good.” The team, which includes Nolbert Rodriquez, Luis Urbay, Sr. and Santiago Gonzales, comes from South Florida. They are really fishing in unfamiliar waters this season but they have heart. In a very short time this team will be banging on the number one spot.

So who's going to win the 2006 Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour? It will be the team who surpasses 270 points, and after Savannah only a handful can attain that number. Remember that last year the top team, Final Strike, won with 245 points. There are already three teams who have surpassed that number and there's one event left.

Think about this. Ron Mitchell's Bandit team can do it but Little River could be their Achilles heel. When have they fished there? Can they get local info? Will the pressure eat them up? No, it will come down to them and another team on day two. Who will the other team be? Alden Thornton's Team Hooters or John Griffin's Line One?  Only if the Fountain team gets behind them just like the Donzi team when they came together on Carolina's Outer Banks in '98 to help Steve Shook win it all.

Marcus Kennedy has never been closer to the title, and everyone has to admit, he has to be one of the five best overall saltwater fishermen in the country. This is his shot but he is going to have to dig out a 40-pounder. I wouldn't bet against him, however.
  
There are others, Loose Lucy and Lured Away, but the two most won't look at have my attention. Dave Workman, Jr.'s Strike Zone and Scott Elliott's Use of Proceeds. Dave has won the title three times and I've watched him turn it up a notch. Will he do it here? Absolutely! The same with Scott Elliott, he could have put a hurting on everyone in Savannah but floundered. That's not like this team. Two 30-pound fish and they've won it. They've got to go to work but I still put them on an even par with the top three teams in the standings. They had a taste of the glory last year picking up fourth, so I really don't think they'll settle for anything less than number one.
  
One thing is certain, the final event of the Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour will be one of the best ever, capping a season that will go down in the record books.
  
Only 2.62 pounds separated sixth place from tenth in the tournament. David Heavenridge's Top Gun team picked up sixth with a 21.71 and a 28.58 for 50.29 points while Dan Hess's Team Chaos was right behind with a 25.67 and a 22.83 for 48.50 points. Top Gun's Cameron Heavenridge was the event’s Top Junior Angler.
  
Glenn Slaughter's Carolina Girl beat out Randy Comans' Voyager by less than a pound. Slaughter's team posted a 48.34 aggregate thanks to a nice 31.62 caught on day one while Comans nailed a 30 .36 on day one but ended with 47.72 pounds. They were eighth and ninth.
  
The Woithe family on The Reel Won, a Yamaha powered Contender, earned tenth with 47.67 points. Susan Woithe was the event’s Top Lady Angler.
  
Savannah was tough fishing but it's meant to be. Designing a Professional Tour must present many opportunities as well as pitfalls. Key West and Fourchon are both opportunities because you can scale big fish. Fort Pierce falls in between. There are good fish there but you have to work for them. Then comes Savannah where the field gets separated. The cream rises here because the skill level intensifies. Little River will prove to be the toughest test for those at the top. Everything you do here reflects which national number you'll carry next season. Make no mistake, this is the toughest test of skill in all of saltwater fishing. It's meant to be and it's where the best in the sport fish!        
    

YAMAHA PRO TOUR
SAVANNAH FINAL STANDINGS

1.   EXTERMINADER........................ 34.89/31.23 = 66.12
      Contender/Yamaha
      Randy Nader
      Ray Nader
      Jerry Moulton
      Lance Cote

2.   TAIL CHASER............................ 24.10/36.52 = 60.62
      Fountain/Mercury
      Richard Stone
      Randy Wilson
      Rickey Sirmon
      Bill Baldwin

3.   SWEET CAROLINE...................... 21.52/34.74 = 56.26
      Donzi/Mercury
      Ronald Hildum
      Ronnie Hildum, Sr.
      Alan Kumm
      Matt Everett
      Michael Syrakis III
      Doug Tuten

4.   BEAR CAUGHT........................... 33.15/19.11 = 52.26
      Yellowfin/Mercury
      James Croft
      Eddie Claxton
      Jack Ross
      Rick Dopson

5.   RABBIT'S FOOT......................... 32.38/18.18 = 50.56
      Contender/Yamaha
      Luis Urbay
      Nolbert Rodriquez
      Luis Urbay, Sr.
      Santiago Gonzales

6.   TOP GUN................................... 21.71/28.58 = 50.29
      Spectre/Mercury
      David Heavenridge
      Ron Kien
      Cameron Heavenridge
      Christian O'Ryan
      Warren Williams

7.   TEAM CHAOS............................. 25.67/22.83 = 48.50
      Yellowfin/Mercury
      Dan Hess
      Bill Wummer
      Andy Boozer

8.   CAROLINA GIRL......................... 31.62/16.72 = 48.34
      Donzi/Mercury
      Glenn Slaughter
      Gary Slaughter

9.   VOYAGER.................................. 30.36/17.36 = 47.72
      Rabco/Mercury
      Randy Comans
      David Norrie
      Robert Callahan

10. THE REEL WON.......................... 25.80/21.87 = 47.67
      Contender/Yamaha
      Robert Woithe, Sr.
      Susan Woithe
      Bob Woithe, PhD

11. MINING MY BIDNESS................. 27.33/18.16 =  45.49
      Donzi/Mercury
      Chuck Permenter
      Patrick Bellamy
      Kent Taylor
      Todd Sanders

12. SMOOTH RIDE............................ 24.06/21.42 = 45.48
      Fountain/Mercury
      George Roberts
      Clayton Kirby
      Rick Stoker
      Tommy Meyers
      Blake Roberts

13. TEAM SIMRAD............................ 22.38/23.10 = 45.48
      Donzi/Mercury
      Mark Maus
      Tripp Fletcher
      Heath Daughtry

14. IRRESISTIBLE........................... 26.51/18.40 = 44.91
      Fountain/Mercury
      Bruce Rutledge
      David Larue
      James Brazier
      Cindy Rutledge

15. BANDIT..................................... 22.92/21.85 = 44.77
      Contender/Yamaha
      Ronald Mitchell
      Curt Johnson
      David Pendergraft
      Tom Kenney



TOP LADY
SUSAN WOITHE................................. THE REEL WON

TOP JUNIOR
CAMERON HEAVENRIDGE................... TOP GUN

TOP SENIOR
RONALD HILDUM, SR......................... SWEET CAROLINE