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more Mercury Trail stories<< NAUTIGULL WINS INAUGURAL BMI KINGS FOR KIDS EVENT!
Sullivan’s Team Scales a 35.98 in Beaufort, South Carolina
By John Zalud
Beaufort, South Carolina—As a District Manager for Food Lion stores, Chad Sullivan obviously needs an escape from his very demanding employment. He chooses king mackerel fishing. A three-year veteran of the association, Sullivan came through with a big win in the inaugural BMI event just south of his hometown in Charleston. He ran 22 miles from the scale in heavy seas in his Yamaha powered Wellcraft. “I wanted to fish the Betsy Ross Reef,” said a tired Sullivan. “I had a ribbonfish on one downrigger and a pogy on the other. My king hit the ribbon but missed the hooks. I thought, that’s my luck, but then she hit the pogy. I was trolling in 70 feet of water and the pogy was 30 feet down.”
At the scale, Sullivan was but one of 18 teams weighing. His fish was the heaviest at 35.98 pounds. He is now 31st in the standings, however, others in the Division have two or three fish to his one. Nothin Like It’s Ricky Rowell earned second place honors with a 34.76. With Nicholas Rowell, Andrew Lathrom, and Chad Stewart on the Mercury powered Contender team, they set out for Sea Brook Beach. Unlike Sullivan, this team opted to fish shallow, 18 feet to be exact. “We were 35 miles from the scale,” quipped Rowell. “We only saw one king and it wasn’t until 1:45. She ate a double pogy rig off the long line.” Nicholas, who ended up the event’s Top Junior Angler, fought the king to Latham’s gaff. Nothin Like It is now your Division leader with a three fish aggregate of 85.44 pounds and a 21.75 drop fish.
Bert Harvey, David Morris, and Jim Roberts ran the Yamaha powered Juggernaut into third place. They ran 50 miles from the scale and set up in 87 feet of water. “We had our 30.86 pound king in the boat at 10:05,” said Harvey. “She ate a pogy on a medium line and Jim picked up the rod, Bert helped clear lines and waited gaff in hand. It should have been easy until a ten-foot hammerhead showed up. It made for some tough maneuvering.” The team caught six other kings but none bigger than the 31.
Hot off a big win at the Golden Isles leg of the Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour, Greg and Jeff Weathers on the Yamaha powered Contender, Triple Gobble, picked up fourth with a 28.62. “We ran north 59 miles to Edisto and went to work in 71 feet of water,” explained Jeff. “We had a bad storm come through in the morning, but at noon we got our shot. We were trolling a pogy 35 feet down which she ate. I grabbed the rod and a few minutes later Greg sunk the steel into her shoulder.” It was really a good day for the team who released 12 other kings. Chalk up fifth place to Scott Pope’s Tall Tail. “We used our local knowledge of Gray’s Reef which is 50 miles south,” said Pope. “We were in 69 feet of water and trolling a pogy 31 feet below the surface. It hit at 2:30, Ryan Harrison grabbed the rod and minutes later she came over the gunwale.” The team released three other kings none of which was bigger than the 28 pounder that hit the scale.
Rare Form with Jess Fisher and John Thibodeau was next on the top fifteen list, sixth. They too set their sites on Edisto Beach, a 58-mile run. “It was a real late bite for us. She didn’t come into the boat till close to four o’clock,” said Fisher. “She ate a pogy in the prop wash. Bait was hard for us to find and we only saw one other king.” The scale read 27.86 for the Yamaha powered Contender team. The event paid only one place in the Class of 23, which was won by Tommy Herndon with a 25.38. He also got eighth place money. Chalk up another team that dropped baits at Edisto beach. “We only saw one fish and she hit at 6:30am,” said Herndon who was fishing with Tom Bowen and Andy Anderson. “Actually it was our first bait in the water.” This is the team’s first win. They fish a Yamaha powered Clearwater which they purchased from Low Country Marine who helps sponsor the team.
David Ballard’s Iron Man picked up seventh with a 26.70 while David Hartness found ninth on the leaderboard with a 24.20. Both teams fish a Contender. Because of the bad weather that moved into the area, only 18 teams weighed fish.
The tournament staff was quite excited about their inaugural event and rightfully so. It was a huge success. This is a gung-ho group who want to raise money for their charity, but more importantly, want to be regarded as being one of the best in the country. They made giant strides toward achieving those goals!
SIDEBAR
The Beaufort marine Institute (BMI) is a non-profit residential facility that serves as an alternative to prison for juvenile offenders ages14 to 17. BMI provides a second chance for young men who would otherwise be sent to jail for their non-violent offenses. Seven Beaufortonians who saw the need for a facility to help save these young men founded it in 1985. Since then BMI has shown hundreds of young South Carolina men a way to change their lives for the better.
BMI keeps young men from re-offending by inspiring them to change the way they think, behave, and live. With guidance, support and enforced limits, delinquent youth can develop into confident, well adjusted and law abiding adults. Results prove this theory: 75% of BMI graduates don’t commit another crime. BMI cares about the kids society has given up on and gives them the tools they need to succeed in life. At BMI, structure, discipline, love and positive role models make the difference, ’one kid at a time.’
BMI is a member of the nationwide family of Associated Marine Institutes, BMI is a 501c (3) charitable organization funded by the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, United Way of Beaufort County, a federal grant from Title I, sale of donated boats and cars, the annual croquet tournament fundraiser, private donations, and now the kingfish tournament.
FINAL STANDINGS:
BMI KINGS FOR KIDS
BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA
DIVISION 3:
|
| 1. |
NAUTIGULL •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
35.98 |
| Wellcraft/Yamaha
Chad Sullivan
|
| 2. |
NOTHIN LIKE IT •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
34.76 |
| Contender/Mercury
Ricky Rowell
Nicholas Rowell
Andrew Lathrom
Chad Stewart
|
| 3. |
JUGGERNAUT ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
30.86 |
| Contender/Yamaha
Bert Harvey
David Morris
Jim Roberts
|
| 4. |
TRIPLE GOBBLE •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
28.62 |
| Contender/Yamaha
Jeff Weathers
Greg Weathers
|
| 5. |
TALL TAIL •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
28.04 |
| Contender/Yamaha
Scott Pope
|
| 6. |
RARE FORM ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
27.86 |
| Contender/Yamaha
Jess Fisher
John Thibodeau
|
| 7. |
IRON MAN••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
26.70 |
| Contender/Yamaha
D. Ballard
Dowell Coker
|
| 8. |
OUTKAST••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
25.38 |
| Clearwater/Yamaha
Tommy Herndon
Tom Bowen
Andy Anderson
|
| 9. |
POLE DANCER •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
24.20 |
| Contender/Yamaha
David Hartness
Brent Ballard
Joel Wood
|
| 10. |
My Time Out•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
22.48 |
| 11. |
DOWN THE LINE •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
22.34 |
| Everglades/Yamaha
Julian Weston
Ed Clayton
Robert Krueger
|
| 12. |
Marvs Outboard ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
19.08 |
| 13. |
MANGLER •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
18.52 |
| Contender/Yamaha
Mo Mangan
Tom Mangan
Clinton Beck
|
| 14. |
CODE RED •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
18.42 |
| Donzi/Yamaha
David Karwacki
Anthony Audesey
Allen Dixon
|
| 15. |
LIKE 2 FISH •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
16.10 |
| Contender/Yamaha
Mark Drolshagen
Bosie Piquet
Randel Baird
Pete Ferarra
Frank Brigman
|
CLASS OF 23: |
| 1. |
OUTKAST••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
25.38 |
TOP JUNIOR |
|
Nicholas Rowell•••••••••••••• |
NOTHING LIKE IT |
TOP LADY |
|
Donna Smith••••••••••••••••• |
DADDY’S MONEY |
Weather: |
| Winds SW 20 to 25 mph. |
| Seas 6 to 8 feet |
| Seas 10 foot in heavy squalls.
|
 |
