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more Mercury Trail stories<< THE FLYING BUTTON IS IN THE WINNER’S CIRCLE IN ST. MARY’S
Bethencourt Wins a Chevy Truck with a 40.31-Pounder!
 by Jack Holmes
St. Mary’s, Georgia - Manny Bethencourt called me before noon, asking if it was OK to anchor off the weigh-in site. I told him it wasn’t against the rules and asked if he had a good fish. “I think she will go 40,” was his response. When the scales opened in the GMC Trucks St. Mary's Kingfish Classic, Manny gave the fish to the weighmaster and sure enough, it went 40.31. The fish was only challenged once, by the second place team the Double K, with a 39.83.
“We ran to the Elton Bottom,” explained Manny after the last fish was weighed. “I’ll always go there, it's my favorite spot.” The team of Jimmy Hubbs, who caught the winner, and Steven Mousa, who ran the fish down, went 68 miles and set up in 102 feet of water. “It was the first line in the water,” explained Manny who gaffed the king and is the Captain of the Flying Button. “She hit a blue runner on a long line, then made two runs of about 50 feet each, and then came to the surface and rolled over on her belly.” At eight a.m. the team turned the keys to ignite the big Mercurys and pointed the Donzi to the west.
For their efforts The Flying Button team went home with $11,000 and the keys to a new GMC 1500 Sierra Crew Cab truck.
Jacksonville's Kevin Faver, local television personality and fishing guide, has been looking for his first win in SKA competition. It almost happened in St. Mary's; the popular Captain was just about a half-pound shy. He still won a Mercury OptiMax outboard and some cash, not bad for a day’s work. But I think the fact his wife Carrie won the Top Lady honors meant more to him.
“We dropped our 24-foot Everglades bay boat in the water in St. Augustine,” Faver told John Zalad, the SKA representative at the event. “We went to the Red Tops and were fishing in 65 feet of water. At two o'clock she hit a ribbonfish down 35 feet. It took us 30 minutes to get her in the boat, she was tail-wrapped.” The team then picked up and ran 47 miles to the scale.
Greg Peters and George Sanborn ran the Rae-Jen, a 23' Yamaha powered Contender, into third with a nice 38.55. “We pre-fished on Friday,” said Peters. “We fished off the St. Mary's inlet in 60 feet of water, and went right back there on Saturday. It was our third bait in the water at 7:40 a.m.” The king ate a blue runner on a medium line and Peters did the angling honors. Third place was definitely better money than Class of 23’ so that's where the computer placed the team. They won some great Raymarine Electronics and cash.
Kevin Marsh is fishing his first year in the SKA, and he used his local experience at the Red Tops to capture fourth with a nice 37.08-pound king. “It was 11:30 when she hit a blue runner off the downrigger set 30 feet deep,” said Marsh. “We were 61 miles from the scale and this is our best finish so far in competition.” The Fishing A Loan is a Yamaha powered Hydra Sports. Fourth place was sponsored by Sign Zoo, which means the team got a certificate good towards a vinyl hull wrap plus cash.
Sixth place fell to Georgia's Ken Murray fishing his Yamaha powered Yellowfin, the Backlash. “We found bait all over the beach but went south of Gray's Reef,” said Murray, who was joined by Cliff Murray, Mike Blackerby and Scott Donovan. “We were in 80 feet of water on the hook. The 34.52-pound king came up in our chum slick and hit a double pogy rig at 3:15.”
SKA fishermen were represented very well in the third event in Division 4. Fifth place out of 15 places in the Open Class and only one place out of five in the Class of 23’ were non-members. SKA fisher people just fish harder!
Sanford Carter's Contender, the Knot Sure, picked up seventh scaling a 34.26 while the Rodeffers, W.D., Ryan and Dave, nailed eighth with a 33.85.
Saltrageous with Mike Reed at the helm captured ninth with a 33.73 and Jimmy, Mamie and Wess Mason earned tenth with a 32-pounder. Wess was the tournament’s Top Junior Angler.
Lon Bryan won the Class of 23’ with a 25.22. His Southbound team, Ryan Keith, Andy Miska and Tyler Eichholz, went back to their winning spot from 2006, the Elton Bottom. Last year this spot produced big kings for the Southbound and wins in Sapelo, Fernandina, the Kingbuster, Two Way, Captain Haps and Greater Jax. “She hit a blue runner at 11 a.m. in 110 feet of water,” said Bryant. “It took us 30 minutes to get her to the boat so we thought she was bigger.” They were 56 miles from the scale.
John White's Po White Boys nailed second in the Class, scaling a 23.99. “We went to the BR and Elton Bottom looking for our king,” said White. “She hit a pogy on a long line at 10:30 in 120 feet of water.” He fishes with Gary Denmark, Paul Beasley and Les Claxton.
As expected, Terry Atkins did a good job with this event and drew the largest group of contestants this season in Division 4. He gave away over $50,000 in prizes including the GMC Truck, plus the event generated nearly $45,000 in cash for the Camden County Rotary Club.
FINAL STANDINGS:
ST. MARY'S KINGFISH CLASSIC
ST. MARY’S, GEORGIA
DIVISION 4. |
| 1. |
THE FLYING BUTTON•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
40.31 |
| Donzi/Mercury
Jose “Manny” Bethencourt
Steven Mousa
Jimmy Hubbs
|
| 2. |
DOUBLE K •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
39.83 |
| Everglades/Suzuki
Kevin Faver
Roger Crossman
James Schulte
Carrie Faver
|
| 3. |
RAE-JEN •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
38.55 |
| Contender/Yamaha
Greg Peters
George Sanborn
|
| 4. |
FISHING A LOAN •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
37.08 |
| Hydra Sports/Yamaha
Kevin M. Marsh
|
| 5. |
Tighten Up••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• | 36.39 |
| 6. |
BACKLASH •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
34.52 |
| Yellowfin/Yamaha
Ken Murray
Cliff Murray
Mike Blackerby
Scott Donovan
|
| 7. |
KNOT SURE•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
34.26 |
| Contender/Yamaha
Sanford Carter
Bob Wedincamp
Bobby Wedincamp
Ford Carter
|
| 8. |
GAMEDAY •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
33.85 |
| Contender/Yamaha
Ryan Rodeffer
W.D. Rodeffer
Dave Rodeffer
|
| 9. |
SALTRAGEOUS•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
33.75 |
| Contender/Yamaha
Mike Reed
Gregg Howarter
Sam Roach
|
| 10. |
DOUBLE DOWN ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
33.73 |
| Hydra Sports/Evinrude
Phillip Waters
Tyrone Joyner
Walter Ray
Luke Joyner
Bud Harrison
|
| 11. |
GONE WISHIN’ •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
32.00 |
| Ranger/Mariner
Jimmy Mason
Mamie Mason
Wess Mason
|
| 12. |
PLUMB FUN •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
31.64 |
| ProSport/Yamaha
Michael E. Crabtree
Michael P. Crabtree
Rowdy Eunice
Charles Cooler
|
| 13. |
PLAYIN' TO WIN••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
28.77 |
| Privateer/Yamaha
Joe Bell
Richard Tuten
|
| 14. |
JET LAG •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
28.71 |
| Contender/Yamaha
Pete Owens
David Beam
Will Owens
Josh Owens
|
| 15. |
KATASTROPHIC•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
27.46 |
| ProKat/Yamaha
Ashley Thompson
Missy Thompson
|
CLASS OF 23’: |
| 1. |
SOUTHBOUND•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
26.89 |
| Contender/Yamaha
Lon Bryant
Ryan Keith
Andy Miska
Tyler Eichholz
|
| 2. |
PO WHITE BOY•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
23.99 |
| Sailfish/Yamaha
John White
Gary Denmark
Paul Beasley
Les Claxton
|
| 3. |
BLACK LABEL•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
23.46 |
| Jeff Silverthorn
Jim Shovey
Tommy Anderson
Stephen Cooper
|
| 4. |
Jazzy Genia••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• | 22.94 |
| 5. |
JUST FISHIN ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
22.62 |
| Mako/Suzuki
Lee Southard
Mike McGaughey
Robert Starling
Tracey Shaw
Zach Shaw
|
TOP LADY: |
| DOUBLE K •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
Carrie Faver |
TOP JUNIOR: |
| GONE WISHIN’ •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
Wess Mason |
TOP SKA JUNIOR ANGLERS
Presented by Guy C. Lee Building Materials: |
| GONE WISHIN’ •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
Wess Mason |
| JET LAG •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
Josh & Will Owens |
| FULL HOUSE •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
Ridge Bradley |
|
