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CREWS “N” 2 OUTBOARDS LANDS 39-POUNDER IN FERNANDINA!
25th Annual NSFA ToC Awards Crews Over 20 Grand!

by Jack Holmes

Fernandina Beach, Florida - Jim Crews and his team of Jim Tuten and Billy Roberts won the tournament Jim sponsors with a nice 39-pound king. Jim owns Crews “N” 2 Outboards with locations in Jacksonville and Yulee, and believes that you have to give back to the community that supports you. What a great tournament to win, the silver anniversary of one of the best events in the country, The Nassau Sport Fishing Association's Tournament of Champions.

“This is our best finish we've ever had in a SKA event,” said an excited Crews. The team fished south out of Jacksonville. “It was rough on Friday. We went out the inlet about five miles, and then turned south and trolled down to the Red Tops,” Crews explained. “We were in 44 feet of water with no fish. At 12:40 we put a ribbonfish 38 feet down on the downrigger. It got hit immediately and I grabbed the rod. She came in the boat just after just one long run.” Back at the weigh-in dock, Jim told SKA representative John Zalud, “We finally got one for a picture.” Jim fished a Yamaha powered Scout in the event.

The team won over $20,000 for their efforts. If you've never met Jim and his team, make sure to go over and introduce yourself at the Ancient City tournament. You will soon discover that they don't get any better than this.

Second place in the event was an aggregate weight of the two days, and was won by Sonny Elliott's Get Wet II, a Yamaha powered Contender. Sonny and his team of Steven Elliott, Ryan Cowan and Drew Lewis caught a 35.86 on Friday and backed it up with a 28.34 on day two for 64.20 points.

“We fished an area 48 miles from the scale and southwest of the Elton Bottom,” he told Johnny Z. Like Crews' king, Elliott's hit at virtually the same time, a little past noon. “We got ours on a ribbonfish 50 feet down.” The team made short order of getting her to the gaff, then made the boat ship-shape and came to the weigh-in dock. “We fished the same spot on Saturday.”

Elliott and his Get Wet team had just returned from Fourchon, Louisiana, the site of the third leg of the Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour, where he had an aggregate average of nearly 32 pounds. They’re doing just fine!

Third place fell to a non-member as did one other place in the top 20.

Robbie Bishop, his daughter Kirsten, his brother Ricky, and John Peiffer make up our fourth place team, Fishbuster. “We ran 45 miles off Jacksonville both days but only found small fish on Friday,” said Bishop. “We were in 90 feet of water and had released four small fish. It was about 11:15 when the 37-pound king ate a pogy on a long line. After 25 minutes she was in the boat and in the bag.”

For reasons unknown Robbie and the Fishbuster team should have received second place money in the Class but did not. Kirsten did, however, receive the event’s Top Lady Angler honors. If you recall she was our Top Lady Angler on the East Coast last year after winning the top spot in Division 5. This is a very talented lady.

Rounding out the top five was Carl Pecora and Kevin O'Meara on the All In, a Mercury powered Baha. Carl caught a 35.20 on day one after receiving some good information about the Red Tops area. “There were 5- to 6-foot seas so we took our time out there,” said Pecora, who feels a little better now about qualifying. “It was ten o'clock when she ate a goggle eye on a long line. We were in 48 feet of water.” Carl and Kevin have become a team you have to respect. They also won second place money in the Class of 23’.

Stephen Garman's Reel Slick team bagged a 33.36-pound king on day one and received sixth place money for their efforts. “We were 25 miles east of Jacksonville sitting in 102 feet of water,” said Garman who fishes with Paul Harnage and Kevin Grovenstein on the Honda powered Pro Line. “She attacked a ribbonfish down 85 feet at about 1:30. Paul fought the fish to gaff.” The team caught five other fish and also collected third place Class money.

The seventh place 33.14-pounder was scaled by the Mercury powered Boston Whaler team of Bob Hogsten, Scott Bennett and Scott Norris, the Hog Wild. “We were at the western side of the Elton Bottom,” explained Hogsten. “It was Saturday when we finally stumbled across a good fish. We had caught and released others but this one was the one we were looking for. At 9:30 we were in 96 feet of water when she struck our ribbonfish 31 feet down. I actually caught her, but I couldn't have done it without the team.” This was the team's best finish in SKA competition so far.

Dr. Hook captured eighth place in a great display of SKA talent. The Mercury powered Cape Horn with Mike McRae, Chuck Brown and Skip McRae ran 28 miles east of Jacksonville. Fishing in 100 feet of water on the second day of the event, the team put a ribbonfish down 80 feet mid-afternoon. “She hit it hard and Skip was on her quick,” said Mike. “As fast as she came in the boat we were on the way to the scales 33 miles away.” The team was happy for the better weather on Saturday.

Rounding out the top ten was Lyle Rose's Reel Warrior with a nice 32.30 in ninth while Brian McLanahan's Big Mac with a 30.90 captured tenth.

This was another great tournament by the Nassau Sport Fishing Association and it certainly marked a milestone for them. It is interesting that their tournament book had some good scientific data information along with historic notes about the community. Very nicely done! This organization, along with many others in the SKA sanctioned tournament family, proves the importance of good, solid community events. They are to be congratulated!

FINAL STANDINGS NASSAU SPORTFISHING ASSOCIATION'S TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS. FERNANDINA BEACH, FLORIDA DIVISION 5.
1.	CREWS “N” II OUTBOARDS••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	39.02
	Scout/Yamaha Jim Crews Jim Tuten Billy Roberts
2.	GET WET II •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	(Agg.) 64.20
	Contender/Yamaha Sonny Elliot Steven Elliot Ryan Cowan Drew Lewis
3.	Island Girl •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	37.60
4.	FISHBUSTER••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	37.36
	Bluewater/Mercury Robert Bishop Ricky Bishop Kristen Bishop John Peiffer
5.	ALL IN••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	35.20
	Baha/Mercury Carl Pecora Kevin O'Meara
6.	REEL SLICK•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	33.36
	ProLine/Honda Stephen Garman Paul Harnage Keith Grovenstein
7.	HOG WILD•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	33.14
	Boston Whaler/Mercury Bob Hogsten Scott Bennett Scott Norris
8.	DR. HOOK••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	32.82
	Cape Horn/Mercury Mike Mc Rae Chuck Brown Skip McRae
9.	REEL WARRIOR•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	32.30
	Contender/Yamaha Lyle Rose
10.	BIG MAC•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	30.90
	Sailfish/Yamaha Brian McLanahan Dean Davidson Chris Kearns
11.	LYONS TALE••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	30.30
	Edgewater/Yamaha Howard Lyons Paul Waldron Keith Waldron Jamie Lyons
12.	2ND STRING•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	29.34
	Sea Hunt/Yamaha John E. Jones Sr. Jonathan Burns David Sweat
13.	TURN 3•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	29.00
	Contender/Yamaha Geoffrey Stam Monica Stam J.C. Nowotny Thomas Whitmarsh
14.	TRIPPED OUT•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	28.26
	Yellowfin/Mercury Joe Heath Don Johnson Chip Drobnie Tom Hodges
15.	TRIPLE PLAY••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	28.02
	Contender/Yamaha Mark Worley
16.	Capt. Bud•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	27.94
17.	NO DOUBT•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	27.22
	World Cat/Honda Jim Hammond Ronald Hall Tony Testone Bill Richardson
18.	RIVER MARINE •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	26.60
	Fountain/Mercury Charlie Lyons Bill Lange
19.	SQUARE & LEVEL•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	26.40
	Contender/Yamaha Pete Eldridge Schley Eldridge
20.	SALT THERAPY••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	26.08
	Cape Horn/Yamaha Paul Gallup Jeff Robson Paul Gallup, Sr.
CLASS OF 23’:
1.	Island Girl••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	37.60
2.	ALL IN •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	35.20

SKA JUNIOR ANGLERS Sponsored by Subway:
1.	Jamie Lyons ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	LYONS TALE
2.	Paul Gallup •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	SALT THERAPY
3.	Austin Kalbeleisch & Lucas Crowley•••••••	POSSE
TOP LADY ANGLER
	Kristen Bishop ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	FISHBUSTER
TOP JUNIOR ANGLER
	Jamie Lyons ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••	LYONS TALE
Weather:
Day One, winds 10 to 20 NE, Seas 3 to 5 foot.
Day Two, winds SE 5 , seas 1 to 2 feet.

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Southern Kingfish Association, LLC - 15 Garnett Avenue - St. Augustine, FL 32084
Phone 904.819.0360 - Fax 904.819.0331 - E-Mail: sokingfish@aol.com