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LAGERHEAD LANDS 36.80-POUNDER IN TREASURE ISLAND
Papen Wins $10,000 at Gators Suncoast Kingfish Classic!
 by Ian Warner
SKA anglers are accustomed to incurring the ire of Mother Nature. Teams laugh in the face of blustering winds, building seas, driving rain and thunderstorms. But when faced with angering another Mother, as in the case of the Gators Suncoast Kingfish Classic held May 11th through May 13th, more than a few teams sagely chose to spend Sunday’s fish day home with the family for a Mother’s Day dinner. This suited Captain Steve Papen and the Lagerhead team just fine. They landed the leaderboard-topping 36.80-pounder on Saturday and had to be relieved to see a less than optimal number of boats at Sunday’s check-out.
“We went about 75 miles west to a favorite hard bottom spot, with the good weather it was an easy run,” reported Captain Steve Papen. He and his team of Corey Alley, Brian Simmons and Doug Speeler set up in 180 feet of water, and they had a fairly successful day of it in the late morning. The team hooked and released three small kings, but nothing resembling a tournament-winner.
“At 12:35 our blue runner set 47 feet down was hit, and hit hard,” continued Papen, who was the angler on the Lagerhead’s big king. “But after a 20-minute fight she came right to the gaff.” With the Boater’s World Tournament leaderboard fresh on their minds, the team knew they had a potential winner. “So we put her in the bag and headed back to the scales.” Papen pointed his 33’ Yamaha powered Contender east, and 75 miles later he and his team were weighing their big 36.80-pounder.
At the end of day one the Lagerhead had the lead by 1.84 pounds, and while Knight Life / Idle Time’s 35.20 on day two gave the team a scare, no one could top the 36-pounder. Captain Papen and the Lagerhead team had just won $10,000 and the Gators Suncoast Kingfish Classic crown. With that king the Lagerhead takes a jump up to third in the Open Class, with a 19-pound drop-fish the team is looking good for the season.
After striking out on Saturday, the Knight Life / Idle Time team came back with a vengeance on Sunday with a big 35.20 for second place. Captain Matt Tarrance and Doug Paul teamed on the 31’ Yamaha powered Fountain for the finish. “We checked the water temperature and found good conditions off of Boca Grande, so we made the run south,” said Tarrance.
Trolling in 110 feet of water a ribbon fish 70 feet down was smashed at 11:05, and with Tarrance maneuvering the Fountain, Paul quickly worked the 35-pounder to the gaff. “With the scales closing early we headed in,” continued Tarrance, and the Knight Life / Idle Time’s king proved to take the second spot and remain unchallenged for the remainder of the day. This team is looking very strong, they sit in seventh with the highest two-fish aggregate in the Open Class, and a good fish in the PAL event could propel the pair to the top!
Captain Kevin Grissinger and the Marshall Law team scored their first Divisional points in a big way, landing a 34.96-pounder for third. “We had pre-fished and found some kings 40 miles south of the Pass, so that’s where we headed,” recounted Grissinger. He and his team of Perry Warner and Don Wiwi had a fair morning of it on their 28’ Yamaha powered Intrepid, and by noon the team had a few small kings, but they were still scouting hard for that smoker.
“At 1:45 we put a big blue runner on the downrigger and sent it 50 feet down where it was immediately hit,” continued Grissinger. Warner made short work of the king, and at the scale their 34.96 took second place before being bumped down a notch by Tarrance’s team.
Captain Jack Penny and the ProMarineUSA.com / Penny Wise team had another excellent day on the water; they found a money-fish on Saturday and had plenty of time to enjoy Mother’s Day dinner on Sunday. Captain Jack and Mike Penny and Ken and Steve Dellane fish a 36’ Yamaha powered Contender, and chose a spot south off Stump Pass. “We had gotten some good info about a bite to the south off Sarasota. We were in the fish right away, and released at least 10 kings in the low 20s,” said Penny.
After an active morning the team finally got the king they were looking for at 1:15. A blue runner on the long line was the irresistible enticement, and Junior Angler Steve Dellane worked his usual magic while his dad waited with the gaff. At the scales the Penny Wise king weighed 33.52 pounds, good for fourth overall and Top Junior Angler honors for Steve who reeled in that king. In addition, that king puts Penny’s team into 13th place with only two fish. A strong force on Florida’s west coast, look for this team in the top ten after their next fish.
Captain Brian Hasson and the Knot Me team lengthened their lead in Division 6’s Class of 23’ by landing a fifth place 32.96 king. “With no fish on Saturday we decided to go for the ‘Hero or Zero’ approach, so we went back to the spot we fished to win the Sarasota Sertoma tournament,” said Hasson. Joined by his brother Bill and John Molfetto on the 23’ Mercury powered Fountain, the team was searching an area off Longboat Key on the beach in 27 feet of water when their money-fish struck. A lady fish on the long line was the bait of choice, and Brian didn’t waste any time getting that king in the boat.
“With an early close we went right in,” continued Hasson, who soon found that he and the Knot Me team had found a 32.96-pound fifth place king. As the highest placing Class of 23’ boat, the Knot Me also took the Class bonus. With a 92-pound three-fish aggregate, Hasson is leading the Class by over 17 pounds and has a nearly 29-pound drop-fish. This is going to be one hard team to catch.
Captain Daniel Clark and the Constant Chaos team took second in the Class of 23’ with a 27.84-pounder. “With the good water conditions we decided to hangout at the beach,” said Clark, who reported a very slow bite through the day. Trolling in 25 feet of water a cigar minnow on the long line finally did the trick at 2 o’clock, and at the end of Saturday’s fishing Clark and his team held the Class position, but Hasson’s big 32-pounder knocked them down one peg. The Constant Chaos is currently sitting in 15th in the Class, look for this competitive team to fish hard in the next two events and make up some ground.
With only two events to go in Division 6 teams on the hump really need to do their homework if they want a shot at a trip to the Nationals. In the Class of 23’ Hasson’s Knot Me has a very strong lead and would be hard to catch even if they zeroed the next two events. The Open Class, however, is wide open. Hession’s Last Call leads with 94 pounds, with the Spectre team boat Top Gun following just four pounds out. Tarrance’s Idle Time / Knight Life is looking very strong with a 34- and a 35-pounder, one more good fish could propel them right to the top of the standings. Keep following all the exciting Division 6 fishing at the next event, the ProMarineUSA.com / Pinellas PAL Tournament, May 18th and 19th.
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