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more Mercury Trail stories<< OFF THE HOOK WINS A YAMAHA POWERED CONTENDER!
Markham Scales a 52.34 in Texas Season Opener
by Jack Holmes
Galveston, Texas - Armed with a new sponsor and a new name, the Off The Hook team of David Markham, Chad Kirby, Craig Price, Darwin Ballard and Kristen Kirby scaled a 52.34-pound king to win the season opener in Texas.
“We ran about 120 miles early but found no fish so we came back in about 30 miles at noon,” explained Markham, the Captain of the team. “We set up in 116 feet of water, put baits back and got a triple hookup right away. I actually saw the big king, which looked like a shark, and fed her a bait in the prop wash.” The first two fish that came to the boat were released but they obviously kept the winning fish. “This was the biggest king we've ever caught in a tournament,” said an excited Markham before he went to the awards ceremony to accept the event’s top prize, a 21' Yamaha powered Contender with a McClain trailer presented by Texas Marine. Kristen Kirby was the event’s Top Lady Angler. The team also landed a beautiful 68-pound wahoo.
This team finished fifth in the Division last season and is off to a great start this year.
James David Turner's Turner Loose qualified fourth last season in the Open Class and he is regarded by most Texans as a top fisherman. He didn't disappoint his admirers this weekend when he scaled the second biggest fish of the event, a 47.96. “We made the big run even though it was a bit sporty,” said Turner after being one of the early arrivers at the Galveston Yacht Basin, the site of the Texas Kingfish Association event. “We caught her at 11 o'clock using a hard tail in nice blue water.” When asked why he made the 100-mile run to the area he fished, Turner explained, “This is an area we've caught good fish before, tournament-placing kings.”
The team of Captain Turner, Scott Turner, Jill Turner and Rob Johnston fish a Mercury powered Fountain.
Third place fell to a non-member with a 45-pounder.
Joe Gilleland's biggest fish scaled last year from his Mercury powered Fountain, the Reel Thing, was a 40-pounder. What a difference a year makes! This year Joe, Louis Tannos, Mike Marley, Joy Kinney and Jonah Tannos scaled a 43.92 and earned fourth, and Jonah was the event’s Top Junior Angler. The one thing to look for when evaluating a team is consistency. Not only is this team consistent, but they continue to scale bigger fish. This is definitely a Division-winning contender!
Gary Hiles and his wife Linda went to the Stovepipe, 93 miles from the scale, and smacked a 43.43 to pick up fifth. Along with Mark Turnley on the Yamaha powered Contender, the Terminator, Gary explained that they “saw fish all day and caught ours on a hard tail on the surface. We fish that area all the time, it’s been very good to us.”
Some of the top finishers in the Division last season didn't fare as well as they would have liked, however they still got a check and are within striking distance of the leaders as we get ready for Ronnie's Marine event. Brian Medearis' Team Notorious scored a sixth place finish with a 37.91 while Brett Donnahoe's Texas Contender earned eighth with a 35.89. Papotanic, Jose Reyes’ fine ride, picked up ninth with a 35.73 and Chad Cotie's Angela Marie rounded out the top ten with a 35.30.
The Class boats had a little bit of a tougher time this weekend with the choppy seas. “The weather man really missed this one,” said Bobby Schoenfeld, President of the TKA and the tournament's Director. “It was actually blowing harder offshore than it was on Galveston Island, making it uncomfortable for the teams. The weather forecast was for seas of two to four feet but at least we didn't get chased out of town with a storm.”
Ray Martinez and Jake Close run a 23-foot Master Marine Suzuki powered Palmetto Custom named Fore Reel. This was their weekend thanks to their 34.15-pound, first place Class of 23’ king. “In last year’s event we were 70 miles off Galveston and we had just caught a 41-pounder which would have won the Class, but the motor broke and we didn't get in until late that evening,” explained Martinez. “This win kind of makes up for that tournament.” The team fished at an area called Drowning Man. “It took us three and a half hours to get there in the four-foot seas,” he said. They set up in 85 feet of water and immediately caught a dink. Then the second fish was hooked which proved to be their biggest. “This is an area we normally fish,” he added.
Second place in Class went to last year’s Division winner, Millennium Marine. The Wagen family, Jason, Jody, and Jeff, scaled a 32.27-pounder. “We only ran 50 miles,” explained Jody. “The seas were kicking up and it wasn't fun. We caught our king at nine o'clock on a hard tail.” The team fishes a Yamaha powered ProKat.
King Bling is off to a better start this season earning third with a 25.11. Kevin Alexander is the Captain.
Chuck and Donna Richey fished the Cha King boat and scaled a 19.61 for fourth while John Benkenstein's Johnny B team rounded out the top five.
Bobby, his wife Carla, and a staff of Bobby's neighbors, friends, and the Lured Away Fishing Team worked very hard and produced a great event, probably the best event since Al Dwarshus quit doing events at Tiki Island.
TEXAS MARINE KMT
FINAL STANDINGS:
|
| 1. |
OFF THE HOOK••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
52.34 |
| McKee Craft/Yamaha
David Markham
Chad Kirby
Craig Price
Darwin Ballard
Kristen Kirby
|
| 2. |
TURNER LOOSE••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• | 47.96 |
| Fountain/Mercury
James David Turner
Scott Turner
Jill Turner
Rob Johnston
|
| 3. | Bad Assin ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• | 45.01 |
| 4. | REEL THING ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• | 43.92 |
| Fountain/Mercury
Joe Gilleland
Louis Tannos
Joy Kinney
Mike Marley
Jonah Tannos
|
| 5. | TERMINATOR •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• | 43.43 |
| Contender/Yamaha
Gary Hiles
Linda Hiles
Mark Turnley
|
| 6. |
TEAM NOTORIOUS•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
37.91 |
| Fountain/Mercury
Brian Medearis
Kevin Conway
Brent Medearis
|
| 7. | Top Producer•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• | 36.81 |
| 8. | TEXAS CONTENDER ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• | 35.89 |
| Contender/Yamaha
Brett Donnahoe
Brian Gaudin
Matt Seymour
Terry Poole
Davin Donnahoe
|
| 9. |
PAPOTANIC•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• | 35.73 |
| Contender/Yamaha
Jose Reyes
Bill Platt
Aaron Reagan
Marc Bledsoe
|
| 10. | ANGELA MARIE•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• | 35.30 |
| Fountain/Mercury
Chad Cotie
Kevin Reddy
Rick Rice
|
CLASS OF 23’:
|
| 1. | FORE REEL••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• | 34.15 |
| Palmetto/Suzuki
Ray Martinez
Jake Close
|
| 2. | MILLENNIUM MARINE••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• | 32.27 |
| ProKat/Yamaha
Jason Wagen
Jody Wagen
Jeff Wagen
|
| 3. | KING BLING •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• | 25.11 |
| McKee Craft/Evinrude
Kevin Alexander
Nathan Crowe
J.W. Butler
Sean Decuir
|
| 4. | CHA KING •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• | 19.61 |
| Wellcraft/Mercury
Chuck Richey
Donna Richey
|
| 5. | JOHNNY B••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• | 19.29 |
| Contender/Yamaha
John Benkenstein
Johnny Benkenstein
Nick Garthwait
|
|
TOP LADY ANGLER•••••• | Kristen Kirby•••••••••••• |
OFF THE HOOK |
| TOP JUNIOR ANGLER•••• |
Jonah Tannos••••••••••• |
REEL THING |
SKA TOP JUNIOR ANGLERS
Presented by the Southern Kingfish Association: |
| 1. |
Jonah Tannos•••••••••••••••••••••• |
Reel Thing |
| 2. |
Devin Donnahoe••••••••••••••••••• |
Texas Contender |
| 3. |
Chris Christoph•••••••••••••••••••• |
No Worries |
|
Weather: Winds SE 10 to 20 Seas 3 to 5 foot |
|
