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more Mercury Trail stories<< HORIZON HAZE LANDS 52.89-POUNDER IN NAPLES
Weldon Family Takes Home New 21’ Contender!
by Ian Warner
Naples, Florida – When it comes to Division 11 tournaments, there’s one fact you can count on: the wind is going to blow. Fortunately for the anglers of the 2007 Naples Contender Kingfish Classic it didn’t matter one bit. Boats that were working through five- to eight-foot waves in 20 to 25 mph winds were also working through an abundance of kings, and at the end of day one 51 of the 67 teams had come to the scales. It was a big fleet at the docks, but the Re-Cooperating wowed the crowd by bringing a 48.88-pound slab to the scale to lead the field by almost a full ten pounds.
The talk on the dock was that the Re-Cooperating was a shoo-in for the prize boat. With a 9.99-pound lead Captain J. Cooper Cordin and his team were sitting pretty. Last year’s Naples Champions, the Four Marys, had taken it with a 39-pounder so their 48 was going to be tough to knock down. Tough, but not impossible. Maybe it was full moon fever, or maybe it was an April Fool’s Day joke from Mother Ocean to Captain Cordin, but on Sunday the Horizon Haze trolled to the docks and the Weldon family was all smiles. Those grins grew even broader when informed that Re-Cooperating’s 48.88-pounder still held the board.
At the scale MC Johnny Z kept the crowd and the Horizon Haze in suspense for a few moments before declaring, “I’ve been telling you I’ve wanted one this weekend and here it is, a 50-pounder: 52.89 pounds for the Horizon Haze!”
That 52-pounder easily held the leaderboard for the rest of the event, crowning Horizon Haze the Champion of the Naples Contender Kingfish Classic. The Horizon Haze is always present at Division 11 weigh-ins and they qualified for Nationals out of this Division last year, but this is their first SKA win to date. “We were just in the right place at the right time,” said Captain Chuck Weldon at the awards ceremony Sunday evening. “So I have to thank my Lord and savior for putting us on that fish.”
The Horizon Haze found themselves in fish all weekend. “There were fish everywhere both days,” said Chuck, but he, Chris and Jason could only manage a 20-pounder on Saturday. While fishing the Blue Hole a runner on the flat line was reeled in by Chris and the team had their points-fish out of the way.
On day two the Horizon Haze redoubled their efforts and headed the 34’ Mercury powered Fountain out into the rough seas to make a 45-mile run to the T Tower. “You’ve got to love that Fountain / Mercury combo, we averaged 55 mph in those swells and were the first team to the tower,” reported Captain Weldon. As the first boat there the team really capitalized on the early bite, scoring two 30-pounders before mid-morning.
The kings were hungry, but it wasn’t until 11:00 that the most voracious of the pack arrived. “That king about ripped my finger off! I was putting a runner on the downrigger clip with the line around my finger when he hit,” said Weldon. The team was trolling in 66 feet of water when that mossback hit the runner, and Jason stepped up to the rod to begin a long battle. “He was really hauling,” said Captain Weldon of the 45-minute fight, “and stubborn too.” But Jason stayed on top of the king finally brought it within striking distance of Chris’s gaff. The sight of that 52-pounder on the deck erased all thoughts of more fishing, and the Horizon Haze was soon on plane headed to the Bayfront weigh-in.
At the awards ceremony Sunday evening the Weldon family was presented with their first place plaque and brand new 21’ Yamaha powered Contender on a Loadmaster trailer. “We’d like to thank SportsUSA Marine Group for their continued sponsorship,” said a happy Chuck Weldon. While a 17-pounder got the team off to a slow start, that 52 bumped the team up to third in the Open Class. Look for Horizon Haze to continue their season and run at the Divisional title in Sarasota.
It can’t be easy watching your first place fish getting knocked down from the top position, but Captain J. Cooper Cordin and his Re-Cooperating handled it with class. “It’s really tough to win one of these events. All these teams are such great fishermen and competitors,” said Cordin. A local charter Captain, Cordin and his team of George Atkinson and Doug Newell had been scouting the area and catching good fish all week prior to the event. That work paid off when the team reached the Toolbox and found themselves thick in the kings.
“There were just tons of fish there, the Toolbox was loaded. We only got four baits deployed once,” reported Cordin. By 10:00 the team already had a good 30-pounder in the box when a blue runner that was still being spooled out was snatched. It was extreme kingfishing time. “It was just huge. We had all sorts of waves breaking over the bow while fighting that fish,” continued Cordin. Finally George got a gaff in the big smoker and the team could relax. “Once we got that fish in the box we headed right in.”
Arriving at the docks in the 36’ Mercury powered Yellowfin, the Re-Cooperating was the team of the day with that 48.88-pounder. You’ve got to give this group credit, too. While many boats would have looked at the forecast and the lead margin and rested on their laurels, the Re-Cooperating was back out there on day two attempting to better their lead. Unfortunately, the team could only find a handful of teenagers and their score stood at 48.88 for second place. Cordin and his crew earned $6,000 for their finish, and are sitting in fifth place in Division 11’s Open Class headed for Sarasota.
Captain P.J. Myers and Jeff Smith on the Triple J landed good fish both days, the largest a 40.16-pounder, earning third place and five grand. The team started out on Saturday with a 28.88-pounder caught fishing 30 miles southwest. Heading the 36’ Mercury powered Yellowfin back out on Sunday the Triple J set up at a spot 35 miles to the southwest in 72 feet of water. P.J. and Jeff were weeding through the schoolies until 1:50, then their 40-pounder finally struck a runner on the long line. “He really only made one big run, then he got the gaff,” said P.J., who fought the king. “We had 10-pounders today that fought three times as long as this big one.”
This is the Triple J’s best finish to date in the Open Class, Myers and Smith used to fish in Division 11’s Class of 23’ on Legal Limit. Missing out on a king in Marco Island hurt this team, but that 40-pounder places them in 16th in the Open Class, the largest one-fish total. Look for the Triple J to raise the bar and fish hard at Sarasota in their quest to qualify for Nationals.
Largo, Florida’s Captain Robert Snibbe and the Native team took fourth place with a 38.89-pounder bagged on Saturday. Snibbe and his team of Evan Kerstein and Jerry Solovoskoy headed their 34’ Mercury powered Fountain 82 miles to the southwest to work a tower in 95 feet of water. The team had a great day on the water, reeling in a 28, a 35, and then hooking that 38-pounder on a runner on the shotgun line a little past noon. Kerstein manned the rod and Solovoskoy tagged the king with the gaff to finish the battle.
That king held second place at the conclusion of Saturday’s fishing, and while the Native team was experiencing technical difficulties on Sunday, they still headed out to try to up the ante. Unfortunately, the rough weather compounded the issue and Snibbe and his crew were forced to sit out Sunday’s fishing and let it all ride on that 38-pounder. Dropping two spots to fourth place still earned the Native a check for $4,000 to help fund their fishing in Divisions 6, 10 and 11. Watch for the Native team to be fishing hard in Clearwater.
Captain Kevin Hannon’s Team ProMarineUSA.com / Hannon’s Cannon was another boat that bagged two good fish, a 31.78 and a 37.44, good for fifth place. Captain Hannon, Shannon Armstrong, Steve Rowley and Rick Cook fish the distinctive Mercury, Yamaha and Evinrude powered 34’ Yellowfin, and made the 46-mile trip to the T Tower both days. Unlike most teams they had a slow day of it on Saturday, bagging that 31-pounder at 2:45 marked their first king.
Armed with fresh bait the team returned to the T Tower on Sunday to find the action hot and heavy. “We were in fish all day today,” said Hannon at the awards ceremony, who reported no less than half a dozen descent kings. At noon the team hooked up their 37.44-pounder, and Captain Hannon made short work of leading the king to Steve’s gaff. Fifth place was good for a check for $2,500 and 18th place in Division 11’s Open Class.
Cape Coral, Florida’s Maniac Mack, the Aley family boat, took sixth place and $1,500 with a 37.04-pounder, naming Terry Aley the Top Lady Angler. Terry was joined by Captain Kevin and Kevin Aley, Jr. for the weekend of fishing on the 34’ Mercury powered Fountain. Seventh place went to the Hog Wild, Captain Wayne Carmignani’s 36’ Mercury powered Yellowfin. Captain Wayne, Brooks and Linda Carmignani, Ryan McMahon, Barb Evans and Mike Krenzer landed a 37.02-pounder for the position. This places the Hog Wild in fourth in the Open Class headed to Sarasota.
Captain Matt Tarrance and Doug Paul teamed on the Idle Time, a 31’ Yamaha powered Fountain. Tarrance’s team hooked a 36.44 to take eighth place and a check for a grand.
The Midnight Madness, a 39’ Yamaha powered Midnight Express, takes the lead in the Open Class after landing a 36.33-pounder for ninth place. That was one sweet fish for the team of Captain Vic Vazquez, John, Mike and Nicholas Guitard, Sean Morton and Ryan Grady, as they took home a $750 check and Nicholas earned Top Junior Angler honors. In addition, that puts Nicholas in the lead for the Junior Angler race. With only one Division 11 tournament to go things are looking good for this highly consistent team, watch for them to attempt to seal the deal in Sarasota. Fresh from their Miami victory, Captain Tommy Gates and the Outlaw crew round out the top ten with a 35.70.
The Never-E-Nuff and Team ProMarineUSA.com / Penny Wise round out the Open Class paid positions. Captain Mike Rinaldo’s Never-E-Nuff team bagged a 35.41 to take 11th place and a rod and reel set. The 15th position and a $500 bonus from Environmental Services of Vermont went to Captain Penny and his team for a 33.64-pounder.
Sarasota, Florida’s Captain Todd Parrish and the Top Down team had a great day fishing in unfamiliar waters, scaling a 31.72-pound king on Saturday to take top honors in the Class of 23’ and a check for $2,000. “This is the first time we’ve ever fished Naples,” reported Jeffri Durance, who noted that the team pre-fished on Friday to familiarize themselves with the area. Fishing the 23’ Mercury powered Triton five miles north of the pass the Top Down crew found themselves hooked up a majority of the day. “We got 13 out of 16 kings, from ten pounds up to that big one,” continued Durrance.
The Top Down’s Class-winning king came late in the day. “Well, we had a points-fish and were out catching bait for Sunday. We were trailing one bait just in case and it got exploded on,” recalled Durrance. With Ryan Parrish behind the wheel and Captain Todd waiting with the gaff Durrance made short work of the king and the team soon had a 31-pounder in the box.
On Sunday the Top Down headed back out to defend their position, but they couldn’t better that initial 31-pounder, catching and releasing four kings in the mid-20s. “I don’t know which is worse, that last couple minutes of getting the king to the gaff or the wait on the docks seeing if our weight would hold,” joked Durrance before the awards ceremony. There was no need to worry, the team’s 31-pounder held and the Top Down was crowned the Class of 23’ Champion. This is the Top Down’s third year of competition as a team, and after qualifying for Nationals these past two years it looks like they are well on their way again.
Port St. Lucie, Florida’s Captain David Albritton and the Gatorfan team are having one heck of a season so far. At the beginning of the year he stated that he and his team were going to branch out and compete in more Divisional events. Since then the Gatorfan has been in the Class money three times, taking second in Marco Island, leading the Class in Miami, and now second place again in Naples with a 31.27-pounder. They are presently leading Division 11’s Class of 23’, a feat even more remarkable when you consider this is the Gatorfan’s first year fishing Florida’s west coast.
“Everybody had their own job and it works out well for us,” said Albritton of his team’s success. Albritton is the man behind the wheel, teammate Anthony Oakes is the designated angler and James Addison mans the gaff. The obviously works well for the team, they arrived at their spot at 8:22 and had two 30s in the box by 8:39 a.m. Their 31.27-pound king hit a runner on top while trolling at a depth of 45 feet 38 miles south of Naples, the same spot that the team fished at Marco Island. The Gatorfan team kept digging, catching five more over 20 pounds, but couldn’t beat that 31.27. The team earned second place honors and a check for $1,000 for their efforts. While the Gatorfan is leading Division 11, they have their eyes set on Division 10. “We’re sitting in third and still have our home ports to go,” noted Albritton. Florida anglers need to keep an eye on this team; they are certainly in a position to take a double title this year.
Captain Andrew Gunn and Will Geraghty of the Wiltshire Fishing Team are up next with a third place 29.24-pound king. Fishing a 23’ Yamaha powered Contender the team earned $500 for that king and is presently nipping at Gatorfan’s heels, sitting in second place less than a pound out. The Get Snookered is in third place in the Division after taking fourth in Naples with a 27.23-pounder. Captain Chris Workman, Michelle Jackson and Sal Otero caught that king on their 23’ Yamaha powered Contender and are sitting only six pounds out of the lead. It is going to be down to the wire in the Class of 23’ in Sarasota.
While we have a three-week break until the Division 11 conclusion, you know these teams aren’t going to let their skills get rusty. The Sarasota teams will certainly be scouting their favorite spots and searching for new holes, and the out-of-towners will be making plans and checking forecasts. A tight race in the Class of 23’ guarantees excitement and the Open Class is wide open as well, for all the details check out the next issue of Angler.
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| Naples Contender Kingfish Classic Standings:
1. HORIZON HAZE•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••52.89
Fountain/Mercury
Charlton “Chuck” Weldon
Christopher Weldon
Jason Weldon
2. RE-COOPERATING•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••48.88
Yellowfin/Mercury
George Atkinson
Doug Newell
3. TRIPLE J•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••40.16
Yellowfin/Mercury
P.J. Myers
Jeff Smith
4. NATIVE•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••38.89
Fountain/Mercury
Robert Snibbe
Evan Kerstein
Jerry Solovoskoy
5. PROMARINEUSA.COM/
HANNON’S CANNON••••••••••••••••••37.44
Yellowfin/Mercury, Yamaha, Evinrude
Kevin Hannon
Shannon Armstrong
Steve Rowley
Rick Cook
6. MANIAC MACK••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••37.04
Fountain/Mercury
Kevin Aley
Kevin Aley, Jr.
Terry Aley
7. HOG WILD•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••37.02
Yellowfin/Mercury
Wayne Carmignani
Ryan McMahon
Barb Evans
Mike Krenzer
Brooks Carmignani
Linda Carmignani
8. IDLE TIME••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••36.44
Fountain/Yamaha
Matt Tarrance
Doug Paul
9. MIDNIGHT MADNESS••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••36.33
Midnight Express/Yamaha
Vic Vazquez
John Guitard
Mike Guitard
Sean Morton
Nicholas Guitard
Ryan Grady
10. Outlaw••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••35.70
11. NEVER-E-NUFF•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••35.41
Contender/Yamaha
Mike Rinaldo
Spencer Bass
James Heinbaugh
Class of 23’:
1. TOP DOWN••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••31.72
Triton/Mercury
Todd Parrish
Jeffri Durrance
Ryan Parrish
2. GATORFAN••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••31.27
Contender/Yamaha
David K. Albritton
James Addison
Anthony Oakes
3. WILTSHIRE FISHING TEAM•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••29.24
Contender/Yamaha
Andrew Gunn
Will Geraghty
4. GET SNOOKERD••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••27.23
Contender/Yamaha
Chris Workman
Michelle Jackson
Sal Otero
SKA Top Junior Anglers
Sponsored by Jack Penny, D.D.S.
1. Nicholas Guitard Midnight Madness
2. Steve Dellane ProMarineUSA.com/Penny Wise
3. Tommy Stephenson Digestible
Top Lady Angler:
Terry Aley Maniac Mack
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