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CRAWGATOR LEADS FIELD IN FOURCHON, LOUISIANA
Butler’s Two-Fish 99.46 Total Tops Pro Ranks
by Jack Holmes
Fourchon, Louisiana - There's one thing we know for sure, you can catch big kings in June in Louisiana. This year there were seven in the 50s but not all were caught by Pros. The wahoo were plentiful scaling two in the low 70s and many tuna were caught pre-fishing, two in the 200-pound range. This year’s third stop on the Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour at Anthony Toup's Kajun Sportsman facility in Fourchon was everything it was expected it to be, especially for Bill Butler's Crawgator Team.
Bill and his fishing partners, Steve Jenkins and Rick Ryan, elected to fish the opening day at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Bill referred to this as being a big gamble, however that's not totally true. I asked the former owner of Bill and his brother Mike's Venice Marina, Dave Valay, when we were in Biloxi, where he would fish during the National Championship in November. He told me that at the mouth of the Mississippi big kings would lay in wait for the mullet schools to come out of the river, an easy feed. June may not be a mullet month but locals know of this action and I suspect so does Bill.
With 40-pound test wound on their reels and 90-pound wire linked to the trebles the Crawgator team had already put a 35-pounder in his fish bag. “It was 11:20 when our 53.74 hit a hard tail and headed for the deep,” said Butler in his unique Kajun drawl. “Rick cranked and in no more than 15 minutes he was in the boat.”
The Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour is a two-day aggregate event and just because you scale a good one, you still have to back it up. Being the professional he is, Butler got his team cranked up and you guessed it, found a nice 45.72 on day two. “It was one of the toughest fights I've ever experienced,” Bill informed me. “He was hooked on the side and took forever to get to the boat.”
This was the Yamaha powered Invincible team’s first big win and I'm sure it was special to the Crawgator, being in their home waters. Bill ended the interview after collecting the $40,000 top prize, with, “The only thing that would have made this a better win was if my brother was with us.”
The Crawgator moved into fourth in the standings with a six-fish aggregate of 233.17 or an average of 38.86 per fish.
The tour’s first three stops (Key West, Jensen Beach, and Fourchon), known as the big fish events, are now in the history books. The final two events are not as widely known for big fish and they are the real test of a Pro team’s skill. They still must continue to scale good fish to either keep them at the top or move them up the ladder. It does not appear that any team will beat the seven-fish record set last year by Ron Mitchell's Bandit team.
One team to watch is Dave Workman, Jr's Strike Zone. Dave, fishing with Rick Stinson, added two fish to their standings, a 47.44 and 44.88 for 92.32 points and a second place finish in Fourchon. The duo only has a four-fish aggregate, but with a 38-pound average the three-time Angler of the Year still has a great shot at this year's title.
Dave seems to have a lock on the Fourchon area. He shows up on registration day, does no pre-fishing, and has been on the leaderboard the past three years. It's obvious that his confidence is more than enough to get his team a check!
Terry Johnson's Final Strike, the 2005 Angler of the Year team, scaled a 43.78 and a 46.01 for 89.79 aggregate points, earning the team third in the event. Johnson, along with Jake Fulmer, Clyde Keen, Chris Johnson and David Reddick, fishing a Yamaha powered Yellowfin, needed these fish if they were to have any chance at the title. Now they are in 15th place, however they only have five kings to most of the field at the top of the list’s six. However, you have to look at their five-fish average, which is 40.61 and very close to the leaders. It does mean that one of the final three fish they add to their overall aggregate must be a 40-pounder or better.
Fourth place went to one of the ProMarineUSA.com boats, Team Young Guns, with Lee Way, Jr. and Greg Holly. The Evinrude powered Hydra Sports team scaled a 42.83 on day one and didn't make the board; however, with their 46.39 on day two they jumped to fourth. That's what is so great about a two-fish aggregate, if you don't give up and keep digging, you can make it. They did and proved they're a team not to be taken lightly. They are in 25th with only five fish so they can still move up significantly. I wouldn't count them out!
Fifth place fell to Team Sebago / Loose Lucy with a 51.81 second place fish on day one. But as experienced as they are in the Gulf, could only muster up a 36.40 on day two. Unfortunately, a lot of teams had the same problem. The small 30- to 40-pound kings were so aggressive that it was hard to get through the small fish and present your bait to a worthy king. Some teams reported running out of bait early and had to replenish, while others never prepared enough rigs, using 50 or more in a single day. That's fishing! Mike and Susan Kaminsky and Gary and Jimmy Stecki still have the ability to win it all, but they have their work cut out for them. Susan was the tournament’s Top Lady Angler.
Mark Maus, Heath Daughtry and Shawn Edmonds teamed on Team Simrad, the Mercury powered Donzi boat, to capture sixth with 86.86 points. They scaled a 47.17 good for eighth on day one and moved up two slots on day two thanks to a 39.70. There are now three Donzis in the top 10 and three more in 16th through 18th places vying for the title this year. Mark is in seventh and with a 36.76 average his team has as good a shot as those at the top. They're in the hunt thanks to their great fishing in the upper Gulf!
The second ProMarineUSA.com team, Penny Wise, is on the Fourchon leaderboard in seventh. They are also fifth in the overall standings with 230.88 points and a 38.48 six-fish average. Unfortunately the Captain and Contender boat owner, Jack Penny, was not on board, but with Ken Dellane as your co-Captain you are in good hands. Ken, his Junior Angler super star Stevie, Patty and Ashley Dellane, Chris Terry, Chris Geshkey and Brian Brandano scaled a 42.17 and a 44.60. They are now fifth in overall standings with a 38.48 six-fish average. Stevie was the Pro event’s Top Junior Angler.
Eighth place fell to our National Number 2, Lured Away. The Evinrude powered Invincible team of Albert Vrazel, Bobby Schoenfeld, Chico Chamorro and Sharon Kamp scaled a 44.42 and a 39.52 to add 83.94 points to their six-fish aggregate. They have a 35.38 six-fish average and will have to work in Golden Isles and Little River if they want to capture the title.
With a 44.42 and a 39.52, Rusty Campbell's Half Mine scored a ninth place finish with 83.94 points. The rookie Pro team of Campbell, Mike Davis, Scott Rizer, Ray Hobby and Alan Smith moved to 28th overall with just five fish. This is a superb start for the team and more than indicates that they deserve to be in this league. This team will finish in the top 20 or better their first season, watch out when they learn the waters!
It was probably the roughest weekend any Captain could experience fishing a tournament. Teammate and close personal friend, Ken Thompson, who was fishing with Dan Upton, Ken Upton and Jack Wood on the Team Donzi, had a massive coronary. In spite of the aid of those on the boat, plus many other SKA teams coming to his aid, including a medic from one of the oil rigs, Ken did not survive. For reasons still unexplained Dan had to bring the body to shore as the Coast Guard would not aid in the transportation. As Dan would obviously not make the weigh-in, he asked Jim Scharfschwerdt to get permission from us to bring the Team Donzi fish to be weighed and of course we agreed. The fish weighed 44.54. Dan was really not up to fishing on day two, but many, many friends of Thompson agreed that he would have wanted the team to continue, so they did and scaled a 39.07, good enough for 10th. You just have to know Thompson was cheering him on. We’ll have more on this later.
Eleventh place went to Preston Hendrix, David Wallace and Chad Branch on the Tenacious, a Mercury powered Donzi. They weighed a 47.89 and a 35.30 for 83.19 points.
The 2003 Angler of the Year, Paul Massey, along with Joe Bruce, the 1992 Angler of the Year, and Ryan Rodeffer scaled 82.69 pounds of king over the two days to earn 12th. Their biggest was a 43.25.
The Fountain/Mercury team of Alden and Allison Thornton and Nicholas Ambrose picked up 13th with 82.25 points while our current overall Pro aggregate leader, the Howards, David, Adam and Cory on the Hooked for Reel, added 82.10 points to their score. After six fish they are .17 pounds ahead of Team Donzi. Talk about a tight race!
If you look hard at the Kajun Pro standings you will see that the difference between second place and 14th place was just 7.69 pounds. That's why they're called Pros, the best in the country in the sport of kings.
The Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour now moves to Georgia's Golden Isles, St. Simon's Island on August 2nd through the 4th. This event is notorious for giving up a couple of 40s. Anyone near the top in the standings will definitely make a statement. As close as this race is this season, Golden Isles could be the decision maker.
The SKA plans to do another live internet broadcast from the site so you can keep up to date with all the action.
FINAL STANDINGS,
YAMAHA PROFESSIONAL KINGFISH TOUR
FOURCHON, LOUISIANA.
|
| 1. |
CRAWGATOR •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
53.74••••••••••••••••••••••• | 45.72 •••••••••••• | 99.46 |
|
Invincible / Yamaha
Bill Butler
Steve Jenkins
Rick Ryan
|
| 2. |
STRIKE ZONE•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
47.44••••••••••••••••••••••• | 44.88•••••••••••• | 92.32 |
|
Donzi / Mercury
Dave Workman, Jr.
Rick Stinson
|
| 3. |
FINAL STRIKE ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
43.78••••••••••••••••••••••• | 46.01•••••••••••• | 89.79 |
|
Yellowfin / Yamaha
Terry Johnson
Jake Fulmer
Clyde Keen
David Reddick
|
| 4. |
PRO MARINE USA.COM YOUNG GUNS |
42.83••••••••••••••••••••••• | 46.39•••••••••••• | 89.22 |
|
Hydra Sports / Evinrude
Lee Way Jr.
Greg Holley
|
| 5. |
TEAM SEBAGO /LOOSE LUCY •••••••••••• |
51.81••••••••••••••••••••••• | 36.40•••••••••••• | 88.21 |
|
Fountain / Mercury
Mike Kaminsky
Gary Stecki
Susan Kaminsky
Jimmy Stecki
|
| 6. |
TEAM SIMRAD ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
47.16••••••••••••••••••••••• | 39.70 •••••••••••• | 86.86 |
|
Donzi / Mercury
Heath Daughtry
Shawn Edmonds
|
| 7. |
PRO MARINE USA.COM/ PENNY WISE |
42.17••••••••••••••••••••••• | 44.60•••••••••••• | 86.77 |
|
Contender / Yamaha
Ken Dellane
Stevie Dellane
Patty Dellane
Ashley Dellane
Chris Terry
Chris Geshkey
Brian Brandano
|
| 8. |
LURED AWAY•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
50.18••••••••••••••••••••••• | 35.48•••••••••••• | 85.66 |
|
Invincible / Evinrude
Albert Vrazel
Bobby Schoenfeld
Elvin “Chico” Chamorro
Sharon Kamp
|
| 9. |
HALF MINE ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
44.42••••••••••••••••••••••• | 39.52•••••••••••• | 83.94 |
|
Triton / Yamaha
Rusty Campbell
Mike Davis
Scott Rizer
Ray Hobby
Alan Smith
|
| 10. |
TEAM DONZI•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
44.54••••••••••••••••••••••• | 39.07•••••••••••• | 83.61 |
|
Donzi / Mercury
Ken Upton
Dan Upton
Jack Wood
Ken Thompson
|
| 11. |
TENACIOUS••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
47.89••••••••••••••••••••••• | 35.30•••••••••••• | 83.19 |
|
Donzi / Mercury
Greg Slayton
Preston Hendrix
David Wallace
Chad Branch
|
| 12. |
OUTRAGEOUS ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
43.25••••••••••••••••••••••• | 39.44•••••••••••• | 82.69 |
|
Yellowfin / Mercury
Paul Massey
Joe Bruce
Ryan Rodeffer
|
| 13. |
THE A TEAM ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
30.31••••••••••••••••••••••• | 51.94•••••••••••• | 82.25 |
|
Fountain / Mercury
Alden Thornton
Allison Thornton
Chad Barnes
Nicholas Ambrose
|
| 14. |
HOOKED FOR REEL•••••••••••••••••••••••• |
45.32••••••••••••••••••••••• | 36.78 •••••••••••• | 82.10 |
|
Fountain / Mercury
David Howard
Adam Howard
Cory Howard
|
TOP LADY ANGLER: |
| TEAM SIMRAD / LOOSE LUCY ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
SUSAN KAMINSKY |
TOP JUNIOR: |
| PRO MARINE USA.COM / PENNY WISE••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
STEVIE DELLANE |
TOP SENIOR: |
| LURED AWAY ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
ALBERT VRAZEL |
|
