January 2014 Angler

Official Publication of the Southern Kingfish Association | January 2014

Technique | Championship Kingfish Tactics News | A Closer Look: Blackwater Boats PERMIT NO.

US POSTAGE PAID TAMPA, FL 2397

www.FishSKA.com

PRESORTED STANDARD

January 2014 | ANGLER

SOUTHERN KINGFISH ASSOCIATION 15 GARNETT AVE ST AUGUSTINE FL 32084

Gear | New Electronics 2014

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Command Link Plus 5” High-Resolution LCD Display ®

for more data all on one screen

Y-COP Anti-Theft System ®

for added peace of mind

Command Link Plus Digital Throttle & Shift ®

for precise control of multiple outboards

Command Link Plus VTS Variable Trolling RPM System ®

®

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REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal floatation device and protective gear.

Message and data rates may apply. May not be available on all devices. © 2012 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved. 1-800-88-YAMAHA

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ANGLER | January 2014

Complex and sophisticated, yet still quite simple T H E G P S M A P 8 0 0 0 G L A S S H EL M S ER I E S

Never before has it been so powerfully simple to fall in love with a beautiful glass helm. The GPSMAP 8000 Glass Helm series gives you fully integrated control of everything on multi-touch displays, including sonar, integrated autopilot, such as a GHP™ 20, connectivity, apps, and engine data from one screen across all screens. SmartMode™ control allows you to switch all displays in sync to a custom preset mode like “planning” or “docking” without manually switching each display separately.

Available as an MFD or Black Box with separate monitors.

To learn more, visit Garmin.com/8000

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GPSMAP 8000

©2013 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries

January 2014 | ANGLER

www.FishSKA.com

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CONTENTS | January 2014 10 | YAMAHA PROFESSIONAL KINGFISH TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP | Bad Company Wins 2013 Yamaha Pro Championship! | Strike Two Wins 2013 Pro Championship Small Boat Class!

18 | 2013 TEAM OF THE YEAR | Kwazar page 28

28 | 2013 SKA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP | McMullan Family Earns Third National Open Class Title!

37 | 2013 SKA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP | Oceanview Wins the 2013 SKA Small Boat Championship Title!

46 | FALL BRAWL KING CLASSIC | Final Approach’s 51.25 Wins the Fall Brawl to End Div. 9’s 2013 Competition!

50 | 2013 DIVISION 9 FINAL WRAP-UP | Hot Rod is the Winner of North Carolina’s Div. 9! | Miller Time Wins Small Boat Class!

page 46

53 | GATORS FALL SUNCOAST KINGFISH CLASSIC | Penny Wise Leads the Pack at Fall Suncoast Classic!

page 53

57 | 2013 DIVISION 6 FINAL WRAP-UP | Penny Wise Earns Top Slot in Division 6! | Knot Me Earned Top Honors in Division 6 Small Boat Class!

59 | 2013 DIVISION 1 FINAL WRAP-UP | Hot Rod Wins D1 Open Class Title by Wide Margin! | Blue Water Candy Earns Top Slot in D1 Small Boat Class!

page 62

62 | 3RD ANNUAL NORTH CAROLINA TROOPERS ASSOC. SALTWATER CHALLENGE | Dupree’s OBX Girl/Team Calcutta Wins the NCTA Offshore Challenge with a 52.72

columns

information

6 | FIRST LOOK: BLACKWATER 36 CENTER CONSOLE | Not your average do-it-yourself project

by Gary Caputi

21 | MARINE ELECTRONICS | Breakthrough Technologies

16 | Pro Tour Points 34 | Mercury Trail Points 42 | Membership Application 66 | Members Helping Members 70 | Corporate Partners

by John Minetola

23 | CHAMPIONSHIP KINGFISH TACTICS

by Terry Lacoss www.Facebook.com/officialSKA

Go to www.FishSKA.com ON THE COVER:

Team OIFC earned a National Championship title for the third time. The McMullans—Rube, Brant, Barrett, Amy, Caroline, and Brayden. They had a two fish aggregate of 105.10, which included a 56.28 and a 48.82, to win the Open Class.

Oceanview won with a two fish-aggregate of 99.86. Ron Roberson and Sean McCarter from Jacksonville Beach, Florida scaled a 54.15 and a 45.71. They fish a Mercury powered Fountain and had the second largest aggregate of the whole event. They won a Mercury powered Onslow Bay complete with a Loadmaster trailer. A tremendous performance!!!

Note: The winners of the Yamaha Pro Tour Championship and 2013 Team of the Year will be featured on the February 2014 cover.

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ANGLER | January 2014

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FROM THE HELM

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Official Publication of the Southern Kingfish Association

■ by Jack Holmes

CORPORATE OFFICES 15 Garnett Avenue Saint Augustine, Florida 32084 Phone | 904-819-0360 Fax | 904-819-0331 e-mail | sokingfish@fishska.com web site | www.FishSKA.com Managing Partner Jack Holmes sokingfish@fishska.com

Accounting Deona Holmes deona@fishska.com

Magazine Director Christine B. Rodenbaugh anglerpages@fishska.com

Operations Director Bob Flocken bob@fishska.com

I

Here Come the Doom and Gloomers!

guess I’ll never understand some of the people who fish with us. We worked so hard to promote the Championships only to have too many tell us, “We can’t go!” We heard everything from “my team can’t go,” to “we’re broke.” One told us that if they won the last tournament they would come. Whatever happened to pride? What happened to honor and commitment? I heard every excuse in the book.

I even have members who have milked the system, got some sponsorship thanks to us, but still are no shows.

So why do we continually go back to Biloxi? Number one: The state tourism wants us and helps pay some of our expenses.

Sponsors have told us continually that they don’t want it moved.

They love the Biloxi experience because we’re all in one place and they get a lot of face time with you, the consumer. It’s so convenient for the service people.

But best of all, the community welcomes us with open arms.

They appreciate us. Finally, the fishing is superb. Certainly the best in the country!

Captains who found crew were disappointed when crew members abandoned them with: “Can’t get off work, can’t afford to go, have other obligations, or going hunting,” providing what they told us was correct. If I were a captain, nobody would get on my boat to fish without giving me Nationals money first. To captains who tell me to my face, “we’re coming” then don’t show up, don’t ever ask me for anything again. A

man has one thing in life he can control, that’s his honor. In the past 23 years I’ve had the good fortune to meet so many with talent and integrity. Unfortunately we have too many today who have lost both.

Let’s hope this coming year we can put that integrity back in our sport!

LOOKING FOR NEW EVENTS! The Southern Kingfish Association is looking for some new events. If you are involved with a philanthropic organization and have a tournament or are planning to produce one, we’d like to talk to you. Call Bob Flocken at 904-819-0360.

Membership Director Loreen Veazey

Tight lines!

—Jack

SKAmember@fishska.com

Webmaster Kathryn Petrinec webmaster@fishska.com

Advertising & Sponsorship Bob Flocken Jack Holmes Deona Holmes Contributing Editors Gary Caputi Terry Lacoss Ed Killer John Minetola

Contributions: Angler magazine welcomes stories, art, and photos. SKA will consider, but assumes no responsibility for, unsolicited proposals, manuscripts, and photographs; all such material not accompanied by self addressed stamped envelopes will not be returned, SKA retains reprint rights for resale, republication. Copyright 2014. Angler magazine is mailed to all members of the Southern Kingfish Association and is paid for in part by the yearly association dues.

January 2014 | ANGLER

2001 Angler of the Year, Chris Chase Passed Away November 11, 2013 Chris Chase, 56, the Southern Kingfish Association’s 2001 Angler of the Year, passed away on Monday, November 11th. He was a real estate broker by trade in Stanwood, Michigan. He is survived by his wife Jan, two children, three grand children, parents, in-laws, brothers and sister and many nieces and nephews.

Chris and his wife Jan would travel from Stanwood, Michigan to fish the trail. For not living on the coast and having to travel south to compete, it was truly a remarkable feat!

Chris was also on the Board of Trustees of the Southern Kingfish Association.

Chris overcame and accomplished so much with tenacity and humor in his life. He truly touched anyone who had contact with him, was an accomplished angler, enjoyed the competition, and truly enjoyed the fishing community.

Chris Chase with his wife, Jan “As most know, the SKA is owned by a group of people who fish or have fished the tournament trails. Chris was always there when I needed him,” said SKA Managing Partner, Jack Holmes. “I can’t tell you how much he and his wife, Jan enjoyed the SKA tournament lifestyle and the amount of friends he had. Chris was an integral part of the highly successful Donzi Team. Our sympathies go out to Jan and their family members. I will truly miss him and our condolences to Jan and their entire family.”

Memorial contributions may be made to the Timothy Hauenstein Library in Howard City, Michigan. www.FishSKA.com

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FIRST LOOK: Blackwater 36 Center Console

Not Your Average Do-It-Yourself Project ■ by Gary Caputi

W

hat do you get when you take with a highly successful custom home builder known for his fanatical attention to design and detail and get him interested in boats, but he can’t find one he feels is up to his critical standards? The short answer is the Blackwater Boat Company and an awesome high-performance 36’ center console that is turning heads on the SKA tournament trail. The long answer is a bit more involved, but much more interesting.

Before Eugene Uriarte became a home builder he spent years in the steel fabrications industry. It was there he learned about stress loads, structural design, construction and manufacturing.

He left the steel industry and moved to custom home building where he made his mark and amassed a reputation for designing and building high end houses for affluent clientele. If you think building boats is technical, stop and think about what goes into some of the modern mansions you see along Florida’s waterways.

The design and planning is unbelievably complex. You have to understand foundations and frames, exotic structural materials and layouts. The basic structure incorporates almost every medium you can imagine…stone, concrete, wood, steel, pipe, tile, glass, composites. There’s wiring and plumbing, heat and air conditioning; the list is almost endless and so convoluted as to boggle the mind. And if that’s not enough you have to know how to bring it all together on paper to develop cost projections so you can bid the project, build it and stay within budget.

A few years back Eugene decided to buy a boat, maybe get into fishing, relax a little, but he started looking at what was available and was not impressed. So being a hands-on kind of guy he did what any one of us would do—he designed and built his own boats. OK, maybe not most people of sound mind, but Eugene is a perfectionist plain and simple and once he decided he was going to build a boat it was going to be something very different and very special.

While the Blackwater 36 has The bow jump seats are pretty only been on the SKA scene cool and totally unobtrusive since last year there are over 35 when folded up. If I had one of them on the water today. Most complaint it would be the are in the hands of Florida bluetransom seat. It would be nice water fishermen designed with if it folded down instead of options to make them the ideal having to be removed leaving boat for kite fishing for sailfish exposed brackets.

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www.FishSKA.com

ANGLER | January 2014

and other pelagics. When the first one showed up in competition last year it was an oddity; a new boat that few competitors gave more than a cursory glance until it was passing them on the way to the fishing grounds. The shape is sleek, the hull super slippery, soft riding and fast powered by triple 300hp Verado outboards. But as you will see there is way more to the Blackwater 36 than meets the eye and it is catching the eye of some top SKA competitors including two-time Angler of the Year and former Fountain Boat guru, Clayton Kirby.

I hooked up with Eugene and Clayton in Biloxi the day before the weather-shortened National Championship. As I was looking around the boat Clayton came down to the dock and we spent a little time getting reacquainted and talking about it. One of my first questions was, “What got you interested in the Blackwater?”

“I’ve been involved with boats for a long time,” Clayton told me.

“You know I go way back with Fountain, running their boats and also working for the company.

I’ve had the opportunity to see pretty much every boat currently being run on the tour and I can tell you I have never seen another boat built like this one. The design and construction is pretty amazing.”

The Blackwater 36 sports a very unconventional hull design. It’s 36’ 2” LOA and has a narrow, by today’s standards, 10’ beam.

The bottom is a non-traditional 24-degree deep V at the transom with a very aggressive entry forward that cuts through a sea like a hot knife through butter.

It features a triangular pad that appears to be about 15 inches wide at the transom. It narrows as it is extends toward the bow until it reaches a point just forward of amidships. Looking at it from the transom the V extends outward from the pad and is broken by a very pronounced lifting strake that then rolls upward and outward into a chine arrangement and is almost tunnel-like in shape. The pad seems narrow enough that you don’t get the squirrely feeling some pad hulls exhibit and if I had to guess the tunnel-shaped chine arrangement does a lot to keep the boat tracking cleanly. It makes the boat corner like a sports car, reduces roll when the boat is slow trolling or at rest in a sea and beats down the spray for a relatively dry ride unless the winds get crazy. It was more than a little crazy that day.

January 2014 | ANGLER

Today step hulls are all the rage. The steps air out the hull and make for a faster boat, but they can also jar the bejesus out of you at times. There are no steps on this baby, but it appears the strakes and tunnel-shaped chine serve a similar purpose, aerating the hull, because the boat really gets up and runs. She makes plenty of speed nipping 65 MPH during speed trials and that was with 5 adults, 345 gallons of fuel and tackle on board. If we were to lighten her up a little, less fuel, no gear and two people on board like so many boats are when running flat out speed tests I can only imagine what the GPS might register with the three big black motors at wide open throttle. The boat is no slug out of the hole either. It accelerates smartly from a stop and feels like it wants to jump out of the water when you nail it when cruising.

I figured that Clayton and I would get aboard the boat for our run offshore so I could see how it handled, but it turned out to be a party instead. We were joined

by Clayton’s wife Anne, Eugene and his buddy Gus along with the aforementioned full tank of gas, full tank of fresh water and a pile of tackle and gear. This was the first day of the Nationals that was canceled due to high winds and seas, but we would head out and give the boat a thrashing and with Clayton at the helm thrashing is the appropriate terminology.

We ran offshore behind Horn Island and then made a turn out into the Gulf around the shoals at the east end. We were headed into some incredibly nasty stuff, tight 4 to 6 footers standing tall and building. We were making 30 to 35 knots, faster at times, with Clayton pushing the envelope as he tried to familiarize himself with its handling characteristics.

This was his first ride, too.

He managed to launch it off a few steep waves and the reentry was nowhere near as harsh as I would have expected. In fact, when the

speed was kept within reason it was downright soft. We ran around in that stuff until everyone was pretty sick of it—most of the other boats that tried to venture out for bait that day turned back well before we finished our little jaunt. Once we came back around Horn we headed for casino row in Biloxi and Clayton gave the boat its head. We were skipping along at 50 knots or better just eating up the chop and other than the wind trying to blow me out the back of the boat I barely felt a thing. Back inside we did a general speed/RPM/fuel consumption test and found the 36 had its most efficient cruising speed around 4000 RPM hitting 40 MPH while burning 33 GPH. Not bad for a big boat with 900hp.

So why was Clayton so fascinated by the way the Blackwater was designed and built? There are plenty of reasons beside the performance. The hull is a modified 3-piece construction. The outer hull is solid glass on the bottom with Corecell coring in the walls, then vacuumbagged and infused with vinylester resin. The stringers

are a fiberglass grid system with a pyramidal shape for greater strength and load bearing characteristics that is foam filled and bonded to the hull. Then the deck boxes are bonded to the grid and foamed in with 6-pound highdensity foam so every deck box is insulated by design. The inner liner is sized to fit the outer hull so tightly that it can be bonded to the outer hull walls without the need for foam to fill voids—there are no voids. Just bang on the inner liner with your hand and you’ll see what I mean. The end result is an incredibly strong finished structure. Oh, did I mention that the inner liner is vacuumbagged during layup, too?

The electrical system and plumbing is equally impressive.

For example, the three live wells, two in the transom and one in

Lots of Merc power combine with a totally unique hull design to offer performance, smart handling and stability.

The T-top pipework is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. www.FishSKA.com

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deck forward of the console, combine to hold 200 gallons of water and bait. All three can be pressurized using separate flow controls and they are fed a constant stream of water from a massive sea chest in the stern with six 2000 GPH pumps. The thru-hull fittings are oversized stainless steel and are fitted with stainless steel shut off valves. The console is the perfect size for the space available and can be ordered with a full head or in the SKA tournament edition, no head, just lots of storage space. The console is thru bolted to the deck through aluminum brackets.

Here’s one feature I have never seen on a boat before, there isn’t a single self-tapping screw anywhere on the boat. Everything,

including hinges on deck hatches, threads into a piece of counter threaded aluminum that is molded into the fiberglass during layup. The main structure supports for the T-Top are made out of a flat-sided pipe that Eugene bends in house because it takes a special machine he devised to bend it. The attention to detail is everywhere you look. In fact you could spend days looking at all the little details of this boat and the lengths Eugene went to fit his exacting standards. You’ll eventually walk away shaking your head asking yourself, “How did he do that?”

I could go on, but space is running out, so check out the Blackwater 36 yourself. Just give yourself plenty of time because

there is a great deal to look at.

And here’s the kicker, for such a detail rich high-performance boat the pricing is going to surprise you. For more information contact Eugene at 786-853-0618 or go to www.blackwaterboats.com.

Ed. Note: Blackwater boats are sold through BoatsDirectUSA.

com. To see or test ride the boat, call them at 888-425-0076.

If you’re going to Key West in January you can stop by their showroom at Mile Marker 98 in Key Largo. BoatsDirectUSA.com is the factory outlet. They will be more than happy to discuss the boat with you. ■

Talk about overbuilt, the sea chest/live well system is amazing and check out the stainless steel valves on the thru-hulls. Little touches like the shelves for the washdown hoses (fresh and raw water) and two compartments for fire extinguishers, show the degree of thought that went into the boat design.

Thank you to all of the SKA members and SKA staff who participated in the the Yamaha Pro Championship and the Mercury 2013 SKA Nationals in Biloxi, Mississippi. Although the weather didn’t cooperate the whole week, it still turned out to be a great tournament week!

Even though we lost tournament fishing days, we were able to spend more time with old friends and to meet new ones.

We would like to acknowledge and thank the SKA members and staff for all the work and effort you put into these tournaments.

We hope to see ya’ll soon, and we would like to wish each of you a happy and prosperous New Year!

Congratulations to the winners—Kwazar, Strike Two, Team OIFC, and Oceanview!

Sincerely, Danny and Laurie Pitalo and Staff

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228/432-7387 www.FishSKA.com

ANGLER | January 2014

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January 2014 | ANGLER

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Bad Company

PROFESSIONAL KINGFISH K H 20 TOUR 13

Wins 2013 Yamaha Pro CHAMPIONSHIP Championship !

Biloxi, Mississippi

91.59 agg.

BAD COMPANY— Lewis Rogers, B.J. Pearson, and Carolyn Williams win the Yamaha Pro Championship with these 48.34 and 43.25 pound kings.

Kwazar Takes 2nd KWAZAR was second with these 46.50 and 44.97 pound kings.

Marcus Kennedy, Max Williams, Brett Rutledge, Mike Ward, and Robert Young.

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91.47 agg. www.FishSKA.com

ANGLER | January 2014

DIV

PRO

Biloxi, Mississippi

L

ewis Rogers from Saint Augustine, Florida has had a great year earning second place in Division 5 standings plus winning the 2013 Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour Championship in Biloxi.

It wasn’t a cakewalk for the Yamaha powered Contender captain and his team of BJ Pearson and Carolyn Williams. Weather in Biloxi was not good this year.

“It was an east wind and was pushing waves to eight feet,” said Rogers. “It was just uncomfortable.” But remember the Gulf water acts completely different than that of the Atlantic. “We were 80 miles from Biloxi at the City Rigs with Rock Doc and Sweet Caroline III. I caught the 48.34, BJ caught the 43.25, and Carolyn ran the boat,” he added.

The biggest king came in the

YAMAHA PROFESSIONAL KINGFISH TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

boat at ten and the other slipped over the gunwale around noon.

“It certainly wasn’t the best but when you’re fishing for the Championship you pay attention to details and work within the environment we have to work with. It wasn’t pretty but we made it work,” Rogers added.

Couldn’t agree more!

The Bad Company team stood in ninth place in the Pro standings before going into the Championship. They also finished second in Division 5 and ninth in Division 8. Lewis and the team will represent our sport very well in the upcoming season!

Because of weather, the Yamaha Pro Championship was reduced to one day with the biggest fish from a team going to day one and their second smaller king going to day two. The Bad Company team weighed a 48 for day one and the 43 for their second fish. Their aggregate weight totaled 91.59, just .12 pounds ahead of second place Marcus Kennedy.

Kennedy, fishing with Max Williams, Mike Ward, Brett Rutledge, and Robert Young on the Yamaha powered Yellowfin named Kwazar, scaled a 46.50 for the first day and day two’s 44.97 for a 91.47 aggregate. It was so close!

The Bad Company team with their Yamaha

November 4–6, 2013

contingency check.

Kwazar is berthed in Mobile, Alabama.

Rogers earned a great $40,000 payday for winning the Championship plus the $5,000 contingency for fishing Yamaha Outboards. Pretty good for a oneday contest! Carolyn was the Top Lady Angler for the event. But don’t feel bad for Kennedy’s team.

They were crowned the 2013 Team of the Year earning $20,000 for the title and $20,000 for second place in the event and $5,000 Yamaha bonus money. It certainly was well deserved!

“Several of us had been consistently catching 50-pound plus kings south of DI for two weeks prior to Championship week so there was some pressure to go back there,” Marcus told me.

“With the east blow that came, I figured the water south of DI would get sandy and slow down the bite; plus it’s always rougher on the east side with any easterly blow. So we went west and made our way approximately 160 miles from Biloxi and found our fish in 150’ of water. I caught the bigger of our two weigh-in

Strike Two Wins 2013 Yamaha Pro Championship Small Boat Class!

R

ob Lupola, Ken Odom, Ray Martinez, Jeff Hall, and Bobby Schoenfeld, earned sixth place overall fishing a Small Boat Class Onslow Bay powered by Mercury.

The team scaled a 40.07 and a 32.14 for a 72.21 aggregate.

Strike Two and Reel Thrill / Team Bone Suckin’ Sauce were the only Pro teams competing January 2014 | ANGLER

in the Small Boat Pro ranks this year. Both were fishing Onslow Bay boats.

“We were fishing in the 120 block and seas were six to eight feet all day, so we worked the troughs,” said Lupola. “Both fish were the last ones of the day before we had to get to the scales, which took us two hours to get in.”

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of this team and the equipment we use including our Onslow Bay boat and Mercury power,” Rob offered. It gave the Small Boat Championship honors to the heavily sponsored team plus the $6,000 prize money for sixth.

On top of that, the team earned tenth place overall in the Pro Standings with 600. “We spend the whole year finding sponsors plus making sure we represent

event they enter and are the top them in everything we do. We’re small boat teams in the country always working hard on the water and know we may not be today!!! as comfortable as teams in big boats, we can compete and win,” Lupola added.

As the Managing Partner and cofounder of the SKA, I couldn’t agree more.

Both Lupola and Vaughn Ford’s Reel Thrill / Team Bone Suckin’ Sauce team are worldHall, Bobby Schoenfeld, Ken Strike Two—Rob Lupola, Ray Martinez, Jeff class fishermen Boat. l Smal Top t, even in Odom, sixth overall and can compete respectfully in any

www.FishSKA.com

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DIV

PRO

Biloxi, Mississippi

fish at 11AM on a big silver eel deep on the downrigger. Max caught the other at two o’clock on the same set-up. We had several nice kings, all on deep eels.

Brett had caught us over 100 big eels at DI Sunday evening. We also caught two wahoo and a big sailfish all on top with hardtails.

The Wednesday bite to the west was like a late summer bite with blue water and gamefish mixed

YAMAHA PROFESSIONAL KINGFISH TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

with the big kings. There was apparently a big difference in the weather between east and west on Wednesday. We fished in rain all day with light winds and two-foot seas. I heard that it was rough but no rain on the east side. All those senior anglers on my boat were very pleased that we missed out on the big waves. I’d like to thank Arik and Team Caliente as we teamed up

to cover more ground pre-fishing and then to relocate the fish on Wednesday.”

Ron Hildum’s team of Mike Syrakis and Brad Patterson, fishing the Mercury powered Donzi named Sweet Caroline III weighed the first 50-pound fish of the week, a super 51.37. “We just couldn’t back it up with a another good fish,” he said on the weighin stage. It went 22.48 for a third place 73.85 aggregate.

“As you’ve already reported, we were at the City Rigs with Bad Company and Rock Doc and, yes, it was rough. When we got our Roffer’s report it told us this was the spot so, rough or not, we were going.”

Ron went on to tell me it was Mike who fought the 51.37

November 4–6, 2013

to gaff. “We saw her come to the surface with the blue runner actually coming out of the water trying to get away. We knew it was a real good fish when it took a team effort to get her in the boat.”

Ron and the team earned a cool $13,000. That pushed the win pool to over $100,000 in payouts through the first three teams. Ron comes from Green Cove Springs, Florida.

Don Jackson bought a new Contender after losing his Wellcraft in this event last year.

In the new ride, Jackson and his son Donnie, Russell Webb, Chris Kopfler, Rob Atkins, and Jordan Caronia caught and scaled a 40.80 plus 32.47 for a 73.27 aggregate. The team won $10,000 for their efforts and came from Metairie, Louisiana.

“We went east 50 miles where we had pre-fished but the water changed,” Don Jackson started.

“So we knew we had to go south.

At two o’clock we found a big bite and had to have caught 20 to 25 fish in the high 20s, finally we bagged our 40 and then our 32.”

Their effort earned them fourth

Strike Two—First Place 2013 Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour Championship Small Boat Class and sixth in the tournament overall.

Sweet Caroline with their 51.37. Third in event. Ron Hildum, Mike Syrakis, and Brad Patterson.

Kwazar with second place award. Marcus Kennedy, Max Williams, Mike Ward, Brett Rutledge, and Robert Young

Sea Cruiser was fourth. Don Jackson Sr., Donnie Jackson, Russell Webb, Chris Kopfler, Rob Atkins, and Jordan Caronia.

Liquid Fire was fifth. Mark, Joshua, and Crockett Henderson, plus Chris Waters

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www.FishSKA.com

ANGLER | January 2014

DIV

PRO

Biloxi, Mississippi

place with a 73.27. “I really didn’t know whether to weigh or not.”

Jackson mused. “I didn’t have a 50 so I thought there was no chance of getting in the top ten.

Thank goodness I did go to the scale.”

Rounding out the top five were the ’08 Anglers of the Year, Mark, Joshua, and Crockett Henderson, plus Chris Waters. The Yamaha powered Intrepid team weighed a 37.27 plus a 35.55 for a 72.82 aggregate. Mark and the team came down from Cape Carteret, North Carolina and lay claim to the 2008 Angler of the Year honor. Henderson won $8,000.

Strike Two captained by Rob Lupola from Navarre, Florida, plus Ken Odom, Ray Martinez, Jeff Hall, and Bobby Schoenfeld, earned sixth place overall fishing a Small Boat Class Onslow Bay powered by Mercury. The team scaled a 40.07 and a 32.14 for a 72.21 aggregate.

Seventh place went to the Under Armour/Caliente team led

by Arik Bergerman. Fishing on the Mercury powered Yellowfin were Eric Sidor, Jeff Houser, Joe Medolla, Glenn Carr, and the ’95

YAMAHA PROFESSIONAL KINGFISH TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

National Champion Randy Keys.

They scaled a 35.86 and a 35.63 for a 71.49 aggregate.

Caliente earned $8,000 for winning third place overall on the Professional Kingfish Tour.

Neal Foster’s team, Intense, earned eighth place. They won the Pro Tour and Championship last year and did just fine this year considering the Captain was pretty much incapacitated due to an earlier non-boating accident.

He’ll be fine but it did disrupt the team and the weather certainly didn’t help. They scaled a 43.19 and a 27.83 for 71.02 total weight.

They picked up $10,000 for earning second place overall in the Pro Standings.

You’ve really got to respect a second place finish for the Intense team in the overall standings on this year’s Pro Tour!

They fish a Yamaha powered Contender. As long as the Marcus Kennedy/Neal Foster rivalry continues, it will take a super effort to unseat either of these teams.

That has nothing to do with bigger fish in the Gulf, it’s irrelevant.

They are that good!

Crisis, a husband and wife

November 4–6, 2013

Caliente caught lots of good fish including this big wahoo.

Under Armour / Caliente picked up seventh. Arik Bergerman, Eric Sidor, Jeff Houser, Joe Medolla, Glenn Carr, and Randy Keys make up the team.

Champagne for the winners, Bad Company!

Liquid Fire on the big stage.

January 2014 | ANGLER

Neal Foster’s Intense team was eighth. Neal Foster, Mark Collier, Brian Keevan, and Jason Hebert.

Intense gets some prize money. www.FishSKA.com

13

DIV

PRO

Biloxi, Mississippi

team from Stapleton, Alabama was ninth with a 69.36 two fish aggregate. Clint and Kristin Zavros work overseas, plan their work schedule diligently, and work hard to fish as many events as possible. Their normal schedule includes two months out of the country, separated, and one month home. But when they’re home they’re on the water racking up. Overall they were fifteenth in the Pro standings. The really deserve a lot of respect!

Rounding out the top ten this season was John Smith Sr. on Momma Said, a Yamaha powered

YAMAHA PROFESSIONAL KINGFISH TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Contender. Together with Smith was Ryan Polen, Mike & Mikey Howes, and Irv Albright, who teamed to scale a 34.76 and a 34.10 for 68.86.

The Penny-Less team led by Mike Wood earned $5,000 for picking up fourth place on the overall final standings.

Finally, if you check the overall payout from the event plus the Yamaha bonus monies, $150,000 was paid out. The winners deserved all the accolades they could earn this weekend.

The 2014 Pro Tour begins in January in Key West, Florida. ■

Crisis was ninth. A great husband and wife team! Clint and Kristin Zavros.

Momma Said earned tenth. John Smith Sr., Ryan Polen, Mike and Mikey Howes, and Irv Albright.

Max Williams, Mike Ward, and Robert Young, were our Top Senior anglers.

Tyler Kesler was the event’s Top Junior Angler.

Carolyn Williams, Top Lady Angler.

14

November 4–6, 2013

www.FishSKA.com

ANGLER | January 2014

DIV

PRO

Biloxi, Mississippi

YAMAHA PROFESSIONAL KINGFISH TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL STANDINGS

Get Layed had a great season. Fred Watkins, Jr., William Todd Gardner, Ken Jansen, Sherman Butch Smith, and Kayla Williamson.

Rock Doc had Top Junior onboard. Robert Wiggins, Dowell Coker, Chris Lacey, Holly and Tyler Kesler.

Reel Thrill / Team Bone Suckin’ Sauce, Vaughn Ford, Walt Nelson, Jason Spratley, Jay Bucklen.

November 4–6, 2013

YAMAHA PRO TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP Fish 1

Fish 2 Aggregate

1. BAD COMPANY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48.34 Contender / Yamaha St. Augustine, Florida Lewis Rogers B.J. Pearson Carolyn Williams 2. KWAZAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46.50 Yellowfin / Yamaha Mobile, Alabama Marcus Kennedy Max Williams Mike Ward Brett Rutledge Robert Young 3. SWEET CAROLINE III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.37 Donzi / Mercury Green Cove Springs. Florida Ronald Hildum Mike Syrakis Brad Patterson 4. SEA CRUISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.80 Contender / Yamaha Metairie, Louisiana Don Jackson, Sr. Donnie Jackson Russell Webb Chris Kopfler Rob Atkins Jordan Caronia 5. LIQUID FIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.27 Intrepid / Yamaha Cape Carteret, North Carolina Mark Henderson Joshua Henderson Crockett Henderson Chris Waters 6. STRIKE TWO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.07 Onslow Bay / Mercury Navarre, Florida Rob Lupola Ken Odom Ray Martinez Jeff Hall Bobby Schoenfeld 7. UNDER ARMOUR / CALIENTE . . . . . . . 35.86 Yellowfin / Mercury St. Petersburg, Florida Arik Bergerman Eric Sidor Jeff Houser Joe Medolla Glenn Carr Randy Keys 8. INTENSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43.19 Contender / Yamaha Mobile, Alabama Neal Foster Mark Collier Brian Keevan Jason Hebert 9. CRISIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.09 Yellowfin / Yamaha Stapleton, Alabama Clint Zavros Kristin Zavros 10. MOMMA SAID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.76 Contender / Yamaha St. Petersburg, Florida John Smith, Sr. Ryan Polen Mike Howes Mikey Howes Irv Albright

. . . 43.25 . . . . . 91.59

. . . 44.97 . . . . . 91.47

. . . 22.48 . . . . . 73.85

. . . 32.47 . . . . . 73.27

. . . 35.55 . . . . . 72.82

. . . 32.14 . . . . . 72.21

. . . 35.63 . . . . . 71.49

. . . 27.83 . . . . . 71.02

. . . 32.27 . . . . . 69.36

. . . 34.10 . . . . . 68.86

TOP LADY ANGLER . . . . . . . . . Carolyn Williams . . . . . . . . . . Bad Company TOP JUNIOR ANGLER . . . . . . . . Tyler Kesler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rock Doc

Open Wide / Eastern Asphalt. Benson Ybanez, Athan and Clifton Parker, and Tim Morton.

January 2014 | ANGLER

TOP SENIOR ANGLERS Mike Ward, Max Williams, Robert Young . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kwazar

www.FishSKA.com

15

2013 PRO POINTS FINAL KWAZAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,180 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA MARCUS KENNEDY

TEAM ANIMAL HOUSE . . . . . . . . . 470 WELLCRAFT / YAMAHA JOHN PARKS

BIG BAD WOLF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 CONTENDER / YAMAHA STACY WESTER

INTENSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 900 CONTENDER / YAMAHA NEAL FOSTER

REEL THRILL / TEAM BONE SUCKIN' SAUCE . . . . . . . . . 450 ONSLOW BAY / MERCURY VAUGHN FORD

EREN'S ADDICTION TOO. . . . . . . . 230 CONTENDER / MERCURY JACK BRACEWELL

UNDER ARMOUR / CALIENTE . . . 880 YELLOWFIN / MERCURY ARIK BERGERMAN PENNY-LESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 825 CONTENDER / MERCURY MIKE WOOD BANDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 INVINCIBLE / SUZUKI RONALD MITCHELL GET LAYED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800 CONTENDER / YAMAHA FRED WATKINS, JR.

BLACK GOLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA MIKE MCDUFFIE YOUNG GUNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420 FOUNTAIN / MERCURY LANCE IRVINE OPEN WIDE / EASTERN ASPHALT . . . . . . . . . . . 410 CONTENDER / YAMAHA BENSON YBANEZ

TEAM ZEBRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA DAVID TEDDER BARBARA ANN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 WELLCRAFT / YAMAHA DR. JOHN ADCOX, JR. MILLER TYME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 SEA HUNTER / YAMAHA DOUG MILLER MANGLER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 CONTENDER / YAMAHA MO MANGAN

SPICED RUM III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 790 CONTENDER / YAMAHA WILLIAM WUMMER

PROMARINEUSA.COM / KINGPIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410 JUPITER / MERCURY CHAD HICKMAN

PAPOTANIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 720 INVINCIBLE / YAMAHA JOSE REYES

TEAM OIFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA BRANT MCMULLAN

HAMMER DOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA MONTY BATES, SR.

BAD COMPANY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700 CONTENDER / YAMAHA LEWIS ROGERS

REEL QUICK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 CONTENDER / YAMAHA JERRY CARTER

SOLID SURFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 HUNLEY / MERCURY ANDY NETTLES

STRIKE TWO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 680 ONSLOW BAY / MERCURY ROB LUPOLA

WINDY CONDITIONS . . . . . . . . . . 400 CONTENDER / YAMAHA HENRY TILLETT

TEAM INSTIGATOR . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 YELLOWFIN / MERCURY SCOTT SMITH

HOT GRITS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 DONZI / MERCURY NED GRADY

LIQUID NITRO ENERGY . . . . . . . . 390 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA JASON SOLANO

TIDELINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 WELLCRAFT / YAMAHA DIETER CARDWELL

for

ROCK DOC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590 CONTENDER / YAMAHA ROBERT WIGGINS

LUNASEA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380 CONTENDER / YAMAHA RICH SUJAT

THAT'S MY DOG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 YELLOWFIN / MERCURY FORREST TAYLOR

Team

CRISIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA CLINT ZAVROS

EAST COAST SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . 360 ONSLOW BAY / YAMAHA RANDALL EDENS

REEL NOLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 SEA VEE / MERCURY CHRIS OSCEOLA

of the

PENNY WISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580 CONTENDER / YAMAHA MIKE PENNY

LOGAN'S RUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA D. LOGAN

BOATSDIRECTUSA.COM . . . . . . . . 100 BLACKWATER / MERCURY ERIC NEIDORF

Year

LIQUID FIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550 INTREPID / YAMAHA MARK HENDERSON

ALL IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 CAPE HORN / YAMAHA KENNETH STRICKLAND

JUDY BEE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 CONTENDER / YAMAHA PHILLIP BROCK

FINAL APPROACH . . . . . . . . . . . . 540 CONTENDER / YAMAHA JAMES DEMYAN, JR.

SHOCK WAVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 HYDRA SPORTS / YAMAHA MILTON VIA

MINING MY BIDNESS. . . . . . . . . . 100 CONTENDER / YAMAHA CHUCK PERMENTER

THE REEL WON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA ROBERT WOITHE, SR.

MOMMA SAID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280 CONTENDER / YAMAHA JOHN SMITH, SR.

MSC / MY THREE SONS . . . . . . . . 100 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA TERRY GRANTHAM

REELENTLESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520 CONTENDER / YAMAHA BENNIE GOLDMAN, SR.

C-SICK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 MAKO / ONSLOW BAY / YAMAHA BRUCE BROWN

SEAFOOD KITCHEN . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 CONTENDER / YAMAHA RUSSELL STUART

SEA CRUISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520 CONTENDER / YAMAHA DON JACKSON, SR.

NATIVE PREMONITIONS . . . . . . . 260 CONTENDER / MERCURY LEON WILCOX

STRIKE ZONE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 YELLOWFIN / MERCURY DAVE WORKMAN, JR.

SWEET CAROLINE III . . . . . . . . . . 510 DONZI / MERCURY RONALD HILDUM

PROMARINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 YELLOWFIN / MERC/YAM KEVIN HANNON

TRIVIAL PURSUIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 FOUNTAIN / MERCURY RONNIE WORSHAM

LIL DEVIL.COM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490 SEA HUNTER / YAMAHA MICHAEL JACQUIN

WILD RIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 FOUNTAIN / MERCURY RANDY GRIFFIN, JR.

16

TORTTEASER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 YELLOWFIN / MERCURY BRANDON SMITH

www.FishSKA.com

The

Quest

Begins in Key West!

PROFESSIONAL KINGFISH K H 20 TOUR 14 20

CHAMPIONSHIP S Biloxi, Mississippi

www.fishska.com/tour ANGLER | January 2014

A NEW SPECIES OF SONAR

CHIRP DownVision™

The New Dragonfly™ Sonar/GPS with CHIRP DownVision™ View the world beneath your boat with the photo-like clarity of DownVision™ sonar, the first high-resolution imaging sonar for anglers to use CHIRP technology. Dragonfly’s dual channel CHIRP technology lets you explore structure and target fish like never before.

See all that Dragonfly can do for you online at www.raymarine.com/ska Imagery for illustrative purposes only.

January 2014 | ANGLER

www.FishSKA.com

17

DIV

7

Northern Gulf

OPEN CLASS FINAL WRAP-UP

|

by Jack Holmes

OPEN CLASS

Marcus Kennedy of Mobile, Alabama, has been a top contender for the past two decades, probably winning more events than any other captain fishing in the Upper Gulf. His team, which has changed somewhat over the years, is all top notch. It includes his mainstay, Max Williams, Brett Rutledge, Robert Young, Michael Ward, Brian Bailey, Jr. and Sr., Jonathan Graham, Scott Byrd, and the pride of Marcus’s team, his son Tyler. Tyler is working hard toward a college degree however still balances time hunting and fishing with his dad. big fish coming across the gunwales. While everything is still not back to normal, it is agreed that the oil spill disaster did take its toll.

Congratulations to all the qualifiers! ■

KWAZA R

Marcus Kennedy's Team Racked 1st OPEN CLASS Up 1,180 Points to Earn Team of the Year Honors

cont. pg. 18

2nd

OPEN CLASS

3rd

OPEN CLASS

THE 2013 TEAM OF THE YEAR! KWAZAR— Marcus Kennedy, Max Williams, Tyler Kennedy, Robert Young, Mike Ward, and Brett Rutledge.

They received the coveted trophy from Tim Haney of Yamaha and Contender’s Les Stewart, Jr. Right: Teammates hold the coveted Team of the Year trophy and the contingency check from Yamaha.

4th 18

OPEN CLASS

5th www.FishSKA.com

OPEN CLASS ANGLER | January 2014

DIV

PRO

Biloxi, Mississippi

SKA PROFESSIONAL KINGFISH TOUR TEAM OF THE YEAR

November 6, 2013

2013 PRO TOUR POINTS

Three titles in three years for Strike Two! Rob Lupola, Ray Martinez, Ken Odom, Jason Spratley, and Mike Henke won the 2011 National Championship Small Boat Class, came back in 2012 to win the Pro Tour Small Boat Class, and repeated the title in 2013. Les Stewart, Jr. from Contender boats and Tim Haney from Yamaha motors were on hand to congratulate the team. See final standings for all who fished the Pro Tour this year at FishSKA.com/tour.

The 2012 Team of the Year, Intense, finished second place this year. Captain Neal Foster, Mark Collier, Brian Keevan, and Jason Hebert, are shown with Contender’s Les Stewart Jr. and Yamaha’s Tim Haney.

Third place overall for Team of the Year honors went to the Under Armour / Caliente team. Arik Bergerman, Eric Sidor, the ’95 National Champion Randy Keys, Joe Medolla, Glenn Carr, Jeff Houser, and James Addison made up the team. Contender’s Les Stewart Jr. (far left) and Yamaha’s Tim Haney (far right) were present at the awards ceremony. ny-Less, rounded out the top four.

The 2012 National Champions, Pen Burgess, and James Wood.

Mike Wood, David Linsinbigler, Alex

Ed. note: The 2013 Team of the Year will be featured on thee cover of the February 2014 issue of Angler magazine.

January 2014 | ANGLER

www.FishSKA.com www FishSKA com

1. KWAZAR . . . . . . . . . . . 1,180 Yellowfin / Yamaha Marcus Kennedy Max Williams Mike Ward Brett Rutledge Robert Young Tyler Kennedy 2. INTENSE . . . . . . . . . . . . 900 Contender / Yamaha Neal Foster Mark Collier Brian Keevan Jason Hebert 3. UNDER ARMOUR / CALIENTE . . . . . . . . . . . 880 Yellowfin / Mercury Arik Bergerman Eric Sidor Randy Keys Joe Medolla Glenn Carr Jeff Houser James Addison 4. PENNY-LESS . . . . . . . . . 825 Contender / Mercury Mike Wood David Linsinbigler Alex Burgess James Wood 5. BANDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 Invincible / Suzuki Ron Mitchell Spencer Ross Tommy Anderson Dave Hudson Sam Cory Gill Strelec, Jr. Chase Strelec Jaime Fortwangler Mike McCabe Ted Elliott 6. GET LAYED . . . . . . . . . . 800 Contender / Yamaha Fred Watkins Jr. Ken Jansen William Todd Gardner Sherman Butch Smith Kayla Williamson 7. SPICED RUM III . . . . . . . 790 Contender / Yamaha William Wummer Don Lamb Sheri Beswick Freddie Joseph Wayne Beswick Howard Tuman Tony Joseph 8. PAPOTANIC . . . . . . . . . . 720 Invincible / Yamaha Jose Reyes Bill Platt Ozzie Fischer Marc Bledsoe Mark Nagelmueller 9. BAD COMPANY . . . . . . . 700 Contender / Yamaha Lewis Rogers B.J. Pearson Elena Rogers Carolyn Williams Kristin Summers 10. STRIKE TWO . . . . . . . . . 680 Onslow Bay / Mercury Rob Lupola Bobby Schoenfeld Ray Martinez Ken Odom Jeff Hall 19

7 Championship Wins in 6 Years!

2013 SKA Pro Tour Small Boat Champions STRIKE TWO 2012 SKA National Small Boat Champions REEL THRILL/BONE SUCKIN’ SAUCE 2012 SKA Pro Tour Small Boat Champions STRIKE TWO 2011 SKA National Small Boat Champions STRIKE TWO 2010 SKA National Small Boat Champions REEL THRILL/BONE SUCKIN’ SAUCE

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20

www.FishSKA.com

ANGLER | January 2014

by John M

in

et

ol

a

NEW ELECTRONICS 2014 BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGIES

F

ishfinders have just seen a major breakthrough in technology. Two transducer channels in the network black boxes allows you to have more sounding capability on one split screen. Lower prices for transducers makes it more attractive to have more than one transducer.

New, dual channel transducers can save you money and provide more images of fish and the ocean’s bottom.

In another category of electronics, autopilots for outboards will never be the same since the functions of an autopilot are working their way into joystick steering and throttle control systems.

Your back-up GPS is now in your smart phone, even when you’re out of range of the cellular towers.

Audio and video are becoming more connected to the operating software and the display screen of your sounder and plotter network.

NEW SONAR CONCEPTS Over the last few years, CHIRP sounders were developing, and at relatively high prices compared to the traditional sounders.

Separately, 3D images of structure on the bottom and some of the

transducers required to see off to the side of a boat were kind of clunky. They also tended toward shallow freshwater devices.

Adding more difficulty, you could not have both CHIRP and a view around the ocean bottom in one fishfinder.

Suddenly this year, there are two-channel sounder boxes from three manufacturers. With two transducers, you can have combinations of CHIRP clarity and better images of structure on one display, and the price has dropped drastically. It now makes sense to have a deepwater CHIRP sounder and perhaps a shallow water sidescan or sonar with 3D on a separate screen or in a split screen. You decide which you like of the many choices available.

There are compromises to be made on optimum depth capability, price, operator’s interface (GUI) and the structure software.

However, the freedom of choice has made a big step forward.

Raymarine is making their own transducers for some units.

Essentially, the sounder black box in a network can now be a two-channel device. However, Raymarine also makes a dual channel transducer. As an example of the price reductions, the new Raymarine dual channel

CHIRP transom mount transducer is around $100, street price.

There is also a thru-hull version.

Each includes a relatively narrow conical beam for targeting fish in detail, and a very wide-angled fan-shaped cone for a clear picture of bottom structure and fish near the bottom.

Garmin has improved the CHIRP side of their DownVu and EchoVu units. I’ll cover this in detail next month, after I test on the water. I am hoping for a box like the GCV10 for the larger networked displays soon, too.

In next month’s Angler, I’ll go into detail on the limitations. For instance, you may not be able to have some shallow water functions in one channel and the very deep water functions in the other channel of a two-channel network-sounder box.

Also, 3D images are not the same as sidescan sonar or CHIRP Downvision.

You may want a networked deepwater sounder and a separate shallow water sounder with its own screen.

AUTOPILOT vs JOYSTICK Angler magazine covered joystick steering in detail a few months ago, but joysticks relate to the marine electronics world in an

interesting way. In “cruise control” mode, the joystick system can control speed as well as heading of an outboard or I/O boat. All the functions of an autopilot are not included in joystick systems, but they are coming close.

You would want to look at details from Yamaha, Mercury, and Teleflex. Consider which engines you have as well as your need for an autopilot. You may want to hover over a fishing hole, steer patterns over a reef, or cruise to a distant port. On a long cruise, do you simply keep a compass heading, or constantly correct course for current set as you aim at a waypoint.

GPS BACKUP A while ago, the government required smart phones to have location services to assist in 911 calls. So, most smart phones have a GPS in them now. Earlier versions required a connection to a cell tower to show GPS and mapping, but it is easy, of course, to develop software so the GPS and maps work without being online.

Now some phones have output for GPS in their charging connector, although Bluetooth output is more common (requiring the right software in the phone).

Raymarine’s Dragonfly features a super-bright 5.7” LCD screen and Raymarine’s exclusive CHIRP sonar technology.

In fact, Dragonfly has 2-sonars-in-1. Dragonfly’s CHIRP fish targeting sonar finds bait and predators to depths of up to 600 feet, while Dragonfly’s CHIRP DownVision sonar delivers underwater vision of bottom structure and fish so realistic, we call it VISIONALITY. The imagery is simply amazing!

January 2014 | ANGLER

www.FishSKA.com

21

My experience is that the GPS position update is not instantaneous between Florida and Bimini, but intervals of a little more than a minute is plenty fast.

There are so many variations in phones and software that I can’t list them all here, but if you search online you will find your equipment. You may need a little help with the software and merging it all together.

I’ll list some examples in a future article.

CHART SOFTWARE

ENTERTAINMENT

Garmin has had some issues with some chart packages not being compatible with some displays that they build or have built. They have responded now.

Garmin just announced new software updates to many GPSMAP and ECHOMAP units. If you have a Garmin screen, you can check on your unit on Garmin’s website to see if an upgrade may be in order for you.

Fusion sound systems are now more integrated into the network displays. Improved software is making it easier to control the sound system from your main touch screen display screen.

The Garmin Meteor 300 is catching up with Raymarine and Simrad as a complete interface to a Fusion system.

Video inputs are more common now in networks, making it easier to show camera, TV, YouTube videos, or whatever you may have.

Wetsound has LED lighting rings for speakers if colorful lighting is your thing. Light strips under the gunwale are becoming more common, as I see it when

Above: Garmin’s GCV™ 10 Black Box Sonar with DownVü/ SideVü. This black box solution allows you to add Garmin DownVü and SideVü scanning sonar with CHIRP technology to compatible echoMAP and GPSMAP series chartplotters.

walking around the docks at night.

Garmin has introduced new VIRB cameras for recording your fishing action on board. The cameras can be taken off the boat to put on a helmet when skiing, for instance. GoPro has proven how fun these cameras can be.

Documenting tournament catches is an obvious use for a camera in the cockpit.

Entertainment and maps are becoming the most important thing in your car, and that idea is working its way onto boats. Some of the same companies actually make electronic products and software for cars and boats.

I haven’t seen so much new product in quite a long time.

Whether you are finally getting a new boat or upgrading your existing boat, I hope you take a good look at the new gadgets and the new electronic fishing tools. ■ John Minetola applies his knowledge of electrical and electronic engineering combined with 35 years of experience in the marine industry to write articles for Angler magazine January– June revealing the latest, innovative products available to sport fishermen.

New Manually Adjustable Antenna Mount!

■ by Jack Holmes

Every once in a while a product comes along that is revolutionary. The new Tigress antenna mount fits this category. Instead of climbing on the gunwale to release the knuckle-busting lever holding the ratchet mount antenna, a few turns of the bottom mounted crank assembly brings the antenna up or down. Simply push up on the handle to release the gears and turn it 12 times to complete deployment of your antenna. Pull the handle down and it’s securely locked in place.

What’s even better you can crank the antenna forward or backwards in the down position. Really simple if you have low bridges on your way to open water. The new antenna mount fits all prepared T-tops with three inch mounting hole. Fits hard tops up to two and a half inches thick. They also have one for your T-top mounted running light.

For more information or to order yours today, contact Tigress Outriggers and Gear at tigressoutriggers.com.

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22

Divisional Competition Surveys Open for Participants The 2014 Season has ended and SKA would like your feedback. Recently, we sent an e-mail that included a link to a short, five question survey regarding your division.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey. If you fished a divisional tournament and did not get the survey link, please send an e-mail to webmaster@fishska.com to request the link. Type “D(# of the Division www.FishSKA.com

you fished) Survey” in the subject line. This survey is only open to those who fished.

If you have not been receiving mail from Kingfish Central, send an e-mail to your membership director, Loreen Veazey, at SKAmember@fishska.com. Type “Opt In” in the subject line and type your name in the body of the message. She’ll add your e-mail to the database. (also see note pg. 61) ANGLER | January 2014

CHAMPIONSHIP K I N G F I S H TAC T I C S A mix of wind, bait fish, and kingfish migrations challenged a competitive field of SKA tournament teams at Biloxi where skilled king mackerel fishermen emerged as Champions!

■ b y Te r r y L a c o s s

Rogers said. “Fishing smaller mulhe 2013 SKA Championship let resulted in attracting smaller week got underway with kings that would actually hinder windy weather conditions folour efforts for catching a big king, lowed by major baitfish and kingfish so we concentrated on catching migrations. I was scheduled to be at one large king mackerel while the event but the possibility of kidney fishing with one large live bait.” stones kept me home and under the Locating a good current, weather. SKA Championship teams employing all three outboards at Biloxi were also under the weather to maintain their position, and with winds gusting to 30 knots. a super slow live bait troll and I called Marcus Kennedy to get an fishing with just one select large overview of the upcoming tournalive bait resulted in a second big ment conditions. kingfish that weighed 43 pounds.

“There are lots of kingfish holding Bad Company’s two-fish aggrefrom ten to 15 miles offshore in the gate weight hit the Biloxi tournaGulf,” Marcus said. “A major mullet ment SKA scales at 91.59 pounds migration from near shore waters to for first place SKA Yamaha Pro deep waters has not happened yet.

Championship honors.

We are also hoping the winds will Lewis Rogers’ Bad Company blow from the north when they subteam also finished fourth place side so that it will be fishable.”

Elena Rogers fights a big king aboard Bad Company at the Salt Humps. in the SKA Mercury National Unfortunately, strong east winds Championship. However, the big continued to blow on Tuesday forcing kings migrated from the City Rigs some 12 miles to the Salt Humps a one-day Pro Championship tournament on Wednesday. where Bad Company caught a 51- and 39-pound kingfish.

Bad Company, hailing from St. Augustine, Florida, is captained by During the 2013 Yamaha Pro Championship, Marcus Kennedy’s Lewis Rogers with B.J. Pearson, and Carolyn Williams also on board.

Kwazar team employed their years of king fishing success on tourna“We fished at the City Rigs where it was so rough at times for several ment day. rough minutes, we could not see the nearby tournament boat Sweet “Wednesday morning the winds were blowing from the east at 20 to Caroline III,” Rogers said. “We fished right smack in the middle of the 30 knots which made our decision to run some 160 miles west to the City Rigs where a nice current was holding tournament size kings.” west side of DI to calmer and fishable kingfish waters,” Kennedy said.

“I firmly believe the winning kingfish tactic that we employed in the Kwazar had live mullet on board and 100 large silver eels that Brett 2013 SKA Yamaha Pro Championship was engaging all three 300hp Rutledge had hand caught.

Yamaha outboards in order to maintain our position in the rough “Once we arrived at our kingfish destination where waters were a Gulf,” explained Rogers. “We flatlined large live mullet in catching solid 160-feet deep, we rigged silver eels to 30-pound kingfish tackle our largest kingfish that weighed 48.34 pounds. However, we knew and dropped them down to a depth of 100 feet with the aid of our two we needed a second large king to have any chance of winning the Pro Cannon electric downriggers,” explained Kennedy. “We also employed Championship. We had a three-pound live blue runner in our live bait ten-pound, fish-shaped downrigger weights with a 20-foot drop back well just for the occasion,” he continued. distance from the weight to the silver eels. Three large live mullet were Bad Company barbed their largest blue runner using 30-pound kingalso flatlined on the surface with 30-pound kingfish tackle as well with fish tackle rigged to an eight-foot section of 40-pound fluorocarbon various drop back distances from just a few feet behind the boat to 75 shock leader, three feet of 60-pound wire leader, 80-pound stinger wire, feet,” he continued. and a pair of #2-4X treble hooks haywire wrapped to the leader wire Kwazar fishes with J & M custom 30-pound class trolling rods outand stinger wire. The rear treble hook was barbed into the live bait just fitted with Shimano Calcutta two-speed kingfish reels filled with 450 behind the dorsal fin.

“Maintaining our position smack in the middle of the City Rigs we flatyards of 30-pound monofilament line. lined just the one three-pound blue runner back into the water column,” “We attach our terminal 30-pound kingfish line directly to a 130lb.

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Spro swivel,” Kennedy said. “Next, a four-foot section of #7, 81lb. Malin piano wire is haywire wrapped to the remaining side of the swivel.

For a nose hook we prefer a 5/0 J-hook which is haywire wrapped to the tag end of the leader wire. A short section of #8, 96lb. Malin piano wire is haywire wrapped to the eye of the nose hook. The length of the stinger wire is adjusted so that the stinger hook can be barbed right in the back of the live bait and just behind the dorsal fin. The stinger hook is a #1-4X treble hook. Finally, we adjust all of our reel drags to eight pounds.”

“Our key to winning the SKA 2013 Team of the Year title was to continue to fish once we were hooked up to a good fish,” Kennedy said.

“While fighting the fish we continued to drift with the rest of our kingfish baits still out in a productive kingfish spread, both flatlined on the surface and deep with silver eels as well. I firmly believe that once a kingfish is hooked, it up chucks digested baits into the water which in turn excites nearby kingfish.”

“Without a doubt, keeping our kingfish baits in the water while fighting a hooked fish resulted in catching our two largest kingfish. Both the 46.50 and the 44.97 kingfish were caught deep with the aid of Cannon electric downriggers. Brett Rutledge hand catching those large silver eels was definitely a big attraction to those deep water kingfish and winning the 2013 Team of the Year honors and finishing a close second place in the 2013 Yamaha Pro Championship.

During the one-day Pro event, Kwazar also boated a 70- and 80-pound wahoo and released a 70-pound sailfish! Fishing aboard the Kwazar were Max Williams, Brett Rutledge, Mike Ward, and Robert Young. Marcus Kennedy’s son, Tyler, did not fish during Yamaha Pro Championship.

Amazingly, fishing conditions dramatically changed on Saturday for the one-day 2013 SKA Mercury Tournament Trail National Championship.

Team Ocean Isle Fishing Center from North Carolina won the 2013 SKA Mercury National Championship for a remarkable third time at Biloxi! Rube, Brant, Barrett, Amy, Caroline, and Brayden McMullan make up the team.

“We king fished at the Salt Humps and stayed away from the pack of tournament kingfish boats,” Rube said. “Once again our key to winning was to fish down current of the structure and drift with one live bait fished deep with a Cannon manual downrigger and flatlining three live baits on the surface.”

“Brant’s main objective is having everything perfect which requires catching as many kingfish as possible to be able to cull our two win-

ning fish. When a kingfish is hooked, we play that fish as if it’s a winning kingfish. We also keep our kingfish baits in the water and continue to fish, which is also the difference between simply fishing and “catching.” Kingfish are eating machines and you have to be able to execute all opportunities,” explained Rube.

“Our largest kingfish weighed 56 pounds and made one long run then came right to the boat. Amy was fighting the king that we thought was a small king because of its weak fight. Amy’s kingfish came right to the boat where husband Brant hand landed Amy’s 56.28-pounder. Also keep in mind that Amy holds the IGFA line class record for 8lb. line with a 44-pound kingfish!” Rube concluded.

During the long run back to Biloxi, a bad fuel pump required both Amy and Brant McMullan to hand pump the fuel bulb to keep the boat up on plane. Paired with their 56.28-pound kingfish, Team OIFC also weighed in a 48.82-pounder for aggregate weight of 105.10 to win the Nationals title in 2013.

In the Small Boat Class, Ron Roberson from Jacksonville Beach, Florida captained team Oceanview to first place honors. He and Sean McCarter, fishing aboard a 23-foot Fountain powered by a pair of Mercury Verado outboards, took advantage of being one of the first tournament boats to arrive at the famed Salt Humps.

“We were the fifth boat that arrived,” Roberson said. “I believe most of the fleet was fishing at the City Rigs where the bite had suddenly turned off. We only had 14 live mullet and three ribbonfish that team Nut Deep had given us earlier that morning at check-out. The bite was so hot that we never had time to fish deep with a downrigger and landed our 54.15 and 45.71 pound kingfish before most of the boats arrived at the Salt Hump.

Key king fishing tactics included boat control by Bad Company in keeping their boat on a school of big kings at the City Rigs by employing all three outboards. Team OIFC, for the third time, proved that keeping live baits in the water while fighting fish was a winning tactic.

Kwazar once again proved that pre-fishing and staying on key kingfish and bait fish migrations were their winning mackerel ways. Finally, Oceanview proved that having one of the smaller boats was not a handicap in rough water tournament conditions! ■ Noted king fisherman and author, Terry Lacoss, writes about fishing for outdoor publications and contributes a monthly article to Angler magazine. To view this article and many others, go to www.FishSKA. com/reference.

Top Row: A 12-foot wave almost completely obscures a nearby oil rig from Bad Company’s view.

Lewis Rogers and BJ Pearson fight a pair of giant City Rig king mackerel.

Marcus Kennedy captained team Kwazar to 2013 SKA Team of the Year honors. Marcus is pictured with a 46lb. kingfish that he caught during the 2013 Yamaha Pro Championship.

Bottom Row: Brett Rutledge and Marcus Kennedy caught two Wahoo in Biloxi—this 70-pounder far left and an 80-pounder, too!

Caroline, Amy, and Brant McMullan with Amy’s 56.28-lb. kingfish that helped team OIFC capture SKA National Championship honors for a third time!

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ANGLER | January 2014

1991 Clayton Kirby, Fountain/Mercury, Overall Champion 1992 Joe Bruce, Fountain/Mercury, Angler of the Year Jim Davis, Fountain/Mercury, National Champion 1993 Wyndall Vereen, Mako/Mercury, Angler of the Year Dennis Sergent, Fountain/Mercury, National Champion

2004 Robert “Skip” Stritzinger, Contender/Mercury, ASA Angler of the Year 2005 Terry Johnson, Yellowfin/Mercury, SKA Angler of the Year Bill Gavitt, Pequot/Mercury, ASA Angler of the Year

1996 Rick Smith, Wellcraft/Mercury, Angler of the Year

2007 Richard Stone, Fountain/Mercury, National Champion Mitch Mosley, Contender/Mercury, National Champion Class of 23 Chuck Permenter, Donzi/Mercury, Angler of the Year

1997 Clayton Kirby, Fountain/Mercury, Angler of the Year Gary Unger, Regulator/Mercury, National Champion

2010 Vaughn Ford, Onslow Bay/Mercury, National Champion Class of 23

1998 Steve Shook, Donzi/Mercury, Angler of the Year Forrest Taylor, Donzi/Mercury, National Champion

2011 Rob Lupola, Onslow Bay/Mercury, National Champion Small Boat Class

1999 Dave Workman Jr, Donzi/Mercury, Angler of the Year Dan Abshire, Pro Line/Mercury, National Champion

2012 Alex Burgess, Contender/Mercury, National Champion

2000 David Van Lent, Yellowfin/Mercury, Angler of the Year Jack Wood, Donzi/Mercury, National Champion

2012 Vaughn Ford, Onslow Bay/Mercury, National Champion Small Boat Class

1994 Dave Workman Jr., Fountain/Mercury, Angler of the Year 1995 Dave Workman Jr., Fountain/Mercury, Angler of the Year

2001 Chris Chase, Donzi/Mercury, Angler of the Year Jerry Dilsaver, Kencraft/ Mercury, Class of 23 National Champion 2002 Robert Ransom, Fountain/Mercury, ASA Angler of the Year 2003 Paul Massey, Yellowfin/ Mercury, SKA Angler of the Year Robert “Skip” Stritzinger, Trophy/Mercury, ASA Angler of the Year

2012 Rob Lupola, Onslow Bay/Mercury, Team of the Year Small Boat Class 2013 Ron Roberson, Fountain/Mercury, National Champion Small Boat Class 2013 Rob Lupola, Onslow Bay/Mercury, Team of the Year Small Boat Class

Mercury's Latest Winners!

Beach, Florida n McCarter from Jacksonville Sea and on ers Rob Ron 's iew Class.

Oceanv . in the Nationals Small Boat agg 86 99. a for 71 45. a and 15 weighed a 54. largest aggregate of Fountain and had the second They fish a Mercury powered the whole event.

January 2014 | ANGLER

Three titles in three years for Strike Two! Rob Lupola, Ray Ma rtinez, Ken Odom, Jason Spratley, and Mike Henke won the 2011 National Champ ionship Small Boat Class, came back in 2012 to win the Pro Tour Small Boat Class, and repeated the title in 2013 with Jef f Hall and Bobby Schoenfeld on the team.

800-MERCURY mercurymarine.com www.FishSKA.com

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2013 SKA

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

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Team OIFC

Team OIFC earned a National Championship title for the third time. The McMullans—Rube, Brant, Barrett, Amy, Caroline, and Brayden. They had a two fish aggregate of 105.10, which included a 56.28 and a 48.82, to win the Open Class.

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Open Class

Biloxi, Mississippi

2013 SKA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP | OPEN CLASS

November 7–10, 2013

McMullan Family Earns Third National Title!

North Carolina Teams Take Top Three Spots IFTY PO

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Place

Third went to the Windy Conditions with a 91.86 aggregate. Henry and Wendy Tillett, Steele Park, Chip Nifong, and Brian Schoenwiesner

Most of the clan were ready and all fished—Brant’s wife Amy, Brant and Barrett, Caroline and Brayden, and of course, Rube.

They weighed two fish, a 56.28 and a 48.82 for a 105.1 aggregate and beat the second place team by more than ten pounds. “We do things differently; we never stop fishing,” he told me. I then asked him to write a story about their philosophy on tournament fishing for Angler magazine.

Brant said he would, so watch for this piece coming sometime next year.

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Choice of Two / OIFC earned the number two slot in the Open Class National Championship with the largest king of the event, a 58.44 plus a 36.38 for a 94.82 aggregate. Corey Bellamy, Eddy Jones, Ryan Stevens, and Trask Cunningham.

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he celebration began as I announced to the large crowd gathered at the Kingfish Village in the parking garage of the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Biloxi, as the 2013 Mercury Tournament Trail’s National Championship came to an end. “The 2009 and 2011 National Champions, Brant, Barrett, and Rube McMullan and the McMullan family, have just won their third Championship title.” Obviously that’s a very special time for the winning team but this one may have been even more special.

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“We started at the City Rigs but quickly made our way to the Horseshoe after hearing Corey Bellamy on the Choice of Two/ OIFC saying the bite was on at the Horseshoe,” Brant began.

“We started down sea of the fishing fleet,” Brant continued.

“We never fish in a crowd but instead go down sea and work back to the crowd, then do it again and again. We literally stay out of the crowds because we always have a spread in the water even if we’re fighting a

fish. We never stop fishing!”

They had the 48 in the boat relatively early and caught it and others on hard tails they caught in the Delta the week before.

Rube lost one Brant estimated could have gone 60 pounds but that happens. “It’s just part of how we fish. We never let things like this bother us.”

They continued to catch lots of medium size kings, which they released. Finally, a little after noon, the 56 hooked up and ultimately ended up in the fish bag,

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ready to scale.

For their efforts, Team OIFC won their third Mercury powered Contender boat complete with a Loadmaster trailer valued at $55,000. They picked up the NBOA Marine Insurance membership contingency for $1,500, over $16,000 in TWT monies, plus two custom National Championship Ocean Tamer beanbags.

The second place team, who fishes under the Ocean Isle Fishing Center banner, Choice Of 29

Open Class

Biloxi, Mississippi

Two, with Corey Bellamy, Eddy Jones, Ryan Stevens, and Trask Cunningham, scaled the biggest fish of the Championship, a 58.44, and backed it up with a 36.38 for a 94.82 aggregate. They fish a Yamaha powered Cape Horn and would like to thank their sponsors, Angler’s Marine and Ocean Isle Fishing Center.

“We work with Brant and Barrett when fishing and called them in,” said Bellamy. “We were actually one of the first boats to the Horseshoe and already the bite was on. We had the 58 in the boat by 10:30. It couldn’t resist the large mullet we were dragging behind the boat.”

“We kept working hard and caught more than thirty kings but the second biggest king was a 36.38. Trask Cunningham brought her to gaff.

The Choice of Two team won a 200hp Mercury Outboard, $4,000 in cash, and a Garmin GPS Map78sc. Total value: $20,000.

Third place went to another North Carolina team, Windy Conditions led by Henry Tillett.

The Yamaha powered Contender team of Wendy Tillett, Steele Park, Chip Nifong, and Brian

2013 SKA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP | OPEN CLASS

Schoenwiesner scaled a 47.19 and a 44.67 for a 91.86 aggregate.

They came from Beaufort, North Carolina.

The team was the result of two teams coming together to share expenses after they both lost crew. “We’ve been friends, Chip and I for quite a while and we share information on local events. I needed extra crew and he needed the same so the Reel Buzz and the Windy Conditions came to be one and look how well we did together. Besides, the two teams had a ball together!”

“We were at the Horseshoe like a lot of other teams,” said Tillett.

“At eleven o’clock we had two lines go off. Brian picked up one line, Henry had the other. Within a few minutes Henry had his to the side of the boat and Brian was in one minute later.”

“We never saw another good fish,” Henry added.

They won a Mercury outboard, Cannon Downrigger, Garmin GPSMap78C, and $3,000.

The Pro Tour Championship winner, Lewis Rogers, fishing the Yamaha powered Contender team named Bad Company out of St. Augustine, Florida, picked up fourth. B.J. Pearson, Grant

November 7–10, 2013

McMullans Top the SKA National Championship Win List!

The McMullans with their biggest king, a 56.28

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Brant, Barrett, and Rube McMullan are leaving a mark in the archive books of the Southern Kingfish Association like no others.

This year they won the National Championship for the third time in the past four years, and they did it in the waters of the Upper Gulf, which is far from their home waters in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.

The only other person to ever accomplish three wins was Angler of the Year’s Dave Workman, Jr. from Jacksonville, Florida, and his final win was back in ’99.

Ron Mitchell still is young and savvy enough to earn a third title in Angler of the Year category, which is now Team of the Year & Pro Champion. He has two.

Rob Lupola now has three from the Small Boat Class and Pro Small Boat and between him and Vaughn Ford (2 titles), have been in the winner’s circle since 2010, but they need competition which none is on the horizon. Have you seen the sponsor lists from these two teams? When you win, you win!

I believe both Neal Foster, Marcus Kennedy, and Mark Henderson, can do it in Team of the Year honors. Would love to hear your thoughts!

Remember you can’t win and be recognized by your peers as the best in the country if you don’t fish!

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Bad Company fourth. Lewis Rogers, B.J. Pearson, Grant Denny, and Elena Rogers.

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Team Tuppens fifth. Steve and Christopher Sprague, Taylor and Mike Folsom, and Bill Brodbeck.

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Wild Ride earned sixth. Randy, Shayna, and Ayden Griffin, and Marc Pincus fish the team. www.FishSKA.com

ANGLER | January 2014

Open Class

Biloxi, Mississippi

Denny, and Elena Rogers made up the team and with Rogers.

They scaled a 51.77 and a 39.58 for 91.35 points. He and the team really had a good week!

Fifth place went to a newcomer to the sport, Team Tuppens from Lake Worth, Florida. Fishing a Yamaha powered Jupiter, Sprague, his son Christopher, Taylor and Mike Folsom, and Bill Brodbeck, weighed a nice 49.74 and a 41.61 for a 91.35 aggregate.

Sprague owns the popular boating and fishing emporium in

2013 SKA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP | OPEN CLASS

November 7–10, 2013

Lake Worth, Tuppen’s Marine.

“We made an 83-mile run to the Exxon Rig along with PennyLess and Spiced Rum,” explained Sprague. “We started with a 30, then bagged a 40, and our third fish was our 49.74 caught on a ribbonfish 110 feet down. Bill did the honors.”

The team caught two in the low 40s using mullet, and caught a Wahoo on a ribbonfish. “It was rough but the fishing was superb. We had eight boats working the rig,’ Sprague added.

The Windy Conditions team earned third.

“My son Christopher was a real asset to the team and thoroughly loved the whole affair.”

If you’re a statistics junkie like I am you’ll be interested to know that Florida fielded eight out of the top 15 teams. North Carolina had five, Upper Gulf earned one, and Georgia had one. In the National Championships nearly $250,000 was awarded in cash, prizes, and TWTs plus each Captain received a Captain’s Bag worth $400.

Randy Griffin Jr., Marc

Choice of Two / OIFC was second overall.

Pincus, and Shayna and Ayden Griffin fished the Wild Ride into sixth place. They scaled a nice 52.43 but the second fish only went 37.61 for a 90.04 aggregate.

The Wild Ride is a Mercury powered Fountain. Griffin lives in Hampstead, North Carolina.

“We ran to Dauphin Island with the idea of running offshore about 40 miles,” Randy started.

“As we left the lea of the island the motors stuttered. We had water in the fuel. We ended up going through a bunch of fil-

Nauti-Gale earned won seventh. Robert, Robbie, and Charles Beck, plus Dennis and Ben Craft, and Michael Crosby.

Dough Maker / Delosa’s was eighth. James Breazeale, Morgan Domingue, Hale Wilson, and Frank Quinto.

Native Premonitions was ninth. Leon Wilcox, Eric and Paul Neidorf, Robert and Peter Weisberg, and Jeff Zebrasky make up the team.

Reelentless was tenth. The Goldman’s, Bennie Sr., Bennie, Jr., Jeremy, and Pam Goldman, plus Jeffery Hamilton Jr., and John Wallington.

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Open Class

Biloxi, Mississippi

ters and finally got to where we wanted to fish.”

The team fished for one and a half hours and managed to secure in the bag a 52.43 and a 37.61. “We did the calculations and could only run 14 to 15 MPH so we knew we needed four hours to get back,” Randy added.

They made it and with all the effort figured it was still worth it.”

“The only regrets we have, we just didn’t have a few more

2013 SKA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP | OPEN CLASS

minutes to better the 37, but catching the fish is just one part of winning an event. We had a good time until the accident.”

Randy got T-boned by a local who ran a stop sign while going for his trailer after the event. “I figure we were lucky we weren’t hurt worse.” Randy, and crewmate Marc Pincus, will be recuperating for the next couple of months. “As long as we can get to Key West, we’ll be fine.”

Nauti-Gale was seventh with a

two fish aggregate of 88.81.

Both fish were mid-40s. Robert, Robbie and Charles Beck, Ben and Dennis Craft, plus Michael Crosby make up the Savannah, Georgia team. They fish a Yamaha powered Contender.

Seminole, Florida’s Dough Maker/Delosa’s with James Breazeale, Morgan Domingue, Hale Wilson, and Frank Quinto, fishing a Mercury powered Yellowfin, had an eighth place 88.46 aggregate. They scaled a 46.87 and a 41.59.

Ninth place was earned by the Native Premonitions team from South Florida with a two-fish aggregate of 87.57. Leon Wilcox, Eric and Paul Neidorf, Robert and Peter Weisberg, and Jeff Zebrasky fished the Mercury powered Contender and scaled their biggest king, a 46.20, plus a 41.37.

Rounding out the top ten was one of the SKA’s top teams from the Upper Gulf, Reelentless from Dauphin Island. The Goldmans Bennie, Jr. and Sr. plus Jeremy

November 7–10, 2013 and Pam, plus Jeffery Hamilton, Jr. and John Wallington. This team scaled a nice 45.73 and a 39.80 for an 85.53 aggregate.

They were the top boat fishing from Division 7.

I get a lot of flack each year because a lot of our members truly believe that fishing the Championship in Biloxi gives a big advantage to the Upper Gulf teams. History certainly has not proved that to be the case. The proof is in the standings. We do it in Biloxi because it provides the best fishing anyone could ask for. Besides, our hosts at the Golden Nugget and Palace go out of their way to accommodate us all within a two-block area. Sponsors get to see a lot of people, which is so important to them, not to just sell product, but to find out what the consumer is looking for and let’s face it, we have the best sponsors. Plus we’ve received BP funds from the state to help with tournament expenses. ■

Bad Company earned fourth.

Team Tuppens was fifth.

Triple J was eleventh. Paul (PJ) and Jake Myers, Keith Mangus, Stevie Cooper, and Jack Conroy.

Lagerhead, twelfth. Steve Papen, Doug Speeler, Dave Bayes, Corey Alley, and Lance Herring.

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Penny-Less, thirteenth. Mike Wood, David Linsinbigler, Alex Burgess, and Jim Wood. Our 2012 National Champions. www.FishSKA.com

ANGLER | January 2014

2013 SKA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP | OPEN CLASS

2013 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP OPEN CLASS

Team Animal House, fourteenth. John Parks, Matt Henderson, and Charlie Neal.

Vengeance / Blackwater rounded out the top fifteen. Clayton Kirby, Mark Droukas, Jim Maedel, Everett Cameron, and Mark Arrington. Fished the new 36’ Blackwater.

Fresh Catch!

Due to inclement weather, fishing for the National Championship was limited to one day of fishing. On Saturday, 67 teams came to the scales to weigh two fish each for a total of 4,858.49 pounds of king mackerel.

Factor in the 33 boats that weighed two fish during the Pro event, the total weight for both events is 6,832.97 pounds. All fish went to a homeless shelter. In addition to kingfish, teams reported catching many species including tuna and wahoo.

Five Teams Joined the 2013 50-pound Club at Nationals in Biloxi, MS!

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Fish 1 Fish 2 Aggregate 1. TEAM OIFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.28 . . 48.82 . . . . . 105.10 Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina Yellowfin / Yamaha Brant McMullan Barrett McMullan, Rube McMullan, Amy McMullan Caroline McMullan, Brayden McMullan 2. CHOICE OF TWO / OIFC . . . . . . . . . . . . 58.44 . . 36.38 . . . . . 94.82 Sunset Beach, North Carolina Cape Horn / Yamaha Corey Bellamy, Eddy Jones, Ryan Stevens, Trask Cunningham 3. WINDY CONDITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47.19 . . . 44.67 . . . . . 91.86 Beaufort, North Carolina Contender / Yamaha Henry Tillett Wendy Tillett, Steele Park, Chip Nifong, Brian Schoenwiesner 4. BAD COMPANY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.77 . . . 39.58 . . . . . 91.35 St. Augustine, Florida Contender / Yamaha Lewis Rogers B.J. Pearson, Grant Denny, Elena Rogers 5. TEAM TUPPENS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49.74 . . . 41.61 . . . . . 91.35 Lake Worth, Florida Jupiter / Yamaha Steve Sprague Christopher Sprague, Taylor Folsom, Bill Brodbeck, Mike Folsom 6. WILD RIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52.43 . . . 37.61 . . . . . 90.04 Hampstead, North Carolina Fountain / Mercury Randy Griffin, Jr. Marc Pincus, Shayna Griffin, Ayden Griffin 7. NAUTI-GALE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45.55 . . 43.26 . . . . . 88.81 Savannah, Georgia Contender / Yamaha Robert Beck Robbie Beck, Ben Craft, Dennis Craft , Charles Beck, Michael Crosby 8. DOUGH MAKER / DELOSA’S . . . . . . . . 46.87 . . . 41.59 . . . . . 88.46 Seminole, Florida Yellowfin / Mercury James Breazeale Morgan Domingue, Hale Wilson, Frank Quinto 9. NATIVE PREMONITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . 46.20 . . . 41.37 . . . . . . 87.57 Davie, Florida Contender / Mercury Leon Wilcox Eric Neidorf, Paul Neidorf, Robert Weisberg, Peter Weisberg, Jeff Zebrasky 10. REELENTLESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45.73 . . . 39.80 . . . . . 85.53 Dauphin Island, Alabama Contender / Yamaha Bennie Goldman Sr. Bennie Goldman, Jr., Jeremy Goldman Pam Goldman, Jeffery Hamilton, Jr., John Wallington 11. TRIPLE J . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44.46 . . . 40.65 . . . . . . 85.11 Winter Haven, Florida Yellowfin / Mercury Paul (PJ) Myers, Jr. Keith Mangus, Stevie Cooper, Jack Conroy, Jake Myers 12. LAGERHEAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43.68 . . . 39.26 . . . . . 82.94 Seminole, Florida Contender / Yamaha Steve Papen Doug Speeler, Dave Bayes, Corey Alley, Lance Herring 13. PENNY-LESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.08 . . . 40.62 . . . . . . 81.70 Lake Worth, Florida Contender / Mercury Mike Wood David Linsinbigler, Alex Burgess, Jim Wood 14. TEAM ANIMAL HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.45 . . 38.93 . . . . . 81.38 Jacksonville, North Carolina Wellcraft / Yamaha John Parks Matt Henderson, Charlie Neal 15. VENGEANCE / BLACKWATER . . . . . . . 42.81 . . . 37.50 . . . . . 80.31 Jacksonville, Florida Blackwater / Mercury Clayton Kirby Mark Droukas, Jim Maedel, Everett Cameron, Mark Arrington January 2014 | ANGLER

November 7–10, 2013

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FINAL STANDINGS

Biloxi, Mississippi

20

Open Class

November 9, 2013 58.44 Choice of Two / OIFC

52.43 Wild Ride

56.28 Team OIFC

51.77 Bad Company

54.15 Oceanview 33

2013 SKA

POINT STANDINGS Please note that tournament points are downloaded from the SKA database near the 10th of each month. For the latest point standings, go to the Southern Kingfish Association Web site at www.FishSKA.com, click Tournament Trail, then Points, then your division.

Final

SITTIN' PRETTY . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.16 CONTENDER / YAMAHA J. ERIC SWAIN

EAST COAST SPORTS . . . . . . . . 86.75 ONSLOW BAY / YAMAHA RANDALL EDENS

DOUGH MAKER / DELOSA'S. . 102.98 YELLOWFIN / MERCURY JAMES BREAZEALE

TEAM K.O. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.47 ONSLOW BAY / YAMAHA JOHN FORD

THAT'S MY DOG . . . . . . . . . . . . 53.81 YELLOWFIN / MERCURY FORREST TAYLOR

HOT ROD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104.69 CONTENDER / YAMAHA BRETT BARNES

TEAM WILDCAT . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.00 CAPE HORN / YAMAHA DANNY RAWLS

SLICK FINISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78.05 ONSLOW BAY / MERCURY BRANDON MOORE

LAGERHEAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93.36 CONTENDER / YAMAHA STEVE PAPEN

SNAPPERS / 1200 CHOPHOUSE36.34 REGULATOR / YAMAHA DANIEL CASEY

TEAM ONSLOW BAY. . . . . . . . . 52.03 ONSLOW BAY / MERCURY BRAD KNIGHT, JR.

SEA RAT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89.11 CONTENDER / YAMAHA MITCH YATES

TOP CHOICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.68 FOUNTAIN / SUZUKI DAVID GORE

WALLEYE II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73.28 CONTENDER / YAMAHA JOHN THOMAS, JR.

.08 SEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.80 SEA HUNT / YAMAHA JOEL ZALUD

C-SICK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49.28 MAKO / YAMAHA BRUCE BROWN

TEAM ANIMAL HOUSE . . . . . . . 86.11 WELLCRAFT / YAMAHA JOHN PARKS

C-SICK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.23 MAKO / YAMAHA BRUCE BROWN

BUG-N-A-RUG EXTERMINATORS . . .

68.70 SEA HUNT / YAMAHA STAN HOLLINGSWORTH

C.R.A.P. HAPPENS . . . . . . . . . . 63.68 YELLOWFIN / MERCURY ROBERT MCRANIE

FIN ADDICT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.30 EVERGLADES / MERCURY TIM PACKARD

RAUNCHIE CONCH . . . . . . . . . . 48.50 SEA HUNT / YAMAHA CAMERON ATKINS

RELEASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84.89 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA MIKE WILLIAMS

EVER READY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.05 FOUNTAIN / MERCURY EVERETT CAMERON

ECONOMY TACKLE . . . . . . . . . . 59.90 CONTENDER / YAMAHA MARK GOODWIN

D-SLAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.46 DONZI / MERCURY LEWIS HAYES

MR. GOODHANDS . . . . . . . . . . 47.45 CENTURY / YAMAHA W. TOBY RUSS III

OBX GIRL / TEAM CALCUTTA . . 83.39 CONTENDER / YAMAHA JIM DUPREE, JR.

JUSTIFIED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.50 ONSLOW BAY / YAMAHA THOMAS JUSTICE

FISH BONZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53.80 YELLOWFIN / EVINRUDE TODD GUARNIERI

STILL KICKIN' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.14 YELLOWFIN / MERCURY CHAD LAMMERT III

WILD RIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46.80 FOUNTAIN / MERCURY RANDY GRIFFIN, JR.

OPEN WIDE / EASTERN ASPHALT . . .

80.57 CONTENDER / YAMAHA BENSON YBANEZ

NANCY RAE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.46 HYDRA SPORTS / MERCURY TED CONNOR III

DIV 9 | 24' & over

TRIGGER HAPPY . . . . . . . . . . . . 45.15 CAPE HORN / YAMAHA CHAD MALPASS

DIV 1 | 24' & over

HOT GRITS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79.21 DONZI / MERCURY NED GRADY WINDY CONDITIONS . . . . . . . . 75.92 CONTENDER / YAMAHA HENRY TILLETT BLACK GOLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.36 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA MIKE MCDUFFIE TRIPLE TROUBLE . . . . . . . . . . . 72.20 TRITON / MERCURY PHILIP MITCHELL MOM SAID NO . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71.59 COBIA / YAMAHA HARVEY HOOPES III AFTERMATH / METALUBE INC. 69.27 SEA VEE / MERCURY JAMES TYSON OVERTIME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69.13 FOUNTAIN / MERCURY CHARLES COATES, JR. LIQUID FIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67.78 INTREPID / YAMAHA MARK HENDERSON G-SEA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66.47 DONZI / MERCURY WINSTON BLAND WEE DOGGIE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65.47 FOUNTAIN / YAMAHA JOEY CRISP HAVE MERCY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57.29 PURSUIT / YAMAHA DOUGLAS FORD OCEAN ATHLETE . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.73 PRIVATEER / MERCURY SKIP CONKLIN WALL HANGER . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46.00 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA BRIAN ALLEN

BIG BAD WOLF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.41 CONTENDER / YAMAHA STACY WESTER FINAL APPROACH . . . . . . . . . . 22.92 CONTENDER / YAMAHA JAMES DEMYAN, JR. TEAM CONCEPT . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.04 CONCEPT / MERCURY BLAKE JUSTICE MATER HEAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.76 YELLOWFIN / MERCURY MARK YOKELEY ALL IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.42 CAPE HORN / YAMAHA KENNETH STRICKLAND BOBCAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.64 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA HENRY MOORE III THREE STOOGES & CHERYL . . . 20.04 DONZI / MERCURY WILLIAM WARREN MISS MICKI II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.18 WELLCRAFT / YAMAHA RICHARD ROWLAND IN 2 DEEP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.18 CONTENDER / YAMAHA RONNIE MABEE TEAM KFM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.11 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA DAVID PURSER

DIV 1 | Small Boats Final TEAM BLUE WATER CANDY . . . 99.54 ONSLOW BAY / YAMAHA JODIE GAY JUSTIN TIME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99.39 ONSLOW BAY / MERCURY JOHNNY HUDSON

LOGAN'S RUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.87 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA D. LOGAN

REEL THRILL / TEAM BONE SUCKIN' SAUCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98.25 ONSLOW BAY / MERCURY VAUGHN FORD

SEA DRAG'N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38.38 PRIVATEER / MERCURY AL MORRIS, JR.

SECOND CHANZE . . . . . . . . . . . 88.18 CONTENDER / YAMAHA JOHN LEWIS

34

AMANDA GAIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.08 C-HAWK / EVINRUDE DAVID LUCAS SCREAMIN' DEACON . . . . . . . . 40.12 SEA STRIKE / YAMAHA LARRY DENNING TIDE ONE ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.61 CONTENDER / SUZUKI CHAD SHINGLETON MILLER TIME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.62 CAPE HORN / YAMAHA BRENT GAINEY REEL MUSIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.40 CONTENDER / YAMAHA WALTER HUGHES, JR. MISS TENY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.52 PALMETTO / MERCURY ASHLEY JONES HIGH OCTANE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.74 FOUNTAIN / MERCURY JAMES SHARP UNBELIEVABLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.72 BAYLINER / MERCURY WILLIAM LITTLETON HOOK UM UP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.64 ISLAND RUNNER / YAMAHA RUSSELL HOWARD KNOT RIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.24 ONSLOW BAY / YAMAHA SCOTT PELLETIER SECOND CATCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.83 CONTENDER / MERCURY BURT FEREBEE REEL BUZZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.01 CONTENDER / YAMAHA CHIP NIFONG

DIV 6 | 24' & over Final PENNY WISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119.08 CONTENDER / YAMAHA MIKE PENNY THE REEL WON . . . . . . . . . . . . 117.97 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA ROBERT WOITHE, SR. UNDER ARMOUR / CALIENTE 108.86 YELLOWFIN / MERCURY ARIK BERGERMAN PROMARINEUSA.COM / KINGPIN . . .

108.75 JUPITER / MERCURY CHAD HICKMAN COURTSIDE GRILLE / TOP GUN107.46 DONZI / MERCURY DAVID HEAVENRIDGE

SEA DOG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53.73 HYDRA SPORTS / YAMAHA CHAD BIXLER III PAPOTANIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49.26 INVINCIBLE / YAMAHA JOSE REYES KWAZAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.47 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA MARCUS KENNEDY MOMMA SAID . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.83 CONTENDER / YAMAHA JOHN SMITH, SR. TEAM SALT ROCK . . . . . . . . . . . 34.09 CONTENDER / YAMAHA CODY CHIVAS DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH . . . . 33.15 YELLOWFIN / MERCURY GRANT JOHNSTON PAY TO PLAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.99 PRO-LINE / MERCURY DAVID STEINER TEAM GULF BLVD. . . . . . . . . . . 25.47 SEA FOX / YAMAHA NICK FOLEY SEAL SHIELD / GAFF-N-BOX . . 24.39 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA LANCE HERRING THE A-TEAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.45 NOR-TECH / MERCURY ALDEN THORNTON FREEDOM FIGHTER . . . . . . . . . 19.16 CONTENDER / YAMAHA DONALD TESTA LIGHTS OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.05 RENAISSANCE / SUZUKI TODD HAAG

DIV 6 | Small Boats Final KNOT ME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107.18 CONTENDER / YAMAHA BRIAN HASSON YELLOWBIRD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70.22 SEACRAFT / MERCURY HARRY THOMAS TOP DOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46.47 ONSLOW BAY / MERCURY JEFFRI DURRANCE

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Final HOT ROD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85.17 CONTENDER / YAMAHA BRETT BARNES WEE DOGGIE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84.02 FOUNTAIN / YAMAHA JOEY CRISP FINAL APPROACH . . . . . . . . . . 82.07 CONTENDER / YAMAHA JAMES DEMYAN, JR. BLACK GOLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79.67 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA MIKE MCDUFFIE TEAM OIFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79.14 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA BRANT MCMULLAN SHOCK WAVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76.10 HYDRA SPORTS / YAMAHA MILTON VIA CHOICE OF TWO . . . . . . . . . . . . 70.98 CAPE HORN / YAMAHA COREY BELLAMY ON A MISSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67.01 FOUNTAIN / MERCURY CHRIS BRYAN CONTEND THIS! . . . . . . . . . . . . 63.73 CONTENDER / YAMAHA W. HUNTER WOODELL TOP CHOICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.78 FOUNTAIN / SUZUKI DAVID GORE REEL DEAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.02 HYDRA SPORTS / YAMAHA BRADFORD STEVENS HOOLIGAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57.80 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA JOE WINSLOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

AQUA LOCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57.70 CONTENDER / YAMAHA JOSHUA BAKER ALL IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.55 CAPE HORN / YAMAHA KENNETH STRICKLAND

WINDY CONDITIONS . . . . . . . . 44.55 CONTENDER / YAMAHA HENRY TILLETT TEAM JUD KUHN CHEVROLET . 42.60 CONTENDER / YAMAHA JUDSON KUHN THE LAW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.30 FOUNTAIN / MERCURY JEFF DRAKE CAROLINA CAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.87 PRO SPORT / HONDA DONALD CLIFTON GET FLOOR'D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.50 CONTENDER / YAMAHA BENJY FAULKNER DREAM CATCHER . . . . . . . . . . . 40.15 SEA PRO / MERCURY CLAYTON LOCKLEAR NUMERO UNO / TEAM ONSLOW BAY 38.60 ONSLOW BAY / MERCURY DAVID SMITH C-ARK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.22 SEA PRO / MERCURY KEVIN PETTY COMING IN HOT . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.23 SEA HUNT / YAMAHA ASHLEY WIDENHOUSE TRIPLE TROUBLE . . . . . . . . . . . 35.76 TRITON / MERCURY PHILIP MITCHELL REELY MISS-BEHAVIN' . . . . . . . 35.20 CAPE HORN / YAMAHA RICHARD HOLDEN KETCH THIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.05 FOUNTAIN / MERCURY TRAVIS KETCHIE HOT GRITS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.25 DONZI / MERCURY NED GRADY SEA RAT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.53 CONTENDER / YAMAHA MITCH YATES COLLISION COURSE . . . . . . . . . 28.20 FOUNTAIN / MERCURY MICHAEL LUCAS cont. pg. 52 ANGLER | January 2014

Congratulations on 2013 MGCBC winnings!

TEAM INTENSE JUNE 2-8, 2014 MGCBC.COM

Total CASH Earnings:

$29,825

2nd Place Wahoo: 84 lbs. | 3rd Place Wahoo: 75.7 lbs.

CONTACT: Bobby Carter, MGCBC Director 228.436.7928 bobby@mgcbc.com January 2014 | A www.FishSKA.com 35 NGLER

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ANGLER | January 2014

2013 SKA

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

D CLUB UN

F 13

IFTY PO

Small Boat Class

99.86 Aggregate

20

Oceanview

Oceanview won with a two fish-aggregate of 99.86. Ron Roberson and Sean McCarter from Jacksonville Beach, Florida scaled a 54.15 and a 45.71. They fish a Mercury powered Fountain and had the second largest aggregate of the whole event. They won a Mercury powered Onslow Bay complete with a Loadmaster trailer. A tremendous performance!!!

January 2014 | ANGLER

www.FishSKA.com

37

Small Boat Class

Biloxi, Mississippi

2013 SKA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP | SMALL BOAT CLASS

November 7–10, 2013

Oceanview Wins the 2013 SKA Small Boat Championship Title ■ by Bob Flocken

As

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Place

L B OAT C L

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2

nd

ship on pi

2013 SKA

al Ch ion am at

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rd

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Place

L B OAT C L

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2013 SKA M

al Ch ion am at

ship on pi

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Strike Two earned second place with an 82.67 aggregate. Rob Lupola, Ken Odom, Ray Martinez, Jeff Hall, and Bobby Schoenfeld were our Small Boat Pro Champions. Rob is from Navarre, Florida. A stellar performance this week!

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38

M

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Jacksonville Beach, Florida’s Ron Roberson and Sean McCarter fishing on Oceanview, Ron’s 23’ Mercury powered Fountain, have qualified in Division 5 and fished our National Championship for the past several years. They have caught a lot of fish at the Nationals but nothing that they carried up the steps to the Championship’s scales.

This year was a different story as their 99.86 pound two fish aggregate earned them the 2013 Small Boat Championship title and the Mercury outboard powered Onslow Bay boat riding on a Loadmaster trailer awarded to the Small Boat Champions.

Ron told me that because of the weather they hadn’t been able to pre-fish, but because of their past experiences in Biloxi, had made the decision to run straight to the Horseshoe.

There were only three or four other boats there when they arrived and they had their first bait in the water around 10:00. Seconds later their 45.71 pounder ate a mullet and after a short fight she was loaded into the Fountain’s waiting fishbox. “From 10:00 to 1:00, we couldn’t put more than a couple baits in the water!” said the excited skipper. “We had two or three fish on all day long and everywhere we looked teams were fighting fish.” At noon, their 54.15, the third heaviest fish weighed at this year’s event, ate a big ribbonfish they were pulling on the surface on a long line. The fish made a couple strong runs but Sean soon had the big girl circling close enough for Ron to gaff.

As soon as the fish was safely

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time has shown, persistence pays off and this has been proven again at this year’s National Championship.

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A Salt Weapon from Glennville, Georgia earned third with an 80.85 aggregate. David Futch, Jay Swindell, Michael Godbee, and Blake McMillan fish a Yamaha powered Contender.

in their fishbag, the Oceanview team loaded up and started the long run back to the Point Cadet dock. Ron and Sean would like to thank the unknown SKA member who gave them some mullet the day before the tournament as well as their friends at C&H Lures, the Nut Deep team, and Jimmy Breazeale and his crew on the Dough Maker for all their help.

Finishing in second with an 82.67 pound two fish aggre-

gate was the 2011 Small Boat National Champion, Rob Lupola and his crew from Navarre, Florida on Strike Two. Fishing with Rob on his Mercury powered Onslow Bay Boat sponsored by Raymarine, Mercury Outboards, Blue Water Candy Lures, MoJo Clothing, Accurate, Cannon, Key Marine, GoPro, Rip Charts, Costa del Mar, American Fishing Wire, and Hi-Seas Line were teammates Ken Odom, Ray Martinez, Jeff

www.FishSKA.com

Hall, and Bobby Schoenfeld.

Rob told me that they started the day fishing some inshore rigs south of Dauphin Island, but didn’t catch any kings, so they made the run southwest and joined the crowd fishing around the Horseshoe. Rob told me that as soon as they arrived they started catching fish two or three at a time for the two hours that they were able to fish before making the 80-mile run back to Biloxi. They ANGLER | January 2014

Small Boat Class

Biloxi, Mississippi

2013 SKA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP | SMALL BOAT CLASS

Miller Time was fourth. Brent Gainey, Ryan Wiggins, Jason McDowell, and Randy Gainey came from Wilmington, North Carolina.

Wahooligans Fishing Team earned fifth. Billy Goss, Aaron Wilkinson, and Tim Upchurch came from Durham, North Carolina.

Blew By U! was sixth. Corey Durako, Barry Bierstedt, John Theodorakis, and Richard Gilligan came from Wilmington, North Carolina.

Our ’08 National Champions, East Coast Sports earned seventh. Randall, George, and Cole Edens, plus Chris Gaddy and Jeremy Newton are team members from Hampstead, North Carolina.

January 2014 | ANGLER

caught several mid-30 pound fish including the 34.92 pounder they weighed. Around 2:30, just as they were getting ready to leave, Bobby Schoenfeld set the hook on their 47.75 pound smoker that ate a big hardtail rigged with a blue and pink Blue Water Candy skirt they were fishing on the surface way back behind the boat. For their efforts this experienced team went home with a 200hp Mercury Outboard, and a check for $2,000.

Third place went to a great team from Division 4. The A Salt Weapon, a 23’ Yamaha powered Contender skippered

by Glennville, Georgia native David Futch fishing with his buddies Jay Swindell, Michael Godbee, and Blake McMillan.

Just like Oceanview, they had been to several previous Nationals and caught a lot of fish but none big enough to weigh. They started the day fishing around the 108 Block but only caught one small kingfish so they also headed to the Horseshoe and joined the growing fleet fishing there.

Shortly after they arrived and were putting out their first set of baits something ate a big mullet right behind the boat and took off. Michael grabbed the rod and, after several long runs, had their 48.24 pound king close enough for David to gaff. Not long after, they hooked up to something that made a long run and then headed to the bottom. After a two-hour fight, whatever it was decided that it had messed around long enough and had better places to be so she bit through the leader and headed for parts unknown. After that, they were able to catch eight or ten 25- to 30-pound fish includ-

November 7–10, 2013

ing their 32.61 pound king that gave them their 80.85 pound aggregate weight and earn them a Loadmaster Certificate and some other goodies as well as a check for $2,500. David would like to thank Chad and his crew from Yamaha who worked until 10:00 Friday evening fixing a broken shift cable and getting them back on the water so they could fish on Saturday.

North Carolina teams performed well at this year’s Nationals. Miller Time, Brent Gainey’s Yamaha powered Cape Horn, made the trip from Wilmington, North Carolina to weigh a 40.07 and a 38.77 for a 78.84 pound aggregate to finish in fourth place in this year’s Small Boat Championship.

Fishing with Brent were Ryan Wiggins, Jason McDowell, and Randy Gainey. For their efforts they took home a Raymarine C97 Chartplotter/Sounder valued at $1,700 and a check for $2,000. The Miller Time was one of the few teams that went didn’t stop at any of the inshore rigs but ran directly to the Horseshoe. They arrived just before 9:30 and hooked up to their 40.07 pounder before 9:45 after the big king ate a ribbonfish they had just put down 110’ on a downrigger. Jason had his hands full as the fish made several strong runs before she was coaxed close enough to gaff. Ryan caught their second fish, a 38.77 pounder a couple hours later after it ate a mullet on the surface. Brent told me that released at least 60 kings over twenty pounds during the four hours they were able to fish.

The Wahooligans Fishing Team from Durham, North Carolina sponsored by Clean Green Environmental Services,

2013 Rookie Team of the Year, J Rooster, was eighth. Joe Ankerson, Beau and Darren Orsak, Ricky Lewis, and Ryne Vincent make up the Alabama team.

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39

Small Boat Class

Biloxi, Mississippi

Tidal Marsh Clothing, and Angler Marine in Supply, NC finished in fifth place with a two fish aggregate of 71.55 pounds. The Yamaha powered Sea Fox, skippered by Billy Goss along with teammates Aaron Wilkinson and Tim Upchurch also started the day fishing on several inshore rigs without much luck, so they headed offshore to join in the action at the Horseshoe. It was 11:45 when they slid into line and as soon as they had a couple baits in the water they started catching 20-pound cookie cutter kings two or three at a time. Around 12:30, they hooked up to a double header that ate a couple of the mullet they were trolling. Tim and Billy each picked up a rod and after a short fight Aaron was able to gaff both fish. One weighed 37.58 pounds and the other 33.97 pounds Together these fish earned them a place on the Golden Nugget podium Sunday morning.

Wilmington’s Corey Durako fishing with Barry Bierstedt, John Theodorakis, and Richard Gilligan on their Mercury powered Onslow Bay, Blew By U!, weighed a 34.68 and a 34.30 for a 68.98 pound two fish aggregate to finish in sixth place. They started the day fishing offshore of Alabama but

2013 SKA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP | SMALL BOAT CLASS

they found nothing but dirty water churned up by the rough weather during the previous week, so they to moved and soon joined the fleet at the Horseshoe. Corey told me that they caught 68 kingfish there between 10:30 and 2:00 on mullet and ribbonfish; every one of them around 30 pounds. He also said that they hooked up to a “monster” king that was chopped up by a hungry shark.

The Blew By U! crew would like to thank Mercury, Onslow Bay, and Intracoastal Floors.

Another excellent team made the long trip south to Biloxi from Hampstead, North Carolina. Randall, George and junior angler Cole Edens fished with Chris Gaddy and Jeremy Newton on Randall’s East Coast Sports Yamaha powered Onslow Bay boat. They weighed a 32.57 and a 31.60 for a 64.17 aggregate to finish in seventh place.

J Rooster, Joe Ankerson’s Suzuki powered Cape Horn from Theodore, Alabama weighed a 35.47 and a 27.47 for a 62.94 pound two fish aggregate to finish the year in eighth place at the Championship.

Fishing with Joe were teammates Beau and Darren Orsak, Ricky Lewis, and Ryne Vincent.

This was their first year fishing as members in SKA events

Prizes and contingency money for the National Championship were provided by the following: Mercury Outboards, Contender Boats, Onslow Bay Boats, Garmin, Blackwater Boats, Loadmaster Trailers, NBOA Marine Insurance, Raymarine, Myco Trailers, American Fishing Wire, Cannon Downriggers, Hi-Seas Line, Blue Water Candy, Bone Suckin’ Sauce, KingfishZone.com, Sandy Smith, Silverstar Jewelry, and Ocean Tamer

Double Deuces II was ninth. Michael and James Karwacki, Sean Purvis, and Randy Newbury are a Georgia team.

40

where they weighed three nice kingfish to take home the Division 7 Top Small Boat title and were crowned 2013 SKA Rookie Team of the Year.

Michael Karwacki, Sean Purvis, Randy Newbury, and James Karwacki towed their Mercury powered Formula boat, Double Deuces II, across Interstate 10 from Darien, Georgia to finish in ninth place with two kings weighing in at

November 7–10, 2013

55.21 pounds and the Hot Spot V from Midway, Georgia ended the tournament in tenth place total of 51.82 pounds. Fishing on the Yamaha powered ProLine was Skipper Dave Massey who fished with Cameron Mattingly, Ben Carter, Rob Herrington, Tiger Roraback, and Doc Massey.

Congratulations to all the Small Boat teams who qualified for this year’s championships. ■

Hot Spot V, Dave and Doc Massey, Cameron Mattingly, Ben Carter, Rob Herrington, and Tiger Roraback, earned tenth.

FINAL STANDINGS

2013 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SMALL BOATS

Fish 1 Fish 2 1. OCEANVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.15 . . . 45.71 Fountain / Mercury Ron Roberson Sean McCarter 2. STRIKE TWO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47.75 . . . 34.92 Onslow Bay / Mercury Rob Lupola Ken Odom, Ray Martinez, Jeff Hall, Bobby Schoenfeld 3. A SALT WEAPON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48.24 . . . 32.61 Contender / Yamaha David Futch Jay Swindell, Michael Godbee, Blake McMillan 4. MILLER TIME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.07 . . . 38.77 Cape Horn / Yamaha Brent Gainey Ryan Wiggins, Jason McDowell, Randy Gainey 5. WAHOOLIGANS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.58 . . . 33.97 Sea Fox / Yamaha Billy Goss Aaron Wilkinson, Tim Upchurch 6. BLEW BY U! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.68 . . . 34.30 Onslow Bay / Mercury Corey Durako Barry Bierstedt, John Theodorakis, Richard Gilligan 7. EAST COAST SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.57 . . . 31.60 Onslow Bay / Yamaha Randall Edens George Edens, Chris Gaddy, Cole Edens, Jeremy Newton 8. J ROOSTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.47 . . . 27.47 Cape Horn / Suzuki Joe Ankerson Beau Orsak, Darren Orsak, Ricky Lewis, Ryne Vincent 9. DOUBLE DEUCES II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.25 . . . 23.96 Formula / Mercury Michael Karwacki James Karwacki, Sean Purvis, Randy Newbury 10. HOT SPOT V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.64 . . . 22.18 ProLine / Yamaha Dave Massey Doc Massey, Cameron Mattingly, Ben Carter Rob Herrington, Tiger Roraback

www.FishSKA.com

Aggregate . . . . . 99.86

. . . . . 82.67

. . . . . 80.85

. . . . . 78.84

. . . . . 71.55

. . . . . 68.98

. . . . . . 64.17

. . . . . 62.94

. . . . . 55.21

. . . . . 51.82

ANGLER | January 2014

Small Boat Class

Biloxi, Mississippi

2013 SKA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP | SMALL BOAT CLASS

November 7–10, 2013

Slack Time’s Mark, Savannah, and Matt Sislak from Alabama took 11th.

Double D—Dennis Redmond and Deborah Kelley from Jacksonville, Florida.

Second Chanze—John Lewis and Chad Barnes from Morehead City, North Carolina.

Hooked Up—Jeff Fletcher, Doug Kormandy, and Ed Shelton from Gulf Breeze, Florida.

Two Great Books

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$ ss

by Terry Laco

95

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41

established

1991

Join America’s Premier Tournament Trail! Enjoy the

Benefits of Membership

2014 Membership Application New

Renewal

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ANGLER | January 2014

T H E

UPPE R

GULF

IN

NOVE M B ER

Where

CHAMPIONS Reign g

Team OIFC

Oceanview

2013 SKA National Champions Open Class

2013 SKA National Champions Small Boat Class

Brant & Barrett McMullan Rube McMullan Amy McMullan Caroline McMullan Brayden McMullan

Ron Roberson Sean McCarter

2013 SKA Mercury Tournament Trail National Championship November 7-10, 2013 | Biloxi, Mississippi www.FishSKA.com

January 2014 | ANGLER

www.FishSKA.com

45

DIV

9

Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina

FALL BRAWL KING CLASSIC

October 11–13, 2013

Final Approach’s 51.25 Wins the Fall Brawl to End Div. 9’s 2013 Competition!

■ by Jack Holmes

First Place

“

51.25

W

BOAT NAME

e caught bluefish and menhaden on Thursday, then made rigs and checked all the drags,” James Demyan, captain of the Final Approach team, began his story on winning the 180 boat Fall Brawl. “We left the South Harbor Marina dock at 6:00 46

James Demyan Jr., Jason Tierney, Doc Johnson, Mike Williams

in the morning Saturday and had lines in at 7:00 sharp on the east side of the Cape Fear shoals in 50 feet of water. We knew there had been a lot of winning fish caught in this area in the past and we hoped for the best. At 8:50AM, the bluefish, with a Blue Water Candy skirt, was deployed and five minutes later the long line began peeling off. I watched the reel lose half of its spool and then I moved the lever drag to the pre-set fighting position.

Mike Williams was the angler.

“Doc” [Donald Johnson] and Jason Tierney cleared the lines.

This fish came straight back at us after the first long run. I actually had to drive the boat forward at 15 MPH in order to keep the line tight. As we worked the fish closer we knew it was a STUD.

The fight lasted 20 minutes. The fish went deep at the boat and began circling. After working the fish up, Jason gaffed the fish and it took two of us to pull her over the side. We put the king in the bag at 9:10 a.m. He stretched end to end and was over 58 inches in length and 24 inches girth.”

Demyan went on to say that this was their first win in 25 years of competition. The team won $20,000 in the event for their victory. Perseverance really is sweet!

“I would like to recognize my main sponsors: Demyan Roofing Co., and Builders First Source Building Supply. They covered our entry fees. Thanks also to Contender Boats, Yamaha Outboards, Blackberry Marine, Tailwalker Marine, Coastal

www.FishSKA.com

Marine Electronics, and Coastal Marine Mechanics plus Penn Reels & Downriggers, Northstar, Raymarine, Furuno and especially BLUE WATER CANDY!” And finally, “If you want to fish first-class tournaments, try the Ocean Isle Fishing Center’s KMT’s, the Jolly Mon in the spring and the Fall Brawl in the fall. Great sponsors and thanks to all.”

Numero Uno/Team Onslow Bay with David Smith at the helm earned second place with a nice 38.60. On board with David were Brad Knight, Jeff Atkinson, and Alan Ambrose. It was ironic that they were fishing the new 32’ Mercury powered Onslow Bay developed by Knight and I had not seen the new boat. It was a real treat for me as Knight’s attenANGLER | January 2014

DIV

9

Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina

tion to detail and quality really came through on this great ride.

Gary Caputi’s article on this boat in the June 2013 issue of Angler magazine was spot on.

“We fished around the Hammer in 35 to 40 feet of water,” explained Smith. “There was a good bite around 10:30 and we were fishing pogies. She hit and from then on it was purely textbook. Alan did the honors, but I really didn’t think this fish was good enough to win. We were surprised with second place,” concluded David.

They are prepared now to compete in Biloxi.

A non-member earned third place, Total Chaos with a 36.55, so we move ahead to the fourth place finisher, Cameron Atkins on the Yamaha powered Sea Hunt named the Raunchie Conch. He and his team of David Griffith and Patrick Atkins scaled a good 34.90.

Just to set the stage for just how great this event was, you only have to look back to 2012

FALL BRAWL KING CLASSIC

when the winning king was a 30.25, then dropped to a 26.64 for second place. This year there were eleven kings caught that were above the 30-pound range.

The event had 180 teams register for the either/or event. Only

25 teams elected to fish on day two.

Toby Russ, Dur Thomason, and Grayson Russ earned fifth place with a 34.80. The team fished a Yamaha powered Century named Mr. Goodhands. Grayson was the

Numero Uno / Team Onslow Bay earned second. David Smith, Brad Knight, Jeff Atkinson, and Alan Ambrose.

Raunchie Conch was fourth. Cameron Atkins, David Griffith, and Patrick Atkins are members on the team.

Mr. Goodhands earned fifth. Toby Russ, Dur Thompson, and Grayson Russ.

January 2014 | ANGLER

October 11–13, 2013 event’s Top Junior Angler and also won the same honors with the SKA. “We fished the Sea Buoy all day,” Toby began to tell me. “It was 4:10 and we knew we were just about done for the event when she hit a ribbonfish 30 feet down that I had caught a month ago. I grabbed the rod, dad had the wheel and the gaff, and seven minutes later she was in the boat and we were on the way to the scale.

One bite; one fish!”

Joey Crisp and Andy McInnis teamed on Crisp’s Yamaha powered Fountain named Wee Doggie. They scaled a 34.50.

Joey came to me after the event while waiting for the awards ceremony to begin.

“I really screwed up this year,” he said. “I should have joined the Pros. Had we, we would be sitting near the top right now. We’ve had a great season this year.”

“We caught bait at the pier, then ran to the Jungle,” said Crisp. “But they were all 20-pound fish so we knew if we were going to do something in the event we had to move.”

On the way to the Hammer, they found an enormous bait ball. “We kept circling the bait watching 30-pound kings working the school. I thought we were in Biloxi. Then she hit, striking through the water like a torpedo.

The fight lasted ten minutes and we thought we had a shot at the top ten.” They did, earning sixth place.

Wee Doggie picked up sixth. Joey Crisp and Andy McInnis. www.FishSKA.com

47

DIV

9

Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina

FALL BRAWL KING CLASSIC

October 11–13, 2013

Hot Rod was seventh. Brett and Alan Barnes.

Carolina Cat, Donald and Catherine Clifton caught a nice one. Finished 17th.

Windy Conditions earned eleventh. Henry, Wendy, Henry Tillett II, Steele Park, and Clint Richardson.

On A Mission finished twelfth. Chris Bryan and Wade Byrd.

Black Gold, thirteenth. Mike McDuffie, Jordan and Don Williamson make up the team.

Playin Hooky was third Small Boat Class. Thomas Hemphill.

NBOA’s Jim Butler ran the Wheel of Fishing.

OIFC Brant, Barrett, Caroline, and Brayden McMullan

48

www.FishSKA.com

ANGLER | January 2014

DIV

9

Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina

FALL BRAWL KING CLASSIC

October 11–13, 2013

Brett & Alan Barnes, fishing the Yamaha powered Contender named Hot Rod scaled a 33.45 to earn seventh. That fish sealed the Division 9 Open Class title.

SKA members earned thirteen places out of the top fifteen.

We also earned third place in the Small Boat Class thanks to

Thomas Hemphill on the Playin Hooky. His team scaled a 26.50.

A special thank you to the McMullan family for another very well-run event. With 180 boats in the fall event, it’s an event you just have to fish.

See you at the Jolly Mon next summer! ■

Don Ewing on his Jimmy’s Marine / Guy C. Lee Fountain.

Toes Up had a good day on the water.

FINAL STANDINGS

Tailwalker earned 15th. Stuart Ballard was the captain.

Hooligan. Joe Winslow, Steve Vanden Heuvel, Josh Gray, Nick Palombi, Sam Barbetto, Cody Tucker.

C Sick had a good day on the water.

January 2014 | ANGLER

1. FINAL APPROACH . . . . .

Contender / Yamaha James Demyan Jr. Jason Tierney Doc Johnson Mike Williams 2. NUMERO UNO / TEAM ONSLOW BAY . . .

Onslow Bay / Mercury David Smith Brad Knight Jeff Atkinson Alan Ambrose 3. Total Chaos . . . . . . . . . . . .

4. RAUNCHIE CONCH . . . .

Sea Hunt / Yamaha Cameron Atkins David Griffith Patrick Atkins 5. MR. GOODHANDS . . . . .

Century / Yamaha Toby Russ Dur Thomason Grayson Russ 6. WEE DOGGIE . . . . . . . . .

Fountain / Yamaha Joey Crisp Andy McInnis 7. HOT ROD . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Contender / Yamaha Brett Barnes Alan Barnes 8. Carolina Cat . . . . . . . . . . .

9. WINDY CONDITIONS . . .

Contender / Yamaha Henry Tillett Wendy Tillett Henry Tillett II Steele Park Clint Richardson 10. ON A MISSION . . . . . . . .

Fountain / Mercury Chris Bryan Wade Byrd 11. BLACK GOLD . . . . . . . . .

Yellowfin / Yamaha Mike McDuffie Jordan Williamson Don Williamson www.FishSKA.com

FALL BRAWL 51.25

38.60

36.55 34.90

34.80

34.50

12. DIDN’T ASK! . . . . . . . . . .

Sea Fox / Yamaha Jim Alexander Bobby Hammond Mike Offenhauser Jack Offenhauser 13. TAILWALKER . . . . . . . . . .

Yellowfin / Yamaha Stuart Ballard 14. KING CREECHER . . . . . .

Contender / Suzuki Al Fulford Dennis McCracken Jeremy Ridenhour 15. HOLDEN ON . . . . . . . . . .

Fountain / Mercury Robert Lineberger Thomas Sparrow Justin Sparrow Robert Blake Alex Blake

28.20

27.45 27.30

26.75

SMALL BOAT CLASS 1. The Sweet Life . . . . . . . . . 32.90 2. Blue Ice Bandit . . . . . . . . . 30.95 3. PLAYIN HOOKY . . . . . . . 26.50 Starcraft / Yamaha Thomas Hemphill

33.45 TOP LADY ANGLER Chelsey Williams RAUNCHIE CONCH . . . . . . . . 34.90 31.45 30.50

29.30

29.30

TOP JUNIOR ANGLER Grayson Russ MR. GOODHANDS . . . . . . . . . 34.80 SKA TOP JUNIOR ANGLERS sponsored by Ocean Isle Fishing Center 1. Grayson Russ MR. GOODHANDS . . . . . 34.80 2. Henry Tillett II WINDY CONDITIONS . . . 30.50 3. Alex Blake HOLDEN ON . . . . . . . . . . 26.75 MERCURY MARINE JUNIOR ANGLER SCHOLARSHIP WINNER Alex Blake . . . . . . . . . . HOLDEN ON 49

DIV

9

North Carolina

OPEN CLASS FINAL WRAP-UP

|

by Jack Holmes

Hot Rod is the Winner of North Carolina’s Div. 9!

Captain Brett Barnes from Wilmington claimed the title of being number one in SKA’s Division 9 which encompasses the southern shoreline of North Carolina. Brett and Alan Barnes plus Lawrence Allen weighed a 35.30 at Jolly Mon, had a 16.42 in the Got-em-On, and ended with a good 33.45 in the Fall Brawl.

That’s a three-fish aggregate of 85.17.

Brett has always been considered a top angler in North Carolina and past performances more than prove that. As Division 9 came to an end, he still has the opportunity to earn the same spot in Division 1, an extraordinary feat.

Barnes fishes a Yamaha powered 25 foot Contender which also proves you don’t need that big boat to win money in a tournament or finish at the top of your division. Congrats, Brett. Sure would like to see you and your team’s talent in the big show in Biloxi!

Joey Crisp and his teammates had a good season also, earning second place with a three fish 84.02 aggregate. Joey bought a nice

Yamaha powered Fountain, paid attention to details this year, and it’s paid off.

Crisp, Andy McInnis, Whitney and Jamie Crisp, 1st OPEN CLASS and Scott Beasley caught a 15.95 in Brunswick, added a 33.57 at the Rumble, and ended with a 34.50 in the Fall Brawl. I’ve watched his team over the years and know that they’ve really worked hard. The North Carolina fishing fraternity can certainly be proud to have the Wee Doggie represent them at the Championship.

They could win it all and bring the title home.

James Demyan, Jr. caught the biggest fish in his career at the Fall Brawl, a 51.25, won the event, and earned third in the overall Open Class standings. They did it with a two fish aggregate, the second fish, a 30.82 came at

HOT ROD

Brunswick Isles. One more fish would have won him this year’s Division 9 title. The team consists of Donald “Doc” Johnson, Jr., Michael Williams, Jason Tierney, and Dave Smith.

James’ boat, a Yamaha powered Contender, is named Final Approach. The team is also fishing on the Pro Tour, is going to Biloxi, and with the confidence the team now have certainly can win either the Pro or National Championship.

Black Gold, with Mike McDuffie at the helm picked up fourth overall in the division. He and Don, Jordan, and Matt Williamson, plus cont. pg. 61

2nd

OPEN CLASS

WEE DOGGIE

3rd

OPEN CLASS

FINAL APPROACH

4th

OPEN CLASS

BLACK GOLD

5th

OPEN CLASS

TEAM OIFC

50

www.FishSKA.com

ANGLER | January 2014

DIV

9

North Carolina

SMALL BOAT CLASS FINAL WRAP-UP

|

by Jack Holmes

Miller Time Wins Small Boat Class!

Highest Three-Fish Aggregate in Division 9 —108.98! ended with a 22.25 in the Fall Brawl for a 79.95 three-fish aggregate. That was actually the fifth best aggregate in the Division.

Who says you can’t compete anymore in a small boat?

1st SMALL BOAT Third place was earned by Blew By U! with Corey Durako, Barry Bierstedt, Joel Brown, and Richard Gilligan. The Mercury powered Onslow Bay team had a super 79.34 three-fish aggregate which included a 34.10 at Got-EmOn, a 23.14 at Brunswick, and finally a 22.10 at the Fall Brawl. They were eighth last year with a 61 pound three-fish aggregate. GREAT improvement!

The Hail Yeah / OIFC team, led by Brian Aycock, earned fourth place. With him were Austin Aycock, Edward Julian, Jr. and Brandon Aycock.

They started with a 24.50 at the Jolly Mon, then came a 29.77 in Brunswick, and ended with a 24.03 at the Rumble.

You have four solid teams that had a super season. Fourth place in the Open Class was just 79.14 BUG-N-A-RUG EXTERMINATORS

Miller Time, with Brent and Randy Gainey, Ryan Wiggins, and Jason McDowell ended with an amazing 108.98 three-fish aggregate in Division 9s Small Boat Class. The Wilmington, North Carolina team, fishing a Yamaha powered Cape Horn, scaled a 38.90 in the Got-Em-On, then popped a super 47.78 at Brunswick, and ended with a 22.30 at the Fall Brawl. They were 23.81 points better than their counterpart in the Open Class.

I just hope that they understand the feat they just accomplished. Last year they were fifth with a 67.37 three-fish aggregate in the division. What a dramatic season!

Congratulations. Keep up the great work!

Randy was the Top Senior Angler for the division.

Second place fell to Stan Hollingsworth and Stuart Flynn on the Yamaha powered Sea Hunt named Bug-N-A-Rug Exterminators.

They’re from Wilmington also.

They started the season with a 21.80 at the Jolly Mon, added a 35.90 in Brunswick, and

2nd SMALL BOAT

MILLER TIME

proving that the small boats can compete and still make a name for themselves. I am so proud of these teams, and I’m not just singling them out but I hear so many times, “We just can’t compete.” This shows many that you can. Do your homework, pay attention to details, and fish hard. The results here speak for themselves.

Fifth place went to the Wahooligans fishing a Yamaha powered Sea Fox. They were second last year. They had a 14.50 at the Jolly Mon, added a 26.27 in Sullivans Island, and ended with a 24.90 at the Fall Brawl for 65.67 points.

OK, so it wasn’t as good as last year’s aggregate and a drop in where they placed, but here’s how I see it: they still were in the top five. I’m sure they worked just as hard this year, but consistency is the most important thing I look at. Any team, regardless of class, must be consistent. I always look at several things as I analyze performance and I still have the utmost respect for them.

On the team this year was Billy Goss, Tim Upchurch, Aaron Wilkinson, and Allen Farlow.

I do hope all five of our top five will be in Biloxi to represent the great state of North cont. pg. 61

3rd SMALL BOAT January 2014 | ANGLER

BLEW BY U!

4th SMALL BOAT www.FishSKA.com

HAIL YEAH / OIFC 51

Points cont. from pg. 34 DIDN'T ASK! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.20 SEA FOX / YAMAHA JIM ALEXANDER

TEAM ZEBRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.50 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA DAVID TEDDER

TOES-UP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.60 CONTENDER / YAMAHA RICHARD BOLES

WAHOOLIGANS FISHING TEAM 65.67 SEA FOX / YAMAHA BILLY GOSS

SALTY DAZE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.90 SEA HUNT / YAMAHA JONATHON STALEY

CLEARLY HOOKED . . . . . . . . . . 25.68 CONTENDER / YAMAHA AUSTIN EUBANK

TAILWALKER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.45 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA STUART BALLARD

LIQUID FIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.32 INTREPID / YAMAHA MARK HENDERSON

FISHING TOO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.85 CONTENDER / YAMAHA DARRELL STARNES

SCREAMIN' DEACON . . . . . . . . 55.55 SEA STRIKE / YAMAHA LARRY DENNING

SALT & BATTERY. . . . . . . . . . . . 33.26 TRITON / MERCURY BLAKE HOLCOMB

INLET VIEW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.65 MCKEE CRAFT / YAMAHA TIMOTHY MILLIKEN

FISH MEISTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.35 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA DEAN SPATHOLT

BUD LIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.30 GRADY WHITE / YAMAHA PHILLIP HAMILTON

EAST COAST SPORTS . . . . . . . . 50.85 ONSLOW BAY / YAMAHA RANDALL EDENS

TIDELINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.40 WELLCRAFT / YAMAHA DIETER CARDWELL

TEAM KING HUNTER / MERCURY PRO TEAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.15 CONTENDER / MERCURY JAMES ROBERTS II

KNOT RIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.08 ONSLOW BAY / YAMAHA SCOTT PELLETIER

KING CREECHER . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.30 CONTENDER / SUZUKI AL FULFORD

OPEN WIDE / EASTERN ASPHALT . . .

15.40 CONTENDER / YAMAHA BENSON YBANEZ

STRESS REELIEF . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.80 ALBEMARLE / YANMAR CHARLES LEE, JR.

THE GPS STORE FISHING TEAM 20.28 CONTENDER / YAMAHA SCOTT HEFFERNAN

HOLDEN-ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.75 FOUNTAIN / MERCURY ROBERT LINEBERGER, JR.

FINEBOY II / CFW . . . . . . . . . . . 20.10 COBIA / HONDA GEORGE LEPPER II

SERVICE CALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.93 INVINCIBLE / YAMAHA PATRICK OVERSTREET IV

PRE-EXISTING CONDITION . . . 19.80 WELLCRAFT / MERCURY ROGER PENNINGTON

DO WORK / OIFC. . . . . . . . . . . . 24.55 CONTENDER / YAMAHA JEFF BECK

JIMMY'S MARINE / GUY C LEE 19.70 FOUNTAIN / MERCURY DON EWING

TEAM INSTIGATOR . . . . . . . . . . 23.55 YELLOWFIN / MERCURY SCOTT SMITH

SCALE BOUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.51 CONTENDER / YAMAHA JEFF CUNNINGHAM

BILLZFISHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.90 MAKO / MERCURY BILL WELBORN

TEAM ANIMAL HOUSE . . . . . . . 18.48 WELLCRAFT / YAMAHA JOHN PARKS

TEAM EXTREME . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.05 WELLCRAFT / YAMAHA PAUL BENDIK

SEAHORSE FISHING TEAM. . . . 17.48 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA CHAD MORRIS

DEBT FINDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.90 CAPE HORN / YAMAHA JEREMY HARRELSON

BAY PIRATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.35 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA WILLIAM HUGHES

LOGAN'S RUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.05 YELLOWFIN / YAMAHA D. LOGAN BRANCH OFFICE . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.81 DONZI / MERCURY GEORGE SAUNDERS SATISFIED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.50 CAPE HORN / YAMAHA ALLEN RIPPY, JR. FISHIN' PHYSICIAN . . . . . . . . . 10.15 CONTENDER / YAMAHA DR. KENDALL SUH

DIV 9 | Small Boats Final

REEL BUZZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.94 CONTENDER / YAMAHA CHIP NIFONG BEERACUDA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.65 SAILFISH / YAMAHA TIM GRAY REELENTLESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.60 SEA HUNT / YAMAHA RONNIE JOYCE LIQUI-DATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.25 CONTENDER / YAMAHA W. O. CALDWELL, JR. NEVER E NUFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.20 SEA HUNT / YAMAHA RYAN CLARK

MILLER TIME . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108.98 CAPE HORN / YAMAHA BRENT GAINEY

BROTHERS IN LAW . . . . . . . . . . 28.38 SEA HUNT / YAMAHA TED HAMMONDS BLUE ICE BANDIT . . . . . . . . . . . 28.24 SEA HUNT / YAMAHA TIM LOWRY BLUE WATER CANDY . . . . . . . . 26.68 ONSLOW BAY / YAMAHA JODIE GAY PLAYIN HOOKY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.50 STARCRAFT / YAMAHA THOMAS HEMPHILL

HOOK UM UP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.95 ISLAND RUNNER / YAMAHA RUSSELL HOWARD SUSAN ELIZABETH . . . . . . . . . . 17.82 CONTENDER / YAMAHA MARK HAMNER DROPTYNE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.72 KENCRAFT / JOHNSON RICKY TAYLOR SLICK FINISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.90 ONSLOW BAY / MERCURY BRANDON MOORE

Look for the final 2013 Lady, Junior, and Senior Points in the February 2014 issue of Angler!

BUG-N-A-RUG EXTERMINATORS . . .

79.95 SEA HUNT / YAMAHA STAN HOLLINGSWORTH BLEW BY U! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79.34 ONSLOW BAY / MERCURY COREY DURAKO HAIL YEAH / OIFC . . . . . . . . . . . 78.30 SEA CRAFT / YAMAHA BRIAN AYCOCK

Garmin® Software Update Brings New Features to GPSMAP® and echoMAP™ Series Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd., the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced an exciting software update for the GPSMAP and echoMAP series of combination chartplotter and fishfinder units.

With this update, new features are made available to all users, providing essential boating data and sharing capabilities.

“We’re happy to offer so many new capabilities to new and existing GPSMAP and echoMAP owners,” said Dan Bartel, vice president of worldwide sales. “This software update benefits boaters and anglers of all types and provides features that allow for a better, more integrated experience on the water. Anglers can access and utilize great new networking and sharing capabilities when they need it the most.”

Garmin has added an array of features to the new GPSMAP combination product line. Most notably, the new series will now be able to share supplemental maps and user data such as waypoints, routes, and tracks.

52

This update will also provide selected networking capabilities to select devices allowing the boater to share features with other GPSMAP combo units such as radar and DownVü and SideVü sonar via GCV™ 10. In addition to networking, these units also will support a newly designed, high-resolution sea surface temperature feature.

Via software update, the echoMAP 50 and 70 series will now support 50kHz transducers, further expanding the functionality of these units to saltwater anglers. Support for BlueChart® g2 Vision® mapping is also now available for the echoMAP series, allowing for anglers and boaters to utilize auto guidance and many more features.

These free software updates will be available for the new GPSMAP 500 and 700 series and the echoMAP series in Q4 of 2013. The GPSMAP 800 and 1000 will receive these updates in Q1 of 2014. For more details, compatibility, and a full list of features,

go to http://bit.ly/1hA989L. Garmin’s marine business segment is a leading provider of navigation and communication equipment to retail and OEM customers. Garmin’s portfolio includes the industry’s most sophisticated array of chartplotters and touchscreen multifunction

www.FishSKA.com

displays, sonar, high-definition radar, autopilot, high-resolution mapping, sailing instrumentation and other products and services that are known for innovation, reliability, and ease-ofuse. ■

ANG NGLER N GLE LER | Jan JJanuary Ja aan nuar uarry 2 2014 014 01 0 14

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Treasure Island, Florida

YAMAHA/CENTRAL MARINE 22ND ANNUAL FALL SUNCOAST KINGFISH CLASSIC

October 10–12, 2013

Penny Wise Leads the Pack at Fall Suncoast Classic ■ by Bob Flocken

First Place

38.10

P

PENNY WISE

enny Wise, Jack Penny’s Yamaha powered Contender, sponsored by Central Marine, EZ Ryder Bean Bags, Profinder, Yamaha and Contender and skippered by Mike Penny who fished the event with Jerry Solovskoy, Kevin Farner, Jeff Silverthorne along January 2014 | ANGLER

Mike Penny, Jerry Solovskoy, Kevin Farner, Jeff Silverthorne, Mark Nahon, and Taylor Nifong

with Mark and Taylor Nifong, would weigh a 38.10 pound kingfish to take home the 22nd Annual Suncoast Kingfish Classic’s $10,000 top prize held at the world-famous Gator’s Café & Saloon.

Penny Wise left the dock around 12:30 Saturday morning and headed to an area in 130’ of water at the Middle Grounds 60 miles northwest of Johns Pass to a secret spot where they had caught some big kings over the past several years. When they arrived they anchored up to wait for the 7:00AM lines-in time.

Everyone fell asleep and when they woke up six or seven other teams were getting ready to start fishing. So much for secrets!

They started catching fish as soon as they put out their first

spread and hooked up to six or seven nice kingfish before 9:00.

Their tournament winning kingfish skied on their baits four times and then ate a couple of their runners before it took off for parts unknown. After a couple strong runs and tangled lines, Jerry was able to control the fish and soon had her close enough for Kevin to gaff. The Penny Wise crew would like to thank Contender and Yamaha as well as Central Marine, E-Searider Bean Bags, and Profinder Chips for all their support.

Marcus and Tyler Kennedy along with teammate Jonathan Graham towed Kwazar, their Yamaha powered Yellowfin, south from Mobile, Alabama to fish for the $10,000 guaranteed first place check fish. Marcus was also look-

www.FishSKA.com

ing for some valuable Pro points at the final Division 6 event.

They ran southwest 100 miles with Arik Bergerman’s Under Armour / Caliente team to fish an area over some hard bottom in 120’ of water where Bergerman had previously had good luck finding decent kingfish. Marcus was watching the time on his GPS for the 7:00 start time to roll around when he realized that his unit was still set on Central Time and it was already past 7:30 Eastern Time. As quickly as they could get their baits in the water they were covered up with kingfish as well as several big AJs. Marcus said that they caught 15 or 20 decent kings before fishing shut down around 9am. Their big fish, a 37.47 pounder, ate a blue runner as they were letting out 53

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Treasure Island, Florida

their first set of baits. Marcus said that the fish didn’t put up much of a fight on the 30lb tackle they were using and he soon had her to the boat for Tyler to gaff.

Brian Hasson’s Yamaha powered Contender named Knot Me would weigh a 36.54 to finish in third place. Fishing with Brian were Jason Gell and Bill Hasson. They also made the 60-mile run to fish the Middle Grounds were they knew several nice fish had been caught over the past several weeks.

They also took advantage of the early bite and soon had three fish over 30 pounds to the boat.

Their big fish skied on a runner they were fishing 60 feet behind the boat and made three or four strong runs before Brian had her close enough to gaff. In addition to their third place finish, Knot Me would take home the Classic’s first place Small Boat bonus.

Finishing in fourth place and second place Small Boat was Team K.O. Fishing with John Ford on his Yamaha powered Onslow Bay were teammates, Justin and Jason Ford and Mike and Brian Burnett. They fished 75 miles due west of Johns Pass in 130’ of water where they had caught some decent kingfish the past weekend. John said that they caught three or four nice kingfish and a nice cobia before the bite was over at 8:30. Justin caught their 36.47 after it ate a runner on the surface at 7:30.

John told me that the water was so clear they could see the fish swimming 60’ down and he got so excited that he missed on his first attempt to gaff the fish but got her the next time she was

YAMAHA/CENTRAL MARINE 22ND ANNUAL FALL SUNCOAST KINGFISH CLASSIC

close enough to gaff.

Robert and Cody McRanie, fishing on their Mercury powered Yellowfin named C.R.A.P. Happens, would weigh a 34.64 to

take home the Suncoast Classic’s fifth place award. They also made the run to the Middle Grounds and were busy all morning pulling on several amberjacks and

Mobile, AL’s Marcus and Tyler Kennedy fished with Jonathan Graham on the Kwazar to finish in 2nd with a 37.47.

Finishing in 3rd with a 36.54 were Brian Hasson, Jason Gell and Bill Hasson on the Knot Me Contender.

54

www.FishSKA.com

October 10–12, 2013

three kings. Their big fish ate a runner they were fishing on a flat line way back in their spread. The fish took off and made a strong run away from the boat. They chased the fish down and after a couple circles the fish rolled over and died. Robert would like to thank ProMarine and Mercury for all their help and support.

Cody Chivas and his friends fished on Team Salt Rock, a Yamaha powered Contender sponsored by Bay Star Restaurant Group and caught eight or nine kings including their sixth place finishing 34.09 pounder that ate a runner on a short line in 120’ of water over a patch of hard bottom 60 miles due west of Johns Pass.

Diamond in the Rough, Grant Johnston’s Mercury powered Yellowfin sponsored by Johnston Jewelers, First Choice Marine, ProMarine, and Mercury Outboards, also had a great day on the water.

Fishing with Grant were Randy and Brythani Schwab, Mikey Grasso and their three junior anglers Gavin, Blake, and Talen Johnston. Grant told me that they spent the day fishing over a wreck in 130’ of water on the edge of the Middle Grounds where they had caught several kingfish over the last weekend. They also caught several fish early in the day including their 33.15 pounder that ate a mullet on the surface at 8:30. With a little help from his dad, three-year-old Talen stood in the front of the boat and caught his first kingfish to earn their team a seventh place check as well as the tournament’s and the SKA’s Top Junior awards. Talen would also capture the $500 Mercury Scholarship Award for his fish.

Finishing in ninth place with a 32.85 was John Thomas, Steve McCracken, Brian Calzon and Anthony Thomas who fished on Walleye II, John’s Yamaha powered Contender. Steve Papen, Doug Speeler, Corey Alley, Brian Simmons and Dave Bayes finished in twelfth place with a 30.87 they caught on another Yamaha powered Contender called Lagerhead. ■ ANGLER | January 2014

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Treasure Island, Florida

YAMAHA/CENTRAL MARINE 22ND ANNUAL FALL SUNCOAST KINGFISH CLASSIC

October 10–12, 2013

The Team K.O. Onslow Bay skippered by John Ford finished 4th with a 36.47 pound king.

A 34.64 pounder earned C.R.A.P. Happens the Classic’s 5th place award.

Cody Chivas and friends weighed a 34.09 on Team Salt Rock to finish in 6th.

Top Junior Angler, Talen Johnston caught a 33.15 pounder to take 7th place on Diamond in the Rough.

John Thomas, Steve McCracken, Brian Calzon and Anthony Thomas weighed a 32.85 on Walleye II.

Lagerhead, skippered by Steve Papen along with Doug Speeler, Corey Alley, Brian Simmons and Dave Bayes weighed a 30.87.

The Sea Dog team had a fun day on the water and put a 30.32 pounder on the Gator’s scale.

Too bad AJ’s don’t count, but Arik Bergerman and the crew of Under Armour / Caliente did find a nice 26.40 lb. king to weigh.

January 2014 | ANGLER

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Treasure Island, Florida

YAMAHA/CENTRAL MARINE 22ND ANNUAL FALL SUNCOAST KINGFISH CLASSIC

Fourteenth place would go to Sea Dog, Chad Bixler’s Yamaha powered Hydra Sports for their 30.32 pound king. Fishing with Chad were Karen Bixler, Billy Wert and J.J. Hoyle. Arik Bergerman, Eric Sidor, Joe Medolla, Glenn Carr, Jeff Houser, Randy Keys, and Dominic Molfetas fished on Arik’s big Yamaha powered Yellowfin, Under Armour / Caliente, and weighed a 26.40 pound king to finish in fifteenth place.

All of the Suncoast Classic participants couldn’t say enough good things about this year’s event. Tournament Director, the King Gator himself, Sid Rice along with his new Suncoast Classic crew, headed by Ryan Farner, really worked hard to make several great improvements to their fun tournament. Thanks much for a job well done! ■

Rob and Luke Woithe fished with their grandparents on The Reel Won.

October 10-12 2013

Fall Tournament

David Heavenridge and his crew on Courtside Grille / Top Gun weighed a 22.08. Thanks David for your sponsorship of this year’s Division 6 Junior Angler Awards!

Chad Hickman, Kenny Dellane, Steve Dellane, Jimmy Cope and Brian Brandano weighed a 25.75 on PromarineUSA.com / Kingpin.

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October 10–12, 2013

FINAL STANDINGS

GATOR’S FALL SUNCOAST CLASSIC

1. PENNY WISE . . . . . . . . . .

Contender / Yamaha Mike Penny Jerry Solovskoy Kevin Farner Jeff Silverthorne Mark Nahon Taylor Nifong 2. KWAZAR . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Yellowfin / Yamaha Marcus Kennedy Tyler Kennedy Jonathan Graham 3. KNOT ME . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Contender / Yamaha Brian Hasson Jason Gell Bill Hasson 4. TEAM K.O. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Onslow Bay / Yamaha John Ford Justin Ford Jason Ford Mike Burnett Brian Burnett 5. C.R.A.P. HAPPENS . . . . .

Yellowfin / Mercury Robert McRanie Cody McRanie 6. TEAM SALT ROCK . . . . .

Contender / Yamaha Cody Chivas 7. DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Yellowfin / Mercury Grant Johnston Randy Schwab Mikey Grasso Brythani Schwab Gavin Johnston Blake Johnston Talen Johnston 8. Highwaterflood.com . . . . .

9. WALLEYE II . . . . . . . . . . .

Contender / Yamaha John Thomas Steve McCracken Brian Calzon Anthony Thomas 10. Reel Dirty . . . . . . . . . . . . .

38.10

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37.47

36.54

36.47

11. Long Gone . . . . . . . . . . . . .

12. LAGERHEAD . . . . . . . . . .

Contender / Yamaha Steve Papen Doug Speeler Corey Alley Brian Simmons Dave Bayes 13. ProMarine Too . . . . . . . . . .

14. SEA DOG . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hydra Sports / Yamaha Chad Bixler Karen Bixler Billy Wert J.J. Hoyle 15. UNDER ARMOUR / CALIENTE . . . . . . . . . . . .

Yellowfin / Mercury Arik Bergerman Eric Sidor Joe Medolla Glenn Carr Jeff Houser Randy Keys Dominic Molfetas

31.29 30.87

30.68 30.32

26.40

34.64

34.09

33.15

32.88 32.85

TOP JUNIOR ANGLER 1. Blake Johnston DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.15 SKA TOP JUNIOR ANGLERS sponsored by Courtside Grille 1. Blake Johnston Gavin Johnston Talen Johnston DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.15 2. Dominic Molfetas UNDER ARMOUR / CALIENTE . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.40 3. Josh Heavenridge COURTSIDE GRILLE / TOP GUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.08 MERCURY MARINE JUNIOR ANGLER SCHOLARSHIP WINNER Talen Johnston . . . . . . . . DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

32.14 ANGLER | January 2014

DIV

6

West Florida

OPEN CLASS FINAL WRAP-UP

|

by Jack Holmes

Penny Wise Earns Top Slot in Division 6!

Mike Penny led his team of Jerry Solovskoy, Jeff Silverthorne, Kevin Farner, Doug Henriott, Jack Penny, Mark Nahon, and Taylor Nifong, to the top of the Division 6 overall standings with a 119.08 three-fish aggregate.

The Penny Wise team, fishing a Yamaha powered Contender, started their quest to the top by scaling a 32.68 at the Gator’s Spring event. Their biggest king of the season came at Fort Myers, a very strong 48.30, and ended with a top of the leaderboard 38.10 at the Gator’s Fall event.

Mike Penny has fished with several teams over the years but was at the helm governing his own team this year and I believe the old adage goes, “The cream always rises to the top,” is appropriate.

There’s a lot of talent in Division 6, so much so that I think the rank and file of west coast fisher people just gave up with the “I can’t compete,” mind set. That’s just how good the talent is. But if you’ve been in this sport as long as I have you understand that

the west coast talent pool didn’t get the reputation they have by giving up.

They have certainly earned their reputation and isn’t that what tournament 1st OPEN CLASS fishing is all about?

Congratulations to the Penny Wise!

The deans of tournament fishing earned second place in the division this year. Bob and Susan Woithe, two of the most recognized names in our sport, had a super year.

Here’s how they fared. They scaled a 32.68 in Sarasota, added a 42.36 at the NBOA event, and ended with a 42.93 in Fort Myers for a 117.97 three-fish aggregate.

The best part of this performance is the family participation. Bob and Susan were our Top Senior Anglers. Luke Woithe earned Top Junior Angler honors and Susan was the Top

PENNY WISE

Lady angler.

Also on the Yamaha powered Yellowfin Reel Won team were more family members, Bruce, Robert D., and Rob Woithe. A true family effort and they deserve all the praise the fishing fraternity can give them!

Arik Bergerman, with past National Champion Randy Keys, Eric Sidor, Glenn Carr, Joe Medolla, Jeff Houser, Mark Willis, Dominic Molfetas, and James Addison II, earned third place with a 108.86 aggregate.

Arik led the Mercury powered Yellowfin team to scale a 40.59, at the Gator’s Spring cont. pg. 61

2nd

OPEN CLASS

THE REEL WON

3rd

OPEN CLASS

UNDER ARMOUR / CALIENTE

4th

OPEN CLASS

PROMARINEUSA.COM / KINGPIN

5th

OPEN CLASS

COURTSIDE GRILLE / TOP GUN

January 2014 | ANGLER

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DIV

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West Florida

SMALL BOAT CLASS FINAL WRAP-UP

|

by Jack Holmes

Knot Me Earned Top Honors in Division 6 Small Boat Class!

As expected, Brian Hasson earned the top honors in the Small Boat Class. In fact Brian, Jason Gell, Jen and Billy Hasson, Timothy Brundage, and Perry Warner teamed to earn the sixth place overall aggregate of 107.18 in both Division’s. That’s a very respectful aggregate.

The Yamaha powered Contender team weighed a 31.33 at NBOA in Sarasota, added a 39.31 in Fort Myers, and ended with a 36.54 in the Gator’s Fall event Harry Thomas, an SKA Hall of Fame member, took second place on his Mercury powered SeaCraft named Yellowbird with a threefish aggregate of 70.22. Harry fishes with the Bonnells — Vernon, Jeremy, Matthew, and Chris, plus Michael Friesenhahn. The Bonnells are the SKA’s 2006 Class of 23 National

Champions.

Together they scaled a 21.14 in 1st SMALL BOAT Sarasota, added a 24.27 in the spring Gator’s event, and ended with a 24.81 at the Fall Gator’s. That’s a 70.22 three-fish aggregate.

Harry has always been at the top of my list of top Small Boat fisherman.

Jeffri Durrance, David Holifield, Shaan Pembleton, Brian Wells, Mason Tush, John Robinson, and Joe Bazenas teamed to earn third place with a two fish 46.47 aggregate.

The Mercury powered Onslow Bay Top Down team weighed a 23.59 at Gator’s Spring and a 22.88 at the NBOA event.

Team K.O. was fourth. John Ford, Brian

2nd SMALL BOAT

YELLOWBIRD

4th SMALL BOAT

TEAM K.O.

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3rd SMALL BOAT

5th www.FishSKA.com

SMALL BOAT

KNOT ME

Burnett, and Jason and Justin Ford caught one fish on their Yamaha powered Onslow Bay to earn this honor. It was caught in the Gator’s Fall Treasure Island event.

Rounding out the top five was a Yamaha powered Regulator team named Snappers / 1200 Chophouse. Daniel and Connor Casey scaled a 17.59 at the Gator’s Spring event and an 18.75 in the Fall event. That’s a 36.34 aggregate. Good job, guys!

Congratulations to all the Small Boat qualifiers! ■

TOP DOWN

SNAPPERS / 1200 CHOPHOUSE ANGLER | January 2014

DIV

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North Carolina

OPEN CLASS FINAL WRAP-UP

|

by Jack Holmes

Hot Rod Wins D1 Open Class Title by Wide Margin!

Brett Barnes from Wilmington and Alan Barnes led the charge in the final event, The 3rd Annual Troopers Association Offshore / Inshore Saltwater Challenge. Hot Rod scored well with a great 42.40 which gave them a 104.69 three fish aggregate. Their other two fish were a 29.19 in Sneads Ferry and a 33.10 at Atlantic Beach. Barnes also won Division 9 making it a clean sweep in North Carolina’s Open Class. He fishes a 25’ Yamaha powered Contender. His team did not fish the Championship.

The Sea Rat, also a Yamaha powered Contender, used the last three event scores to earn second place Division 1 honors. Mitch Yates, Richard Williams, and Ronnie Miller weighed a 25.57 at Sneads Ferry, a 23.84 in Atlantic Beach, and ended with a 39.70 at the Troopers event. That’s an impressive 89.11 three fish aggregate. Great job, guys! Richard was our second place Senior Angler for the division.

Raleigh Sportfishing Club’s 29th annual

event produced the first fish of John Parks’ trio, a 34.64. Team Animal House, a Yamaha powered Wellcraft, with Charlie Neal, and Matthew 1st OPEN CLASS Henderson, had a 22.17 next in Atlantic Beach.

They ended with a 29.30 at the Troopers event for an 86.11 aggregate. They were in Biloxi.

Fourth place was earned by Mike Williams fishing the Yamaha powered Yellowfin named Release. The team of Gordon Dunn, Quinn Morris, and Henry Moore III had a 26.84 at Raleigh, added a 24.93 more points in Orange Beach, and ended with a 33.12 at the Troopers event for an 84.89 aggregate.

Finally, Jim Dupree Jr. rounded out the top five. His OBX Girl / Team Calcutta team had two small fish, a 16.16 and a 14.51. Obviously

HOT ROD

Dupree was bit by the what the heck’s going on syndrome when he and the team banged the winning 52.72 at Trooper’s. Great job by the Yamaha powered Contender team. They ended with an 83.39 aggregate. Betsy Dupree was the division’s Top Lady Angler! This great fishing team was in Biloxi to help bring the titles back to North Carolina.

Sixth place through ninth came to the big show.

Benson Ybanez, on his Yamaha powered Contender named Open Wide/ Eastern Asphalt, started with just a 15.86 at Raleigh, cont. pg. 61

2nd

OPEN CLASS

SEA RAT

3rd

OPEN CLASS

TEAM ANIMAL HOUSE

4th

OPEN CLASS

RELEASE

5th

OPEN CLASS

OBX GIRL / TEAM CALCUTTA

January 2014 | ANGLER

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DIV

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North Carolina

SMALL BOAT CLASS FINAL WRAP-UP

|

by Jack Holmes

Blue Water Candy Earns Top Slot in D1 Small Boat Class!

Jodie Gay led his Yamaha powered Onslow Bay team to a Division 1 Small Boat Class win with a 99.54 three fish aggregate which was second only to the Open Class winner in all of Division 1. Stacy Brown, David Mason, Wayne Hewitt, Russell Weaver, and Michelle Brown used the final three events to earn the title.

It included a great winning 52.60 at Sneads Ferry, added a 20.60 in Atlantic Beach, and ended with a 26.34 in the Troopers event. Gay, the Hampstead, North Carolina entrepreneur who owns Blue Water Candy Lures and builds a great array of tackle for the kingfish market, was a part of the ’09 team who won the Class of 23 National Championship.

First, Second, Third, Fifth, and Sixth places in the division were in Onslow Bay boats.

Johnny, Justin, and Cindy Hudson, plus Jot Owens and Mike Edwards earned second place with a 99.39 aggregate. That’s just .16 out of first. The Justin Time team was extremely consistent this year. They weighed a 35.46 at the Onslow Bay Open, added a

32.71 in Atlantic Beach, and ended with a 31.22 in the Troopers event.

That’s a superb effort and third biggest aggregate in the whole division.

1st SMALL BOAT Third place missed first by just 1.30 points. Vaughn and Graeson Ford, Jay Bucklen, Jason Spratley, Walter Nelson, and Thomas Justice scored a 98.25 aggregate fishing the Reel Thrill / Team Bone Suckin’ Sauce. The Onslow Bay team weighed a 33.28 at Raleigh, added a 36.09 in Atlantic Beach, and ended with a 28.88 at Troopers. They had the fourth largest aggregate in the whole division.

Second and third place teams ran Mercury Outboards.

Fourth place was earned by John Lewis and Chad Barnes on the Yamaha powered

2nd SMALL BOAT

JUSTIN TIME

4th SMALL BOAT

SECOND CHANZE

60

3rd SMALL BOAT

5th www.FishSKA.com

SMALL BOAT

TEAM BLUE WATER CANDY

Contender Second Chanze. The duo had a great start with a 44.48 in Raleigh to start the season. Then added a 15.06 in Atlantic Beach, and ended with a 28.64 at the Troopers event.

Rounding out the top five was the ’08 National Champion Randall Edens on the Yamaha powered Onslow Bay named East Coast Sports. Randall, his son Cole who was Division 1’s Top Junior Angler again, Chris Gaddy, George Edens, and Jeremy Newton.

They weighed a 30.32 at Raleigh, added a 16.32 in Sneads Ferry, and then added a great 40.11 in Atlantic Beach. Their total aggregate

REEL THRILL / TEAM BONE SUCKIN’ SAUCE

EAST COAST SPORTS ANGLER | January 2014

DIV

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OPEN CLASS FINAL WRAP-UP cont. from pg. 59

DIV

got better with a 27.21 in Atlantic Beach, then had a really strong 37.50 at Troopers. This is one of the best, most consistent, teams in the Carolinas.

Hot Grits earned seventh with a three fish aggregate of 79.21. Ned Grady led the team, finishing second in the event at Snead’s Ferry with a 43.98. They fish a Donzi powered by Mercury.

Windy Conditions with Henry Tillett finished eighth place in the division with a 75.92 three fish aggregate. Eighth is still pretty impressive, but at the Championship Henry and Wendy Tillett, Steele Park, Chip Nifong, and Brian Schoenwiesner brought third place in the Open Class in the National Championship back to North Carolina along with Team OIFC and Choice of Two, two others from North Carolina. Great job team, it shows that regardless of where you finish in your division you still have to have the pride to represent your state and you did it very well! I couldn’t be happier for the team! Wendy earned second place in the division’s Ladies standings.

It’s like the Carolina Panthers make it to the Super Bowl and half the team decides to stay home. No difference.

Black Gold was ninth. Mike McDuffie had a three fish 72.36 aggregate. His team’s largest king came at Sneads Ferry, a 35.24. Mike was in Biloxi and fishes a Yamaha powered Yellowfin.

Finally, Harvey Hoopes III earned tenth place in Division 1 with a 72.20 aggregate. He fishes with his team on Triple Trouble.

Division 1 had a good tournament season and a super representation at the Championship. Congratulations! We look forward to seeing you next season. Have a great holiday season. ■ DIV

1

SMALL BOAT FINAL WRAP-UP cont. from pg. 60

was 86.75, or sixth place overall in the whole division.

Sixth place, also an Onslow Bay, was Brandon Moore’s Slick Finish with 78.05 points. They had an 18.16 in Raleigh, moved to Sneads Ferry for 27.81 more points, and ended with a nice 32.08. Nice job, Brandon!

A tremendous effort for the Small Boat Class in Division 1! ■

DIV

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OPEN CLASS FINAL WRAP-UP cont. from pg. 57

event. They then posted a 41.87 in Fort Myers, and ended with a 26.40 in the Gator’s Fall event. That’s a very respectable 108.86 aggregate.

Chad Hickman led the PromarineUSA / Kingpin team to a fourth place finish. On the team were Ken Dellane, Brad and Gary Hickman, Stevie Dellane, Brian Brandano, and Jimmy Cope. They fish a Mercury powered Jupiter.

They started the season with a 35.50 in Sarasota. Then they posted a 47.50 in Fort Myers, and ended with a 25.75 at the Gator’s Fall event.

All four of the top finishers in Division 6 also fish the Professional Kingfish Tour.

Rounding out the top five in the Open Class of Division 6 was David Heavenridge’s Courtside Grille / Top Gun team. They had a super 43.55 to start the season in Sarasota, added a 29.32 at NBOA, and ended with a 34.59 in Fort Myers. That’s a very respectable 107.46 three-fish aggregate.

On the team were Joshua and Cameron Heavenridge, Ron Kien, Warren Williams, and Chase Montero.

There you have it! Five of the top teams in the country. Any one of these teams could win the Championship in November. They’re veterans of fishing Upper Gulf waters.

I truly believe the secret of winning is to work together. Forget for a minute that they are ardent competitors and think only about the pride of winning it for all the fisher people who ply Florida’s west coast waters.

We’ll see if that happens. ■

9

OPEN CLASS FINAL WRAP-UP cont. from pg. 50

Neill Newton, caught a 28.09 at Brunswick Isles, added a 22.28 in the Rumble, and finished with a 29.30 in the Fall Brawl. The Yamaha powered Yellowfin team had a horrible season last year in Div. 9 but proved the old adage, “Never count us out.” Good job, Mike!

Rounding out the top five was Team OIFC. What can anyone write about this team that hasn’t already been said? They’re the best! Brant was the 2009 National Champion and his brother Barrett earned the same title in 2011. It’s not just the winnings, but it’s the pride in bringing the title back to North Carolina.

In Division 9 this year along with their father Rube, Caroline, Brayden, Stephanie, and Amy McMullan plus Katelyn Kincer, they caught a 39.75 in the Got-Em-On, adding a 21.34 at Brunswick, and ended with an 18.05 in their own event, the Fall Brawl, for a 79.14 aggregate. The Yamaha powered Yellowfin team is in final preparations for Biloxi. They fish these waters as well as anyone in the country. I wouldn’t bet against them to earn another title this year. You would be smart to pick their brain before you head south!

Milton Via and his Shock Wave team earned sixth place fishing the Yamaha powered Hydra Sports with a three-fish aggregate of 76.10. Their biggest fish, a 28.48 came at the Rumble. Great job, Milton! You proved that you’re a top ten team. When you look at the standings you were only nine pounds out of first. You’ve got to be proud of those results!

Choice of Two, captained by Corey Bellamy, picked up seventh on the strength of a 70.98 three-fish aggregate. The Yamaha powered Cape Horn captain and his team had a 17.71 at the Rumble that spoiled an otherwise good season. This is one team we have to keep an eye on.

They were ninth last year so it’s just time before they’ll be banging on that number one spot.

Chris Bryan’s Mercury powered Yellowfin team named On A Mission is in the same boat as Choice of Two. They had two good fish but a 17.35 third fish spoiled a higher finish but I’m sure Chris understands that. The competition in Div. 9 is so good that one bad fish keeps you out of the top five. Not to worry Chris, improvement each year will pay big dividends. They were eighth in the standings.

Ninth fell to W. Hunter Woodell and his Yamaha powered Contender team named Contend This! They had a three-fish aggregate of 63.73. A top ten is nothing to sneeze at!

Rounding out the top ten was David Gore’s Top Choice team with a 62.78 aggregate. Good job, David! ■ DIV

9

SMALL BOAT FINAL WRAP-UP cont. from pg. 51

Carolina. Sure, you all did well in division competition, in fact very well, but until you carry your performance and showcase the will to win plus have your name in the Championship record books, you aren’t helping your state.

Names like Danny Duncan, Jerry Dilsaver, Stan Jarusinski, Randall Edens, Rick Croson Jr., and Vaughn Ford twice have accomplished this goal. Randall goes every year and last year caught a 58, the biggest king in the whole tournament. North Carolina has seven Small Boat Class titles!

Sixth place fell to the Screamin’ Deacon with a three-fish aggregate of 55.55. They dropped two places this year. Larry Denning was the captain. The team’s biggest fish was a 20.64 caught at the Rumble.

Randall Edens on the East Coast Sports earned seventh place. Randall normally fishes in Division 1 but managed to still earn seventh on the strength on two fish.

Chip Nifong also had a two fish aggregate of 42.94 fishing the Reel Buzz to earn eighth. Another great tournament fisherman who can also be found fishing Division 1. Tim Gray on the Beeracuda had a two fish agg of 42.65 to capture ninth while a 36.60 two fish agg earned Ronnie Joyce on Reelentless tenth.

Congratulations to all who fished North Carolina’s Division 9 and for another great season! ■

If you have opted out of Kingfish Central mail, you can get back on the list. Go to www.

FishSKA.com and scroll down on the home page. Look for “Sign up for our e-mail newsletter” near the bottom, enter your e-mail address, and click GO. SKA uses ConstantContact to maintain a subscriber list and to send email blasts. If you have opted out of our subscriber list, SKA cannot add your email to the list. You must use the opt-in feature to add your email address.

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Morehead City, North Carolina

3rd ANNUAL NORTH CAROLINA TROOPERS ASSOC. SALTWATER CHALLENGE

October 25–27, 2013

Dupree’s OBX Girl/Team Calcutta Wins the NCTA Offshore Challenge with a 52.72 D CLUB N U

F 13

IFTY PO

■ by Bob Flocken

20 First Place

J

52.72

OBX GIRL / TEAM CALCUTTA

immy Dupree fishing with Jim, Daniel, and Betsy Dupree on his OBX Girl/Team Calcutta Yamaha powered Contender sponsored by Calcutta, Precision Auto Reels, and Roberson & Dupree Shoe Store on Main Street in Tarboro, NC, weighed a super 62

Jimmy, Jim, Daniel, and Betsy Dupree

52.72 pound kingfish on Sunday to take home the top award at the 3rd Annual North Carolina Troopers Association Offshore Challenge held at the Jaycee Park in downtown Morehead City.

Jimmy told me that they travelled to Hatteras Saturday morning and spent the day loading up on bait and pre-fishing some numbers just south of Hatteras Inlet where they found a few decent kingfish.

Sunday morning they started the day fishing the same area but could only find a couple of small kings so they decided to head slowly south and stop at some numbers between Hatteras and Ocracoke Inlet where they had previously caught some decent kings. Along the way they did catch ten or so other kingfish and had a 35-pounder in the box. As

they were getting ready to call it a day and head back to the scales they saw a huge school of bait in 50 feet of water and decided to stop and fish for a couple minutes before they ran out of time.

Daniel dropped a big bluefish in the water and had let it out way back behind the Contender when it was torpedoed by their tournament winning fish. It didn’t take Daniel long to get the fish close enough to gaff. Jimmy told me that the best sound they heard all weekend was “the splat when she hit the deck.”

A non-member team weighed a 45.50 to take home the Offshore Challenge’s second place prize.

Third place went to this year’s top finishing team in Division 9.

Brett and Alan Barnes trailered their Yamaha powered Contender,

www.FishSKA.com

Hot Rod, north from Wilmington to fish the Trooper’s tournament.

Brett told me that they spent the Sunday fishing on the East Side.

He said that they went to several different locations early in the day and only caught one small kingfish. Around noon they decided to fish in deeper water and moved a little farther offshore. They stopped in 70 feet of water and shortly after, around 12:30, something ate a big pogy fished on the surface in the middle of their spread. Alan picked up the rod as the fish headed for deeper water.

Along the way she got tangled up in one of their long lines and really made a mess of things.

Brett said that it took a good while to untangle everything before they were able to gaff their 42.40 pounder. Brett would like to ANGLER | January 2014

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thank everyone at the First Bank, the “Best community bank in the Carolinas” for all their support. In addition to their first place finish in Division 9, Hot Rod also ended up as the top Open Class boat in Division 1 with 104.69 points.

Larry Denning’s Screamin’ Deacon weighed a 40.12 pound king at this year’s Division 1 final event, to finish in fourth place. Fishing on Sunday with Larry on his Yamaha powered SportCraft were Mark, Marcus, and Allen Denning. They had originally planned to fish on the East Side, but because the weather conditions were better than NOAA forecasted, they decided to run further north and spent the day fishing off of Ocracoke. Marcus caught their 40.12 pounder around 10:00 after she ate a bluefish they were slow trolling in 30 feet of water on the surface in the middle of their spread.

Finishing in fifth place were Mitch Yates and Richard Williams fishing on Sea Rat, Mitch’s Yamaha powered

3rd ANNUAL NORTH CAROLINA TROOPERS ASSOC. SALTWATER CHALLENGE

Contender from Winston Salem, NC. Their fish weighed 39.70 pounds and earned the Sea Rat a second place finish in the Division 1 Open Class race.

Nine-year-old Al Morris, III fishing with his dad, tournament director Al Morris, Jr. along with

Brent Bunn and Lauren Morris on Sea Drag’n sponsored by Mercury Outboards and Bell Hart Marine caught a 38.38 pound kingfish on Sunday to finish in sixth place and earn himself the event’s and the SKA’s Top Junior Angler as well as the $500 Mercury

Brett and Alan Barnes weighed this 42.40 kings to finish in 3rd on the Hot Rod Contender.

Fourth place went to Larry, Mark, Marcus and Allen Denning who weighed a 40.12 on Screamin’ Deacon.

Richard Williams and Mitch Yates weighed a 39.70 to finish in 5th on Sea Rat. January 2014 | ANGLER

October 25–27, 2013

Scholarship award. The Sea Drag’n started the day fishing in 65’ of water just outside of Drum Inlet but as fast as they could get a bait in the water it was eaten by a bunch of false albacore so they moved farther up the beach where they were able to catch seven or eight small kingfish.

Just before noon, Al decided to give it another try back where they started.

Five minutes after they had their baits back in the water, their big fish ate a menhaden way back behind the boat.

Our Division 1 dentist, Benson Ybanez, fishing with Athan Parker and friends on Open Wide, Dr. Ybanez’s Yamaha powered Contender, finished in seventh place with a 37.50 pound king, the heaviest kingfish weighed on Saturday. They caught their fish around 7:40 in the morning at the 1700 Rocks after it ate a bluefish way back in their spread.

Benson told me that early in the afternoon they were fishing near the East Rock where they hooked up to a monster king that after a long fight was eaten by a really big hammerhead right by the boat. Hammers have lots of really sharp big shiny white teeth, Doc. Benson would like to thank Contender, Yamaha and especially the guys at Burleson Marine for keeping Open Wide on the water.

The eighth and ninth place fish were caught by non-member teams. Rounding out the top ten with a 33.12 pounder were Mike Williams and Gordon Dunn fishing on Mike’s Yamaha pow-

Sea Drag’n finished in 6th place with a 38.38. www.FishSKA.com

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Morehead City, North Carolina

3rd ANNUAL NORTH CAROLINA TROOPERS ASSOC. SALTWATER CHALLENGE

October 25–27, 2013

Seventh place went to the crew of Open Wide who weighed a 37.50 in Morehead City.

Mike Williams fished with Gordon Dunn on Release.

Second Chanze skippered by John Lewis fishing with Chad Barnes weighed a 28.64.

Vaughn Ford, Dandy Justice, and Jason Spratley weighed a 28.88 on Reel Thrill/Team Bone Suckin’ Sauce, a Mercury powered Onslow Bay.

Jr. Angler Justin Hudson fished with Johnny Hudson and Jot Owens and weighed a 31.22 pounder on Justin Time.

Wall Hanger with Brian Allen & Brian Stancil on board carried a 32.46 to the Jaycee Park scales.

The Tillets, Henry, Wendy & Henry II weighed a 23.70 on their Windy Conditions Contender.

Blue Water Candy weighed this 26.34 pound king to earn the division’s Top Small Boat title.

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ered Yellowfin named Release.

They also decided to fish out of Hatteras and just like the OBX Girl, only could find small fish early in the day. Around 3:00

3rd ANNUAL NORTH CAROLINA TROOPERS ASSOC. SALTWATER CHALLENGE

they were fishing in 80’ when their big king ate a pogy in the boat’s propwash. Mike also would like to thank the guys at Burleson Marine in Morehead City for all

their help.

This is the first year that the SKA has sanctioned the North Carolina Troopers Association’s event held to raise funds for the North Carolina Troopers Association Caisson Unit and the Morehead City Little League.

During the tournament 42 teams weighed fish and 18 were over the 30-pound mark. Many thanks FINAL STANDINGS

Stan Hollingsworth and Stuart Flynn weighed a 30.68 pounder fishing on Bug-N-A Rug Exterminators.

Harvey Hoopes III, Kevin Hoopes, Chad Brown and Jr. Angler Terry Lyons weighed a 20.46 fishing on Mom Said No.

1. OBX GIRL / TEAM CALCUTTA . . . . . .

Contender / Yamaha Jimmy Dupree Jim Dupree Daniel Dupree Betsy Dupree 2. Proud Mary . . . . . . . . . . . .

3. HOT ROD . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Contender / Yamaha Brett Barnes Alan Barnes 4. SCREAMIN’ DEACON . . .

Sport Craft / Yamaha Larry Denning Mark Denning Marcus Denning Allen Denning 5. SEA RAT . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Contender / Yamaha Mitch Yates Richard Williams 6. SEA DRAG’N . . . . . . . . . .

Privateer / Mercury Al Morris Al Morris III Lauren Morris Brent Bunn 7. OPEN WIDE . . . . . . . . . . .

Contender / Yamaha Benson Ybanez Athan Parker

October 25–27, 2013

go to Al and Kim Morris and their tournament crew along with Cathy Cain and all the troopers who volunteered to help on the docks. You guys put together a great and fun tournament. In addition, the troopers paid back more than 100% of entry fees to both the kingfish and the trout tournament winners.

Great job, guys! ■ NC TROOPERS

52.72

45.50 42.40

40.12

8. Reel Tough . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.44 9. Moonlight Lady . . . . . . . . . 36.08 10. RELEASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.12 Yellowfin / Yamaha Mike Williams Gordon Dunn TOP LADY ANGLER Betsy Dupree OBX GIRL / TEAM CALCUTTA . . . 52.72 TOP SENIOR ANGLER Jimmy Dupree OBX GIRL / TEAM CALCUTTA . . . 52.72 TOP JUNIOR ANGLER Al Morris III SEA DRAG’N . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38.38

39.70

38.38

37.50

SKA TOP JUNIOR ANGLERS sponsored by Henry’s Muffler 1. Al Morris III SEA DRAG’N . . . . . . . . . . 38.38 2. Nicole Rauls WILDCAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.00 3. Justin Hudson JUSTIN TIME . . . . . . . . . . 31.22 MERCURY MARINE JUNIOR ANGLER SCHOLARSHIP WINNER Al Morris III . . . . . . . . SEA DRAG’N

All Memberships Expired December 31, 2013 Why should I renew before the first tournament?

1. To expedite registration. When I get to the first tournament, only the captain or boat representative will have to fill out the SKA Tournament Participation Form.

2. To log in to Members Only areas at www.FishSKA.com, including classified advertising, members-only forums, and more!

3. I won’t miss an issue of Angler magazine.

4. I’ll have my 2014 membership card.

5. To expedite posting of points on the website at FishSKA.com. All membership forms must be entered before any points can be posted. If I wait to join at the tournament, I will slow posting of points.

How can I renew?

1. Web site (FishSKA.com) Fill in the form on-line, print it, then fax or mail it to the office with payment.

2. See page 42 of this issue of Angler for a membership form.

3. Renew at the SKA tournament trailer on site before you fish an event.

January 2014 | ANGLER

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BRAD CLARK 919-291-3466 or 150*26*43466

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DONNIE BARNES 919-291-3685 or 150*26*33685 ANNETTE THOMAS 919-422-6904 Contact Donnie or Annette if we are fishing

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January | ANGLER ANGLER2014 | January 2014

Members Helping Members Check out the products and services offered by these SKA members!

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Members Helping Members Check out the products and services offered by these SKA members!

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