2008 Greater Wilmington KMT
Ted Hammonds and Herb Walker, of the "Brothers-In-Law," accept the plaque and check for over $9,533 they earned by weighing in a 41.70 lb. king mackerel to take first place in the Greater Wilmington King Mackerel Tournament, held July 26 out of Dockside Marina.
Putting a 31 lb. king in the boat before 9:00 am in the Greater Wilmington King Mackerel Tournament, held July 26 out of Dockside Marina in Wrightsville Beach, Ted Hammonds and Wilmington’s “Brothers-In-Law” fishing team had to feel pretty good about their chances, but when they landed a fish 10 lbs. bigger just an hour later, they knew they had something special. As the weigh-in drew to a close, their fish held the top spot, and the anglers earned themselves a check for $9,533.
Hammonds and teammates Tim Wayt and Herb Walker, fishing aboard a new 22’ Sea Hunt, headed for the 30/30 after they caught pogies Saturday morning, and then caught the 31 lb. king shortly after arriving.
“We’d eased off about a mile from the rest of the boats there,” Hammonds explained. “We found some bait coming to the top of the water, and we kept circling it.”
“The big one ate a double pogy rig trolled long on top,” Hammonds recalled. Wayt took the rod after the king bite, and he held on while the big fish completed its first run.
After the first run, the fish stayed up top, and the anglers were able to run it down in short order in what they described as beautiful seas.
“He stayed up, and we got right on top of him quick,” Hammonds said. After they caught up to the big king, Hammonds planted the gaff, and the anglers had two kings weighing over 70 lbs. by mid-morning.
After boating the fish, the anglers continued trolling the area for a few more hours, calling several friends into the hot bite before deciding it was time to get closer to the scales.
“I see some of their names on the leaderboard,” Wayt said, confirming that the bite continued through the morning.
“We stuck around till a little after 12:00,” Hammonds said, “then we started easing back this way.”
The crew came back into Masonboro Inlet swiftly in the calm seas, and they were the first crew on the leaderboard to weigh in.
The “Brothers-In-Law” would like to express their gratitude to Sea Hunt Boats, Boats Unlimited, and Otis Elevators for their support of the team.
Lance Lomax and Allen Rippy, of the "Satisfied" fishing team, with the 39.40 lb. king mackerel that earned them second place and nearly $5000 in the Greater Wilmington King Mackerel Tournament.
A 39.40 lb. king secured second place and $4966 for Allen Rippy and the “Satisfied” team, out of Wrightsville Beach. Rippy and Logan Lomax, aboard a 31’ Cape Horn, found their big fish after a somewhat slow morning of trolling.
“We’d been fishing offshore,” Rippy said, “and caught a few, but the biggest was 16 or 17. We only had six baits left, and we were going to go in Carolina Beach and get more, but we decided to stop and fish a little spot we know around 1.5 miles off Kure.”
After only 20 minutes of trolling at a small ledge in 45’ of water, they had some action.
“The rod zinged out for about three seconds, then stopped,” Rippy explained. “I dropped it back and nothing happened, and I reeled it back up. It skipped about 5-6 times on top, then I stopped and let it sink back down and it got bit.”
The anglers never saw the fish, and despite a strong first run offshore, weren’t sure they had a king. With Rippy on the rod, they followed the fish offshore, then back towards the spot where they hooked it.
“We thought it could be a cobia, but we were holding out for a king. Then it came up in front of the boat. That was the largest fish I’ve ever caught during a tournament,” Rippy recalled.
After the king came up, Lomax was able to gaff it, and the anglers realized that they didn’t need to worry about more bait.
The second place finish for “Satisfied” marks their second in a row, as the team took the same honors with a 32 lb. fish two weeks prior in the Got-Em-On tournament.
Zane Lindsay and Fort Mill, SC’s “Been Hott” team weighed in a 35.80 lb. fish to take third place and $3904. Fourth went to Dane Wagget and the Wilmington-based “Wild Wing Cafe” team for a 34.30 lb. king. A 30.70 lb. fish earned fifth for Greensboro, NC’s Ken Strickland and the “All In.”
Travis Basinger, on the “Frayed Knot” weighed in a 27.50 lb. fish to take home Top Junior Angler and $250 in the GWKMT. And Holly Sellers, fishing aboard the “Squeeze Play,” earned Top Lady Angler honors in the event with a 26.70 lb. fish.
This year’s Greater Wilmington tournament attracted 70 boats, and the competitors were blessed with light winds and calm seas for the tournament. The event benefits the Children’s Fishing Foundation and the Teach a Kid to Fish Foundation, both dedicated to introducing underprivileged kids in the Wilmington area to the thrills of saltwater fishing.
