Hook, Line, and Paddle Kayak Tournament
The catch, photograph, and release event features length-based competition for red drum, speckled trout, and flounder in addition to a grand slam category for anglers lucky enough to hook all three.
Wilmington’s Joe Waple handily topped the event’s red drum leaderboard, putting a 30 1/8” red drum on the tournament’s official ruler to earn the victory and a KC Kayaks 12’ Angler Kayak with a host of accessories.
Waple, who kayak-fishes the lower Cape Fear River on a weekly basis, launched his ‘yak from the beach at Fort Fisher, his sights set on the large marsh complex between there and Bald Head Island.
Casting live finger mullet, he fought through a slow morning of fishing before hooking the big red around 11:00.
“It was slim before that,” Waple explained. “I caught a few rat reds and undersized flounder, but that was it.”
Casting to a grass bank in the marsh, Waple set the hook in something much larger.
“I knew that was a competing fish,” he continued. “I took my time with him. He moved me around a good bit, but I was careful not to horse him.”
When the time came, Waple was finally able to get the drum into his kayak, but his trials weren’t over quite yet.
“The hardest part is taking the pictures with the fish on the ruler,” he said. “I had to get the camera to stay steady, and it wasn’t easy.”
After successfully documenting the catch, the angler eased his fish back in the water and released it in good condition.
Waple continued to fish the area for a while longer, landing an upper-slot red, but nothing that would rival his big fish. Knowing that ties are broken on time in the tournament, he headed for the weigh-in, arriving 15 minutes early.
Earning the top spot on the flounder leaderboard, Mark Benson, also of Wilmington, landed and measured a 21” fish to take home a Native Ultimate 14.5 and other prizes.
Benson, fishing out of a kayak he’d rented, launched at Snow’s Cut for a simple reason.
“I knew that’s where the big flounder would be,” he explained.
His experience was very similar to Waple’s, punctuated by small fish early on in the day.
“I fished around Joyner Marina,” Benson said, “and the creek and the docks on the same side. I had a few small flounder and a rat red before the bigger fish.”
Also fishing live finger mullet, Benson was casting to an oyster bar in a creek when his prizewinner struck.
“They bite different than a drum” he explained, “but I could feel the weight and I knew it was a good fish.”
He worked the flounder to the boat once before it took off again.
“As soon as I got him back to the boat,” Benson continued, “I netted him, put him in the boat, and put my feet on top of him.”
The angler paddled to shore to get his photos, and also described the documentation process as one of the more challenging aspects of the event.
“My adrenalin was pumping, and I had to take about six photos,” he said.
Although he was excited about the catch, Benson didn’t expect to finish on top.
“I didn’t think that was a winner,” he explained. “I’ve seen flounder tournaments where a 10-pounder didn’t even win.”
At the awards, however, his fish topped the pack by less than an inch.
Taking home the top speckled trout prize, a Native Redfish 12 kayak, Tyler Simmons was also the only angler to complete the Grand Slam portion of the tournament, catching and photographing a flounder, a trout, and a red drum to add a Go Pro Hero 2 and a host of other prizes to his winnings.
Hook, Line, and Paddle would like to thank all the participants, sponsors, and volunteers who made the 2012 TJM Tournament and its contribution to Alzheimers NC possible.
