Redfish Action Series 2008
Capts. Mike Taylor and Jeff Cronk, of Team NC Charter Fishing, with the pair of red drum weighing 13.73 lbs. that earned them first place in the third Redfish Action Challenge event, held Sept. 20th out of Calico Jack's Marina at Harker's Island.
Taking the top spot in their second tournament in a row to earn the title of Redfish Action Challenge Series Champions, Captains Jeff Cronk and Mike Taylor, of Team NC Charter Fishing, weighed in a pair of slot sized red drum weighing 13.73 lbs. in the third and final event, held Sept. 20 out of Calico Jack’s Marina of Harkers Island.
Running their 24′ Ranger 30 miles back to their home waters around Swansboro, they were hoping to find some fish in waters protected from the strong north winds on tournament day. Cronk and Taylor found a large school of fish right off the bat, but they had only landed 3 fish to 24″ when the school disappeared.
The capts. Then made the call to go look for fish in the surf zone, battling a 4-5′ swell breaking on the beach to land four more reds, and upgrading to a pair of 24.5″ and 25.5″ fish. However, the surf conditions proved too rough to continue fishing, and Cronk and Taylor decided to hit an area they’d never fished before in the Swansboro backwaters. Finding a huge school of reds in the new location, they hooked between 30-40 more fish, with six in the 26-27″ bracket, enabling them to upgrade to the fish that earned the anglers the series championship.
Gulp baits fooled the lion’s share of Cronk and Taylor’s reds. They’d like to express their gratitude to sponsors Ranger Boats, Collins, Inc., Berkely, AB Surf Shop, Dudley’s Marina, and Crystal Coast Graphics.
Dave Bernstein, of Morehead City, and Daniel Griffee, of Havelock, fishing as Team B & G, took second place in the final event of Redfish Action Challenge competition, with a pair of 24 and 26.5″ reds weighing 12.03 lbs.
Fishing aboard a 21′ Nauticstar, the anglers’ game plan included searching for single fish and small groups in the marshes west of Harkers Island. The strong north winds blew out the action at several of the first spots they hit, but eventually Griffee caught a 12″ red on a spinnerbait along a bank covered in rocks, fallen trees, and marsh grass. Deciding to stick it out in the area, Bernstein soon hooked and boated the 24″ red the team weighed in, a respectable 5.5 pounder.
After hooking another nice red that turned out to be an over-slot 29″, the anglers moved on to another bank lined with trees, marsh grass, and rocks. Soon after arriving, Griffee caught a 26.5″ red weighing a stout 6.8 lbs. The anglers stayed in the area for another 40 minutes, but they were unable to pick up another fish and headed for the scales early.
The Chasin Tails Outdoors crew of Capt. Matt Lamb and his father Ray Lamb earned third place in the event, weighing a two-drum aggregate of 11.90 lbs. The Lambs found their fish in the Down East marshes around Harkers Island, releasing around 15 reds on topwater plugs and Gulp baits to produce the two they weighed.
Kyle Tobin took home his third consecutive Top Junior Angler title in Redfish Action Challenge competition with a 7.60 lb. red, crowning him Top Junior for the Series. Vikki Pedersen, of Team Riley Rods, earned Top Lady Angler with a 5.25 lb. red.
Though this was the final event in the Redfish Action Challenge Series, Tournament Director Capt. Lee Willis will be holding the Inshore Classic Open red drum tournament out of the Wrightsville Yacht Club on October 4.
