Onslow Bay Open KMT 2008
Ronald Mabee, Kenny Pratt, and Vic Tompkins, fishing abord the "First Strike," weighed in a 46.95 lb. king mackerel to win the 8th annual Onslow Bay Open King Mackerel Tournament. Their fish fell for a blue/white skirted pogy at the 1700 Rock.
After finishing in second place at the Atlantic Beach Saltwater Classic on the “KMA” two weeks before, the anglers aboard the “First Strike” were riding high coming into the Onslow Bay Open King Mackerel Tournament, rescheduled for October 3-4 due to Small Craft Advisory conditions the preceding weekend. While the near-40 lb. king they weighed in Atlantic Beach represents a lifetime catch for many tournament anglers, the crew was able to top it with a 46.95 lb. king that earned them first place in the Onslow Bay event.
With “KMA” Capt. Tom Priest in Ohio, the remaining members of the Jacksonville, NC-based team-Vic Tompkins, Ronald Mabee, and Kenny Pratt-fished aboard Tompkins’ 25′ Parker cuddy cabin.
Catching bait proved difficult at first, but for an unusual reason.
“We had to chase the pogies because they were so big,” Mabee reported. “They were so fast they were swimming out from under the net. When we got them, I measured one for kicks, and it was 13″ long.”
Finally loading the well with baits, the anglers headed for the east side of Cape Lookout to hunt for a big king, along with the majority of the other boats in the event. However, while most teams targeted the George Summerlin wreck, the “First Strike” crew began fishing around the 1700 Rock, with only a few boats keeping them company.
“We were just about by ourselves,” said Mabee, “with maybe five other boats around.”
After catching a single king and a few sharks over the morning hours, the anglers experienced a lull in the action around midday, and they decided to head for a new spot around 12:30.
“We were punching in the numbers for the 30 Minute Rock,” Mabee explained, “and turned the boat and that fish hit.”
Mabee grabbed the rod after the bite, but he could only hang on at first. Ripping over 300 yards of line off the reel before slowing, the “First Strike” anglers worried that their fish might be one of the big wahoo that feed in the same area this time of year, but the big run finally came to an end.
“We said he might be a wahoo,” Mabee continued, “but when he didn’t make a second run, we figured it was a big king.”
After clearing the remaining lines, the anglers chased their king down with Tompkins at the Parker’s helm.
Catching sight of their fish as they neared it, the anglers grew excited.
“He was about 30 yards off and flashing, and then we knew it was a nice fish,” said Mabee. “When we got close, he came straight up head first like he died, and Kenny gaffed him.”
Knowing that the fat mackerel on deck was a big money fish, if not the winner, the anglers immediately packed up their gear and excitedly took off for the scales.
“I was shaking talking on the phone,” Mabee recalled.
At the weigh-in, the nearly 47 lb. king mackerel earned them the top spot, but not by much, as Chad Shingleton and the “Tide One On,” scaled a 46.05 lb. fish to finish a close second.
Shingleton, from Clayton, NC, and teammate Dave Arnold, from Morehead City, also chose to fish east of the shoals, but they headed with the pack for the Summerlin.
It looked like a good decision early on, as the anglers found a wide open bite, boating a stout 35 lb. king by 7:30 tournament morning.
“In 2 hours and 50 minutes, we actually got 20 fish,” Shingleton said.
The fish that dwarfed their 35 pounder by over 10 lbs. bit just before 10:00 that morning, and Arnold took the rod after the fish inhaled a naked pogy on top.
“As soon as he hit, he left out of there,” explained Shingleton. “We actually got up on plane to chase him. Once we got on top of him, he just laid up right next to us about dead.”
After burning all its strength on the initial run, the king made an easy gaff target for Shingleton, who quickly put it in the boat.
Like the “First Strike” king, the 46 lb. fish was enough to quickly convince the anglers to head for the scales, and they took off for the weigh-in shortly after boating it.
Shingleton wished to thank his collaborators on the Jimmy Mack, Just In Time, Jackpot, and Bikini Bottom fishing teams for their cooperative support.
A 42.26 lb. king secured third place in the Onslow Bay Open for Newport, NC’s “Rugman” fishing team, capping off a hot year that earned them first place in SKA Division 2 competition.
Team Capt. Jamie Wallace fished the event aboard his 31′ Contender with the usual crew: his wife Renee, father in-law Bob Adams, Mark Springfield, and Craig Stanfield.
After thinking they might have hooked the tournament winner only to land a 92 lb. wahoo early in the day, the anglers had already had an exciting morning when their money fish bit at 11:30. Jamie Wallace grabbed the rod after the bite as the king made a strong run.
“That first run took 250 yards,” he explained. “We were in the middle of a bunch of boats and had to turn off from one.”
With Stanfield at the Contender’s helm, the anglers chased the fish down quickly after clearing the remaining lines.
“We ran to that fish and got on top of him,” Wallace continued. “It was pretty standard after that-a couple death circles and we put him in the boat.”
Once the fish was within range, Stanfield performed the gaffing duties and swung the third place fish over the gunnel.
The anglers continued fishing the Summerlin for a while longer, landing another king in the mid-30’s and releasing several smaller fish.
Yet another 40+ lb. king fell to Benson Ybanez aboard the “Open Wide,” and the 41.92 lb. fish earned fourth place in the Onslow Bay Open. A 38.10 lb. king mackerel secured fifth for David and Rob Pennington on the “Proud Mary.”
Chris Kimrey, of Custom Saltwater Taxidermy, who provided the event’s king mackerel trophy, took the top spot in the Class of 23′ with a 33.60 lb. king he caught aboard the “Mount Maker.”
Sandy Conklin, on the “Ocean Athlete,” reeled in the event’s Top Lady Angler with a 36.96 lb. king. Chaz Terrell, on the “Big Ben,” took home Top Junior Angler for a 30.54 lb. fish, and Burt Ferebee, on the Second Catch, weighed in a 34.22 lb. mackerel to earn Top Senior Angler.
This was the 8th annual Onslow Bay Open, and it attracted 67 boats despite bumping the event a week ahead due to the weather. The 67 boats managed to scale four kings over 40 lbs. and an amazing 18 fish over 30 lbs., which should serve as vivid indication of just how good the fishing was last Saturday.
Since its inception, the event has benefitted local children’s charities, and this year it continued in the tradition, donating proceeds to the Boys and Girls Home of NC, Camp E Ma Henwu, Carteret County Shop with a Cop Program, Camp Sunshine, Children’s Flight for Hope, NC Special Olympics, Onslow Christmas Cheer, and Toys for Tots.
