Seagate KMT 2006
The 10th Annual Seagate King Mackerel Tournament, a KMT limited to only boats 23’ and under, took place on Saturday, August 5, with the weigh-in at Motts Channel Seafood in Wrightsville Beach.
There were 32 boats of 23 feet or shorter that left out of Masonboro Inlet (part of the tournament rules) to find calm 2 to 3 foot seas with little wind.
This year’s winner was Rob Jones and Drew McIntosh. They brought a 36.40 pound tournament-record king mackerel to the scales and filled their pockets with $2,069.
Jones and McIntosh ran their 21’ Sea Pro bay boat to an area north of the 30/30 and had the fish hit around 10:00 am. The big king was their first bite of the day. It hit a live pogy on the long line. The king took three smoking runs and a total of about 25 minutes before reaching the gaff.
Mike Farr, Chris Hanson, and Bethany Barnes ran a 23’ McKee Craft to the Schoolhouse to find a nice king mackerel early in the day only to have it bitten in half.
They made a move to the 30/30 area, and around 12:30 the short line with a live pogy was hit. After a 15 minute fight, a 35 pound king found the gaff. The crew was awarded 2nd place and $672 for their efforts. Any other year this fish would have won the Seagate tournament.
Jason Dail brought in the 3rd place king mackerel, and it also broke the 30 pound mark. Their 30 pound king hit a pogy on the downrigger around 8:30 am on the eastside of Frying Pan shoals. The fish took 20 minutes to land aboard his 23′ Sea Hunt and brought his team $224.
Alan Baker took home a Blue Water Candy prize, along with a fish bag from Tex’s Tackle, for their 4th place fish. It weighed 26.06 pounds.
And 5th place went to Brent Sewell and Owen Sewell for a 23.43 pounder. They were rewarded with a prize from Intracoastal Angler.
Tournament Director Jamie Rushing said the tournament went smooth and wanted to thank his family and girlfriend Shea Roller because “without their help the Seagate KMT could not have been possible.”
He also wanted to thank Dickie Burwell from Dickies Tidal Market II for all his help during the tournament.
Over $4,000 in cash prizes were awarded, and this year’s beneficiary is the Cape Fear Hospice.
