Boy Scout Flounder Tournament 2007
The “Bait-Licious” fishing team, from Carolina Beach, NC, beat out 14 other boats to take the top spot in the first annual Dean Hardison Flounder Tournament, held September 15 out of Carolina Beach’s Inlet Watch Yacht Club. Terry Wright II and John “Pork Chop” Blanton procured a 5.4 lb. flounder on Saturday, the one fishing day of the tournament, to top the leader board.
Wright and Blanton fished the tournament aboard the “Bait-Licious,” a 19’ Scout powered by a 150 Yamaha, and the pair took home $667.50 for the win.
“We were fishing up and down the river when we happened on a ledge,” Blanton said about a drop-off located near a spoil island off the river’s main channel that produced the money-winning flatfish. “I reeled it in right there.”
The winning flounder bit a live finger mullet pinned to a Carolina rig as Wright and Blanton passed over the spot about 12:00 noon. After the fish struck, Blanton was able to quickly reel it in and send it to the fish box.
Apparently catching the flounder was the hard part of the process, as the anglers found their live finger mullet baits with ease.
“Bait was real easy to catch this morning,” said Blanton. “I don’t think there was a place we couldn’t have found it.”
Before heading to the river, the “Bait-Licious” anglers tried a few spots in Snow’s Cut without success. After making the call to fish the river, they landed several flounder aside from the winning fish, including another over 4 lbs. that would have kept them atop the leaderboard.
“By the end of the day we probably had caught 3 or 4 fish, so it was a pretty good day,” Blanton said.
However, catching their fish wasn’t the only action that team “Bait-Licious” had to deal with over the day.
“We were stopped and checked by the marine patrol, twice,” Blanton related ruefully.
Dave Cusm, Bob Carr, and Joel Clen took second place with a 2.4 lb. flounder that landed them $262.50.
Third place in the tournament went to Michael Reese, Paul Devine, Jon Sabatina, and Bob Pietzykowski for a 2 lb. flounder that earned the team $100.
Prizes, including gift certificates, rods, and trophies, were handed out to the fourth, fifth, and sixth place teams.
With dark clouds looming early on tournament day, Assistant Tournament Director Andrew Zeldin thought that the event might be a wash.
“We were nervous when we saw the sky. It looked ominous, but it rained for maybe twenty minutes, and the rest of the day was great,” Zeldin said.
One of the highlights of the tournament was the fact that twelve fish, weighing in at a total 39 pounds, were sent to the local hatchery to help revitalize the area’s flounder population.
Along with the hatchery (and in turn area anglers), the real winner of this year’s tournament was the Cape Fear Council of the Boy Scouts of America. The event generated over $3300 for the Council. The proceeds will help pay for Scout Camp, uniforms, and various other items needed by the Masonboro District.
“We’re all out here to help the kids,” Tournament Director Doug Dameron said, “and if we can raise some money and enjoy ourselves, then we all win.”
