Rumble in the Jungle 2007
Few king mackerel anglers understand the intricacies, headaches, and simple hard work that go into planning, preparing for, and hosting a tournament. Those few who do understand seem to appreciate the events even more, as accomplished tournament angler/director Capt. Brant McMullan emphasized as he and brother Barrett, fishing aboard the “Ocean Isle Fishing Center,” took the stage to accept the $25,300 first place check in the 2007 Rumble in the Jungle, held Oct. 12-13 out of Harbourgate Marina in Little River, SC.
The brothers weighed in a 40.43 lb. king to earn the victory, and they needed nearly every ounce, as the tournament’s top three fish were separated by less than a half pound. This is not the team’s first victory, as former winners of the CCSA and Topsail king mackerel tournaments, but it may be the sweetest, representing not only a large paycheck but a hometown triumph for the Ocean Isle-based anglers.
Brant and Barrett usually fish aboard a 36′ Yamaha-powered Contender, but in this event they were running a 34′ Sea Vee borrowed from a friend. Deciding they needed to get away from the crowds fishing close to the event’s Little River check out, the McMullans planned to search for a money-winning kingfish nearly 100 miles from tournament headquarters, well north of most of their competition.
On tournament morning, the brothers pointed the center console to the north and pinned the throttles with livewells full of bluefish and mullet they’d caught the day before.
“We were headed to the Barge Wreck,” Brant McMullan revealed, “up there off Morehead City. We stopped just short of there on a big pod of bait and just started working.”
Deploying a spread of live bluefish near the bait concentration, the pair quickly landed a medium sized king, and then re-deployed their spread. At 11:00, soon after boating the first fish, a larger king inhaled a naked bluefish that they were trolling on the surface. It then began tearing off line.
“He smoked it off pretty good,” said Brant, who grabbed the rod as the fish ran. “He ran a couple hundred yards, so we knew we had a good fish.”
With a substantial amount of line out, Barrett took the helm and the anglers chased the king down. After tearing line off in a few more short bursts, the king gave in, and Barrett was able to easily sink the gaff home when the fish was close enough.
With over 40 lbs. of confidence-inspiring mackerel on deck and nearly 100 miles separating them from the scales, the McMullans decided to head for Little River soon after boating the king.
They made the trip without incident, capping off the smooth-running fishing day. “Everything went like it was supposed to,” Brant said. “The conditions looked good, and we took advantage. It was like it was just meant to be.”
Brant McMullan wished to thank the sponsors who make the team’s successes possible, including Ocean Isle Fishing Center, Yamaha Outboard Motors, and Magic Tilt Trailers.
Wilmington’s “Out Cast II” was right on the “Ocean Isle Fishing Center” crew’s heels, weighing in a 40.17 lb. king. John Hewlett, Jamie Allen, and Shannon Gore fished the event aboard a Suzuki-powered 23′ McKee Craft, and they took home nearly $12,000, including the $500 Gore earned as the tournament’s Top Lady Angler.
The “Out Cast II” anglers were nearing the end of a frustrating day of fishing just before their 40-pounder bit. They were finishing the day slow trolling at the Cabbage Patch after having fished bait pods along the beaches, near the Oak Island piers, and in the Cape Fear shipping channel, catching only sharks and two small kings.
“It was a last minute fish,” Hewlett recalled. “We were cleaning up and ready to go home without a fish. I picked up the last rod to reel it in, and it went off.”
The fish bit at 3:10, and the anglers knew they’d have to boat it quickly in order make the weigh-in before the 4:30 cut-off. With Gore at the McKee Craft’s helm, they followed the fish. After quickly catching up to the king, Allen gaffed it and swung it aboard just 5 minutes after the strike.
“We hooked that fish, picked up, chased him down, knocked him in the box, and nailed the throttles for the scales,” Hewlett explained. The 40 mile run went quickly, and the team made it to the scales with 15 minutes to spare.
Hewlett wished to express his gratitude to Saltwater Marine of Wilmington for keeping the “Out Cast II” in top condition.
Like the “Ocean Isle Fishing Center,” the third place “Fish Meister” crew has plenty of experience on tournament leaderboards, they hail from the Ocean Isle area, and traveled to the Morehead City area to catch their fish. The crew, comprised of Dean Spatholt, his son Russell, Dennis Watson, and Travis Collins, brought their 39.92 lb. king to the scales aboard the “Fish Meister,” a 36′ Yamaha-powered Yellowfin.
The “Fish Meister” crew was trolling several rocks on the east side of Cape Lookout Shoals when their king bit around 10:15.
“He ate a naked bluefish,” Dean Spatholt explained. “It was right on top. I saw him hit.”
Russell was first to the rod after the fish struck, and he didn’t have to fight it for long. After one long run, the team was able to run the fish down with Dean at the Yellowfin’s controls.
Once they’d caught up to the king, Watson reached out and gaffed it. After boating the fish they returned to the spot and fished for a short time longer before making the long 100+ mile run to Little River.
Yet again mirroring their close friends on “Ocean Isle Fishing Center,” the “Fish Meister” team caught bluefish and mullet near Little River the night before the tournament and ferried them to Cape Lookout.
Dean Spatholt wished to thank Yellowfin and Yamaha for the continued support they provide the team.
Stacy Wester’s “Big Bad Wolf” fishing team, of Wilmington, captured the 36.78 lb. third place king mackerel.
Fifth place went to Little River’s “Mining My Bidness” crew of Chuck Permenter, Kent Taylor, Patrick Bellamy, and Todd “Sweets” Sanders for a 36.76 lb. fish. Their king bit a ribbonfish on the downrigger while the crew was trolling the Georgetown tideline.
“Mining My Bidness” would like to thank sponsors P Mining, Mercury, Donzi, Loadmaster, Hi Seas, and AFW.
The “Brothers-in-Law” team, from Wilmington, captured the top spot in 23′ and Under competition with a 28.72 lb. king. Ted Hammonds, Tom Wait, and Herb Walker made up the crew, fishing aboard a Yamaha-powered 21′ Sea Hunt.
After catching bait near the beach about eight miles west of Little River Inlet, Wait, Walker, and Hammonds decided that the area might be holding some kings, so they deployed a trolling spread while a dozen boats continued netting the pogies around them.
At 10:30, a naked pogy trolled on top drew a strike, and Hammonds pulled the rod from the holder. “He smoked it off,” Hammonds described, “then turned and headed straight offshore.”
After fighting the king for around 15 minutes, Hammonds had the tired fish near the boat. When it came within range, Wait gaffed and boated the near-29 lb. king.
Hammonds wished to thank the “Brothers-in-Law” sponsors Milam Hardware and Otis Elevators for their contributions to the team’s achievements.
Houston Smith, fishing on “Team Global Fish Mounts,” earned the Rumble in the Jungle’s Top Junior Angler prize with a 26.29 lb. king.
The Rumble in the Jungle is in its fifth year as the final event in SKA Division 12 competition. The event raises funds for the Little River Saltwater Fishing Club, a club which supports a variety of causes including reef building projects and fishing programs for underprivileged children.
