King of the Cape Classic KMT 2005
The Wilmington-based ‘Bout Time Fishing Team, with Capt. Bob Watson and Terry Schoenick, claimed the top honors at the Fourth Annual King of the Cape Classic King Mackerel Tournament held July 22 and 23 in Southport. Watson and Schoenick landed a 42.70 pound king to seal the win.
After a pre-dawn thunderstorm, the weather settled out Saturday morning, with almost no wind and only some rolling 2 to 3 foot swells. The winds were variable until shortly after lunchtime, when they turned to the east at about 10 knots and the fishing slowed dramatically. “Up until the wind went to the east, we were catching lots of fish, but we only had a strike or two after that,” was the echoed comment of many fishermen.
At about 2:30, Capt. Watson idled up to tournament headquarters and asked permission to tie up and wait for the scales to open at 3:00. He wasn’t acting overly excited, but an obviously full fish bag was laying on the bow deck.
At 3:00 sharp, Capt. Jerry Dilsaver (weigh master and tournament director) called for the fish, and it was removed from the bag. Minutes later, the official weight of 42.70 pounds was announced, and the huge smiles and high-fives began. It was an excellent benchmark to open the tournament and held the lead from start to finish.
Capt. Watson said they began the day at Carolina Beach Inlet, but spent several fruitless hours catching nothing but sharks. “Our next move was to the 30/30 and we caught some more sharks and a 10 lb. grouper (on the deep downrigger) but no kings.”
One more move put Watson and crew on the big fish. “It hit and took off sort of strange,” Watson said. “It hit and just pulled a couple of short jerks before it took off. However, when it did start going, it took off and really got our attention.”
“This was our only king strike of the day,” said Watson. “We caught it on a cigar minnow.”
The ‘Bout Time is a 29’ Fountain center console, powered by twin Mercury outboards. Watson and Schoenick thanked Budweiser and Jackson Beverage in Wilmington for their support of ‘Bout Time.
The “Dig It,” with Greg, Daniel, Tony, and Bryant Carroll, didn’t come to the scales until later, but their 33.75 pound king moved into second place. The king came from Carolina Beach Inlet on a single pogy. Daniel and Bryant Carroll (both age 14) were co-Top Junior Anglers for the tournament with this catch.
The “Dig It” team is from Garner, but they fish out of Surf City. They thanked Power Marine Outfitters, Contender, Mercury, and Magic Tilt.
Capt. Bill Bridges, Bryan Hedgepath, and Will Bridges, the crew of the “Sandra Dee” out of Sanford, arrived with the third place fish just after the scales had opened. “We had this fish in the box early,” Bridges said, “and we didn’t want to risk it losing any more weight while we tried to find a larger one.” The Sandra Dee’s fish weighed 32.50 pounds.
The “Sandra Dee” caught their king out of Bogue Inlet near the East Rock, where the king hit a single pogy on the top. The “Sandra Dee” is sponsored by Faria Marine Instruments.
Fourth place went to “Double Barrell” out of Sanford. Their 32.20 lb. king came from the Shark Hole using a pogy on the downrigger. Capt. Tony Woodell was joined by the all-teenage crew of Lyle Phillips, Hunter Woodell, and Merritt Foushe, who usually fish as team “Contend This.”
The Top 23 Foot and Under boat was the fifth place boat in the tournament. The “Undertaker,” with Capt. Jeff McDonald, brought a 32.15 pound king to the scales to claim the prize as the top smaller boat, fifth place overall, and a Top Lady Angler award for Kim McDonald. Also on board was Jonathon Morton (angler), Bryan Sealey (gaffer), and Scott Hinkle.
Charles McClure claimed the Top Senior Angler award, with a 25.75 pound king caught on the “Holden-On.” The “Holden-On” also finished in fifteenth place overall.
During the tournament registration on Friday, the King of the Nets Cast Net Competition was held at the tournament site. The cast net competition was sponsored by Betts Cast Nets of Fuquay-Varina, who provided both the prizes and demonstration nets. Dylan Walker, of Liberty, claimed the win in the Youngsters Division and was joined by David Jackson, of Wilmington, in the Junior Division. Gaston Hughes, from Wilmington and captain of the “Reel Music,” topped the Adult Division.
While the adults were out fishing on Saturday, the kids participated in the Fourth Annual King of the Pins Kids All-Release Pinfish Tournament, which was held on the docks of the Shrimp House 2 Restaurant.
Three age groups of kids were represented in the pinfish tournament. Ripley McKeithan, of Southport, topped the kids Under 5 Years Old, with a .25 pound catch. Lauren Johnson, of Bolivia, topped the 6 to 10 Years Old group with a .30 pound pinfish. In the 11 to 14 Years Old bracket, Casey Fullwood, of Southport, caught a whopping .40 pound pinfish to win the top prize.
The King of the Cape Classic, based from the open air deck at the Shrimp House 2 restaurant on the old Southport Yacht Basin, was presented to raise funds for the Long Bay Artificial Reef Association (LBARA). Primary sponsors of the tournament were the Shrimp House 2 and North Carolina Sportsman Magazine.
For more information and a complete list of top finishers in the King of the Cape Classic, you can visit www.kingofthecapeclassic.com.
