Toys for Tots KMT 2005
A tournament record 99 boats took to the water under fair skies for the Toys for Tots King Mackerel Tournament held Saturday, October 1, at Sea Water Marina in Atlantic Beach. The one-day tournament also awarded a record purse of $29,235 in the tournament’s third annual event.
First-place finisher “Hooligan,” out of Sunset Beach, NC, took home top honors with a 35.2 lb. king. It was good for $6,600 plus an additional $3,555 in the TWT for a total prize of $10,155. The win also gave “Hooligan” the SKA Division 1 title for 2005.
Capt. Joe Winslow said, “We had decided early on to go ‘all or nothing’ and fish for that one bite on the East Side. Even though the typical spots west of the slough were covered up with good fish in the 20-30 pound class, we knew that given the weather the boats would be piled up in there, and that did not seem very appealing.”
The philosophy worked well for “Hooligan,” and Winslow said of the winning king, “The fish hit just like a shark, lots of head shaking and no real surge until I started locking down to crank her in. Quickly, she realized the gravity of her situation and shot off for the horizon, just the way we want them to. Three long sustained runs later, she bellied up right next to the boat for an easy gaff after maybe a five-minute fight.”
“Team Pro Star,” out of Jacksonville, FL, reeled in a 33.03 lb. king to take second place with winnings of $4,620.
Third place finisher “Shock Wave,” based in Goldsboro, took home $3,300 for its 30.93 lb. king plus $2,370 in the TWT. “Shock Wave” also captured a couple of secondary prizes. Scottie Brown won the Interlux Yacht Finishes Junior Angler prize, and Harold Hill nabbed the Town Creek Marina Senior Angler prize.
“King of Kings,” out of Sophia, NC, claimed fourth place with a 29.13 lb. king and winnings of $1,320.
And fifth place went to the Angier-based “Mak Hunter II,” with a 27.21 lb. king.
The Radio Island Marina Lady Angler prize went to Katherine Scharfschwerdt aboard the St. Augustine, FL-based “Wound Tight.”
Despite the record amount of prize money awarded Saturday night, the tournament’s true beneficiary is the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots annual toy drive. Each boat participating in the tournament contributed two new, unwrapped toys as part of their entry fee.
All proceeds from the tournament and toys collected throughout the weekend help the Cherry Point Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots unit provide toys at Christmas to nearly 25,000 needy children in eastern North Carolina. Tournament directors expect to be able to donate more than $10,000 in proceeds from this year’s tournament – more than the amount donated from the first two tournaments combined – plus more than 200 toys collected from participating boats.
“We owe a great deal of thanks to all the fishing teams that participated in the tournament along with a host of sponsors for their support of this event including the Southern Kingfish Association, Sea Water Marina, SeaTow, Interlux Yacht Finishes, Radio Island Marina, and Town Creek Marina,” said Tournament Director David Hill. “Thousands of kids in eastern North Carolina will have a happier Christmas thanks to all of them. We look forward to growing this tournament next year and helping Toys for Tots even more in the future.”
For complete tournament results, you can go to www.toysfortotskmt.com.
