Get Outdoors Kayak Tournament 2004
Eleven paddlers gathered at 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning to launch their hunt for big fish. Get:Outdoors sponsored this second of three kayak fishing tournaments with prizes for the largest saltwater fish, sea trout, and flounder.
Competitors paddled the lengths of Wrightsville Beach in search of winning fish. They used various techniques: some trolled through the intracoastal for flounder and red drum; some bumped the docks lining the waterway for flounder and the rarer black drum; and some paddled ocean-side for spanish mackerel and bluefish.
Just before the 2:00 p.m. weigh-in, the fishermen and the coolers gathered at the dock of the Bluewater Grill. Second place was a close judgment, as was the largest pinfish, a bonus class added to the tournament; however, the largest fish won by a six pound margin.
Wilmington local Simba Glass took his search to the north end of Wrightsville Beach, the “lollipop,” where he caught his first place 27 inch, 7.3 pound red drum. Glass said the drum have been plentiful in the lollipop this year and his winning fish was one of the smallest he’s caught there. Glass tied a ½ ounce round sinker on a Carolina rig with eighteen inches of thirty pound leader. Glass added that he’d found red leader hooks from Daiichi to hold up best for his setup, and he baited them with live mullet.
Hunter Tate, of Wilmington, took second place in the tournament with his sixteen inch, 1.3 pound bluefish. Tate paddled out of Masonboro Inlet and trolled north for his bluefish. He used a three-inch Clark spoon with one hook.
Scott Benning brimmed with his win; he showed a .2 pound pinfish measuring six inches. Combined with the absence of any trout weighed in, Benning’s catch landed him third place.
For their skill and proficiency, Get:Outdoors awarded the three: Glass with two reels from Shimano and Daiwa, Tate with a Rhino rod/reel combination, and Benning with a minnow bucket. Get:Outdoors also provided a raffle, giving away t-shirts, tackle, organizers, artificial lures, and other fishing accessories as door prizes.
Get:Outdoors will hold their last tournament of 2004 on September 18. Those interested can find details online at www.getoutdoorscapefear.com or by calling (910) 798-9922.
