Rebel King Pier KMT
The top four finishers in the 2010 Rebel King Pier King Mackerel Tournament with their fish, all caught the first day of the event. From left to right: Pedro Roman with an 18 lb., 4 oz. king; Jennifer Haas with a 21 lb., 4 oz. fish; Monty Hall with his 22 lb., 10 oz. catch, and Thomas Cutler with the 35 lb., 6 oz. smoker that earned him the victory.
Hauling a 35 lb. 6 oz. king mackerel to the pier house to claim not only first place in Ocean Crest Pier’s 2010 Rebel King Pier KMT, but the pier’s tournament record as well, Oak Island’s Thomas Cutler had a good weekend May 7-9. The smoker he landed on the tournament’s first day of fishing earned him $1330 and a 2011 season pier pass.
Cutler is no stranger to the spotlight at OCP king tournaments as he’s ended up in second place in three events over the past two years, but this was his first trip to the winner’s circle. The fish that got him there fell for a live bluefish pinned to Cutler’s trolley rig at around 2:00 on Friday, May 7, and was the first fish decked in the event.
“One guy had a hit and it spit the hooks a little earlier,” Cutler said, “and then my fish bit 30 or 45 minutes later.”
Fishing with a sizeable bluefish, Cutler was sitting down when it bit, and he raced to the rod as his clicker sounded.
“I was wearing Crocs and I came right out of them,” he continued. “I had to jump over somebody’s anchor line. I ended up fighting that fish barefoot the whole time. He didn’t hit that hard, only ran off 100-150 yards of line at first.”
After the initial run, the fish took another, claiming an additional 100-150 yards of Cutler’s line before it turned back toward the planks.
“He came back,” Cutler explained. “I saw the topshot coming to the other side of the pier. I was on the right corner of the tee, and he came in to the left. When I saw him I thought ‘Oh my God’ because he really didn’t fight like he was that big.”
As Cutler continued to work the fish to the pier, he was able to see that it was quite well hooked, with one hook down its throat and two other embedded as well, giving him some peace of mind in the final stages of the battle.
When the angler finally worked the fish to the pier, it came up dead, allowing Monty Robinson (who finished second in the event) to easily sink the drop gaff and haul the smoker up to the planks.
“I thought it was a citation [30+ lbs.],” Cutler said, “but I didn’t think it was in the mid-30’s. Once everybody found out what it weighed, they all congratulated me, but they were definitely worried.”
Cutler’s competition had reason to worry, as his fish held the top spot for the rest of the weekend and ultimately won the event by nearly 13 lbs.
Catching a 22 lb., 10 oz. king slightly later that afternoon, Monty Hall secured second place in the event. Jennifer Haas decked a 21 lb., 4 oz. fish to finish third, and Pedro Roman’s 18 lb., 4 oz. fish took fourth.
The 2010 Rebel King attracted 54 anglers to Ocean Crest Pier, and more information about the Rebel King and the pier’s other tournaments is available at www.oceancrestpier.net.
