Far Out Shootout
Wade Long and the "Long Shot" crew of Chris Gore, Brandon Knight, and Kevin Koles weighed in a 32.1 lb. blackfin tuna, a 23.75 lb. wahoo, and a 14.3 lb. dolphin to earn first place in the 2010 Far Out Shootout. They hooked their fish on Ilander/ballyhoo combinations around the Steeples.
Fishing the event’s final day, Capt. Wade Long and the “Long Shot,” from Little River, SC, hauled a 32.1 lb. blackfin tuna, a 23.75 lb. wahoo, and a 14.3 lb. dolphin to the scales at the Ocean Isle Fishing Center to take first place in the 2010 Far Out Shootout with a 70.15 lb. aggregate weight.
“I kind of like fishing that last day,” Long reported. “You know what you need to put on the board.”
Indeed, and Long, Chris Gore, Brandon Knight, and Kevin Koles, the other members of the crew, found it, topping the event’s 35 boat field by nearly 18 lbs.
“I’d had a couple Gulf Stream charters that week,” Long continued, “and we started out where we’d been doing well, a little west of the Steeples.”
Despite good-looking water, the day started out slowly. It wasn’t until the anglers worked their way offshore that the conditions got too good for them to leave, though they still weren’t getting any bites at first.
“We found the weeds and a two degree temperature break,” Long explained. “The water looked real good and the flying fish were flying up high, which usually means something’s feeding on them, but we still weren’t getting any bites at first. I told the guys we were staying because that’s where the fish were.”
Long was correct, and after trolling for an hour in 600’ of water, the anglers started to see tuna feeding on the surface. About 45 minutes later, the fish began taking an interest in their baits.
After losing a healthy wahoo at the boat, the anglers hooked up another on a ballyhoo/Ilander combo beneath a planer. This time, the fish made it to the boat and in the box.
The dolphin bite turned on after the crew got their ‘hoo, and they next landed their largest dolphin of the day on another ballyhoo/Ilander on top.
The 32 lb. tuna that sealed the deal on the crew’s victory fell for the same bait 100’ behind a trolling lead slightly later that afternoon.
“I felt real good about it when we got that tuna,” Long said. “With my luck, you never know, but I was feeling good.”
As the scales closed Saturday night, the “Long Shot” had nothing to worry about.
With an 11.75 lb. blackfin, a 21.8 lb. dolphin, and an 18.95 lb. wahoo, Corey Durako and Wilmington’s “BlueByU” crew hauled in second place with a 52.0 lb. aggregate weight.
The “Rigged and Ready” anglers rounded out the top three with a 48.4 lb. aggregate weight.
A sailfish release earned Margaret Pennstrom, fishing on the “Clearly Hooked,” the event’s Don Leonard Memorial Billfish Award.
