Seacoast Anglers 2008
Continuing a family tradition of appearances on local flounder tournament leaderboards, Ricky Lefler weighed in a 5.45 lb. flounder to take first place in the 3rd Annual Seacoast Angler Association Family Flounder Tournament, held May 8 out of Harbourgate Marina in North Myrtle Beach.
Lefler (who also took the winner’s check in the 2006 Seacoast Tournament) fished the event with his father Billy, mother Bea, and son Tim (last year’s Seacoast Junior Angler champion), and the clan took a check for $1,000 home to Roaring River, NC.
While most anglers either anchor up or drift when flounder fishing, the Leflers have mastered a technique of slow-trolling for their big flatfish. They were trolling an area in the Shallotte River the Saturday morning of the tournament when their big fish struck around 8:00.
“He was our first fish,” Ricky Lefler recalled. “He bit a live mullet around 6″ long. It was on my dad’s pole, but I caught the fish.”
Picking up his father’s rod after the strike, Lefler knew he’d snagged a solid fish.
“He put up a good fight,” explained Lefler, “and I figured it would be even bigger than it was. I’ve caught plenty of 8 and 10 lb. flounder, and I thought it might be that big.”
After Ricky finally pried it off the bottom and brought it to the boat, Tim Lefler was able to slide a net under the valuable flatfish.
The slow-trolling technique is apparently not only effective on big flounder; it attracts big numbers as well. Keying in on an area in 9-10′ of water, the Leflers landed 15 more flounder over the course of the day. Another 5 of the fish were keepers, with the next largest around 2.5 lbs.
“This tournament’s been good to us,” Ricky said, “and not just with the money. It’s a wonderful event.”
Missing the first place prize by less than a quarter pound, Vance McKenzie, of McBee, SC, weighed in a 5.27 lb. flounder to take second place and $500 home. McKenzie fished the event with his nephew, Johnny McKenzie.
Fishing a creek in the Cherry Grove area, the McKenzie’s fish bit early in the day as well.
“It was early morning, and the tide was rising,” McKenzie said. “But I’m not sure exactly what time. I never pay attention until it’s about time for the weigh-in.”
Unlike the Lefler’s flounder, the second place fish didn’t put up a long fight after it ate a mud minnow Vance had pinned to a Carolina rig.
“A lot of times with a little mud minnow, they get hooked deep and you don’t have to fight them much,” he explained. “I probably had him to the boat in less than four minutes.”
Once Vance had the flounder boatside, Johnny McKenzie netted and boated the 5 lb. flatfish. Anchored up, the anglers continued fishing the same area for most of the rest of the day, landing 8 keeper flounder in all.
The tournament’s Top Lady Angler was Lisa Gore, who weighed in a 3.82 lb. flatfish to win a 14K gold flounder pendant and necklace among other prizes. Gore, who hails from Little River, fished the event with her husband Chris and son J.T.
The Gores also fished the Cherry Grove area, and they caught their big flounder on a live finger mullet. Like the other top anglers, they got their important bite early, and had boated Lisa’s fish before 8:00 on tournament morning.
In the event’s Junior Angler competition, Forest Floyd, from North Myrtle Beach, took home first place and $300 for a 3.74 lb. flounder. Grey Snowden, also of North Myrtle, weighed in the 2.87 lb. flounder that earned him the junior angler second place award.
This year’s Family Flounder Tournament attracted 83 boats. The event’s primary purpose, other than providing a fun and casual fishing tournament for the participants, is to raise money for the Hook a Kid on Fishing Program.
