Alice Kelly Billfish Tournament
Kris Carroll, Joan Maxwell, Susan Alt, Margaret Podich, and Marcia Kull with the five white marlin release flags that earned the “PentaGone” crew 350 points and the overall win at the 2011 Alice Kelly Memorial Billfish Tournament. Their fish bit naked ballyhoo behind dredge and squid chain teasers in 60 fathoms of water near the 000’s. Matt Lusk Photograph.
Releasing five white marlin over the one fishing day event, Capt. Ed Szilgyi and the lady anglers of the “PentaGone” took home top honors in the 22nd Annual Alice Kelly Memorial Billfish Tournament, held August 13-14 out of Manteo’s Pirate’s Cove Marina. The Alice Kelly is always held just prior to the Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament.
They had stiff competition, as the 59 competing boats released 45 white marlin, four blue marlin, and one sailfish on the Sunday of the tournament.
Szilgyi hosted Grady White Boats President Kris Carroll, Regulator Boats President Joan Maxwell, Margaret Podich of Boat U.S., and Marcia Kull and Susan Alt of Volvo aboard the 70’ Volvo IPS-powered Spencer for the event, along with regular mate Brad Diaz.
Studying a satellite shot the night before the tournament, Szilgyi decided to head for the 000’s area to the north of Oregon Inlet in his search for a solid billfish bite.
“We had a pretty good idea where we were going,” Szilgyi explained. “We’ve got active water temperature stuff on the boat, but I looked at a Roffer’s report the night before.”
The “PentaGone” found it fairly quickly, raising a pair of white marlin after trolling for a short time.
Mullet and ballyhoo dredges paired with dink ballyhoo hook baits made up the “PentaGone” crew’s billfish spread, and Diaz successfully coaxed both of the fish into eating the dink baits and hooked them.
Alt and Kull were the anglers on the double header. The pair held on while each of their marlin put on an aerial show before battling the fish close enough for Diaz to grab the leader and secure the crew’s first two releases.
Another white marlin came up for a look at the teasers and baits behind the “PentaGone” an hour later, and Diaz again tempted the fish to eat a small ballyhoo and hooked it solidly.
Carroll took care of the angling duties on the second white, and soon she had the leader in Diaz’s hand to put the team’s third billfish on the board.
Another pair of single whites earned Carroll and Alt each their second release early in the afternoon, and put five whites in the “PentaGone” corner, enough to edge them past the nearest competition by a mere 20 points.
Capt. Walt Spruill, on the “Hunter,” and Capt. Charles Haywood, on the “Rigged Up” and their female crews each released three white marlin and a blue marlin to tie for second with 330 points. “Hunter” put their final release on the board before “Rigged Up” to earn second place based on time and knock “Rigged Up” to third.
Kelly Francis, fishing on the “Boneshaker,” and Summer Bracher, aboard “Pelican,” each released a white marlin they hooked themselves during the event to compete for the Top Lady Angler honors, but Francis’s fish beat Bracher’s by four hours to give her the title.
Elise Keithley, aboard the “Trophy Hunter,” scaled a 51 lb. yellowfin tuna to earn the event’s top tuna prize, and Olivia Ingram, on the “Big Oh,” had the tournament’s largest dolphin at 15.8 lbs.
More information on the event and a full leader board are available at www.pcbgt.com.
