Atlantic Beach Saltwater Classic 2008
The members of the "UnReel" fishing team accept their $31,560 winner's check in the 2008 Atlantic Beach Saltwater Classic from Tournament Director Terry Adkins. They caught a 43.90 lb. king mackerel on a live bluefish near the 1700 Rock to earn the top honors.
Introducing himself to Tournament Director Terry Adkins at the 2008 Atlantic Beach Saltwater Classic captains’ meeting, “UnReel” fishing team captain Steve Squires told Adkins that he knew where some big fish had been holding and that he was going to win the tournament. Such swagger rarely pays off, but when Squires and the rest of the Kinston-based crew arrived at the scales on Saturday, the 43.90 lb. king mackerel they had in the bag did just that, topping the 197 boat field by nearly five pounds.
Not only did they top the tournament’s overall category and TWT, earning $31,560, the “UnReel” anglers Grayson Kettterer and John Moore took the top spots in the Junior and Senior Angler categories as well.
“I’ve been fishing this tournament for 30 years,” Moore said at the awards ceremony, “and we finally won the thing.”
Along with Squires, Ketterer, and Moore, Mel Hoard and Danny Wallace rounded out the team, fishing aboard a Yamaha-powered 26′ Regulator.
On the morning of the tournament, the anglers set out for the east side of Cape Lookout with a livewell full of bluefish and pogies.
After starting out their day at the Atlas Tanker with only sharks to show for it, the “UnReel” anglers headed for a new spot.
“We came back to an old standby location,” Squires explained. “We’ve fished a few tournaments there and caught a few fish, and it paid off.”
Trolling a spot in 70′ of water a few miles off of the 1700 Rock, the anglers got a solid strike at 9:42 in the morning. A live bluefish fished naked 35′ deep on the downrigger fooled what turned out to be their only king bite of the day.
“That fish was like the Energizer Bunny,” said Squires. “It just kept going and going. I fought the fish, and it just ran out the whole time while the rest of the crew was clearing lines. It actually pulled us a little bit.”
After the fish ran from the boat for around 10 minutes, the anglers were able to catch up to it and put it in the boat quickly.
“He made a couple of circles and that was it,” Squires related. “That big run burned the fish out.”
When the big king was finally within range, Mel Hoard stretched out with a 10′ gaff and put the fish in the boat.
Continuing to fish the same area for another hour, the “UnReel” crew caught only sharks.
“We actually had one of the motors running a little hot while we were trolling,” Squires said, “so we decided to move back closer to the inlet then.”
Fishing the Beaufort shipping channel until the scales opened up, the anglers landed more sharks, finally motoring to the scales soon after they opened at 3:00.
“We’ve been fishing all these SKA tournaments for 12 years, and this is the best we’ve ever done,” said Tom Priest, captain of the second-place boat “KMA,” from Jacksonville, NC. Priest and fellow anglers James Pratt, Vic Tompkins, Ron Mabee, and Zach Mabee fished the event aboard a Yamaha-powered 31′ Cape Horn, and they took home $11,536 for the 39.24 lb. king they weighed in just behind the “UnReel” crew.
“We worked as hard as it comes-we earned this one,” Priest continued. “We chased bait for three hours yesterday at Harkers Island, and didn’t get a one. We finally found some this morning, and we shot out the hook, went around the lighthouse, and ran east.”
Stopping at the Atlas Tanker, the crew hooked only amberjacks and sharks at first.
Then, just before 11:00, something inhaled a naked pogy on top and took off hard.
“Ronnie was actually letting the line out when he hit,” Priest recalled. “That was a very cooperative fish. He ran at the boat, then out of the crowd of people. We cleared the lines and ran right up to him.”
As soon as the anglers caught up to their fish in the Cape Horn, it surfaced, allowing Pratt to plant the gaff and boat the nearly-40 lb. king.
Willow Spring, NC’s “Dig It” fishing team hauled a 35.55 lb. king mackerel to the scales, earning third place in the event. Greg, Bryant, Tony, and Daniel Carroll fished aboard the family’s 36′ Mercury-powered Contender, and they received $6,424 for their big fish.
Also electing to fish the Atlas Tanker, the Carrolls had a slow morning, catching only a barracuda. Finally, around 1:00, something attacked a naked ribbonfish 40′ deep on the downrigger. Greg Carroll picked up the rod after the downrigger clip popped, and he held on as the fish made a strong run.
“It was a pretty regular fight,” Carroll explained. “The fish hit and came up on that first run. We got kind of close to it, but it still managed to stay out of gaff range for probably 10 minutes.”
Once the king was close enough, however, Tony Carroll sank home a gaff and brought it aboard the big Contender.
Returning to the Atlas Tanker to fish another hour, the anglers found no more fish, and they headed for the inlet around 2:00.
The “Dig It” anglers would like to thank Power Marine Outfitters, New River Marina, Contender, and Mercury for their continuing support.
Roy Jarman, fishing aboard the “Pro-Build,” took home fourth place in the Atlantic Beach Saltwater Classic with a 31.27 lb. king. Skip Conklin and the “Ocean Athlete” finished fifth with a 29.95 lb. fish that earned Sandy Conklin the event’s Top Lady Angler prize as well.
The Atlantic Beach King Mackerel Tournament has been one of the longest running events in competitive saltwater fishing, and this year it underwent a format change under the management of Blue Water Promotions, becoming the Atlantic Beach Saltwater Classic. Though many facets of the event changed, at least two things remained the same-large payouts compared to many of the other tournaments in the area, and proceeds benefitting the Atlantic Beach Fire Department, which relies on the event as one of its significant fundraisers annually.
