Bald Head Island Rodeo
Rick Edwards, Lance Lomax, Allen Rippy, and Capt. Richard Edwards--the crew of the "Abigail II"--earned second place in the Bald Head Island Fishing Rodeo with an aggregate weight of 134 lbs. of dolphin and wahoo they hooked while trolling naked ballyhoo behind daisy chains in 500' of water near the 750 Line. Photo courtesy of WilmingtonFishingCharters.com
Hauling 247 lbs. of gaffer dolphin to the scales in the 2011 Bald Head Island Fishing Rodeo, Capt. Mike King and the “Stream Weaver” crew earned first place in the event and over $4,600.
“We knew the bite had been falling off a little here,” King reported. “And they’d been doing well down in South Carolina, so we decided to head south down to the Winyah Scarp.”
Identifying some cooler 79 degree water than the 80+ water on local spots on a satellite sea surface temperature shot, King, mate Tim Kidwell, and crew including Kelly and Mark George ran south on Friday, June 3, the tournament’s first fishing day.
“It was slow for a couple of hours,” King continued, “but we found a weedline and temperature break around 10:00 and started catching fish.”
Trolling ballyhoo along the weedline rewarded the crew with consistent action, and they stayed hooked up with slinger and gaffer dolphin for much of the rest of the day.
After finding such solid fishing, the anglers returned to the area on Saturday morning, and they found the grass a bit more scattered but the bite still intact.
However, fast action turned out to be more of a hindrance than a help for the “Stream Weaver” crew at first, as many of the fish they were catching were just under the tournament’s 15 lb. minimum weight for dolphin.
“We were catching a lot of 12 and 13 pounders,” said King. “We were tying up too much time with those smaller fish and not getting anywhere.”
To remedy the issue, King and Kidwell borrowed a page from their billfishing playbook and pulled in their spread, leaving only hookless squid chain teasers in the water.
“We were able to pick the fish we wanted and pitch baits to them after that,” King explained. “The teasers don’t pick up as much grass either, so it saved a lot of shagging grass for us.”
The strategy was sound, and pitching circle hook-rigged ballyhoo on 20 lb. outfits to the larger dolphin, the anglers were soon adding weight to their total at a rapid pace.
Their greatest addition came in the form of the event’s heaviest dolphin, a 42 lb. fish that showed up while they were fighting a smaller gaffer.
“We hooked one, and that big fish came to it like it was going to eat it,” the winning captain continued. “But of course it was too big, and we got it to eat a dink bait.”
Along with the 42 pounder, the crew also hooked a 34 lb ‘phin that earned Kelly George the event’s Top Lady Angler title.
Sliding in behind the “Stream Weaver” were Rick Edwards and the “Abigail II” crew, who fished in the same area. Their 134 lb. total was good for second, and Joe Seegers, on the “Hooked Up,” rounded out the top three with 122 lbs. of meatfish.
A white marlin release earned the tournament’s Billfish Release prize for Brad Mulahy on the “Over Equipped.”
Proceeds from the Bald Head Island Fishing Rodeo go to the Old Baldy Foundation, which works to preserve the island’s historic lighthouse.
