Cape Fear Red Trout 2004
The 2nd annual Cape Fear Red Trout Celebrity Classic was held September 24 to 26 at Seapath Yacht Club in Wrightsville Beach. This catch-and-release inshore tournament raises funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). The winning guide, Capt. Fisher Culbreth, was last year’s Team Grand Champion and this year’s overall champion.
John Andrews, from Kure Beach, and Clint Meyer, from Wilmington, were the two anglers fishing with Culbreth. The two-day total for their boat was 625 points, winning them the Team Grand Champion Angler award. Andrews also won the Individual Angler award and the Most Trout award by catching a tournament high 5 trout and one redfish over the weekend.
On Saturday, Andrews landed a handful of trout on soft plastics while fishing in the Cape Fear River. Andrews also caught a redfish on Saturday and more trout on Sunday. The crew never used bait, catching everything over the weekend on plastic. Meyer landed a trout on the first day of fishing.
Culbreth and Meyers fish together often, and Andrews even conducted the ceremony this summer at Culbreth’s wedding. Their fishing philosophy was to cover a lot of ground and never stay in one place too long. Culbreth knew there were fish in the area and it was just a matter of eventually finding them.
Of the fishing conditions, Andrews said, “It was windier on Saturday, rainier on Sunday, and the roughest conditions I’ve ever fished on both days.” Culbreth, commenting on the win, said, “I owe it all to my Pathfinder boat.”
The Junior Angler award went to both Courtney Everette and Max Potter. Courtney, fishing with Capt. Jot Owens, caught a redfish in Motts Channel on a live mullet. Max, fishing with Capt. Matt Wirt, landed a 20″ flounder during the competition. This is Max’s third year doing the Red Bone series and his second year at the Cape Fear event. He loves to fish, and he has Cystic Fibrosis.
The Lady Angler went to Jeanette Gallaher. Gallaher was fishing with Capt. Stu Caulder. Gallaher also caught the weekend’s largest trout (18″), and she was the 1st runner-up in the Individual Angler award. They fished the river on Saturday and Shinn Creek on Sunday, using grubs both days.
The most reds caught over the weekend went to Mark Steen, the Mercury representative at the tournament. He caught a weekend total of three red drum while fishing with Capt. Rick Bennet. Bennet’s boat logged a weekend total of 250 points, the second most points from a boat. He was primarily fishing the Rich’s Inlet area using finger mullet on Saturday and menhaden on Sunday.
The largest red (28″) came from Danny Parker. Parker, fishing with Capt. Eddie Stuart, was in the New Topsail Inlet area using menhaden.
Last year’s event raised over $25,000 for CFF. Among the 2003 tournament champions was Christian Goodpaster, a CF patient who at the time was facing the challenge of a double-lung transplant. Christian has since received a lung transplant, and he fished the Cape Fear event again this year.
