Capt Eddy Haneman Sailfish Tournament
Dan, Hunter, and Kevin Rahe, Eric Weeks, Sam Franke, and Craig and Mitchell Spivey took first place in the 2010 Eddy Haneman Sailfish tournament for a pair of sails they released at 23 Mile Rock on the first day of the competition while trolling dredge and daisy chain teasers and naked ballyhoo.
Adding a second sailfish release to the one they tallied just 20 minutes into the event, Dan Rahe and the “Fish Repellent” crew, out of Wilmington, took first place in the 2010 Capt. Eddy Haneman Sailfish Tournament, held out of Wrightsville Beach’s Bridge Tender Marina July 29 – August 1.
Rahe, fishing with his sons Hunter and Kevin, Eric Weeks, Sam Franke, and Craig and Mitchell Spivey aboard the 31’ Contender, hadn’t exactly pre-fished for the event, but he had an idea of where the crew ought to start on the tournament’s first day.
“We went out last weekend just to see how the kids did and our spread looked,” Rahe explained, “and we saw on a satellite shot that there was some pretty blue water around 23 Mile Rock, so that’s where we went.”
Setting out their spread at the official 8:00 lines-in time, the anglers didn’t wait long for action.
“We had the whole spread out for a minute or two when a fish was in the baits,” Rahe said.
Drawn up by Stripteaser dredges and squid chains, the sail quickly pounced on a naked ballyhoo that Craig Spivey free-spooled back to it.
Hunter Rahe took the rod after the sail was hooked up, and he held on while it put on an airshow, leaping and greyhounding from the ocean. After around 15 minutes, his father was able to grab the leader, and the team tallied the tournament’s first release at 8:20.
A quick release and plenty of bait in the area had the crew confident that 23 Mile Rock was the place to be, and they continued trolling until another sailfish showed up shortly after noon.
Franke fed another naked ballyhoo to the crew’s second sail, and soon the “Fish Repellent” was fast to the fish that put them over the top.
“We had a lot more line out on that one,” Rahe explained, “but it didn’t jump as much. We just backed down on it and got her in about 15 minutes.”
Spivey was the leaderman for the second fish, and the crew took the lead going into the event’s second day.
Capt. Jamie Rushing, of Seagate Charters, prepares to release a sailfish hooked on a circle hook-rigged ballyhoo 15 miles off Wrightsville Beach while he was fishing the Capt. Eddy Haneman Sailfish Tournament with Capt. Blair White.
Returning to 23 Mile Rock on Saturday morning, the anglers found dirtier water and eventually made a move to the south. Though they saw two sails on the second day, they were unable to hook one. None of the 55 other boats were able to muster a second release, however, and the “Fish Repellent” crew disproved their name, collecting the first place honors. Their sails also earned the team the First Release and Top Junior Angler Prizes in the tournament.
Capt. Les Edwards and the “Horse” collected the event’s other sailfish prize, taking First Release Saturday and Last Release with the only sail caught during Saturday’s fishing.
Kelly White and the “Change Order” earned the top spot in the event’s dolphin TWT with a 16.75 lb. fish. Mike White and “Offshore Account” placed second with a ‘phin weighing just over 16 lbs.
The Capt. Eddy Haneman tournament is held each year in memory of Haneman, a pioneering Wrightsville Beach charter captain who helped put the area on the map as a sportfishing destination. The charity event donates money to Lower Cape Fear Hospice and deserving recipients in the community each year through entrees, donations, raffles, and an auction. Much of the auction material consists of fishing memorabilia of Haneman’s donated by his wife Mary, who passed away just after the start of this year’s event. Traveling from Ireland, their son, Billy Haneman, continued the tradition by donating several fishing items of his father’s.
The fishing gear, combined with the other money generated by the event, enabled a total donation of over $10,000 to the tournament’s charities in 2010.
