CCSA/Boater’s World KMT 2006
Late in the last week of August, it looked as though Tropical Storm Ernesto would foil the Carteret County Sportfishing Association’s plans to hold the 22nd CCSA/Boater’s World King Mackerel Tournament, originally scheduled for Saturday, September 2, 2006, in Atlantic Beach, NC. However, the storm sped up as it approached the Carolina coast, and it was possible to hold the event, albeit one day late, on Sunday, September 3.
Just two days before the tournament, Ernesto’s heavy winds churned up high seas in the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina, but on Sunday anglers in the 102 participating boats reported ideal conditions with 1-2 foot seas and winds less than 10 knots.
The “Jackpot” team, consisting of Capt. Tat Fearing, Benji Dougherty, and Mullet Johnson, was able to pull off a hometown victory in this year’s event, hauling a 35.10 lb. king mackerel to the scales at Jaycee Park on the Morehead City Waterfront. The team, whose members hail from both Morehead City and Atlantic Beach, earned $12,345 for topping the leaderboard and the TWT.
The winning king bit a double pogy rig 35′ deep on the downrigger at 4 Mile Rock off Drum Inlet. Johnson grabbed the rod after the king struck at 8:15 am. The 35 lb. fish made three long runs during the fight, and with each run the team chased the fish down with the “Jackpot,” a Yamaha-powered 35′ Wellcraft.
The fish was hooked only in the tail when it came to the boat, which made getting a solid gaff shot difficult for Fearing. After several tense moments, he succeeded in gaffing the king at an angle and pulled it into the boat.
Second place went to Capt. Jeremy Pate and the “Magic Stik” team out of Goldsboro, NC. Pate and teammates Jeff Crocker, Bryan Pate, and Derek Speight brought a 33.45 lb. king to the weigh-in in their Yamaha-powered 23T Contender. Second place in the Primary Division and the TWT earned the “Magic Stik” crew a check for $6,081.
Their fish bit a red-skirted pogy on top around 9:00 Sunday. The “Magic Stik” was trolling on the east side of Cape Lookout shoals in 65′ of water when the king struck. Jeremy Pate took the rod. And after a short 15 minute fight, Jeremy also gaffed the fish.
“The Right One Baby,” a 33′ Yamaha-powered Contender crewed by Capt. Todd Matthews, Barry Matthews, Brandon Sewell, and Jim Davis, took third place with a 30.95 lb. king. The Swansboro, NC, team picked up $2,204 for third in the tourney and TWT.
The third place king bit a naked pogy around the 1700 Rock. The strike came around 8:00 Sunday morning, and Capt. Matthews picked up the rod.
“He didn’t run as hard as some kings that size,” Matthews said. Rather than blistering runs, the king stayed deep and circled the boat repeatedly, refusing to come to the surface. When the stalemate was broken and the king surfaced, Barry Matthews gaffed it and brought it aboard.
“The Right One Baby” crew wishes to express gratitude to First Citizen’s Bank, Contender Boats, Yamaha Outboard Motors, Century 21 Waterway Realty, and Swansboro Drugs for their sponsorship.
Tim Hudson and the “White Lightning” team secured fourth place with a 26.35 lb. fish. Hudson, who captains the 36′ Mercury-powered Yellowfin, his son Brandon, and Sam Ballou took home $1,020 for fourth place. And Brandon Hudson won an additional $300 as the top Junior Angler in the event.
The “White Lightning” king bit a pogy on a “secret rig” around 12:30 Sunday. The team was trolling around the 1700 Rock when the fish struck. Brandon picked up the rod and began to fight the king, which was right next to another boat fighting another big fish. Despite the complications presented by battling the king adjacent to another boat and fish, the “White Lightning” team got their fish to the boat in only 8 minutes. Ballou put a gaff in it.
The Wake Forest, NC-based “Dawggone,” a 26′ Regulator captained by John Monko Sr., captured fifth place with a 25.75 lb. king mackerel. Monko Sr., John Monko Jr. and Jennifer Monko won $638, and were fishing this tournament to celebrate John Sr. and Jennifer’s wedding anniversary. Jennifer Monko also took home $500 as the top Lady Angler in the event.
The Monko’s king hit a double pogy rig on top around 11:00 Sunday. The “Dawggone” team was trolling around 30 Minute Rock when they got the bite. After a short 10-minute fight that still featured several long runs, John Monko Jr. was able to get the fish close enough to the boat for Monko Sr. to gaff it.
The rest of the top ten boats are as follows: “Buckaroo” in sixth place with 25.15 lb. king; “Hot Rod” in seventh with a 25.10 lb. king; Mister Stanman in eighth with a 24.80 lb. king; “Overtime” in ninth with a 23.35 lb. king; and “R/C Homes” in tenth with a 23.15 lb. king.
In light of Ernesto’s attempt to derail the CCSA/Boater’s World Tournament this year, organizers wisely chose to watch the weather until the Wednesday evening before their event before making any judgments on any postponement. The decision to move the fishing day to Sunday proved to be a stellar one, as seas were some of the calmest of any North Carolina king mackerel tournament yet this year.
