Fall Brawl KMT 2005
The Fall Brawl King Mackerel Tournament, hosted by the Ocean Isle Fishing Center over the weekend of October 14-16, treated its participants to something KMT anglers haven’t seen too much of this fall-light wind and calm seas. Even with the favorable conditions, however, most boats stayed in close. After a Saturday and Sunday of fishing, half of the kings on the leader board would come from Shallotte Inlet (about one mile away from OIFC) including the tournament heavy 34.90 lb. king.
“Team Offshore Carolina,” a 32′ Sea Craft with twin 250 Mercuries out of Sherrills Ford, NC, was the boat that found the 34.90 lb. king. The team included Capt. Mike Bailey, Carroll Lineberger (angler), Troy “Scuba” Reynolds, and Claus Osbahr (gaff). The king hit around 11:00 on Sunday, striking a single naked pogy on the long line just outside of Shallotte Inlet.
The king took about 20 minutes to bring in. Lineberger said, “She burned herself out on the first run taking about 300 yards in a couple of minutes.” Bailey added about the strike, “It skied about 12 feet with the bait in its mouth.”
“Team Offshore Carolina” gave thanks to “Team Mad Mouse,” another Sea Craft team in the tournament. The boats had been working together on Sunday, with “Mad Mouse” fishing inside the pack and “Offshore Carolina” working the area outside the pack.
“Double Down,” a 28′ Triton out of Asheboro, NC, took second place with a 33.20 lb. king. The team of Capt. Scott Allen, Austin Allen, Derek McKee, and David Faulkner was one of the few boats that ran offshore. They caught their king on Saturday around 2:30 at the 390/390s using a single pogy on the longline. Angler Austin Allen (age 8), who took the Fall Brawl’s Junior Angler award, added that they used a pink and chartreuse skirt by Bluewater Candy.
Scott Allen said that their second place finish was due in large part to OIFC, Capt. Brant, and Capt. Brian. Allen has attended two of their king mackerel schools and one gulf stream school.
Capt. Randy Gainey, Brent Gainey (angler), and Clint Hines (gaff man), all from Carolina Beach, took third place with a 31.05 lb. king caught in Shallotte Inlet. They were fishing on the “Miller Time,” a 27′ Fountain. The king hit a single naked pogy on the longline. After a couple of runs straight to the boat, the king dove down deep. The team thanked Island Tackle and Hardware for their support.
“Four C’s,” a 38′ Fountain, took fourth place with a 30.55 lb. king caught in the Southport river channel. Capt. Chuck Bellamy and Angler Charlie Bellamy, from Little River, SC, caught the king at 9:30 with a naked pogy on the top. The king took 45 minutes to bring in. It was hooked in the dorsal fin, and the hook fell out as soon as the king hit the boat’s deck.
Capt. Chris Denny, Bruce Denny, and Jason Jordan came in fifth with a 30.50 lb. king. They caught the king on Saturday at 4:20 (scales closed at 5:00) in Shallotte Inlet using a dead cigar minnow on the longline. Bruce Denny took the Senior Angler award, and their 23′ Sea Fox won the Boater’s World 23 and Under Division.
The rest of the top ten are as follows: “Prime Time” in sixth with a 29.45 lb. king; “Tailwalker” in seventh with a 28.90 lb. king; “Dawggone” in eighth (and Jennifer Monko won the Lady Angler award) with a 27.65 lb. king; “Runnin Lines” in ninth with a 27.25 lb. king; and “Wet N Sassy” in tenth with a 26.55 lb. king.
Tournament Director Brant McMullan said the tournament once again was successful with creating a family atmosphere, as evident with all the kids and ladies both participating and attending. “We parted the skies, laid down the seas, and brought the fish to within one mile of the scales,” said McMullan. “It was classic Carolina fishing.”
There were 215 total entrants, with 120 fishing on Saturday and 95 fishing on Sunday. The tournament’s major sponsors are Contender, Yamaha, and Tailwalker Marine.
For a complete list of the leader board, you can visit www.oifishingcenter.com.
