Far Out Shoot Out 2008
Although windy weather kept the seas choppy for much of the weeklong event, the GPS Store/Ocean Isle Fishing Center Far Out Shoot Out’s fish 2 days out of 8 format allowed the 21 participating boats to sit out the winds. With most choosing to fish Wednesday and Thursday of the past week, once they arrived in the blue water, the Gulf Stream bite was on.
Larry Spainhour’s “7th Heaven” team fished Wednesday, and the Stream was good to them, giving up the 39.25 lb. dolphin and 40.55 lb. wahoo that combined to earn them 79.8 points, handily winning them the event’s overall number one spot. In addition, the fish took the prizes for top dolphin, top wahoo, and heaviest single fish on the dock.
Spainhour fished the event with friends Ken Craven, Jason Gore, and Kent Gunter aboard his 24′ Mako center console, and the anglers elected to head for the 100/400 area on Wednesday.
“We were running a little bit behind,” Spainhour explained, “and we saw a small temperature break a little way inshore of the 100/400 at 8:00, so we decided to put the lines in. We didn’t even have all our baits in the water when the big dolphin bit.”
The fish struck the WWB line, a blue/white Ilander with a ballyhoo fished behind a trolling weight, and Kent Gunter picked up the rod as the fish pulled drag. Turning its broad side against the current, the dolphin fought for around 20 minutes before Gunter was able to bring it within gaff range.
“After that, we went about an hour before we caught the big wahoo,” said Spainhour. “I actually fought that fish.”
The wahoo also fell for the WWB blue/white Ilander, and Spainhour had it to the boat in around 15 minutes. After Craven sank the gaff and swung the wahoo aboard, the team made the decision to go looking for a yellowfin tuna, the other eligible species in the tournament.
Trolling cedar plugs around the 100/400 and then up the break to the Blackjack Hole, the anglers never found the tuna. They returned to the 100/400 to finish out the day, and landed two smaller dolphin.
“We should have stayed at the 100/400,” Spainhour said. Perhaps, but the two fish they hooked in their first hour of fishing were enough to win the event’s overall aggregate category by nearly 20 lbs., surely a sweet comeback after the team finished second at last year’s Far Out Shoot Out by less than one pound.
The “7th Heaven” anglers planned to fish Saturday, too, but with two strong fish on the board and a very iffy forecast, they elected to stay at the dock.
“I’d just like to thank Brant and Amy and the OIFC and Scott and Drew from the GPS Store for putting on such a great event,” said Spainhour.
Weighing in a 26.4 lb. dolphin and a 33.7 lb. wahoo, “The GPS Store” fishing team amassed 60.1 points, earning themselves second place overall and third place wahoo. Scott Heffernan, Phillip Hooks, and Drew Reger were all aboard the team’s Mercury-powered 31′ Contender for the event, and they also caught their money-winners on Wednesday.
“We’d stopped about a mile short of the Blackjack to put the spread out,” Heffernan revealed. “We were moving the lines around, and Drew was actually reeling one in when he got hit. He dropped back to the fish and hooked up.”
A pink Ilander/ballyhoo drew the strike, and after a fairly short battle, Hooks was able to plant a gaff in the team’s big dolphin.
The anglers continued fishing, landing a number of smaller dolphin before something larger hit a purple Marauder plug with a trolling weight just behind the boat. Reger fought this fish, too, and after a strong, head-shaking run, the anglers suspected they had a decent wahoo on. Their suspicions were confirmed 15 minutes later when Reger worked the fish close to the boat.
When they saw the telltale stripes, Hooks grabbed the leader and wired the fish into range for Heffernan to plant the gaff.
With the second place weight after Wednesday’s weigh-in, “The GPS Store” team decided to fish Saturday as well. They were one of the few boats to actually venture out in Saturday’s much rougher seas, but were rewarded only with smaller dolphin. Fortunately, their Wednesday fish narrowly held on to second place.
“The GPS Store” anglers would like to thank sponsors The GPS Store, Mercury, and Marine Service Center of Little River for making their tournament successes possible.
Finishing third by just 0.1 lbs., Frank Price’s “Dirty Dog” crew weighed in a 23.7 lb. dolphin and a 36.25 lb. wahoo for a total of 60 points. The wahoo took second in that category.
Jason Bryan, aboard the “Big Time Baby,” weighed in the 39.8 lb. dolphin that took second for that fish, and Jeremy Foster, aboard last year’s overall champion the “Job Site,” landed the third place fish.
Tournament Director Brant McMullan wished to congratulate all the winners and thank all the anglers for persevering through a tough week weather-wise. He’d also like to express his gratitude to sponsors The GPS Store, Gregory Poole Marine, SeaTow, World Cat, and Outback Steakhouse for making the event possible.
