Tournament Report – Hook-a-Hoo Rodeo
Capt. Ned Campbell with the 73.84 lb. winning wahoo in the Martini’s Hook-a-Hoo Rodeo. He, Dan Carey, and Jay Smith–the “Careyon”crew–landed the fish and five others while trolling ballyhoo in 200-300’ of water north of the Georgetown Hole.
Fishing the event for the first time on the maiden voyage of a brand-new boat, Murrells Inlet, SC’s Capt. Dan Carey and the “Careyon” fishing team had more than their share of luck, landing a limit of wahoo that included the 73.84 lb. fish that earned them first place in the 2014 Martini’s Fall Hook-a-Hoo Rodeo.
Carey, fishing with Jay Smith and Capt. Ned Campbell, had to hurriedly rig up his new 30’ Sea Hunt center console in to get ready for the crew’s chosen fishing day, Wednesday, November 5.
The anglers checked out a sea surface temperature chart and picked a likely to search for a big wahoo just north of the Georgetown Hole, but the temp chart didn’t mirror the conditions they found after riding offshore.
“The SST was about 2 degrees off from what we saw the night before,” Carey explained. “So we put out some high-speed lures and started looking for warmer water.”
The surface temperatures remained in the 75 degree range even as the crew worked offshore, and the anglers soon decided to scrap the high-speed plan and start trolling some ballyhoo.
“I didn’t really want to do it since we hadn’t caught anything high-speeding,” Carey said, “but right when we stopped we saw a wahoo jump out of the water.”
The anglers immediately deployed a ballyhoo spread in 200’ of water seven miles north of the Georgetown Hole, and hooked several 50-60 lb. fish quickly after the baits hit the water.
“That big one was our third fish,” Carey continued.
The 73-pounder struck a ballyhoo rigged behind a purple/black Fathom Lure, and the anglers immediately went to work to put it in the boat.
Once they had, the trio knew they’d landed a special fish.
“We knew the leader was 68 lbs.,” Carey reported. “And we definitely thought that fish was in the 70’s, but we didn’t want to be the guys who think they’ve got a 70-pounder and bring a 55 to the scales.”
Continuing to troll, the anglers filled up their 6-wahoo limit around 1:00 PM and pointed the Sea Hunt towards Little River Inlet, phoning a friend to meet them with a truck and trailer.
Once they made Harbourgate Marina and the weigh-in, the scales confirmed that the anglers hadn’t been overestimating their fish and they seized control of the event’s leaderboard.
The tournament didn’t officially end until the next Sunday, however, and the anglers had to wait it out and hope no one brought a larger fish to the scales. As it turned out, they didn’t have much to worry about.
“There were three boats who hadn’t fished yet,” Carey explained. “But I guess those poor guys couldn’t get out of work and never made it out.”
Nipping at the “Careyon” crew’s heels were Daniel McCoy and the “Reel McCoy” crew, whose 68.20 lb. fish was good for second. Phillip Croom and the “Money Grows on Trees” team rounded out the top three with a 61.25 lb. fish.
The Martini’s Hook-a-Hoo Rodeo serves as a fundraiser for the Children of the Carolinas’ Shriner’s Hospitals. Anglers can find a full leaderboard and more information on the event and the cause at www.hookahoo.com.
