Jacksonville Trout Tournament 2006
On Saturday, October 21, Fish This Promotions hosted the 4th annual Jacksonville Trout Tournament out of New River Marina. They attracted 35 two-person teams that paid $125 each to compete for the highest aggregate weight of 10 speckled trout, as well as for biggest trout.
R.D. Benedict and partner James Gainey, both of Swansboro, topped both categories with over 29 lbs. for their 10 fish aggregate. They also had the heaviest single trout, weighing in a 5.76 lb. speck that beat the second place fish by over a pound. Benedict and Gainey pocketed $1200 for the aggregate win and another $750 for catching the big fish.
The winning team’s game plan changed the night before the event when at the captain’s meeting the pair found out that they didn’t have to launch at Snead’s Ferry on Saturday morning. Armed with that knowledge, Benedict and Gainey put in at Cedar Island and fished back towards Snead’s Ferry through the day. Their fish came from a variety of spots around Swan Island, Core Creek, and the Shackleford Banks inside jetty.
The winners caught their trout on live shrimp suspended beneath floats. Benedict caught the tournament lunker 5.76 lb. speck just after catching a 10 lb. sheepshead. As the big trout pulled drag, he feared it might be another sheepshead. However, when the fish surfaced he knew they had a shot at the big fish prize.
Second place in both aggregate weight and big fish went to Swansboro brothers Doug and Mike Teachey. The Teacheys put together 10 fish weighing 27.32 lbs., and their big fish was 4.44 lbs. Their 10 fish weight netted them $90, and the 4.44 lb. trout earned the team an additional $300.
The Teachey team caught all their fish on both pink TT Mirrolures and live shrimp on float rigs. The big trout ate a shrimp. According to Doug Teachey, the fish were caught in Trout Creek around high tide. “We went right to a spot where we thought there were fish,” he said. Apparently he was right, as the team had caught 20 trout by 8:30.
Continuing a Swansboro domination of the event, David Moore and Mike Phillips finished third with 10 trout weighing 26.84 lbs. They were fishing aboard a 20′ Pathfinder.
Moore and Phillips caught their trout between Swansboro and Morehead in the Haystacks. They fished live shrimp under floats around grass points and oyster rocks. They also casted Gulp! shrimp and Mirrolures.
Buddy and Jake Gainey finished fourth overall with a 21.30 lb. aggregate. Jeff Cronk and Jason Guthrie scaled 20.24 lbs. of trout to claim fifth.
The third place big fish went to Chris Sewell for a 3.60 lb. trout.
Douglas Kellum caught a 2.20 lb. trout to be the top Junior Angler, and Jake Gainey was the second place Junior Angler.
Proceeds from the Jacksonville Trout Tournament went to help fund the Jacksonville USO Club’s annual Christmas dinner.
