Jodi Tynch Memorial KMT
Garrett Gore with the 18.9 lb. king mackerel that earned first place in the Jodi Tynch King Mackerel Tournament for the "Top Choice" crew. Gore landed the fish near the Raritan after it struck a live menhaden while he was fishing with his father and David Cavenaugh.
Scaling an 18.9 lb. king mackerel, David Gore and the “Top Choice” fishing team squeaked by the second place boat by just a tenth of a pound to earn the win in the 4th Annual Jodi Tynch Memorial King Mackerel Tournament, held June 29-July 1 out of Wrightsville Beach’s Starling Marine and Motts Channel Seafood.
Fishing with his son Garrett and friend David Cavenaugh, Gore didn’t get to do any pre-fishing for the event, but that fact didn’t hurt the team on tournament day.
“That’s the first fishing I’ve done this year,” Gore explained. “I’ve been busy at work and working on the boat.”
It was also the first opportunity Gore, a longtime sponsor of the event, has had to fish it.
After a somewhat frustrating quest for bait on the morning of the event that took them all the way from Carolina Beach to the Shallotte River, the trio set out for the Shark Hole, the site of a wide open king bite the previous weekend.
“There was nothing happening there,” Gore recalled, “so we headed over towards the shoals and fished the Raritan.”
Slow-trolling live menhaden around the wreck, lying in 80-85’ of water, the anglers finally got their first bite of the day around noon. A naked menhaden 35’ deep on the downrigger fooled what turned out to be the winning fish.
The fish made a signature run after taking the bait, and the anglers suspected they had a solid kingfish. Garrett Gore took the rod for the battle, and Cavenaugh manned the helm.
“He made a good run,” David Gore said, “and then came straight back at the boat.”
After another run, the anglers closed the distance on their fish before it dove down near the boat.
“Naturally he wanted to stay down at that point,” Gore continued.
After a few brief circles in the water column underneath the boat, Garrett worked the fish into range and his father was ready with the gaff. The elder Gore sank the steel and put the fish in the boat, and the anglers immediately did something that may well have ensured their win.
“As soon as we put him in the boat,” he explained, “we got him in the king bag and iced him down good.”
The move likely kept the king from losing precious ounces before it hit the scales, weight that easily could have changed the outcome of such a close tournament.
“I love that king bag!” Gore continued.
Continuing to troll the Raritan area, the anglers landed a dolphin around 1:30, their only other bite of the day. The anglers headed for Wrightsville and the weigh-in shortly thereafter, and their king mackerel took control of the leaderboard.
With the pick one of two days, captains’ choice format, the “Top Choice” anglers had to sit it out on Sunday and hope their fish held onto the lead.
The “Fish Business” crew nearly stole the lead, but their 18.8 lb. fish came up just short and earned them second place. Hot on their heels were Scott Wilson and the “Reel Tall/Hot Rod” crew with an 18.6 lb. king good for third.
The Jodi Tynch tournament is held each year in memorial of tournament director Mike Tynch’s late wife, and serves as a fundraiser for the Lower Cape Fear Hospice Foundation. Despite lower than expected turnout due to a tropical storm in the week leading up to the event, the tournament still managed to raise nearly $8,000 for their beneficiary.
More information about the event and the cause are available at www.joditynchkmt.com.
