Keli Wagner Lady Angler Tournament
Marci Goodwin, of Morehead City, and the “Safari” crew scaled this 42.2 lb. dolphin to top that category and take home the Keli Wagner Lady Angler Tournament’s $17,000 winner-take-all dolphin bounty.
The possibility of rough conditions failed to deter the lady anglers aboard “Fight-N-Lady” as the team scored an early blue marlin release and held on to win the billfish division of the 16th annual Keli Wagner Lady Angler (KWLA) tournament.
Jessica Proctor and “Fight-N-Lady” captain Pete Zook, Morehead City, teamed to catch and release a blue marlin after an 11-minute fight. Proctor’s catch proved to be worth $5,100 in the billfish division of the event.
The KWLA—which was expanded to Sunday in response to Tropical Storm Andrea—offered $5,100 cash prizes in both the billfish and gamefish divisions. It also featured a three-year roll over bonus in the tuna category.
When no teams elected to fish Saturday, the competition became a one day shootout. Competitors from 48 teams were eligible to fish Sunday, and the teams that went offshore combined to record 16 releases, including five blue marlin, eight white marlin, and three sailfish.
The ladies fishing aboard “Blue Eyes” recorded the first release of the tournament, hooking and releasing a white marlin worth 125 points. The lady anglers aboard “Fight-N-Lady” then hooked and released their blue marlin at 8:51 a.m. and released the fish at 9:09 a.m. to tally 400 points.
They held the lead the rest of the way.
“Galot III” finished second in the billfish division with a blue marlin release at 9:09 a.m. by lady angler Amy Mullins. “Bill Collector” lady angler Linda G. Matthews came in third with a blue marlin that was caught and released at 9:31 a.m.
Marci Godwin, Morehead City, who fished aboard the “Safari,” captured the dolphin division with a 42.2 pound catch. Godwin’s catch proved to be worth $17,000 as it captured the “Winner Take All” dolphin category and the $1,700 category prize.
“Safari,” captained by Kevin Gaylord, also captured the wahoo category with a 47.3-pounder reeled in by Michell Litchfield of Greenville. Litchfield’s catch was worth $1,700.
Jana Fogleman, Wilmington, captured the tuna division with a 47.6-pounder. Fogleman, who fished aboard the “Bootlegger,” captained by Jimmy Canoy, helped her team win $9,279 because of a $7,579 rollover from the previous three KWLA tournaments.
In addition to prize money, the KWLA raises a significant amount of money for charity. Last year, $19,975 was raised to help support the Raab Cancer Center in Morehead City. The KWLA has donated more than $162,313 to support the Raab Center and $201,670 to support all charitable organizations since its inception in 1988.
