Tournament Report: Kingfish Cup Series & Championship
Going into the weekend of November 3-5, the conditions for the 2023 Kingfish Cup Championship were looking pretty sporty. The call was made by tournament staff to run the event on the one more fishable day. This turned the two-day event with a one fish weigh-in each day into a single day weigh-in (Sunday) with a two-fish aggregate.
This year saw 30 teams invited to the final championship event, and the invitation was based on their results in a four-event series that included the Jolly Mon King Classic, Fall Brawl King Classic, Got ‘Em On King Classic, and the Rumble in the Jungle.
Ocean Isle Fishing Center served as the weigh-in station and tournament headquarters.
Team Hammer Down, led by Wilmington, NC angler Preston Davis, with Jake Scourzo, Austin Henderson, Jackson Smith, Cole Barkley, and Greylon Baker, won the Championship event with their 31.45 and 35.90 lb. king mackerel.
The team went into the weekend knowing their fishing efforts were going to be determined by where the weather allowed. Most teams in the event ended up going south, opposite what plans originally were, to fish some better conditions.
Team Hammer Down, comprised of Preston Davis, Jake Scourzo, Austin Henderson, Jackson Smith, Cole Barkley, and Greylon Baker, took the top spot in the 2023 Kingfish Cup Championship by weighing in 31.45 and 35.90 lb. kings. The team used live bait and targeted a ledge in 90′ of water.
On Sunday morning, the team started just outside of the pack, on a ledge in about 90’ of water, and set out their live bait setups. By 9:00 am, their live menhaden had enticed a strike from the 35.9 lb. king, and they soon had their first solid fish in the boat. Hammer Down deployed the live bait setups again, and they continued working the same bait pod that kept popping up. The bite slowed for a couple hours, but as they listened to anglers inside talking about fighting through amberjacks, they stuck it out in their area.
A little after noon, they boated their second weigh-in fish, a 31.45 lb. king, and then started the run in. They knew they had a good chance to make the leaderboard, and then the team celebrated large once the results were final and they were declared the champions.
Team Orange Crush, comprised of Ocean Isle, NC anglers Cole Clemmons, Tripp Hooks, David Hooks, and Hunter Williams, finished in second place with their catch of a 30.20 and a 36.25 lb. king.
Orange Crush also headed south on Sunday after looking at the much rougher conditions to the north. They set up approximately 30 miles off Murrells Inlet and in around 80’ of water. The first bait they dropped back was a live bluefish, and it wasn’t in the water very long before the larger 36.25 lb. king hit. Clemmons jumped on the rod to bring in this first fish. The team stuck it out for a bit longer, but with very little success after that first king. They chose to run another 10 miles south and set up a bit deeper, in around 90’ of water. The move ended up being the right call, with Clemmons landing another 30.20 lb. king after working through a couple of smaller kings.
Tripp Hooks, Cole Clemmons, David Hooks (not pictured), and Hunter Williams, of Team Orange Crush, finished in second place in the 2023 Kingfish Cup Championship with a 30.20 and a 36.25 lb. king. They slow trolled live bait about 30 miles off of Murrells Inlet.
Team Karma Bites, with Troutman, NC anglers Darren Stevenson, Ryan Hendrix, Richard McCrae, and Brent Jones, took third place with their two kings weighing 42.05 and 23.70 lbs. The team had a good idea of where they wanted to fish in this year’s challenging conditions, and they arrived at their spot around 32 miles off of Murrells Inlet to join a small pack of 11 boats already there. Karma Bites remained confident in their decision, and they set out their live baits over this 60’ hard bottom area.
McCrae hopped on the rod when the first fish of the day (the 23.70 lb. king) hit a live bluefish, and the 20-pound class king quickly gave them even more confidence in the spot they chose. The action slowed up quickly, though, as they battled through amberjacks and small kings for the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon. At around 2:00 pm, with the fishing time before needing to make the run to weigh in quickly coming to an end, the large 42.05 lb. king hit. McCrae again jumped on the rod to get the fish in the boat, and soon the team was headed back towards Ocean Isle to weigh in.
This was the 6th season for the Kingfish Cup Series and Championship, and to find the full leaderboard and details on ways you can participate in next year’s event, go to KingfishCup.com or visit their Facebook page.
