Kings of the Cape 2006
Saturday, July 22, was a windy day along the NC coast, but over 120 boats gathered in Southport to participate in the 5th annual King of the Cape Classic KMT.
The big winner in this year’s tournament was the “Big Bad Wolf” of Wilmington. The “Big Bad Wolf” is a Yamaha-powered Contender captained by Stacy Wester of Wilmington and crewed by Field Hucks (Surfside Beach, SC) and Andy Justice (Pawleys Island, SC).
They fished the tide line and beach near the Georgetown (SC) jetties and found an impressive 39.20 pound king to claim top honors and a check for $15,560 at the Southern Kingfish Association (SKA) Division 9 tournament held from Southport Watersports in the old Southport Yacht Basin.
“We had been fishing around the tide line and a few places just a little offshore and came in to catch some fresh bait for the afternoon when we realized how thick the bait was just off the beach and decided to see if all that bait and activity might attract a big king,” said Capt. Wester.
“The water conditions were really nice up there near the beach and we could see the bait for a long ways and figured a hungry king could also. It turned out to be a good decision.”
The “Squeeze Play,” an Evinrude-powered Offshore captained by Michael Sellers, Jr. of Bolivia, arrived at the scales approximately a half hour after the “Big Bad Wolf.” They had been fishing at the 30/30, a ledge and live bottom area approximately 20 miles from Carolina Beach Inlet. “Squeeze play” knew they had a heavy king in the box, but they had also heard by phone about the big king weighed by the “Big Bad Wolf.”
The “Squeeze Play” king weighed in at 38.35 pounds. That .85 pound difference was a heartbreaker for Capt. Sellers and crew, but they congratulated the “Big Bad Wolf” and smiled about their own good fortune.
The early leader in the tournament was the “Reel Buzz,” with Capt. Chip Nifong and crew of Hampstead. They ventured offshore to near WR-4 early in the morning, caught their fish around 8:00, and then began fishing their way back inshore.
They arrived at the weigh-in around 1:00 and patiently waited on their Mercury-powered Sea Pro until the scales opened at 3:00. Their fish weighed 36.40 pounds and finished in fourth place overall and first place in the 23’ and Under Class.
Third place was awarded to “Aces Up Fishing,” with Capt. Jay Sconyers of Murrells Inlet, SC. The “Aces Up Fishing” king weighed 36.45 pounds and was caught in the Cape Fear Inlet Ship Channel.
The Top Lady Angler for the tournament was Brenda Vrooman. Vrooman, who was fishing on the “Gone Again” with Capt. Daniel Mason of Supply, landed a 26.00 pound king. The “Gone Again” also finished in tenth place overall and was third place in the 23’ and Under Class.
The Top Senior Angler was Capt. John Batis of Carolina Beach, on the “Miss Emily.” His king weighed 31.35 pounds and was also good for fifth place.
The Top Junior Angler was David Jackson, of Wilmington, who was fishing with his dad, Capt. Mike Jackson on the “Live Line.” The Jacksons also finished in ninth place.
Tournament Director Jerry Dilsaver said he was disappointed the weather wouldn’t cooperate and attributed the gusty winds and high fuel prices with the turnout that was lower than past years.
“We watched the weather like a hawk for the whole week and the forecast was very good early in the week,” Dilsaver said. “Unfortunately Tropical Storm Beryl formed just offshore and as it moved off sucked a minor cold front to the NC coast and created the wind.”
Proceeds from the tournament will be donated to the Long Bay Artificial Reef Association (www.lbara.com) and Brunswick County Special Olympics.
For a listing of the top finishers, you can visit www.kingofthecapeclassic.com.
