LBARA Club Challenge 2006
The Long Bay Artificial Reef Association 9th Annual Club Challenge was held on Saturday, September 30, and a record field of 62 boats representing eight different clubs put lines in for this year’s event.
The crew of the “Creecher,” with Al Fulford, Mike Fields, and Lin Creech, captured top individual honors in the King Mackerel Division with a 39.08 pound fish. They were representing the Holden Beach Fishing Club.
The Charlotte Offshore Sport Fishing Club Team of Rudy Stewart, Sam Hobbs, and Jim Queen placed second with a 28.86 pound king.
And the Ocean Isle Fishing Center’s Jeremy Harrelson and brother Ron Harrelson put a 28.16 pound king mackerel on the scales to place third.
Top individual honors in the Flounder Division went to Fred Davis and Hank Martinez, representing the Got-Em-On Fishing Club from Carolina Beach. Their top flounder weighed 5.16 pounds.
Tim Corn and his brother Bobby Corn, representing the Schneider Stone Fishing Team, placed second with a 5.02 pound flounder.
Karen Haas, representing the Winston Salem Saltwater Fishing Club, placed third with a 4.90 pound flounder. Haas was fishing with Eddie Dunlap and Greg Baker.
The top five fish from each club was tallied in each division to determine the final standings for the team competition. With a three fish per boat limit, teamwork was essential.
With Al Fulford’s 39.06 pound fish and strong support from Robert Bryant and Joe Hutchens, the Holden Beach Fishing Club took top honors in the King Mackerel Division with a five fish aggregate of 135.48 pounds.
The Ocean Isle Fishing Center Team took second place. Jeremy Harrelson, Barrett McMullen, and Lee Frick weighed a five fish aggregate total of 119.15 pounds.
Finishing third was the Charlotte Offshore Sport Fishing Cub. They were led by Rudy Steward’s 28.86 pound king. Andy Fisher, Steve Sherron, Eric Lindy, and Michael Guran added to the club’s five fish total of 110.24 pounds.
First place in the flounder team competition went to the Charlotte Offshore Sport Fishing Club with a five fish aggregate of 15.62 pounds. Chris Jenkins and Gary Jenkins led the charge with a large fish of 3.80 pounds, and Todd and Garrett Jenkins and Andy Fisher provided ample support.
The 2006 Flounder Division win was the fifth consecutive division win for the Charlotte Offshore Sport Fishing Club.
Finishing second on the efforts Fred Davis and Hank Martinez was the Carolina Beach Got-Em-On Club. Davis and Martinez weighed in three fish to post the club’s total aggregate of 11.60 pounds.
The Winston Salem Saltwater Fishing Club finished third with a strong showing from Karen Haas and her crew of Eddie Dunlap and Greg Baker. They scored a total weight of 10.32 lbs.
The big winner from the event was the Long Bay Artificial Reef Association. The amount of money raised from the event, along with personal and club donations, exceeded $10,000.
