OIFC Thanksgiving Flounder/Trout Classic 2004
Ocean Isle Fishing Center hosted their second Thanksgiving Flounder and Trout Classic the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and Capt. Ricky Kellum came out on top out of a field of 31 boats.
Kellum, from Sneads Ferry, caught the tournament’s heaviest trout at 6.45 lbs. It was caught on live shrimp at the Little River rock jetties. The 6 lb. class trout was one of 5 citation-size trout he caught that day, with the others weighing 6.1, 4.12, 4.6, and 5.6 lbs. Kellum also took top honors in the overall-heaviest one trout and one flounder. His wife, Becky, landed a 2.05 lb. flounder, recording the heaviest two fish total.
Capt. Grady Gordon came in second place in both the trout and the two-fish overall division, with a 4.25 lb. trout and a 1.45 lb. flounder. Both were caught at the Sunset Beach Bridge.
Mark Stacy, of Ocean Isle, had the third heaviest trout caught at the Little River jetties. His 3.25 lb. trout, added to a 1.45 lb. flounder was good enough for third place overall.
The heaviest flounder of the tournament was brought in by Will King, of Durham. His 2.40 lb. flounder was caught in the Ocean Isle canal on live bait. Jim Heine, of Ocean Isle, took second with a 2.00 lb. flounder (the Kellums were only eligible for one primary prize). Wyatt Pegram, of Ocean Isle, took third with a 1.90 lb. flounder caught in Davis Canal.
Capt. Stan Gurganus, this year’s tournament director, noted that the tournament showed a 25% increase in participants this year. Gurganus added, “It’s growing, and we’ll do it bigger and better next year.” The tournament was sponsored by Ranger Boats, Sea Tow, and Shallow Water Boat Sales.
