OIFC Thanksgiving Flounder/Trout Classic 2005
The Ocean Isle Fishing Center’s Thanksgiving Flounder and Trout Tournament attracted 25 boats this year. The participants braved a very cold early morning in order to compete for the largest flounder, the largest trout, and the heaviest flounder & trout aggregate.
New River fisherman Ricky Kellum, of Speckled Specialist Charters, landed the largest trout of the tournament with a 5.75 pounder. He reported catching the trout at the Little River jetties.
The first place flounder was caught by Mike Pridgeon who weighed a 1.6 pound flounder. In addition, Pridgeon weighed in a 1.85-pound trout, and the two fish would also win him the tournament’s overall prize for largest combined weight of flounder and trout.
Tournament Director Stan Gurganus commented, “The catches of speckled trout were exceptional from almost all participants in the event, especially those that fished toward Sunset Beach and Little River. The Sunset Beach Bridge, Tillman wall, and jetties were without question the spots to be.”
Gurganus added, “The majority of the trout were caught on live shrimp floated under corks. The catches of flounder were scattered, but it seems the concrete canals of Ocean Isle were holding the most numbers of flounder, albeit pretty small.”
The final results are as follows: 1st Overall — Mike Pridgeon with a 1.6 flounder / 1.85 trout; 1st trout — Ricky Kellum with a 5.75; 2nd trout — Chris Kinnery with a 4.75; 3rd trout — Tim Fletcher with a 3.35; 4th trout — Brent Banks with a 2.90; 5th trout — Clay Morphis with a 2.85; 1st flounder — Mike Pridgeon with a 1.6; 2nd flounder — Kenny Jacobs with a 1.4; 3rd flounder — Hunter Woodell with a 1.0.
