Seagate KMT 2005
The Seagate King Mackerel Tournament, a KMT limited to smaller boats, attracted over 40 boats to compete on a Saturday of beautiful weather and flat seas. This year’s winners of the Seagate, hosted at Dickie’s Tidal Market II, posted the heaviest king mackerel ever weighed in Seagate KMT history, and the big king came from Team Fisherman’s Post Newspaper in their first ever tournament appearance.
The crew of Fisherman’s Post Newspaper included Andrew Arndt (FP staff writer), Dustin Heath (FP editorial consultant), and Gary Hurley (FP publisher), all from Wilmington. They found their 34.1 lb. king in the Southport river channel in approximately 30′ of water. The strike came at 9:30 am on a skirted pogey on the downrigger, and other than an earlier shark it was the only strike of the day.
Dustin Heath fought the king for 25 minutes before it was gaffed and brought onboard. Heath said, “The king stayed down deep during most of the fight and I was worried that it was another shark, but it took some good runs so it was acting like a king. Then I saw its profile and knew we had a big king.”
Arndt, captain of his dad’s Yamaha-powered Key West 196 Bay Reef that made the 45-minute run to Southport, said the day couldn’t have gone better. “We got all the bait we needed on one throw of the net, and we found the fish we wanted where I had pre-fished the day before,” commented Arndt. “The king was in the boat by 10:00 am, so we went home, cleaned the boat, took showers and naps, and then met at the weigh-in.”
The second place team was the last team to weigh in on Saturday. Carlton Clark and Ryan Fornash, fishing on the “Sand Flea,” hooked their 28.2 lb. king 10 minutes before lines had to be out of the water. They caught the king in the Southport river channel with a pogey on top.
“Sand Flea” has fished in the Seagate KMT each of the nine years of the tournament’s history, and this is the first time Clark had a king to weigh in. This year’s king was the only strike, other than about 8 sharks, that he had all day. The “Sand Flea” is an 18′ Maycraft.
Chris Hunt (angler), Taylor Clemmons (captain), and Mark Clemmons took third place with a 27.6 lb. king also caught in the Southport river channel. The strike came in 10′ of water about 100 yards off the beach. They were fishing on the “Morning Wood,” a 20′ Sea Mark.
“Finatic,” a 23′ Sea Hunt, came in fourth place with a 22.9 lb. king. Clint, Rick, and Wendy Richardson caught the king on a naked pogey on the top. They were fishing off of Kure Beach, where they released at least six other kings in the same size class.
Fifth place went to “Hieronymous Brothers II,” with Cordy, Cord, and Jeremiah Hieronymous. They caught an 18.15 lb. king at the 10 Mile Rock using a naked ballyhoo about 50′ deep on the downrigger.
Tournament Director Jamie Rushing thanked Dennis Rushing and his entire family for their help with putting on the tournament. The Seagate KMT has the Lower Cape Fear Hospice and Life Care Center as this year’s beneficiary.
