Sneads Ferry Pinfish Tournament 2005
In their fifth year of the event, the Sneads Ferry Lion’s Club Pinfish Tournament attracted over 200 anglers in search of the heaviest pinfish. This is the one weekend where anglers try to get pinfish on the end of their line instead of trying to avoid them.
The grand prize for this year’s heaviest pinfish was a 16′ Carolina Skiff, with a 25hp outboard and a Wesco galvanized trailer (valued at $9,000). The boat, motor, and trailer are provided by Yopp Brothers Marine, the Sneads Ferry Lions Club, Carolina Skiff, and Wesco Trailers.
This year’s top pinfish angler was 9-year-old Melanie Ng from Winterville. Melanie was fishing with her dad, Anthony Ng, in the ocean just off of Atlantic Beach. The 1.20 lb. pinfish hit a piece of squid. Anthony landed a .76 lb. pinfish to take third place in the tournament.
This is Melanie and Anthony’s first year in the Pinfish Tournament. It was also Melanie’s first time fishing in the ocean off of a boat. Melanie said of her win, “It feels really good.”
The second place pinfish also came from north of Sneads Ferry. R.D. Benedict Jr., from Swansboro, caught a .86 lb. pinfish in the Beaufort area on live shrimp. This was Benedict’s second year in a row finishing in second place.
Kimberly Banks took fourth place with a .69 lb. pinfish.
The Flounder Division went to Tommy and Lucy Wilson, from Sanford. The Wilsons caught the 2.41 lb. flounder on a finger mullet in the New River. They caught the fish in the same spot where they caught an 8.5 lb. flounder to win the division in the 2001 Pinfish Tournament.
John Pletl took second place in the Flounder Division with a 2.31 lb. flounder.
Delano Sandlin, from Beulaville, finished in third place with a 2.26 lb. flounder. He caught the fish by the drawbridge on a live minnow.
Eric Powell, of Sneads Ferry, won the Trout Division with a 4.11 lb. fish. Powell caught the trout by the New River High Rise Bridge on a live shrimp.
Becky Kellum, of Jacksonville, took second place with a 2.67 lb. trout caught at the New River High Rise Bridge.
Third place went to Dylan Banks (age 10) for a 2.37 lb. trout caught in the Onslow Bay area.
The Sneads Ferry Lions Club enjoys strong support from the community, collecting nearly $11,000 worth of fish bowl prizes.
The Lions Club gives proceeds from the event to Lions Club International and makes donations to local families in need.
