Sneads Ferry Rotary KMT
Welsh Carson and Todd Dawkins, Calabash, NC's the "2 Dogs" fishing team, earned first place and over $16,000 in the Sneads Ferry King Mackerel Tournament for a 36.24 lb. fish that fell for a live pogy at the 1700 Rock.
Weighing in the only 30+ lb. king mackerel by the 145 boat field, Calabash, NC’s 2 Dogs Fishing Team took home first place and over $16,000 at the 2010 Sneads Ferry Rotary Club King Mackerel Tournament. Todd Dawkins and Welsh Carson, fishing aboard a 23T Contender, returned to a spot they’d fished without success the previous weekend in the quest that led them to their 36.24 lb. winning king mackerel.
“We struck out there last weekend,” Dawkins said, “but this weekend we hit a home run.”
After a mildly frustrating search for bait that took them from Town Creek to Harkers Island, the duo eventually loaded the Contender’s baitwell and struck out across Cape Lookout Shoals for the 1700 Rock, an area of bottom structure in 85’ of water east of the shoals.
“He bit around 9:00 that morning,” Dawkins continued, “just inside the 1700.”
After breaking off a big shark and dealing with some triggerfish harassing their baits earlier in the morning, the pair’s big fish fell for a naked pogy on their outrigger line.
“He just went through all the other lines and tangled everything up,” Carson said. “It was kind of a hassle for only two of us on the boat. When that line took off screaming, though, we knew it was something better than that big shark.”
Alternating places at the helm as they tried to clear their lines and follow the fish, the anglers eventually got everything straightened out and were able to keep pace with it.
“We didn’t really run him down, just kind of stuck with him,” Dawkins added.
Its first run over, the king followed the mackerel textbook and dove, entering a slow spiral beneath the boat until Carson was able to work it within gaff range.
“He went down and did his little circle,” Dawkins said, “and then he came up and we popped him.”
After Dawkins sank home the gaff and boated the king, the crew iced it down and continued fishing the area for a brief time.
“It was a rough day out there,” Dawkins explained. “We fished for another 30-45 minutes and then took a leisurely drive on in.”
The “2 Dogs” team would like to thank sponsor 2 Dogs A Walk’n restaurant for their support.
David Jones and the “Skint Back” fishing team, from Holly Ridge, NC, earned second place in the Sneads Ferry Tournament with a 29.73 lb. king mackerel. With Bobby Joe Long and George Eakins aboard a 32’ Wellcraft center console, the “Skint Back” crew also fished the east side of Lookout Shoals but went a bit further after crossing the white water.
“We fished Drum Inlet,” Jones explained. “We knew we had to be up there.”
After catching bait and heading north to a spot just off Drum, the anglers anchored up and were in the process of setting out baits when the big fish bit.
“He took the first bait out around 9:00,” the second place captain continued. “We didn’t even have time to get the chum bag out.”
A live pogy beneath a balloon fooled the big king, and Eakins grabbed the rod while the fish ran.
“It took about 30 minutes,” Eakins said. “We stayed on the hook the whole time.”
When the angler finally worked the fish back to the anchored boat, Jones was ready with the gaff.
After pulling the near-30 pounder over the gunnels, the team continued fishing at anchor until just after noon, but they couldn’t find another king mackerel.
“We left about 12:30,” Jones said. “That was the only fish we hooked.”
The “Skint Back” anglers wished to recognize the Harrell’s Hunt Club and Southeastern Acoustical Ceilings for their support.
David Jones and the "Skint Back" crew, from Holly Ridge, NC, took second place in the Sneads Ferry tournament with a 29.73 lb. king mackerel they hooked just off Drum Inlet. Photo courtesy of Anita Lancaster.
Henry Moore, III, and the local “Bobcat” crew secured third place in the tournament with a 27.55 lb. king. Moore fished with his father and friend Teddy St. Pierre on a 31’ Contender, and had a good idea of where he wanted to go after fishing the past few weekends.
“There’s been more bait in the Beaufort shipping channel than anywhere else the last two weeks,” Moore explained. “We knew it would be an east wind, and there aren’t really any hotspots that are going to turn on when it’s blowing east. The bait stacks up against the beach with that wind, too.”
The anglers didn’t have to wait long to see a money fish on tournament morning. Around 7:30, their king attacked a naked bluefish suspended from a kite.
“We flew the kite early and that’s what he ate,” Moore continued.
St. Pierre took the rod while the king made a big first run, and the anglers were locked into what became a long battle.
“We were in 30’ of water,” said Moore, “so the fish can’t go down. We should have had him in 10 minutes, but it took us 25. We couldn’t keep up with him.”
As the anglers finally closed in on the mackerel, the reason for the long fight became apparent.
“He missed that bait and got foul-hooked,” Moore explained. “He came up upside down.”
When the fish did finally come up, Moore was ready and sank home the gaff, but he was quick to defer credit.
“The gaffer’s kinda like the catcher in baseball,” he added. “You don’t get any credit unless you do something bad.”
The third place anglers wished to express their gratitude to Bobcat Farms for supporting the team.
Jacksonville’s John Parks, on the “Animal House,” scored fourth place in the event with a 26.61 lb. king, and Thomas Vangritis, on the “Let it Ride,” secured fifth place with a 21.27 lb. fish.
Due to a bite-killing east wind, the 148 boats in the Sneads Ferry tournament were only able to weigh in 13 fish, so the organizers decided to pay the extra money that would have gone to the 14-20th place finishers to those teams weighing in fish.
More information and full results are available at www.sneadsferryrotary.com.
