The Wahoo Challenge
Capt. Jerry Jackson and Morehead City's "Ava D" crew weighed in a 54.80 lb. wahoo to win the 2009 Wahoo Challenge and over $25,000. Their big wahoo fell for a blue/white skirted ballyhoo south of the Swansboro Hole.
Squeaking by the second place boat by just under one pound, Morehead City’s “Ava D” crew landed and weighed in a 54.80 lb. wahoo to top the field at the 2009 Wahoo Challenge, held October 7-10 out of the Morehead City waterfront. Their big ‘hoo earned them more than bragging rights, as a check for $25,312.50 was the winner’s bounty in the event, along with a copper wahoo trophy by Haynes Hoffman of Blue Water Copper Works.
Capt. Jerry Jackson was at the helm of the “Ava D,” a 61’ Gillikin sportfisherman, and he had Teddy Guthrie, Chad Guthrie, Kenny Lane, Jeff Nelson, and Bernie Doss aboard for the event. The anglers elected to take a lay day on Thursday, the event’s first fishing day, and headed south Friday morning in their pursuit for a winning wahoo.
“We were down south of the Swansboro Hole,” Jackson explained, “right on the wall. The wall down there is just an incredible place to work back and forth across and fish. We’d seen some bait down there Friday, too.”
The “Ava D” anglers set out their trolling spread when they arrived on Friday morning, and they were rewarded with some action but no fish in the box until their big ‘hoo struck just before lunchtime.
“We’d had some bites,” the captain continued, “but that fish was the first one we got the hooks in. Kenny actually hooked the fish. It bit and was gone, and he dropped back on it. Eventually it started screaming off.”
A ballyhoo beneath a blue/white skirt fooled the wahoo, and Doss took the rod while the fish ran.
Jackson kept the boat moving forward while Doss fought the ‘hoo, and after its first run he was able to work it back to the Gillikin’s transom fairly quickly. When the swivel came within range, Teddy Guthrie grabbed the wire leader and brought the fish close enough for Lane to sink home the gaff.
Boating the fish went smoothly, and before noon on Friday the “Ava D” anglers had their winning fish aboard. While they had no way to know their fish would top the competition on Friday, they knew they’d boxed a contender.
“We got pretty excited,” Jackson reported. “We were having a big time out there.”
The anglers continued zig-zagging over the break below the Swansboro Hole for the remainder of the day, and they had a few more bite-offs but their near-55 lb. fish was the only one that made it into the fish box.
On Saturday, despite a freshening breeze that made the seas substantially rougher than Friday, the “Ava D” returned to the area where they’d caught Friday’s fish.
The area had less life than the day before, however, and the crew decided to turn northeast and head up the break.
They finally ran into some action just north of the Rise, and landed a mid-20’s wahoo on a purple/black-skirted ballyhoo. The fish proved to be their only catch on Saturday, but upon running in and heading to the awards ceremony, the “Ava D” crew learned that their Friday fish had topped the competition.
Just behind the “Ava D” with a 54.00 lb. hook were Morehead City’s Capt. Curtis Strange and the “Lady Sarah.” Angler Chris West battled the ‘hoo to the boat, earning the anglers the second place copper wahoo trophy and nearly $15,000.
Capt. Cameron Guthrie and the “Implulse,” also from Morehead City, took home third place in the event with a 52.05 lb. ‘hoo. The “Impulse” crew also captured the top spot in the tournament’s 2-fish aggregate competition, adding a 35 lb. ‘hoo to their big fish to earn an 87.15 lb. aggregate and pocket over $17,000.
Guthrie fished with mates Nathan Newlin and Mark Chambers and the David Allen and Jim Brown party aboard the 58’ custom Carolina sportfisherman, and the anglers found their big fish well to the south of most of the fleet, around the 280 line, on Friday.
The anglers couldn’t make it as far south due to the big seas on Saturday, so they had to content themselves with fishing around the 500 line, which produced the 35 lb. fish that earned them the title of aggregate champions.
David Argay and the “Sandy Beach” took home fourth place in the main event with a 51.80 lb. ‘hoo, and they also topped the tournament’s Boat Under <40’ category with their fish.
Fifth place in the event went to the “Mattie G II” for a 50.20 lb. wahoo.
The Wahoo Challenge serves not only the angling community with an exciting blue water competition, but they also serve the local community as a philanthropic organization. Over the past four years, the tournament has raised over $180,000 for their two principal beneficiaries, Crystal Coast Hospice House and the Take A Kid Fishing Foundation.
