Tournament Report – Dean’s Dream
The second annual Dean’s Dream Inshore Fishing Tournament, a fundraiser for melanoma research in honor of Dean Rivenbark, took place on the decks of Sear’s Landing on October 14-15, 2016. Anglers hit the waters surrounding Topsail Island in search of flounder, red drum, and speckled trout for a good cause.
Team “Yeah Buoy!,” consisting of John Lowry, Doug Lowry, and Ted Kreider, brought the winning trout to the scales, with a length of 21.5”.
“We were targeting trout that morning around the south end of Topsail,” explained team captain John Lowry. The team hooked up quickly, and they landed trout throughout the day, each surprisingly bigger than the next.
“My brother caught a big one, then Ted caught an even bigger one, and then I caught the winning fish. We were all out-fishing each other and also fishing as a team, laughing and cheering each other on,” said Lowry with a laugh.
The winning fish fell for a soft plastic grub.
Team “Another Episode,” consisting of Bethany Guthrie, husband Camden Guthrie, and Allen Fulghum, took the top spot in the flounder category.
“We were actually targeting trout heading into the day,” explained Camden Guthrie. The team decided to fish an area they knew, so they were targeting the south Topsail area around King’s Creek.
“We caught the flounder around 9:00-9:30 am,” said Guthrie. “I didn’t think I had anything on the line. The fish followed the bait right up to the boat, and Allen grabbed the net.”
The flounder measured 24.5” and weighed in around 6.5 lbs., securing team “Another Episode” the win.
Brandon Ashton, of Surf City, set out on the day of the tournament with a plan.
“We targeted trout in the morning and red drum in the afternoon, fishing mostly around the sound end behind the island.”
His team, “BTA,” consisting of Steven Whited and junior angler Nathan Whited, found the big fish that gave them the win in the red drum division.
“Nathan actually hooked the fish. The red drum was caught on a live mullet on a Carolina rig, but when we hooked him he wrapped himself around an oyster rock and we almost lost him,” recalls Aston.
The fish was 24.25” but didn’t immediately give the team the confidence that they were hoping.
“We weren’t sure about the fish,” said Ashton. “We fished last year, and our 26-inch drum came in second, so we weren’t sure until we got back to weigh-in.”
More information on the tournament and the cause can be found at www.deansdreamfish.com or the event’s Facebook page.
