Tournament Reports – Sneads Ferry KMT
The 28th annual Sneads Ferry King Mackerel Tournament, sponsored by the Sneads Ferry Rotary Club, took place August 16-17 this year at New River Marina. With over $40,000 in cash prizes to award, the event is recognized as one of the best king mackerel tournaments in the Carolinas and is a Southern Kingfish Association certified event.
Due to the bad weather forecast, the tournament decided to offer anglers a Captain’s Choice format. The event usually only features one-day of fishing, but as a result of high wind and seas, as well as scattered storms, they allowed boats to choose between Saturday or Sunday as their one fishing day.
This year 48 boats were registered (in comparison to a past year average of 100 boats), largely due to the unfavorable forecast, and only 15 of those 48 boats weighed in king mackerel.
Earning first place with a king weighing in at 36.44 lbs. was Brett Barnes and his son Alan Barnes, of Team “Hot Rod,” who have successfully fished tournaments like this one together for twenty years and counting. Using menhaden as bait, they caught seven total fish throughout the day, including their trophy fish.
Scoring second place with a 35.02 lb. smoker was David Lucas of “Amanda Gail.” Third place went to Joe Dorman of “Dealer Ship” for their 34.73 lb. king.
Brett and Alan and Barnes, of Team Hot Rod, with the winning king in the 2019 Sneads Ferry King Mackerel Tournament. The king weighed in at 36.44 lbs.
The Sneads Ferry Rotary Club took over organizing this event 25 years ago and has since turned it into a major fundraising event. Dedicated to the welfare and well-being of area residents, the club donates proceeds from the tournament to several charities.
This year the club was able to donate $2500 to the Waccamaw Boys and Girls Home, as well as sponsor events in the community, such as a senior citizen’s dinner in North Topsail Beach and 32 additional community activities.
For a more complete leaderboard and information on next year’s event, visit the Sneads Ferry King Mackerel Tournament website at www.sfkmt.com.
