SOUTHPORT, N.C. – Due to other commitments, Capt. Joe Winslow of the Sunset Beach based Hooligan Fishing Team wasn’t able to be there for the first two days of the Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour event in Southport on October 20-23. However, his teammates, Alan Ambrose and Fred Coyne, made sure he had to come and fish on Saturday by catching a 35-pound, 14-ounce king mackerel on Friday. On Saturday, the three team members carried a Fox Sports Network cameraman on a roughly 270 mile round trip and caught their tournament-winning 32-pound, 6-ounce king mackerel at the very last minute.
The Hooligan’s Saturday trip wasn’t without its share of drama. The weigh-in was two hours earlier than the previous days and they pulled out all the stops.
Before the morning’s checkout, Team Hooligan was undecided about making the long run. They decided it was their best chance at boating a large fish and they were already in the top five, so they needed to go for the win.
Time was running out, when the fateful fish finally bit. Winslow said he and his crew had all but given up and were stretching their fishing time to the absolute last minute. The winning king ate a live menhaden on the long flat line. Winslow fought the king, while Coyne maneuvered the boat and Ambrose handled the gaffing chores.
After boating the king so late in the day, the team had to run harder than usual to make the check-in time and they had been very close on gas on Friday. Running harder and working through the big seas had taken a toll on their fuel and one engine ran out of gas before reaching the check-in. They had cut the time so close, their fuel issues made them 11-minutes late to check in and would cost them an 11-pound penalty.
“We were absolutely terrified,” said Coyne. “When that first engine died we ran to the bow of the boat to keep it on plane.”
Winslow and crew needed 18-pounds, 3-ounces to take the lead. Their fish weighed 32-pounds, 6-ounces, but the 11- pounds penalty (A pound per minute late) dropped it to 21-pounds, 6-ounces. They survived the penalty by 3-pounds, 3 ounces and secured the win.
Team Hooligan finished the tournament with 57-pounds, 4-ounces, and garnered a first-place check worth $70,000. The winners received $40,000 from the tournament and a $30,000 bonus from Yamaha Outboards.
Team Nailhead, captained by Johnny Walker of Gainesville, Ga., was the leader going into the final day of the tournament. They had a spot in mind, but it included a long ride across a very rough ocean, which they aborted shortly after leaving the inlet. Their “Plan B” was almost good enough. They caught a kingfish weighing 11-pounds, 15-ounces, but came up a little short.
Team Nailhead had a total weight of 54-pounds, 8-ounces and collected $35,000 for second place. Their winnings included bonuses of $9,000 each from Wellcraft Boats and Evinrude Outboards.
Team Kelloggs, captained by Bryan Edwards of Little River, S.C., was the only boat to make the final day with a fish caught immediately off Southport. They decided to stay close on Saturday and increase their fishing time.
Team Kelloggs’ Saturday king weighed 18-pounds, 6-ounces and had them in the lead until the Hooligan weighed. They finished with a total of 54-pounds even and collected $20,500 for third place.
“We got really nervous this morning when everybody went north and we went south,” Edwards said.
This was the final qualifying event for the no-entry-fee $500,000 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour Championship, which is scheduled for Mount Pleasant, S.C., Nov. 9-11. The championship is for the top 50 teams after the four regular-season events. The championship winners could win up to $150,000.
The qualifiers for the Kingfish Tour Championship include the following N.C. teams:
5 Hooligan, Capt. Joe Winslow
7 Excitation, Capt. Karl Mrozek
9 Direct Connect, Capt. John Hunt
11 Wild Ride Fishing Team, Capt. Randy Griffin, Jr.
13 East Coast Sports, Capt. Randall Edens
17 Marcia D, Capt. Perry Johnston
18 Predator, Capt. Jack Wood
23 Team Raymarine, Capt. John Parks
30 Miss Micki, Capt. Ricky Rowland
32 Team House-Autry, Capt. Ronald Sutton
33 OBX Girl/Team Calcutta, Capt. Jim Dupree, Jr.
34 Second Chanze, Capt. John Lewis
35 Reel Culture, Capt. Shane Hollar
36 Team Berkley, Capt. Dieter Cardwell
37 Jackpot, Capt. Tat Fearing
38 Sea Rat, Capt. Mitch Yates
42 Logan’s Run, Capt. D. Logan
44 Team Gain, Capt. Joe Buie
48 Sea Bandit, Capt. Dennis Stark
FLW Kingfish Tour tournaments are three-day events. The entire field competes Thursday and Friday and the top five teams compete Saturday. The winning team is determined based on the heaviest kingfish from Thursday or Friday plus the heaviest kingfish from Saturday.
For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit www.flwoutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
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