Fort Pierce, Florida–On April 22, the Wild Turkey and Mister Stanman fishing teams claimed the titles of SKA National Champions at the 2005 Southern Kingfish Association (SKA) Championship Tournament, which was delayed from November 2005 due to a double dose of hurricanes and adverse sea conditions. The tournament, originally scheduled for November 2005 in Biloxi Mississippi, was moved to Fort Pierce, Florida after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the gulf coast and was then forced to be rescheduled for April 21 and 22 as a nasty cold front descended on Florida’s east coast. While the weather and fishing conditions were excellent early in the week, they deteriorated during the tournament and made the winds and seas for the second day of fishing far less than optimum fishing conditions.
Several fishing teams rose to the occasion and caught impressive king mackerel, especially so under the conditions. The Wild Turkey Team, captained by Rick Smith of Brunswick, Georgia, captured a second 24 –foot and Over SKA National Championship and set a new weight record for this event when held on the East Coast. Smith, along with crew members Tony Thaw, Carl Alexander and Jimmy Mancil, brought a 53.59 pound king to the scales on Friday and then returned with a 55.66 pounder on Saturday, for a 109.25 pound aggregate. The Wild Turkey is a 35-foot Evinrude powered Wellcraft.
Many competitors remarked the Wild Turkey’s 109.25 pound aggregate weight was much more like the heavier weights usually encountered when this tournament is held in the Gulf of Mexico. The two most recent SKA Championships held on the east coast were won with aggregates of 74 pounds. In 2001 at Fort Pierce, Jerry Dilsaver and crew on the 23-foot Carolina Adventure topped the entire field with 74.22 pounds, while in 2000 at Morehead City, N.C., Jack Wood and crew on the Team Donzi prevailed with a 74.10 pound aggregate.
When the Wild Turkey won this tournament in 2003, at Biloxi, Mississippi, they tallied just over 4 more pounds, with a 114.04 pound aggregate.
The Mister Stanman Fishing Team, captained by Stan Jarusinski of Stella, N.C., caught kings of 42.47 and 39.91 pounds to post an 82.38 pound aggregate and claim the win in the 23-foot and Under Class. Joining Jarusinski on the boat were Kevin Hill of Lagrange, N.C., Greg Ogle of Pittsboro, N.C. and Charles McClure of Ocean Isle, N.C. The Captain Stanman is a Yamaha powered 23-foot Regulator.
“We began our first day in 75 feet of water off the Loran Towers,” Jarusinski said. “We had encountered difficulty catching bait and bought some to be sure we had it.
“Our Friday fish hit and ran hard dumping most of my line, then doubled back and came right back at the boat. We were in reverse for a while trying to keep some tension on the line. Finally the fish came up beside us and we stuck it and put it in the boat. It was our only strike of the day.”
Jarusinski said they returned to the same spot on the second morning, but didn’t have any luck. “At about 1:30 we made the decision to head for the beach and go for broke. It paid off as we were moving in and saw some boats so we stopped and fished and that is where we caught our Saturday fish. Unlike on Friday, that Saturday fish didn’t run much. It made one short run, came back to the boat and we gaffed it and had it in the boat in less than 5 minutes.”
Jarusinski complemented his crew and said, “It was a total team effort. Everyone played a major part in putting those two 40s in the boat.” He also extended thanks to his team’s sponsors, the SKA Sponsors and the entire staff of the SKA. Then he noted they had already made plans to defend their title in November.
Continuing somewhat of a growing trend in the SKA Championships, the Mister Stanman crew caught larger fish than many of the teams in larger boats. Their catch would have put them in 3rd place in the larger boats, but unlike in local and regional tournaments, during the championship the smaller boats compete only for a separate set of prizes.
Several competitors were heard remarking that if the conditions would allow you to get there, the fish didn’t know what size boat you were in. This was proven in the 2001 SKA Championships when Jerry Dilsaver and the Carolina Adventure crew topped the entire field in their 23-foot KenCraft and again in 2004 when Stephen Barfoot and the SNAFU crew did the same in their 23-foot Contender.
The largest fish of the tournament was caught on the first day by Capt. Ernie Diloreti and the crew of the Donna’s Worry. The Mount Pleasant, S.C. team led overnight but was unable to add a second fish on Saturday. Their 59.01 pounder was good enough to claim 15th place on its own.
Other Carolina fishing teams doing well in the tournament included Iron Man, David Ballard , Georgetown, S.C., 3rd place; Wet-N-Sassy, Scott Powers, Supply, N.C., 10th place; Donna’s Worry, Ernie Diloreti, Mount Pleasant, S.C., 15th place, Team Offshore Carolina, Mike Bailey, Sherrills Ford, N.C., 16th place and Grace, James Hammonds, Reidsville, N.C. 23rd place in the 24-feet and Over Class. In the smaller boat class, the Carolinians who fared well were: Lex-Abb, Robert Hayes, Angier, N.C., 11th place; Knot@Work, Robert Olsen, Charleston, S.C., 12th place and Eren’s Addiction too, Jack Bracewell, Summerville, S.C., 19th place.
The SKA On-line scoreboard showed 109 boats weighing fish in the 24-foot and Over Class and 59 boats weighing fish in the 23-foot and Under Class.
Be the first to comment