|
Jesse's Hunting > Fishing Articles > Fishing Articles Archives > JHO Sponsors King Mackerel Fishermen on the Tournament Trail
JHO Sponsors King Mackerel Fishermen on the Tournament Trail
Mike Gilmore - JHO ProStaff
- Pensacola, FL
June 19, 2004
29lb. King Mackerel
This 29 pounder landed team Done Deal in the money and earned them some points on the Mercury Tournament Trail Kingfish Series. Stick around for the next leg of the series. |
This year two friends and I who normally fish several local king tournaments along the Gulf Coast of Florida decided to try our hand at a tournament series. We started by joining the SKA or Southern Kingfish Association as we have in the past. The SKA promotes conservation and endorses several existing King tournaments, as well as creating a few of their own. Once a member, you become part of the Mercury Tournament Trail Kingfish Series.
This trail entails five tournaments along the Gulf Coast and targets only trophy kingfish. These five tournaments are completed and you receive one point per pound for the biggest kingfish that you weigh at each one. Your three biggest fish totals are then added together at the end of the five competitions and the top 15 teams from each division are allowed to fish the National Championship Kingfish Tournament in Biloxi, Mississippi in August.
We started the year by preparing in hopes of winning a tournament and being able to fish the Pro division against the best of the best next year. One win is required to graduate to this level. Our most valuable weapon was the purchase of a 36 ft. Yellowfin Center Console boat by team member Steve Kehoe. Steve decided to name it "Done Deal". We instantly became "Team Done Deal" on the kingfish circuit.
The boat is custom made in south Florida and rigged and equipped especially for catching large kingfish. This is one fast machine, powered by twin Suzuki 250hp, 4-stroke outboards. All new Key Largo rods adorned by Shimano TLD 25 reels spooled with 30 lb. line filled the rod holders and Cannon Mag 15 downriggers were mounted on the gunnels. Top-notch equipment is needed to fish with top-notch competition anglers.
We then put in hours upon hours preparing for our mission, including tying leaders, gathering tackle and making sure the boat performed at Steve's satisfaction. Jesse’s Hunting and Outdoors (JHO) graciously sponsored us on the first leg of our venture.
Our first tournament came June 3-5 at Venice Marina in Venice, Louisiana. This particular tournament would also include the Pro division on the Yamaha Tournament Trail. Competition would be stiff, fishing against the best with nearly 300 boats trying to catch the biggest kingfish. Venice is known for its fishing. Trophy kingfish are very popular in this area and a little further to the west. They have been known to reach in excess of 50 lbs. or more on several occasions, and tournament size fish are not uncommon.
On June 2nd we arrived at Cypress Cove Marina, and put the boat in the water and settled in for a good night’s sleep. The next morning we began to load the boat and rig the rods for the tournament kick-off on the next morning. We spent the entire day shopping for ice and food, and gathering fishing information from other teams and locals. We were new to this area, and would need all the knowledge we could get to compete.
The next morning, June 3rd, rolled around, and we waited at the docks for tournament chairperson to announce the start. At 0530 we were given the thumbs up, and we took off out of the marina with nearly 100 other fast boats. The big thing with kingfish is that it’s not unusual for the first bait in the water to get slammed by the big one, so you need to get to your fishing spot fast. In this case, a long run down the Mississippi River dumped us out of the treacherous Tiger Pass into the Gulf of Mexico, then out another 15 miles southwest to the oilrigs to begin the first leg of our trip.
We finally stopped at a rig, and could see large schools of Blue Runners around the pipe legs. Blue Runners are more commonly known as hardtails and are one of kingfish’s favorite dinners. We quickly used small jigs to load the live well with nearly 20 hardtails before departing to another rig in the distance.
Upon arrival, we dropped two hardtails down on the downrigger rods to different depths. We also fly-lined two large hardtails over the stern, right on top of the water. Slow trolling for large kingfish is the preferred method to catch the larger ones.
This spot proved uneventful so we traveled a little further west to try our luck. It wasn't long before we started getting knockdowns. Each time, though, a shark had eaten our bait, so they were all popped off at the boat. Sharks were wearing us out and we had to gather bait from the rigs several times as we rig hopped around the Gulf of Mexico.
The day continued on and we were not having much luck until afternoon. Suddenly, we got a screaming knockdown and boated a small 15 lb. kingfish to break the ice. A short time later we were able to boat a larger 29lb. kingfish that would ultimately take us to the scales. The rest of the day we were again plagued with sharks eating our bait.
At nearly 1400 we had a bite, and quickly realized that we had a large kingfish hooked. He smoked the drag like a racecar and we began to follow him in the boat. After nearly a 15-minute battle the hooks pulled and he was gone forever. This completed the day for us. A long run back to the marina and our fish was weighed but didn’t put us close to the money. A large 53 lb. kingfish was leading and had been caught by a member of the Pro circuit. We cleaned up, grabbed some dinner, and prepared for the next day.
I awoke at 0445 and told the rest of the crew to get ready, because we needed to add another 100 gallons of fuel to the boat before we departed. At 0530 we were again given the go ahead, and boats flooded out of the marina to the river. Upon reaching the Gulf, things looked bad. A large storm was brewing off to the west where we needed to go. As we reached the storm we donned foul weather gear and went straight through the center of it. Seas were very sloppy, and hard rain and lightning made traveling fast impossible.
After nearly five miles of misery, we reached the backside of the storm to sunny skies. Traveling became smoother and we pushed on for another 30 miles or so. We again gathered bait and begin fishing. This proved to be another slow day and finally about 1100 we had a drag screaming.
After a nearly one-hour battle we realized that we had a 6 ft Hammerhead shark. He was quickly popped off and we decided to return to the rig where we lost the large kingfish on day one. As we arrived and deployed the baits, it wasn't long before we were on again. I grabbed the rod and shortly thereafter landed another small kingfish that went about 12 lbs. This was at least better than a shark and was what we came for.
Trolling went slow again for several hours and at almost 1500 we had another screaming drag. I grabbed the rod and the line peeled off in record-breaking speed. This is why they call big kingfish "smokers". The line nearly smokes as it comes off the reel. It quickly took 200 hundred yards of line and was traveling right on the surface of the water. I knew that this wasn't a shark this time.
The boat began to follow the fish as I stood on the bow gaining every inch of line that I could. The fish made another fast run, which confirmed that we had a money winning kingfish on the end of the line. Steve, Blake and I, had tight nerves as I fought the fish for nearly 20 minutes hoping to put him in the boat. Just as we began to think things were going our way the line snapped and he also was gone forever. We had lost the fish we needed to take us to the top. I guess that’s why they call it fishing and not catching.
We took a closer look at the line on this rod and determined that apparently it is not very abrasion resistant, probably snapping because of a small nick. We checked our other rods and realized that the tensile strength of this brand of line was not up to par for this type of fishing. We called it a day and chalked this up as a major lesson on our quest to win a kingfish tournament on the Mercury Tournament Trail.
A 57 lb. fish won this one, but we still gained 29 points for the fish we caught the first day. Hopefully in future tournaments we can better that score with at least three fish so it gets bumped from our totals.
The next tournament on the trail is scheduled for June 11-13, out of our hometown of Pensacola, Florida. We will certainly have the home field advantage on this one and we our hoping it takes us to the number one spot. We will again travel far west to the oilrigs in search of the big kingfish. This time we won’t have to compete with the Pro circuit but only the boats in our division. Less competition means better chances at winning a tournament and some good prize payouts.
Fast action kingfishing can quickly become, not just a sport or hobby, but an addiction with very stiff competition. We have become kingfish crazed weekend warriors and are prepared to battle our way to the top as "Team Done Deal" until the deal is done! Wish us luck!
Kingfish Tournament Trail Part 2 will be posted after the next tournament is completed. "Team Done Deal" would like to give a special thanks to JHO for sponsorship in this tournament series.
|
