North Carolina Fishing Reports

LIQUIDFIRE · 2nd Mate Joined: Apr 25, 2008 Posts: 25

(FRONT PAGE OF THE SOUTHERN KINGFISH ASSOCIATION WEBSITE, www.fishska.com)

LIQUID FIRE WINS THE $40,000 FIRST PLACE PRIZE IN THE YAMAHA PRO TOUR STOP IN JENSEN BEACH, FLORIDA!

By Jack Holmes

Jensen Beach, FL - To say Mark Henderson was a happy camper is an understatement. His Liquid Fire team of Chris Waters, Joshua Henderson and Crockett Henderson weighed a fourth place 39.55 on the first day of the second stop of the Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour in Jensen Beach, Florida, then caught the biggest king of his life, a 50.56 on day two, for a 90.11 first place aggregate.

Let’s digress for just a moment. Thanks to Rob Ferris, Henderson was offered an opportunity to fish the new 23’ tournament edition Sea Craft a week before the tours kickoff event in Key West. He agreed but wasn’t sure if he could compete for the rest of the year. His team finished 11th so he made the commitment to continue and Sea Craft, who was excited with their efforts, once again asked if he would fish another event with the boat. He agreed. It may be one of the best decisions he and the company ever made.

The North Carolina team fished day one just north of the Loran Tower, 16 miles from the tournament site, in 75 to 85 feet of water. “We caught a lot of fish,” said Henderson who had four other fish on board each just larger than the next one. In fact many challenged his judgment on the one he weighed, thinking he left the biggest of the group on the dock. “She ate a blue runner trolled 62 feet down at 2 o’clock and we did weight the right king.”

The seas were every bit 3 to 5 foot on Friday, blowing out of the east and making the inlets very tricky, but everyone knew the weather man had predicted relatively calm seas on Saturday. He was wrong! Seas were even rougher with some saying they ran to 6 foot.

Finding the water to their liking at the Tower, the team went back to the same spot. “It was about the same time the biggest king we’ve ever caught ate a long lined blue runner,” Henderson went on to say. “Joshua, who caught the first day’s fish, did a great job on the 50 pounder. As soon as she came in the boat, I called Rob Ferris, who I learned was already at the dock, to tell him we had a slab and was coming in.”

“We couldn’t be more happy with the new Mercury powered Sea Craft” he added. “And to see my son Crockett on stage to win junior angler honors was an event the family will never forget.”

The team won the top prize of $40,000 plus picked up another $2,800 and a $3,700 Yamaha outboard in the Francis Langford event.

The best thing is that Sea Craft executives were on hand taking pictures at the dock and joining in the victory. It’ been a win, win, for all concerned and possibly the best roll out of a new model ever at Sea Craft.

Andy Hinton’s Hot Grits team was the leader after day one with a nice 44.34. With David Stallings, Ned Grady, and Ward Whitfield, on board the Mercury powered Donzi; they ran 25 miles south and fished in 106 feet of water. “I caught her at 1 o’clock after she ate a goggle eye off the medium trolled line.”

The team who had finished 9th in Key West was feeling pretty good about their chances for a check at day’s end. “You’ve got to keep putting good kings on the scale if you’re going to have any chance of “Angler of the Year” honors at the end of the season,” said Hinton. “We got some information from other teams after day one and we were torn as to where to go, but as we left Four Fish Marina we decided to go right back to where we caught the 44.”

The Hot Grits team, also from North Carolina made the right choice! “She hit a North Carolina ribbonfish we got from Al Morris,” Hinton added. “We added a pink skirt and our 41.54 gobbled it up at a little after 10.” They caught five other fish but decided to head in and be at the scale when it opened.

When the scorekeeper added the 44.34 and the 41.94, it totaled 86.28 pounds, which would ultimately give the team second place honors and keep them in the hunt for the title. They are now in second place overall with a 145.51 four fish aggregate which is a 36.39 pound per fish average. The Fourchon leg will be critical to this team.

Hinton was victorious in a Hatteras Pro Tour event and still holds the North Carolina SKA state kingfish record of 66.55 pounds.

Rob Ferris, who convinced the Liquid Fire to fish, was rewarded by a third place overall finish. Together with Carl Carson, the North Carolina team, fishing Mercury powered Sea Craft named Mad Mouse, set up shop 30 miles south. “We fished in 71 feet of water and caught our first day’s king, a 33.31, at 9:30,” explained Ferris. “She ate a blue runner.”

Ferris and Carson ran 12 miles straight offshore on day two. At 8:30 the biggest fish of the event, a 51.52, came to the boat after being tempted to eat a blue runner trolled close to the boat. They were back to the weigh in dock before three and sat right behind Hot Grits waiting to go to the scale.
Their 84.83 two fish aggregate was good for third and again lit a fire under the Sea Craft executives.

The team is now in 8th place in the overall standings but only have a three fish aggregate of 124.04. That’s a 41.35 pound average. If they can come out of Fourchon with 80 to 90 pounds they will be poised to win it all.
The ’98 National Champion, Forrest Taylor, fishing That’s My Dog, picked up 4th fishing with his dad William and Richard McRae. They had an 80.45 aggregate.

“We fished the same area off Lake Worth both days. It was a 32 mile run,” Taylor explained. “On Friday our 29.66 ate a goggle eye off the kite in 90 feet of water at 10:45 am.” On Saturday the second biggest king of the event, a 50.79, came to their boat at 1 o’clock after striking a North Carolina ribbonfish. “We fished this area last year and it paid off then too,” Taylor added.

That’s My Dog is a Mercury powered Yellowfin.

After two events, the That’s My Dog team sits in the number one slot in the overall point’s race with a 147.38 four fish aggregate. That’s an average of 37.35 pounds per fish. Having that 50-pound king in their aggregate doesn’t hurt!

All four of the first place teams in this event were from North Carolina and while the brand of boats were different, all outboard power was provided by Mercury.

Carl Carder’s “C” Crazy team rounded out the top five with a 79.35 aggregate. Carl, Paul Paulk, and Robert Cloer, fished 26 miles from the tournament site at Four Fish Marina, off the Juno Ledge both days.
“We fished in 118 feet of water where we found a 42.09 who ate a blue fish trolled on a flat line,” said Carder who almost didn’t fish this year. “The 37.26 ate a blue runner trolled 80 feet below the surface at 11:30.”

This great finish coupled with an 8th place finish in Key West gives the “C” Crazy team fourth overall with 139.05 overall points. They need to improve on their 34.76 average, but the team has fished Fourchon many times. They could be number one coming out of the upper Gulf event. One thing’s for sure this is really one close race with no clear leader emerging from the pack.

Sixth place fell to Alden Thornton’s A Team. His team runs the new bottomed 38’ Fountain with Mercury power. They caught a 30.77 on day one running north to Canaveral. “It was a 90 mile run,” said Thornton. “We fished in 102 feet of water. Our first fish was caught at 10 ‘o’clock but our 47.25, also from Canaveral on day two, ate a ribbonfish 83 feet down.” Alden’s wife Alison caught the second day’s fish while David Pennington caught the first day’s fish. Chad Barnes was the gaff man.

Jack Penny’s Penny Wise, part of the PROMARINEUSA.COM team earned seventh with a 74.47 aggregate. The Yamaha powered Contender team with Jeff Silverthorne, Mike Penny, Stanley Asensio, and Stephen Cooper caught a 43.50 fishing north of Bethel Shoals in 90 feet of water, which is 48 miles north of Jensen beach. They were in 2nd place but day twos 30.97 keep them in the money but dropped them to seventh. Teammates on the Gatorfan gave them the info on the spot. Penny is now sixth in the overall standings.

Eighth place fell to another PROMARINEUSA.COM team member, Young Guns. Lee Way Jr., Sebastian Butarelli, Mark Pincus, and Bret Taylor, fished in 90 feet of water just north of the zoo. They flew a kite both days dangling blue runners on the surface and ended up scaling a 36.25 and a 31.26 for a two fish aggregate of 67.51. They are in the top 10 in the overall standings.

The Howard’s Hooked For Reel, which carries the National Number Two plate for 2008, earned ninth with 66.06 points. They caught a 38.34 and a 27.72. David, Adam, and Cory find themselves in 11th overall in the standings now after two events. They fish a Yamaha powered Yellowfin.
Rounding out the top ten in this event was Team Footloose. Steven and John Trussel, Matthew Foote, and Tanya Paulk caught a 28.36 on day one, and then bagged a 33.40 on day two for 61.76 points. That aggregate kept them in fifth in the overall standings. A very good showing!

Finishing the final four money spots were Stuart Fitzgerald’s Mad Gaffer with a two fish aggregate of 60.87 pounds, 11th, while Chad Branch earned 12th on his Team Charter Lakes with 59.02 points.

Thirteenth fell to Mark Maus’ Team Simrad. The team scaled 58.90 pounds of fish. Season Ticket earned the final spot with 57.63 pounds. It is captained by David Butler.

Overall this year’s event saw three 50’s and 5 40’s come to the scale. That’s great fishing!

Our thanks go out to Jim S. (Wound Tight) for all his help in putting on the Francis Langford Tournament, which complimented the pro event. The team at Four Fish Marina, the Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce, and the Sports Council also contributed to the success of the event.

FISHZILLA · Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 8:02 am Post subject:

WAY TO GO MARK,CHRIS AND THE REST OF THE TEAM.YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD AND YOU GUYS AND GALS DESERVE TO WIN.GOOD LUCK TO YOU FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR.
_________________
GROUPER HUNTER
2006 SEASWIRL 26 FT CC
TEAM FISHZILLA
HAMPSTEAD NC

Back-Lash · Ol'Salt Joined: Dec 15, 2004 Posts: 662 Location: MT.Olive

WTG Mark & Crew .. you are doing a fantastic job on that Sea Craft .. I hope that you continue this adventure .
_________________
Hydra-Sports powered by Yamaha !
www.terrellcampingcenter.com
Cape Lookout Lures

http://www.fryingpantower.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album316&op=

keepnitreel1 · Mate Joined: Apr 09, 2008 Posts: 23

Good Job guys. We hope to one day make to the big leagues. See you on the pond.

Mike
Keepnitreel Fishing Team

busterb9 · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 12:12 pm Post subject:

Congratulations, way to represent NC!

bpate · 1st Mate Joined: Feb 11, 2006 Posts: 80

Congrats Mark and crew!

FISHZILLA · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 3:46 pm Post subject:

MARK WE WILL HAVE TO TRADE SOME OF THEM KING SECRETS FOR SOME GROUPER SECRETS Cool

_________________
GROUPER HUNTER
2006 SEASWIRL 26 FT CC
TEAM FISHZILLA
HAMPSTEAD NC


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