North Carolina Fishing Reports

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

Jim Naset / Pro Marine
KC.com STAFF

KC.com: You have made a great impression on the sport of kingfishing in such a short time with the teams that you support. Why did you first get involved in kingfishing?

Jim Naset: We were looking for a way to get our message out to the fishing community and we had this idea to do a boat with three different brands of engine. We knew Kevin Hannon from his tropical fish business so we started talking about it. He was all for trying the boat out and we knew he would be a great representative for ProMarine.

For those that may not know, what does Promarine do?

Kevin's boat with the three different outboards does exactly what we wanted it to do, that is to get people to ask why? We sell a complete line of parts for all the different engine manufacturers including inboard and PWC parts. The boat has been running with this setup for three years now and it draws attention everywhere it goes. We have everything from filters to pistons and even tools to maintain you engine. We now offer new powerheads, complete assembled with warranty as well.

How often do you get on the water to fish king mackerel events? What is your favorite fishery to fish?

I like to fish the tournaments but most of my fishing is for grouper and snapper here on the West Coast of Florida. I would say that my favorite fishery would be the Northern Gulf because of all the different options you have up there.

Your event, which is on April 24th, has quickly become the premier event on the West Coast of Florida. Why did you decide to start directing this event?

My partner in ProMarine is on the board of directors for the Police Athletic League (PAL). This is a great non-profit organization to help under privileged kids get involved in organized sports. It is run by the Pinellas County Sheriff's office. They wanted to do a fishing tournament as a fund raiser and asked us to get involved. This will be the third year.

Why did you decide to make this event a no checkout tournament?

I think a no check out event can help to level the field with the smaller and slower boats. Most check out tournaments end up being a big/fast boat event. With no checkout, a smaller or slower boat can be sitting on their spot at the same time a go-fast gets to theirs (weather permitting). It also allows people to fish leave from their home port and if they don't catch the fish they want they head back home which helps to control fuel costs.

How will this tournament be different from others on the trail?

I think our tournament will only be different in the sense that we have managed to secure some real good sponsors including three boat manufacturers and a whole lot of local companies and individuals that have stepped up to help out. We have a great group of people from the sheriff's office helping out and most important is that it is a 100% charity event meaning that nobody makes a dime except the fisher persons and the charity.

What size fish will it take to win this big tournament? Will it come from down South?

I wish I had some idea where to fish this week. Last week's winner came from right here in the Tampa Bay area, but I think there will be enough teams fishing South that the winner may come from South at about 50 pounds. For the sake of all the people who disagree with a no-checkout, I hope that the winner comes from a 17 foot skiff off the Clearwater Hard bottom.

How many boats are you expecting with your incredible prize structure that includes a first place prize of $20,000 guaranteed?

We now have almost 50 pre-registered boats which is way up from last year. If we get a good weather forecast on Thursday, I think we can expect close to 125 teams. Last year we had 106 with a much lower purse. The winner this year could walk away with $62,500 prize value not counting the TWT's. The rest of the payout is based on 100 boats.


Create an Account		Home · ReefCast · WaveCast · Supermap · Tide Charts · NC Radar · Solunar · Account · Photo Gallery · Videos · Forums · Recipes · Classified Ads