BEAUFORT, S.C. – A common theme has emerged among most of the top-5 teams fishing the Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour out Beaufort South Carolina: the bigger kings have come from closer waters.
It’s all relative of course, but given the fact that kingfish boats are designed and equipped to run hundreds of miles, team captains have no problem running 70, 80 or even 90 miles one way to a kingfish hot spot.
But the story this week has been the number of top-5 kingfish teams that, for one reason or another, are fishing within 30 miles of the Port Royal inlet.
For example, Team Wild Ride had spent a great deal of practice time for the
this event along the Georgia and North Florida coast – a run of some 90 miles. But when a small engine problem arose at take-off on day one, the team was forced to fish close – only about 9 miles out – and it ended up being a blessing in disguise as the team landed their qualifying king close by.
Team Salty Dog was on their way to a long distance hot spot on day one when they noticed birds and schools of Spanish mackerel working the surface. They immediately stopped, dropped lines and hooked up with their second place kingfish, well short of their intended destination.
And yesterday, Team Castrol/Royal Flush, decided not to make the long, tortuous run they made on day one and the team ended up qualifying in fourth place with a 35-pound, 14-ounce kingfish within 15 miles of Port Royal.
Even the leading team, Team Hard Way, reported catching their top king of 44 pounds, 15 ounces about 29 miles form the inlet.
Given a radar indication of big thunderstorms moving offshore from the South Carolina coast today, chances are these top-5 kingfish boats will be within 40 miles of Port Royal most of the day.
The final weigh-in begins at the Beaufort, S.C., Wal-Mart at 6 p.m. today.
Saturday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:44 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 80 degrees
Expected high temperature: 85 degrees
Seas: 3 to 4 feet
Wind: NNE at 5 to 10 mph
Day’s outlook: 60% chance of thunderstorms