BEAUFORT, S.C. – So far, it’s been a wild ride, indeed, for Team M&M’s in Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour action at Beaufort. After winning the last event in Fort Pierce, Fla., they’re gunning for a second win in a row by leading the charge into day two here in South Carolina.
M&M’s posted a 39 1/2-pound mark to beat Friday, which is a substantial 5-pound lead over second place. Lots of fish in the 20- to 30-pound range came across the scale on day one, however, so this one’s not over yet.
With the seas kicking up a bit in the afternoon, though, expect M&M’s to take it a little easy on their key fishing spot today. With almost 40 pounds under their belt, they can pretty much coast into the finals and focus on Sunday.
“This is South Carolina,” M&M’s Capt. Randy Griffin said. “Usually, 35 pounds will get you in.”
Don’t be surprised if another 40-pounder or two comes in Saturday, though. Lots of teams caught decent fish yesterday – including Team King of Kings, which caught a 73-pound wahoo – but some of them came off before they could land them. If they can get the gaffe on them, Saturday could be an interesting day.
Into the cut
The 80-boat opening round ends after today’s fishing. The field will be cut to the top five, based on the heaviest single fish over the first two days, and will advance to Sunday’s final round. The winning team will be determined by heaviest two-fish weight, combining the opening and final rounds.
At stake in Beaufort is a potential $100,000 payday for the winning team. The total purse for the event is $300,000.
The scales open at 4 p.m. Eastern time Saturday at Downtown Marina located at 1006 Bay St. in Beaufort. The scales will be open until 6 p.m.
The final, top-five weigh-in Sunday will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 350 Robert Smalls Parkway in Beaufort beginning at 4:30 p.m.