As good as Gold

North Carolina team rallies from fifth to claim first Kingfish Tour victory

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C. – Team Black Gold had every intention of running up to the Morehead City, N.C., area on day three. But with the wind ripping from the north at 20 mph, it would have severely trimmed their precious fishing time. As it turned out, Plan B, which was to stay close in the Cape Fear shipping channel, turned into a $44,000 idea.

The kingfishing on the coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean has been difficult all week. After a slower-than-expected day one, a cold front rolled through the region and made the bite even worse. With this in mind and the wind in their face, Black Gold decided against a return visit to the 1700 rock of Morehead City – the location where they caught their 30-pound, 13-ounce day-one fish.

Instead, they chose to fish the south side of the Cape Fear channel near Lighthouse Rock. The fishing was slow, but the team scraped out a 14-pound, 1-ounce king.

“We caught that one on a double-pogie rig up top on the outrigger line,” said Capt. Don Williamson. “We lost another one of about identical size, but there just wasn’t much of a bite going on today.”

The fish was caught just below the surface, but Black Gold’s Hydra-Sports vessel was positioned in roughly 50 feet of water.

“We caught a 40-pounder Wednesday in Morehead City. We wanted to go back up there, but we knew it was smarter to keep the lines in the water and maximize our fishing time.”

Black Gold has been competing on the FLW Kingfish Tour since its inception in 2005. At the Beaufort, S.C., qualifier last season, they took second place. In fact, they were leading until the final fish was placed on the scale. Ultimately, they came up 1 pound, 11 ounces short.

“We aren’t too proud of the fish we brought in today, but anything can happen in these things. We’ve worked hard for four years, and to win the last regular-season event is a cool thing.”

With a total weight of 44 pounds, 14 ounces, the Lumberton, N.C., team won by a 10-pound margin. For their efforts, they earned $44,000.

Barbara Ann blanks, takes second

Team Barbara Ann, captained by John Adcox of Jacksonville, Fla., failed to catch a kingfish Sunday and finished with a total weight of 34 pounds, 13 ounces. They collected $17,600 for second place thanks to $5,060 from Wellcraft and $5,060 from Yamaha.

“We’re disappointed with today, but we’re thrilled that we finally made it in the top five,” said Adcox, a retired University of North Florida professor.

Fishing with bluefish, pogies and ribbonfish, Barbara Ann also wetted their lines in the Cape Fear shipping channel. Specifically, they fished perpendicular to buoy No. 6 in the channel. Unlike Black Gold, they spent the entire tournament in the area – trolling toward Lighthouse Rock as the afternoon progressed.

“The bite was horrible – we just kept changing bait and changing bait. We even tried a dead Spanish on the prop wash. We had one bait that was chewed up, but we never saw anything.”

In addition to taking second, Barbara Ann also qualified for the year-end championship.

“This really reflects the efforts we’ve put in this sport. This absolutely exceeded our expectations. This is a memory that a lot of people never have.”

OBX Girl/Team Calcutta third

Although they caught a 5-pound kingfish Sunday, it didn’t quite reach the minimum length requirement. As a result, OBX Girl/Team Calcutta took a zero and finished the event third. With a total weight of 31 pounds, 4 ounces, the Tarboro, N.C., team earned $8,800.

The team, captained by Jim Dupree Jr., fished a jetty off Barden’s Inlet in 37 feet of water.

“Everything was on top – we were pulling bluefish and menhaden,” said Dupree.

On day one, Dupree and crew caught their 31-pounder across the shoals at Cape Lookout. They had thoughts of returning there today, but ultimately decided against it.

“We had good reports of fish being caught there. With the information I had, we needed to be at Barden’s Inlet. When we got there, the water was stirred up and was 4 degrees colder than earlier in the week.”

Logan’s Run fourth, Cat Daddy fifth



Falling to fourth place was Team Logan’s Run, captained by D Logan of Belville, N.C. Much like OBX Girl/Team Calcutta, Logan’s Run ran toward Morehead City – fishing the east side of the shoal in the morning and Barden’s Inlet later in the day with the falling tide.

But just like the third-place team, Logan’s Run registered a zero for the day. They did have a kingfish hooked up, but were unable to get it in the boat. Making matters worse was the fact that the team had mechanical problems.

“We had a 15-pounder on that we couldn’t quite get in,” said Logan. “We got where we wanted to, but we lost at least an hour of fishing time. This is our third top-five, and every time we’ve had mechanical problems on day three. It was just a very disappointing day.”

Who would have guessed that a measly 15-pounder would’ve been enough to take home the title? Instead, Logan’s Run took fourth – earning $6,160 for 31 pounds, 2 ounces.

In fifth was Team Cat Daddy, led by Capt. Danny Mathis of Gonzales, La. The team failed to catch a keeper kingfish Sunday, finishing with 31 pounds, 1 ounce and a fifth-place check worth $6,380. Cat Daddy, too, made the brutal run up to Morehead City.

“Today we fished a place called the Hook,” said Mathis, whose team finished third in the points race. “We were 200 yards off the beach in the Morehead City area.”

On day one, Cat Daddy caught their big fish near Drum Inlet, located roughly 20 miles northeast of the Hook.

“The conditions were so much worse today than they were two days ago; we just couldn’t get there. We had a good plan; there was just nobody home.”

Cat Daddy won the inaugural FLW Kingfish Tour event in 2005 and would love nothing more than to finish in style.

“Biloxi is my backyard, and I can tell you we’re extremely excited about it.”

Championship next

The last event of the season, the no-entry-fee FLW Kingfish Tour Championship, is scheduled for Biloxi, Miss., Nov. 14-16. Only the top 50 teams, based on points accumulated during the four regular-season events, qualified. The championship winners can take home up to $150,000.