SOUTHPORT, N.C. – Team Nailhead, captained by Johnny Walker of Gainesville, GA. held off a day-two threat to maintain the lead with a kingfish weighing 42 pounds, 9 ounces at the $330,000 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour event Powered by Tyson in Southport, where teams are competing for a top award of as much as $100,000 cash.
On Thursday, Walker and teammates Thomas Little III and Randy Bell, both of Gainesville, GA. and Danny Parker of Pendergrass, GA. drove their Evinrude-powered Wellcraft center console approximately 40 miles east of Carolina Beach, N.C. and caught the leading kingfish on a ribbonfish in 60 feet of water. Team Fishmeister, led by Dean Spatholt of Calabash, N.C. fell just over a pound short of the top spot Friday with a kingfish weighing 41 pounds, 5 ounces.
One of Walker’s triple engines blew a power head on day 1, so he and his teammates spent Friday breaking in the repaired motor and assembling their plan for Saturday’s final round. “We went out and caught some bait just in case it’s hard to get tomorrow. We got some pogies (menhaden) and some bluefish so we’re ready to go in the morning.”
Walker said he will spend the final day of fishing at the site of his day-one accomplishment. “We hope we can go back to the same spot and get a good fish. Some of the other teams will probably make the long run (north to Morehead City, N.C.), so it just depends on if they can get one or if we can get one.”
Teams fished under mostly sunny skies with moderate temperatures, but strong east winds built the Atlantic Ocean into 5- to 6-foot swells. Those who ran north and crossed the Cape Lookout Shoals reported extremely rough seas and longer than normal running times.
Rounding out the top five teams are Team Hooligan captained by Joe Winslow of Sunset Beach, N.C. (35 pounds, 14 ounces); Team Kellogg’s captained by Bryan Edwards of Little River, S.C. (35 pounds, 10 ounces); and Team Lured Away captained by Robert Schoenfeld of Conroe, Texas (28 pounds, 14 ounces).
Teams caught 35 kingfish Thursday weighing 608 pounds.
FLW Kingfish Tour qualifying tournaments are three-day events. The entire field competes Thursday and Friday and the top five teams compete Saturday. The winning team is determined based on the heaviest kingfish from Thursday or Friday plus the heaviest kingfish from Saturday. Boats will launch from South Harbor Marina Saturday at 7 a.m., and the final weigh-in will be held at the Southport Wal-Mart located at 1675 N. Howe Rd. beginning at 4 p.m.
The Southport tournament is the final stop on the $1.82 million Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour consisting of four regular-season events. The top 50 teams compete in the three-day, no-entry-fee $500,000 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour Championship to be held in Mount Pleasant, S.C., Nov. 9-11. The championship team will take home as much as $150,000.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $36.9 million through 241 events in 2006.For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events. For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.