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Fishing

  • A bittersweet Jolly Mon King Classic

    This past weekend the annual Jolly Mon King Classic took place from the Ocean Isle Fishing Center. This tournament has proved over the years to be one of the region’s favorite and most-attended events, due in part to its pick-your-fishing day format, fishing boundaries and family-oriented atmosphere and prizes. However, with gas prices approaching $5 a gallon and a general pessimistic fiscal attitude, I expected the event’s participation to be severely down.

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  • Top tournament finishers battle mackerel, then storm

    The second- and third-place finishers in the Jolly Mon King Classic earned their money Saturday. After they landed their prize catches, they had to battle through a ferocious storm.

    Keith Logan aboard Logan’s Love finished second (36.65) and collected $7,750. He thanked Hunter McCray of the Rod and Reel Shop on Holden Beach. Logan fished in the Gen. Sherman Wreck area. Logan, of Longs, S.C., landed his king mackerel about 7:15 a.m.

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  • McMullan remembers friend who died in boating accident

    Standing next to a wreath on an overcast Sunday evening, Brant McMullan began the awards ceremony for the Jolly Mon King Classic by talking about Scott Hewett.

    The eulogy was not the way McMullan thought he’d have to begin the ceremony at the Ocean Isle Fishing Center for the two-day tournament, of which McMullan was the director.

    But Hewett, the captain and owner of the Spring Run, died in a boating accident Saturday when he was caught in a fierce, fast-moving storm. He was 62.

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  • 'The wind picked up—and it hit us'

    Jamie Blue of Carthage and Joel Foster of High Point had an unforgettable fishing experience in the Jolly Mon King Classic Saturday.

    They are fortunate to still be alive to talk about it.

    They were among the competitors in the two-day tournament that attracted 294 boats. But a fierce, fast-moving storm Saturday morning capsized one boat and left one person dead. Two others from that boat were rescued.

    That more people did not die is remarkable, considering how powerful the storm was.

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  • Helpful tips for upsizing summertime baits

    By this time of year, throughout many parts of the country, bass have seen a fair amount of fishing pressure. Common sense tells us bass in this situation can become harder to catch and luring them to bite requires downsizing both line and bait. While this may be a good tactic for most places, targeting pressured bass in summer doesn’t always require picking up a spinning rod and a finesse bait.

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  • Jolly Mon King Classic this weekend at Ocean Isle Beach

    It is Jolly Mon tournament time.

    This weekend the Ocean Isle Fishing Center will host the annual Yellowfin/Yamaha Jolly Mon King Classic fishing tournament. The Jolly Mon tournament has become one of the Southeast’s largest King Mackerel tournaments, last year registering 360 boats from all over the Southeast to compete for the first-place prize of more than $25,000. Of course, there are more places than first: the tournament actually pays for the largest 31 kings caught.

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  • Flounder tournament has a close finish

    The winner of the 25th annual Flounder Tournament was decided by 0.01 pounds.

    Jeff Shaver’s winning weight of 7.27 pounds edged Randy Parnell’s weight of 7.26 pounds.

    Ricky Lefler was third (6 pounds). He also had the five heaviest fish (19.39 pounds.)

    Mickey Cochran was fourth (6.30 pounds). Adam Sellers was fifth (6.29). Ken Parrish was sixth (5.77).

    The Edith Pigott Lady Angler award, sponsored by Guy C. Lee & Co., was won by Traci Bruce (3.13 pounds).

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  • Now is the time to try your hand at night fishing

    I have always been a big proponent of night fishing. With the recent heat wave that has greeted us with June’s arrival, there is no better time to try it. Most people have two big reservations about fishing after sunset: it is either inconvenient or they just don’t believe fish bite after the sun goes down.

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  • This year shows encouraging signs for those who fish for flounder

    I was among those complaining that last year was a slow year for flounder. I was not the only one. A lot of people noticed, and some did more than notice. Recreational fishermen, commercial fishermen and others all got together and blamed each other, although everybody was kind enough to pause and blame the state government too. As far as I know, nobody blamed the flounder, since we assumed we had caught them all.

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  • Goal of the Jolly Mon King Mackerel tourney is to have fun

    The Jolly Mon King Mackerel Fishing Tournament, organized by the Ocean Isle Fishing Center, attracts many competitors for an obvious reason: First place pays $25,000.

    “Typically, every year, the first-place winner takes home over $25,000,” said Capt. Brant McMullan, the tournament director. “The entry fee is only $215. That is the lowest of any tournament that I know of. So the ratio of risk to reward is very good. The reason that the payout is so good is we have a lot of boats. Last year we had a record number of boats, 360.”

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