2025 Kingfish Cup Championship

Going into Friday, November 14, the weather for the 2025 Kingfish Cup Championship was a little on the rough side, with conditions varying depending on where teams chose to fish. Tournament staff made the call to run the event on that one fishable day, setting the format as a single day of fishing with a two‑fish aggregate, with the Ocean Isle Fishing Center serving as the weigh‑in station and tournament headquarters.

This year saw 28 teams invited to the final championship event, with invitations based on results from the four‑event qualifying series: Jolly Mon King Classic, Fall Brawl King Classic, Got ‘Em On King Classic, and Rumble in the Jungle. 

Team Wave Grader, captained by Oak Island angler Don Pritchard, claimed first place in the 2025 Kingfish Cup Championship with kings weighing 33.70 lbs. and 33.45 lbs. for a two‑fish aggregate of 67.15 lbs. The win earned the crew $109,685. 

Fishing out of a 39’ Contender, Pritchard was joined by his brother‑in‑law Benny Moffitt, Kenny York, and Travis Ackerman.

The team left Ocean Isle at the 6:30 a.m. shotgun start and began fishing around 7:40 after crossing the shoals. 

Travis Ackerman, Don Pritchard, Benny Moffitt, and Kenny York (l-r), of Team Wave Grader, with the two kings that secured their first‑place finish in the 2025 Kingfish Cup Championship. The crew’s 33.70 lb. and 33.45 lb. catches combined for a 67.15 lb. aggregate and earned them $109,685.

Their first lines drew amberjack strikes, a frustrating start, but by 9:00 a.m. they boated their biggest king of the day, a 33.70 lb. fish. Less than an hour later, they added another in the upper‑20 lb. class, taking early pressure off with a solid two‑fish aggregate. 

With weigh‑in closing at 4:00 p.m., Wave Grader pushed until the last minutes. Just before 3:00 p.m., back on the same ledge where they had started, their spread produced again. The fish was boated cleanly, weighed 33.45 lbs., and gave the team the upgrade they needed. With seas laying down for the run home, Pritchard pushed the Contender back to Ocean Isle at 60 mph, arriving with confidence in their bag. 

Just behind them was Team Miles Away, captained by Hunter Miles, of Cross, SC. Fishing out of a 31’ Contender with twin Yamaha 300s, the family crew of Hunter, his father Jason Miles, and Suzanne Miles finished second with kings weighing 27.7 lbs. and 36.6 lbs. for a two‑fish aggregate of 64.3 lbs. Their performance earned them $20,250.

The morning started with adversity. After the 6:30 a.m. shotgun start out of Shallotte Inlet, the port motor began to shudder—a fuel pump issue that had resurfaced from earlier in the season. Fifteen miles offshore, the motor lost full power, forcing Miles to coax the boat along at 3,000 RPMs, barely keeping the boat at 20-25 mph. They arrived last to the grounds and knew they would need to leave early to make weigh‑in.

Jason, Suzanne, and Hunter Miles, of Team Miles Away, with their $31,648 check for second place in the 2025 Kingfish Cup Championship. The family crew overcame engine trouble to weigh in two kings totaling 64.3 lbs.

Despite the setback, they boated their first king around 9:00 a.m., a 27.7 lb. fish that gave them a baseline but didn’t feel competitive compared to the big fish weighed the day before in the wild card. Just thirty minutes later, though, their spread produced again. A king skied on the long line, exploding eight feet out of the water before settling into a long run. The fight was clean, and the fish was boated—a 36.6 lb. king that would anchor their aggregate.

With mechanical troubles lingering, Miles gave himself three hours to make the run back. The boat struggled to get on plane, forcing him to use following seas to lift the hull. Holding steady at 3,900 RPM, the crew made the long run back to Ocean Isle and arrived safely with their fish iced and ready for weigh‑in.

Rounding out the podium was Team GripFlip, captained by Gaston Hughes, of Wilmington, NC. Fishing with his brother Tyler Hughes, Ryan Sutton, and Wes Jenkin, the crew weighed kings of 25.1 lbs. and 38.65 lbs. for a two‑fish aggregate of 63.75 lbs., earning $59,060.

Their morning started slow, but around 9:00 a.m. they boated their biggest fish of the day, a 38.65 lb. king. 

The crew pressed on, battling amberjacks and false albacore that crowded their spread. By early afternoon, they returned to their original area near the shoals, roughly 10 miles offshore, and at 2:00 p.m. landed their second weigh‑in fish, a 25.1 lb. king that completed their aggregate.

This was the 8th season for the Kingfish Cup Series and Championship, and to find this year’s full leaderboard and details on ways you can participate in next year’s event, go to KingfishCup.com or visit their Facebook page.

by Fish Poster