Tournament Report: FishJOSC Trout Tournament
The FishJOSC Trout Tournament was held over the weekend of October 14-15 and was based out of New River Marina in Sneads Ferry. Anglers could use live bait or artificials, and winners were determined by a team’s four-fish aggregate.
Team Smokin’ Trout took first place when they brought four fish to the scales weighing in at 18.38 lbs. to grab $2,000 and 100 points for the NC Coastal Trout Series. Plus, the team earned an additional $255 for placing second in the Big Fish category with a single trout weighing 4.94 lbs.
Daniel and Tommy Stephens, of Team Smokin’ Trout, hold up the four-trout aggregate of 18.38 lbs. that earned them first place in the FishJOSC tournament, the second of five events in the NC Coastal Trout Series.
Team Smokin’ Trout, made up of Daniel and Tommy Stephens, found most of their action at the mouth of an area creek. The bite was mostly a morning bite, with the action basically shutting down once the sun got hot.
In addition to the four trout they weighed, which were all caught on live shrimp, the team also landed several smaller trout and red and black drum.
In second place was Team Live Shrimp, comprised of Ricky and Randy Kellum, who had four fish weighing in at 15.10 lbs. The team won $1,200 and grabbed 99 points for the NC Coastal Trout Series.
Team Live Shrimp, comprised of Randy and Ricky Kellum, finished in second place in the FishJOSC tournament with a four-trout aggregate weight of 15.10 lbs.
All four of their trout were just under the 4 lb. class, and all were caught on live shrimp. They were fishing in Southwest Creek off of the New River, and most of their action came in the middle of the day when the tide started to fall.
They had a total of 10 trout bites (as well as some black drum and red drum strikes) and landed eight of the trout, with all eight similar in size and weight.
Team Live Shrimp won the first event in the Nc Coastal Trout Series, an artificial-only trout tournament.
The third place team was Shane & Zack whose four fish weighed in at 11.63 lbs. for $850 and 98 points. They also took first place in the Big Fish category with a 6.22 lb. trout, worth an additional $425 and 1 bonus point for biggest fish of the day. Their total was $1,275 and 99 points toward the series.
The FishJOSC Speckled Trout Tournament is owned and operated by the Jacksonville-Onslow Sports Commission. It is the second of five tournaments in the NC Coastal Trout Series, a five-event series with a prize pool of $10,000.
For more information about the series, go to www.playjosc.com/troutseries.
