Rumble in the Jungle 2006
The weather facing participants in the 4th annual Rumble in the Jungle King Mackerel Tournament was uncharacteristically cool for mid-October, but the temperatures and stiff north winds didn’t discourage a record 161 boats from registering and fishing the event, which took place October 13-14. However, overnight lows in the mid-40’s and a breeze gusting to 20 mph did have the fishing teams dressed more like they were after mid-January bluefin tuna instead of early fall king macks.
Crushing the competition by over 14 lbs., the “Lured Away” team, out of Houston, TX, weighed a 52.48 lb. king Saturday afternoon to finish first. Fishing aboard the 38′ Donzi powered by three 275 Mercury Verados, Capt. Albert Vrazell and teammates Chico Chamorra, Sharon Kamp, and Bobby Schoenfeld earned a check for $15,895 with the big king. Kamp was also the top Lady Angler, winning an additional check for $750.
A naked bluefish trolled long on top got the winning king’s attention at 1:00 in the afternoon. The big Donzi was trolling with a number of other boats around the Summerland Reef just east of Cape Lookout Shoals. When the fish hit, Vrazell grabbed the rod. “The king ran like he had three gears and he shifted all three,” commented Schoenfeld.
With the reel’s spool getting small, the team hurriedly pulled the spread and began pursuing the fish. Schoenfeld said, “The next thing we knew, we were chasing a 27′ Contender.” As it turned out, the “Lured Away” king had gotten around another boat’s downrigger. The team in the Contender, who was fishing the Topsail King Mackerel Tournament, pulled up their downrigger and cleared the line only to have it tangle with one of their surface baits. “They were super about the ordeal,” added Schoenfeld. They untangled the line and freed the “Lured Away” to fight their fish.
No longer tangled with the other boat, they brought the huge king in, and Chamorra gaffed the fish around 25 minutes after it bit.
With the big fish in the boat, the “Lured Away” had to hurry to make the 130 mile run back to the 4:30 pm weigh-in close at Harbourgate Marina in North Myrtle Beach, SC. Running 60 mph down the ICW, the crew made it with a little time to spare.
The team wished to thank all their sponsors, including Donzi, Mercury, American Fishing Wire, and Pelagic clothing.
The “Hooked for Reel” fishing team, hailing from Jacksonville, FL, took second place in the Rumble in the Jungle with a 38.21 lb. king mackerel. David Howard and sons Adam and Cory caught the fish Saturday aboard their 32′ Mercury-powered Fountain. They pocketed $9532, with Cory receiving an additional $500 as the top Junior Angler in the tourney.
The “Hooked for Reel” king bit a naked single pogy rig as the Howards trolled an area of live bottom 100 miles south of Murrell’s Inlet in 100′ of water. The strike came around 1:30 in the afternoon, and the king came completely out of the water with the bait in its mouth.
After the dramatic bite and a solid run, David Howard sank the gaff in the 38 lb. king around 10 minutes after it bit.
Third place went to the Port St. Lucie, FL-based “Bandit” fishing team for a 37.01 lb. fish. A check for $5958 went back to Florida with Capt. Ron Mitchell, Justin Burgren, Tom Kenney, Curt Johnson, and David Pendergraft, who were all fishing aboard the 36′ Yamaha-powered Contender on Saturday. This event also locked down the “Bandit” team’s spot as SKA Angler of the Year.
The “Bandit” crew was pulling a double pogy rig 40′ deep on the downrigger when the third place king bit. They were trolling around the Parking Lot when the fish ate the bait. Kenney was the first to the rod, and he picked it up as the mackerel began the first of two solid runs. After the runs, the fish dove, circling the boat in a tug of war with the angler that lasted 20 minutes overall. When the king finally surfaced, Burgren was ready with the gaff, and put the fish in the boat.
The hometown team “Mining My Business” took fourth place, hauling a 31.28 lb. kingfish to the scales aboard their 38′ Mercury-powered Donzi. Chuck Permenter, Patrick Bellamy, Todd Sanders, and Kent Taylor made up the Little River, SC-based crew, and won $2400 with their fish.
Their fish bit a naked hardtail (blue runner) trolled long at 8:30 in the morning. The team was fishing in the Cape Fear Shipping Channel when the king struck, and Todd Sanders took the rod. Initially the mackerel made a short run, going deep, but after a short fight it began to swim back towards the boat. Bellamy was waiting for the fish with a gaff, and when it got within range, he planted it and brought the king aboard. The entire fight lasted less than 10 minutes.
The “Mining My Business” crew caught pogies easily on the beach near Oak Island’s Ocean Crest Pier, in addition to purchasing hardtails at Harbourgate Marina. They’d like to thank sponsors Donzi, Hi-Seas, and P Mining.
Team “Simrad” caught the fifth place 30.79 lb. king aboard yet another 38′ Mercury-powered Donzi. Mark Maus, Heath Doultry, and Mark Smith comprise the Sarasota, FL-based team, and earned $1900 for fifth.
The “Simrad” team was trolling around the Cabbage Patch when their king struck a naked pogy on top around 3:30. Knowing that if they didn’t land the fish quickly they wouldn’t be able to make the weigh-in closing time, Daultry picked up the rod and the crew began to pursue their king aggressively. The fish managed to run about 150 yards before the big Donzi caught up to it and Maus was able to gaff it.
With the fish in the boat at 3:40 and the scales closing at 4:30, the “Simrad” ran back to Harbourgate Marina at a blistering 75 mph and made it in time to weigh their fish.
Tournament organizer Fred Coyne wished to thank sponsors West Marine and Outback Steakhouse, the SKA, and tournament host Harbourgate Marina.
Although the weekend’s unpleasant forecast and competing tournaments should have cut down on entries to the 2006 Rumble in The Jungle, the record number of boats succeeded in landing several kings which would have broken the previous tournament record of 34.58 lbs. This fact proves that the Rumble is one of the area’s premier king tournaments and expanding annually.
