Sneads Ferry KMT 2007
The Sneads Ferry Rotary Club King Mackerel Tournament has been good to Burt and Margaret Ferebee’s “Second Catch” fishing team. This year marks the third time in the past five tournaments that Margaret has taken the Top Lady Angler Prize, but the husband-wife team went a step further in the 2007 event, catching the 44.09 lb. king that topped the overall leaderboard and earned them the guaranteed $25,000 first place prize money.
High winds and rain on Friday and Saturday forced tournament organizers to change the event’s format from a single fishing day tournament (Saturday-only) to a Captain’s Choice event (fish Saturday or Sunday).
The Ferebees, and most other boats in the event, took advantage of the new format, electing to fish in Sunday’s calmer conditions. They launched their 23’ Contender powered by twin 175 Mercury Optimax’s at Beaufort’s Town Creek Marina on Sunday morning, caught bait in Town Creek, and left Beaufort Inlet headed for the 1700 Rock on the east side of Lookout Shoals.
The “Second Catch” found fast action at the rock, but at first there was a lack of quality fish. “It was a quick bite at first,” Burt Ferebee said. “We had 7-8 fish real quick, but they were all small—8-10 lbs. We’d just caught a small dolphin and turned back toward the bottom numbers of the rock when the downrigger went off at 55’. We knew it had to be something a little better. We didn’t know how big it was, but it felt heavy.”
The bite came around 10:45 Sunday morning, and a naked ribbonfish accounted for the strike. Margaret, who fights most of the team’s fish, took the rod from the holder after the downrigger clip popped. The fish immediately began a long run, and Burt began giving chase from the Contender’s helm.
“We ran him down,” he recalled. “Then he began that slow death roll, swimming big circles around the boat. We still didn’t know if it was a wahoo, a king, or a big barracuda. Then he came and rolled up close one time, and we saw that big brown back. I said, ‘OK, this is our fish’.”
A few circles later, the king came into range, and Burt leaned out, planted the gaff, and brought the big king into the boat just after 11:00. Knowing they had a potential winner in the boat, the Ferebees packed the king in ice and immediately headed for the scales.
“She was a long fish,” Burt said, “as long as the fish bag. I thought it would be in the high 40’s or low 50’s, but she didn’t have the girth.”
The Ferebees crossed the shoals, came in Beaufort Inlet, and ran for the scales located at New River Marina. Arriving around 1:00, they hoisted their fish to the scales to find out it weighed just over 44 lbs. The king commandingly held the top spot on the leaderboard for the remainder of the afternoon, beating out the second place fish by over 10 lbs.
Along with the guaranteed first place prize and Top Lady Angler, the Ferebees topped the TWT, earning a total of over $30,000 in the event. They’d like to express their gratitude to their sponsors—Ferebee’s Marine Service, McNaughton McKay Electrical Supply House, and Mercury—for their contributions to the team’s success.
Second place went to the “Reel Diamonds” crew, from Goldsboro, for a 33.54 lb. king mackerel. Anita Wallace, Johnny Johnson, and Thomas Johnson were all fishing aboard the 22’ Yamaha-powered Sea Pro for the Sneads Ferry Tournament, and they took home over $13,000 for the second place finish.
The “Reel Diamonds” anglers decided to target the area around the Southeast Bottoms off Bogue Inlet in their search for a winning king. They nearly captured one, as a 50+ lb. king skied on one of their baits soon after they began trolling on Sunday.
“We fought him for about 45 minutes,” Thomas Johnson said, “but we nearly sunk the boat. It was taking on water.” A bilge check revealed that a livewell hose had broken off and was filling the boat up. As the crew were clearing the water and plugging the hose, the big king pulled the hooks.
Fortunately for the team, after they pumped the boat out another big king bit around 10:15. A naked pogy on top fooled the fish while the crew slow-trolled in 52’ of water, and Thomas took the rod. “He pretty much came straight to the boat after that,” Thomas recalled.
At the boat, Johnny Johnson gaffed the king and swung it into the boat.
The big king and the second place fish were the only bites of the day for “Reel Diamonds.” They caught their pogies in the ICW between New River Marina and the North Topsail Bridge.
A 32.10 lb. king secured third place for the “Early Riser” crew, out of Jacksonville. John Parks, Robert Daughtry, and Kevin Barbee fished the tournament aboard the 35’ Yamaha-powered Wellcraft, and found their fish at the Southeast Bottoms as well.
The third place king bit a pogy behind a green bead trolled 25’ deep on the downrigger around 11:00 Sunday morning. Barbee grabbed the rod after the fish struck, and held on while the fish made a huge run. “He ripped off 350-400 yards right to start with,” said Parks. “Then he made another short run and that was it. I got on all three motors and ran him down, then the fish came by the boat, I saw how long he was and stuck him.”
With a 30+ lb. king in the boat, the “Early Riser” crew trolled the beach for a little while looking for a monster king before heading to the scales.
In addition to the third place fish, the crew caught two more kings, a few false albacore, and a few sharks. They caught their pogies behind Hibbs Island, near Swansboro.
The “Finger Bait” team, out of Morehead City, captured the fourth place 30.56 lb. king mackerel. Michael Marcheselli, Stan Jarusinski (who also took the top Senior Angler honors), and Dave Newsom made up the crew, fishing aboard the 23’ Yamaha-powered Regulator.
A small dolphin bit a pogy trolled behind the “Finger Bait” around noon on Saturday, and the fourth place king either bit that dolphin or took the pogy out of its mouth. After a short struggle with Jarusinski on the rod and Marcheselli at the helm, Newsom was able to gaff the fourth place king.
The “Finger Bait” crew would like to thank Shimano, Calusa, and KeepAlive for their sponsorship.
King, NC’s “Flat Broke” fishing team caught the 27.23 lb. fish that took fifth place overall in the tournament. The fish bit a frozen cigar minnow beneath a blue/white skirt while crew members Robert Newsome and Dennis Griffith were trolling a rock on the East Side in 63’ of water.
Newsome took the rod after the strike. During the fish’s third run, the crew decided to chase it down with the 26’ Grady White. Once they did, Newsome gaffed and boated the king.
The “Flat Broke” anglers wished to thank Dudley’s Marina, Smitty’s Marine, Morehead Marine, and Grady White for all their assistance.
Brandon Hudson, fishing aboard the “Final Draw,” took the Top Junior Angler honors in the tournament with a 26.24 lb. fish.
The Sneads Ferry Rotary Club King Mackerel Tournament attracted 149 boats for 2007, its 16th year. The event functions as the primary fundraiser for the club, and proceeds generated from the tournament go to fund a variety of charitable causes both locally and worldwide.
