Sneads Ferry Pinfish Tournament 2006
There’s one time a year when you want to get a pinfish to hit the bait on the end of your line. It’s the Sneads Ferry Lions Club Pinfish Tournament, and you can win a boat, motor, and trailer if you bring in the tournament-heavy pinfish.
But you better know where to find a 1+ pound “pinny” because that’s what it now takes to be the pinfish champ.
This year’s pinfish winner was Alex Ng out of Atlantic Beach. He brought a 1.25 lb. pinfish to the scales to earn the Carolina Skiff, Wesco trailer, and Tahatsu outboard, all provided in part by Yopp Brothers Marine.
The large pinfish came from “off Atlantic Beach” on a piece of squid. Alex battled 4-5’ seas to land the pinfish at 9:00 am. “It pulled really good,” commented Alex on the pinfish fight.
He was fishing with his brother, Anthony Ng, who brought in the second place 1.07 lb. pinfish.
Anthony is on something of a pinfish dynasty, as his daughter won the top prize last year.
Tyler Howton (age 14), from Sneads Ferry, took third place with a .53 lb. pinfish. He caught the pinfish in New River on shrimp.
Fourth place went to James Wells, from Watha, NC. He brought in a .51 lb. pinfish from New River on a live shrimp.
Wells also landed a 4.52 lb. trout that he weighed in the Trout Division, but since only one primary prize is allowed, the pinfish was his money maker.
The big trout of the tournament came from Tim Fletcher of Jacksonville. Fletcher landed a 6.40 lb. trout at the Sneads Ferry Bridge on live shrimp. Fletcher fishes on the “Head Shaker” and gave credit to Ricky Kellum, of Speckled Specialist Charters, for teaching him everything he knows about trout fishing.
Brent Banks, of “Speck”tacular Inshore Charters, took second place with a 2.97 lb. trout. He caught the trout “about 10 feet off of Tim’s boat.”
Scott Gaudette, from Jacksonville, took third place with a 2.22 lb. trout.
The top fish in the Flounder Division came from Jordan Norris (age 13), from Sneads Ferry. His 3.41 lb. flounder was caught inside New River Inlet at “the cut” on live shrimp.
Doug Bell, from Wilmington, took second place with a 2.05 lb. flounder. He caught it at a dock near Bear Creek on a mullet minnow.
