Surfboards and stinger rigs

Weather cancels first round of Kingfish Series Championship

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – The red warning flags waved over roiling surf – a tip-of-the-iceberg indication of rough sea conditions that prompted a day-one cancellation at the Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series Championship at Orange Beach, Ala.

The full tournament field – top finishers from the North Carolina, South Carolina-Georgia, East Florida, Gulf and Upper Gulf divisions – will compete Friday, and the top five teams based on the heaviest kingfish will advance to Saturday’s final round. The winner will be determined by the total weight of the heaviest kingfish from Friday plus Saturday’s catch.

A low pressure system winding its way through the Northern Gulf of Mexico rumbled toward the Alabama coast Wednesday and made its passing on the tournament’s first scheduled day of competition. Seas had already built to 6 feet on Wednesday, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a Small Craft Advisory for Northern Gulf waters through Thursday night.

Thursday’s forecast calls for 20-knot northeast winds becoming east, 5- to 7-foot seas and showers with possible thunderstorms. Friday and Saturday will see decreasing winds and slightly lower seas, but general conditions will remain rough.

FLW Kingfish Series Director Chris Hoover announced the day-one cancellation during the event’s captains meeting Wednesday evening. A round of cheers and applause bespoke a general appreciation for the decision.

“I’m all for it – I think it’s a great idea,” said Robert Aylesworth of St. Petersburg, Fla., who leads the Gulf Division-winning Team Baitmasters. “We all know it’s going to be mighty rough out there tomorrow.”

Aylesworth said that losing a qualifying day will force him to reevaluate his game plan. Ultimately, he said his Friday performance may be subject to forces beyond his control. “I think our strategy is going to be based on what that weather’s going to be. I don’t think how many days we fish is going to matter. It’s all going to be about what we’re able to do.”

Capt. Bart Wetherington of Richmond Hill, Ga., and his Team King of Kings2 won the South Carolina-Geogia Division points title. Wetherington said the cancellation is disappointing to his competitive nature, but he understands the reasoning. “That’s (FLW’s) call to make, and if they think it’s necessary, then we support them 100 percent. They’re not going to put the lives of anyone at risk.”

Dan Grimes, director of saltwater operations for FLW Outdoors, amplified that thought. “What we always try to do is to look out, No. 1, for the safety of our anglers. We decided that because Thursday is going to be so rough offshore, where most of the fish are going to be caught, that we needed to postpone (the start of the tournament).”

Capt. Robert Dawson of St. Petersburg, Florida’s Team Porkchop was ready to brave Thursday’s weather. “I would have rather us had the option to fish, regardless of whether we’re fishing 20 miles offshore or five. At least we’d have the ability to fish. If you’re sitting in a hotel room – you’re sitting in a hotel room.

“You’re supposed to know your vessel and your limitations. If you’ve got a grip on both of those, theoretically, you should be all right.”

Of concern to some anglers was the loss of a qualifying day. As Wetherington said, the cancellation will eliminate the traditional strategy of on-water reconnaissance coupled with heavy networking after day one. “Obviously, this makes it a lot more difficult. You’ve got one shot now. There is no information you can get the night after (the first day). It puts all the eggs in one basket, but we’ll go out there and give it all we’ve got and do whatever it takes to make it happen.”

Although losing a day may be a legitimate concern for teams that also fish the FLW Kingfish Tour – two qualifying days – the series comprises single-day events. Grimes noted: “The anglers are used to one day of competition, where they don’t have a day to come back. So this is nothing that they haven’t faced before.”

Most tournament teams will spend their down time checking their equipment, making fresh sandwiches and tying a few more stinger rigs – the standard live-bait arrangement for kingfish pursuits. Dawson said that pre-trip weather monitoring had indicated a possible threat to the tournament schedule. During the break, he and his teammates intend to enjoy some local shooting sports.

“We knew there was a chance that (FLW) would cancel day one, so before we left the house, we threw the guns in the truck,” Dawson said.

Maybe he should have also brought a surfboard.