Kwazar shines
Local pro Marcus Kennedy pulls monster kingfish from inhospitable Gulf
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – Dolphins rolling in the Intracoastal Waterway seemed interested in watching the Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series Championship weigh-ins at The Wharf in Orange Beach. Of course, it’s also possible that these marine mammals didn’t like the angry Gulf waters any more than tournament competitors.
After tournament officials canceled Thursday’s scheduled start due to a Small Craft Advisory issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), anglers fished day one of the now two-day event in gusty winds and seas that grew to 8 feet offshore.
Not that anyone would wish for such harsh conditions, but Mobile, Alabama’s Marcus Kennedy, whose Team Kwazar leads the show with a 51-pound, 11-ounce smoker king, said the inclement weather actually worked in his favor.
“The weather today and (knowledge of the area) gives local anglers a little bit of an advantage,” he said. “The (competitors) coming from out of the area are real good fishermen, but with as rough as it was, they couldn’t run all over the Gulf.”
Joined by Max Williams of Pensacola, Fla., and Mike Ward and Todd Kercher, both of Mobile, Ala., Kennedy ran approximately 60 miles southwest of Orange Beach and fished over patches of natural bottom in 180 feet. With his son Tyler playing in a high school football game that evening, Kennedy said he accomplished his goal of securing a spot in Saturday’s top-five finale with enough time to make the opening kickoff.
“It was really rough out there today, so I told the boys, `We have to just get out there and get it done,'” he said.
Team Kwazar caught three other kingfish in the 30-pound class Friday. Their heaviest fish hit a live blue runner on a downrigger set 70 feet deep at 11 a.m. Kennedy usually mans the helm during tournaments, but with other tasks occupying his teammates, he grabbed the rod and fought the fish for about 10 minutes. Ward gaffed the king.
“I was the angler by default – all of my crew was busy somewhere else on the boat,” Kennedy chuckled.
Sake socks `em
Team Sake, led by Capt. Neil Nix of Okeechobee, Fla., also braved the big seas, ran 50 miles south and caught a 41-pound, 9-ounce kingfish over a reef in 180 feet of water. Teammate Eric Kindell credited his team’s bold game plan for their top-five placement. “I think a lot of teams were kind of scared to get out there and go deep, but we took the risk and made the run.”
As Kindell recalled, triumph emerged where tragedy could have flourished. “We were just getting another fish up when (the second-place fish) hit. He was straight out from us, instead of behind us, when he hit, so he could have jerked the rod right out of the holder.”
When Sake’s big fish ate a live blue runner around 10:30 a.m., Danny Marasocci fought the fish and Nix gaffed it after a 35-minute fight. The team caught another 11 kings between 20 and 25 pounds.
“We caught the (big) fish on our second spot,” Kindell said. “We had only been there about 30 minutes. We went through about 14 rigs in an hour on that spot. The bites were just one after another.”
In the Northern Gulf, 41-pound kingfish are not exactly commonplace. However, Kindell said his team will need another big fish to win the tournament. “We’re going to need a 45 tomorrow.”
In third place, Team Square & Level/Reel Wild, captained by Frank (Pete) Eldridge of Waycross, Ga., caught a 40-14, while Team Old School, captained by Scott Jennings of Port Royal, S.C., took fourth with 38-4. Team Catch 22, captained by Kevin Arnold of Houston, clinched the fifth-place spot with 36-6.
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 leaders at the FLW Kingfish Series Championship:
6th: Gatorfan, Capt. Dave Albritton of Port St. Lucie, Fla., 34-14
7th: Play’N Hookie, Capt. James Robertson of Pawley’s Island, S.C., 34-13
8th: Team Millennium Marine, Capt. Jason Wagen of Seabrook, Texas, 33-14
9th: Team Rebecca-Ann, Capt. Frank Strickland of Valdosta, Ga., 33-5
10th: Team Nailhead, Johnny Walker of Gainesville, Ga., 32-13
The final round of Kingfish Series Championship action in Orange Beach continues at Saturday’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. CT at The Wharf, located at 23101 Canal Road in Orange Beach. Final weigh-in starts at 4 p.m. at The Wharf.