ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – Team “Kwazar” captained by Marcus Kennedy of Mobile, Ala., caught a kingfish weighing 51 pounds, 11 ounces Friday to lead the Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series Championship in Orange Beach, Ala. Teams are competing for a top award of as much as $70,000.
The event was scheduled to start Thursday, but when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a Small Craft Advisory for the Northern Gulf of Mexico Wednesday afternoon, FLW management cancelled the first scheduled day of competition as a safety precaution. Teams faced rough seas Friday, but cloudy conditions gave way to clear skies by mid afternoon.
“It was really rough out there,” Kennedy said. “I told the boys `We have to just get out there and get it done’.”
Fishing with Max Williams of Pensacola, Fla. and Mike Ward and Todd Kercher, both of Mobile, Kennedy ran approximately 60 miles southwest of Orange Beach and fished over patches of natural bottom in 180 feet. Kennedy said the day’s challenging weather – gusty winds and seas running six feet or more – actually worked in his favor.
“The weather today and local knowledge 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.”
The top kingfish hit a live blue runner on a downrigger set 70 feet deep at 11 a.m. Kennedy handled the rod and Ward gaffed the fish after a 10-minute fight. Team Kwazar caught three other kings in the 30-pound class.
Kennedy, who usually mans the helm during tournaments, said his rod duty was an impromptu occurrence. “I was the angler by default – all of my crew was busy somewhere else on the boat.”
Rounding out the top five teams are team “Sake” captained by Neil Nix of Okeechobee, Fla. (41-09); team “Square & Level/Reel Wild” captained by Frank (Pete) Eldridge of Waycross, Ga. (40-14); team “Old School” captained by Scott Jennings of Port Royal, S.C. (38-04); and team “Catch 22” captained by Kevin Arnold of Houston, Texas (36-06).
Overall, 125 teams – the top three from each of 15 qualifying tournaments and the top 16 in the points standings from each of five divisions – qualified to fish this week. The top five teams based on the heaviest kingfish from Friday will continue competition Saturday, and the winner will be determined by the total weight of Friday plus Saturday’s catch. The winning team will earn as much as $70,000, which includes $30,000 for the win plus a $20,000 bonus from Hydra-Sports, Scarab, Seaswirl or Wellcraft and a $20,000 bonus from Evinrude or Yamaha if contingency guidelines are met.
Teams take off and weigh in at The Wharf located at 23101 Canal Road in Orange Beach. Saturday’s final takeoff is at 7 a.m. followed by the weigh-in at 4 p.m. The FLW Kingfish Series Family Fun Zone will open at noon Saturday and will include a National Guard HD theater, rock climbing wall and Humvee display. Admission to all activities is free.
The Kingfish Series Championship will be featured in a one-hour episode of “FLW Outdoors” broadcast to 80 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) households in the United States and more than 429 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom on Dec. 9. This reach makes “FLW Outdoors” the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.
The Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission is hosting the FLW Kingfish Series Championship along with The Wharf, Brett-Robinson, Live Bait at the Wharf and the cities of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. For more information, visit www.gulfshores.com.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Walmart.com.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, call (270) 252-1000.