Five alive
Opportunity balances rough seas in FLW Kingfish Series Championship finale
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – As the rising sun peeked through Ferris wheel framework at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Ala., a quintet of kingfish teams headed into a bumpy Gulf of Mexico for their own brand of thrill ride in the Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series Championship’s final round.
Local pro Marcus Kennedy, a perennial favorite heading the Mobile, Alabama-based Team Kwazar, leads the field with a 51-pound, 11-ounce kingfish. The leaders caught Friday’s top king over natural bottom structure about 65 miles southwest of Orange Beach, and they’ll stick with the same plan today.
“We’ll probably do about the same thing that we did yesterday,” Kennedy said. “We might change the area a little bit, but not much.”
Live baitfish like blue runners (locally called “hardtails”) will be the dominant offering, but Kennedy said he’ll also run dead ribbonfish in his spread. He’ll dress a couple of his live baits with pink or chartreuse skirts to enhance their attraction.
“The water’s clear, but it’s rough out there, and I think (a skirt) helps the kings find the bait better,” he said. “I’ll run skirts on two of my baits, and the rest of them will be naked.”
Team Kwazar holds a 10-pound lead over second-place Team Sake, led by Neil Nix of Okeechobee, Fla., and a 15-pound margin separates the first and fifth spots. However, with the northern Gulf of Mexico’s reputation for hordes of monster kings, one lucky break can quickly redirect fortune’s favor.
“If we had any sense, we’d go catch a 30-pounder somewhere, but we have to go back and try to catch another big fish,” he said. “If we catch a 40-pounder, it’ll be tough to beat (91 pounds). But there are a lot of good fishermen fishing this tournament, so you can’t take anything for granted.”
Tournament officials canceled Thursday’s scheduled start when inclement weather and extremely rough seas created unsafe boating conditions. Losing one qualifying day in what was originally to be a three-day event put most teams in a swing-for-the-fence mode on Friday. FLW Kingfish Series Tournament Director Chris Hoover said the adjusted schedule amplifies the feeling of accomplishment for Saturday’s top five teams.
“Yesterday was a big day for these teams to go out and get as much weight as they could, but today’s going to take a little bit of pressure off of them because they’ve already made the top five,” Hoover said. “Everyone would love to win, but they all want to make it to that TV day and have the opportunity to (win the Championship).”
Hoover also pointed out that while local knowledge and experience clearly factor into the competitive equation, the first-place prize remains within reach of all five teams until the last fish hits the scale Saturday afternoon.
“It’s anyone’s game,” Hoover said. “These teams network so much that they all have (GPS) numbers and locations (to fish). So, really, all of the teams will have the same opportunity because they’ve networked and they’ve done their homework before they even got here.
“Anything can happen out there today, so it’s going to be really exciting.”
Tournament rules
The Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series Championship, which concludes today, gathers the top finishers from five divisions – North Carolina, South Carolina-Georgia, East Florida, Gulf and Upper Gulf. The top five teams compete in today’s final round for a top award of as much as $70,000.
Action continues at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 4 p.m. Central time at The Wharf, located at 23101 Canal Road in Orange Beach. The National Guard Family Fun Zone opens at noon with free games and giveaways.
Friday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:47 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 79 degrees
Expected high temperature: 92 degrees
Water temperature: 79 degrees
Wind: ENE at 10-15 mph
Humidity: 79 percent
Day’s outlook: cloudy with isolated thunderstorms