Barbara Ann rocking and reeling in Wrightsville

Jacksonville, Fla., team catches 34-pound, 13-ounce king mackerel

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C. – Despite calms seas and partly cloud skies for most of the day, the catches on day one of the Walmart FLW Kingfish Tour regular season finale were substandard. And with a cold front having just arrived, the fishing might only get worse.

Most of the teams who made the long run towards Morehead City, N.C., were sorely disappointed. Only 28 of the 46 boats weighed in a fish, but 16 of those pushed the 20-pound mark.

Rather than spend most of their day driving to and from their fishing spot, Team Barbara Ann opted to stay close and maximize their fishing time. It turned out to be a great decision as a 34-pound, 13-ounce king bit a bluefish on the short line at 2:30 in the afternoon.

“That fish was just so awesome,” said Barbara Adcox, wife of Capt. John Adcox. “I saw it jump behind the boat and it took my breath away. It jumped at the short line, missed it and then came back again. To see a fish of that size jump twice before he’s hooked is quite a thrill.”

Team Barbara Ann chose to fish the Cape Fear shipping channel in water 45 feet of water. Their heaviest of four fish, however, bit only inches below the surface.

“This is our first time here (Wrightsville Beach), but we do some networking and we knew the channel would be a good spot.”

Adcox estimates that half of the field fished the same channel as the leaders and the other half ran towards Morehead City. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for wind, rain and generally rough seas. That means the long runs might not be possible – which could make for an awfully crowded channel.

It also means the fishing could get even tougher. If that’s indeed the case, then Barbara Ann will be fishing in the first final round of their four years competing on the Kingfish Tour.

OBX Girl/Team Calcutta second

OBX Girl/Team Calcutta, captained by Jim Dupree Jr. of Tarboro, N.C., grabbed second place with a kingfish weighing 31 pounds, 4 ounces. Unlike Barbara Ann, OBX Girl/Team Calcutta made an excruciating long run. To reach their primary area, they drove 2 1/2 hours past Morehead City.

“It was a nice day, but the fishing was tough,” said crewmember Jim Dupree III. “All in all, we are pleased with that fish. It was the first one we hooked up on and the only one we got in.”

Dupree said the fish was taken on a menhaden. Despite their second-place standing, the team has every intention of fishing again tomorrow.

Cat Daddy third

Team Cat Daddy, one of the most consistent teams on tour, placed third with a kingfish weighing 31 pounds, 1 ounce. The team, led by Capt. Danny Mathis of Gonzales, La., caught their fish by using blue runners and ribbonfish. In addition to three kingfish, the team caught more than a dozen sharks.

“Here in the Atlantic, a 30-pounder is always good,” said crewmember Guy Koontz. “We fished hard, tried a number of spots and this one we caught at the end of the day.”

Team Cat Daddy traveled 90 miles each way to fish the Drum Inlet.

“Believe it or not, we were actually dragging dead bait when that fish bit. We were completely out of live bait.”

Like OBX Girl/Team Calcutta, Cat Daddy isn’t satisfied with 31 pounds and will be fishing again tomorrow.

“The weather is definitely a problem. If it’s bad, we’ll have to stay close.”

Black Gold, Fishjigg round out top five

Two North Carolina-based teams rounded out the top five at the conclusion of day one. Team Black Gold, captained by Don Williamson of Lumberton, N.C., took fourth with a 30-pound, 13-ounce fish.

Team Fishjigg, captained by Charles Harris of Newport, N.C., took fifth with a king weighing 29 pounds, 15 ounces. Harris said on stage that he does not expect the fishing to be poor tomorrow. In fact, he’s fairly confident his team can weigh a 35-pounder on day two.

Opening round continues Saturday

The second half of opening-round competition in Wrightsville Beach begins Saturday as the field of 46 boats takes off from Seapath Yacht Club at 7 a.m. Eastern time. Teams are fishing for the heaviest fish over the first two days to determine the top five to advance to Saturday’s finals. For many teams, Saturday offers the last chance at qualifying for the no-entry-fee FLW Kingfish Tour Championship.