Logan’s Run rallies to third

Top-five teams set for Sunday’s final round

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C. – When the kingfishing is this slow and the weather is this bad, that sizeable first-place purse is a good motivator. On day two of the final regular season Walmart FLW Kingfish Tour event, only two kingfish of any significance were caught – none of which were heavy enough to overtake Barbara Ann.

From the time the 46 teams left Seapath Yacht Club this morning until the final fish was weighed, the rain continuously fell. The high temperature for the day was 60 degrees – a far cry from the 85 degrees recorded on Thursday. The winds weren’t quite as strong as predicted but it was not an ideal day to be sampling the coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

None of this mattered to Team Logan’s Run. Despite shivering from head to toe, Capt. D Logan was ecstatic to have qualified for the final round. Running nearly three hours to Morehead City, N.C., Logan’s Run returned to Wrightsville Beach with a 31-pound, 2-ounce fish. That fish put them in third place heading into the last day of competition.

“There are no secrets out here,” said Dave Logan, who gaffed the fish. “We were on the east side of the shoals.”

Fishing 15 miles off the beach, Capt. D Logan said the team caught six fish on the day despite the rough seas.

“They were hitting pogies on top,” he said. “That’s the only thing they would hit all day.”

After enduring a brutal trip back in waves of 8-10 feet, Logan’s Run was unsure if they were going to return to Morehead City on day three.

“When it’s that bad you can’t drive any faster than 20 mph. I don’t know if we can make it up there. The wind is supposed to be even worse tomorrow.”

This is the second top-five finish of the season for Logan’s Run. In their four-year Kingfish Tour career, their best finish is third place.

Barbara Ann catches bait

Team Barbara Ann, captained by John Adcox of Jacksonville, Fla., maintained its lead today after weighing in a 34-pound, 13-ounce mackerel on day one. While they didn’t fish for kings, they did secure 30 bluefish for the final round.

“After we caught our bait we thought about going out but it was just too cold,” said Barbara Adcox, wife of Capt. John Adcox. “We’re happy about getting the bluefish and we’ve already got some pogies. The kingfish typically eat what’s in the neighborhood and the ribbonfish moved out weeks ago. The bluefish and the pogies are what they’re here to eat.”

Barbara Adcox said the team will likely return to the Cape Fear shipping channel tomorrow, the site of their day-one catch.

Barbara Ann fished the SKA event held in nearby Little River, S.C., last week. That tournament uses a two-day aggregate weight system and the winner had just over 60 pounds.

“If we don’t get a 30-pounder tomorrow we’ll be uneasy. But just getting this far has been a really big deal for us. This is what we’ve been fishing for with the FLW for the past four years.”

OBX Girl/Team Calcutta retains second

Despite not catching a fish, OBX Girl/Team Calcutta will take off tomorrow as boat No. 2. The team, captained by Jim Dupree Jr. of Tarboro, N.C., caught a 31-pound, 4-ounce kingfish on day one.

Team Cat Daddy drops to fourth

Team Cat Daddy, captained by Danny Mathis out of Gonzales, La., fell to fourth place as Logan’s Run surpassed its day-one catch of 31 pounds, 1 ounce. Just as they said they would, Cat Daddy did not simply sit back and rest on their day-one catch.

Instead of making a 90-mile run to the Drum Inlet, they went south to Southport, N.C. Although they fished hard, they were unable to upgrade.

“To be honest, I have no idea where we’re going tomorrow,” said Mathis.

Black Gold hangs on to fifth



Team Black Gold, led by Capt. Don Williamson of Lumberton, N.C., barely hung on to the last qualifying position with its day-one fish, which weighed 30 pounds, 13 ounces.

The other king of note was from Team Prilosec, which caught a 28-pound, 2-ounce fish to finish seventh.

Final round Sunday

The top five boats will take off at 7:15 a.m. Eastern time Saturday from Seapath Yacht Club for the final round of competition. The winner will be determined by combined opening-round and final-round weight.

Sunday’s final weigh-in will take place at approximately 4:45 p.m. at Seapath Yacht Club.