The Wide Open Tech Spanish Mackerel Open tournament brought anglers of all ages to Dockside Marina last weekend, as the tournament for the coastal fish attracted many young contestants on 30 boats, with several being family teams.
The winning team, Tailwalker, brought in 5 pounds of Spanish mackerel for its top three fish, from a spots about 50 feet off Carolina Beach. The boat won nearly $1,000 in total prize money.
Like many of the others, the team made the contest a family outing, with Sam Franck’s two sons Cameron and Jackson and Kevin McKay’s son Harris all joining in on the action. Overall, 17 junior, pre-teen and teen anglers entered the tournament.
Teams could go out on only one of the weekend days, with Tailwalker taking their chances on Saturday, which team member Kevin McKay said paid off.
“We had a lot of kid luck,” he said, adding that the large Clarkspoon lure also helped attract the bigger Spanish mackerel.
Owen, 11, and James Hurley, 9, shared the Pre-Teen Angler award with their 1.38 pound entry, splitting the $50 prize. They fished on the fourth-placed team His Name is John Cena, which won $353 in total prize money for its 3.53 pound total catch.
“They are pretty easy to reel in,” said Owen Hurley, noting that his team’s boat trolled off Wrightsville Beach on Sunday. “We went further out and we kept on catching bigger and bigger fish. I caught the biggest one on the boat.”
THREE-SPANISH
1. Tailwalker – Sam Franck – 5.00
2. Ourstride – David Mitchell – 4.51
3. Jack Brandon Media – Jack Brandon – 3.76
4. His Name is John Cena – Owen & James Hurley – 3.53
5. Fish’n Hokie – Tom Newbill – 3.46
6. Ashley Marie – Tommy Lewis – 3.46
7. Ujjayi – Justin Milligan – 3.4
JUNIOR ANGLER
1. Cameron Franck – 1.82
PRE-TEEN ANGLER
1. James & Owen Hurley – 1.38
TEEN ANGLER
1. Tommy Lewis III & Nolan Murray – 1.22
LADY ANGLER
1. Jess Sollars – 1.58
SENIOR ANGLER
1. Bob Whitt – 1.74
SEATOW PRIZE
1. Lab Taxi – 2.51
SINGLE BIG SPANISH TWT
1. Jack Brandon Media – 3.76
2. Lab Taxi – 2.51
3. Hydraulic Relief – 2.26
THREE SPANISH TWT
1. Tailwalker – 5.00
2. Ourstride – 4.51
3. His Name is John Cena – 3.53
SINGLE BIG BLUEFISH TWT
1. Wide Open Fishing – 1.81
2. 5 O’Clock Somewhere – 1.26
3. Ourstride – 1.07
