The Southern Kingfish Association brought in some big news this past year. From the McMullan family taking a third SKA national title to Bad Company winning the SKA’s Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour Championship to Marcus Kennedy and the Kwazar team_ _bringing in the whole gamut as the 2013 Pro Team of the Year.
The McMullan family earned an unprecedented third SKA national title. In Biloxi, Mississippi, this win was even more special then the last two for the Ocean Isles Fishing Center team as three generations of McMullan’s were on board their Yamaha powered Yellowfin during the 2013 event. Captain Brant fished with his Dad; Rube, his wife and children; Amy, Caroline and Brayden and his brother Barrett McMullan. They weighed the second heaviest king caught at this year’s tournament, a 56.28 along with a 48.82 for a 105.1 two fish aggregate to beat the second place team by over ten pounds and win the National’s top prize, a 21’ Contender Boat, Mercury Outboard & Loadmaster Trailer package valued at over $60,000.
In addition to their three championship titles, Brant, Barrett and Rube hold the SKA’s and the Mississippi state record for their 74.10 pound smoker they caught during the 2009 championship.
The final standings of the 2013 Mercury Tournament Trail National Championship:
TEAM OIFC ……………………………………………… 56.28 … 48.82 ……105.10
Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina
AdvertisementYellowfin … Yamaha
Brant McMullan
Barrett McMullan
AdvertisementRube McMullan
Amy McMullan
Stephanie McMullan
AdvertisementCaroline McMullan
Brayden McMullan
CHOICE OF TWO / OIFC ……………………………. 58.44 … 36.38 …… 94.82
Sunset Beach, North Carolina
Cape Horn … Yamaha
Corey Bellamy
Eddy Jones
Ryan Stevens
Trask Cunningham
WINDY CONDITIONS ………………………………… 47.19 … 44.67 …… 91.86
Beaufort, North Carolina
Contender … Yamaha
Henry Tillett
Wendy Tillett
Steele Park
Chip Nifong
Brian Schoenwiesner
Bad Company earned the top slot in SKA’s Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour Championship. Saint Augustine, Florida’s Lewis Rogers, fishing with B.J. and Carolyn Williams on Lewis’s Yamaha powered Contender, the Bad Company, weighed a 48.34lb and a 43.25lb kingfish for a 91.59 pound two fish aggregate to edge out Mobile, Alabama’s Marcus Kennedy who fished with Max Williams, Mike Ward, Brett Rutledge and Robert Young on the Kwazar by twelve hundredths of a pound to take home the Pro Tour Championship’s top prize of $40,000 plus the $5,000 bounty for the top team fishing with Yamaha Outboards.
Kennedy and his team didn’t leave empty handed — they were crowned the 2013 Pro Team of the Year. The team earned $20,000 for the title and $20,000 for second place in the Yamaha championship event and another $5,000 of Yamaha’s bonus money for their Pro Tour title. Aboard their Yamaha powered Yellowfin, Marcus Kennedy and his teammates, Max Williams, Tyler Kennedy, Robert Young, Jonathan Graham, Mike Ward, and Brett Rutledge, brought home the 2013 Professional Tour Showcase with 1180 points. Second place went to Intense with 900 points. Over the past year Kennedy and the Kwazar boys stacked up other top spots like the 80th Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo (1st, 51.90-pounder), came in 2nd at the Kajun Sportsman and Suncoast Classic.
FINAL STANDINGS:
2013 YAMAHA PRO TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT:
BAD COMPANY ……………….…… 48.34 … 43.25 …………….. 91.59
Contender … Yamaha
St. Augustine, Florida
Lewis Rogers
B.J. Pearson
Carolyn Pearson
KWAZAR …………………………….. 46.50 … 44.97 ………………. 91.47
Yellowfin … Yamaha
Mobile, Alabama
Marcus Kennedy
Max Williams
Mike Ward
Brett Rutledge
Robert Young
SWEET CAROLINE III ………….. 51.37 … 22.48 ………………… 73.85
Donzi … Mercury
Green Cove Springs. Florida
Ronald Hildum
Mike Syrakis
Brad Patterson
The 2013 SKA Small Boat Championship Title warranted quite the weight for the first place team.
Jacksonville Beach, Florida’s Ron Roberson and Sean McCarter fishing on Oceanview, Ron’s 23′ Mercury powered Fountain, have qualified in Division 5 and fished the Championship for the past several years. They have caught a lot of fish at the Nationals, but nothing that they carried up the steps to the championship’s scales. This year was a different story as Ron hoisted a 54.15 and a 45.71 pound kingfish up the steps to the Golden Nugget’s stage. Their 99.86 pound two fish aggregate earned them the 2013 Small Boat Championship title and the Mercury outboard powered Onslow Bay boat riding on a Loadmaster trailer valued at over $45,000 that was awarded to the Small Boat Champions.
FINAL STANDINGS
2013 SKA SMALL BOAT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
1. OCEANVIEW 54.15……45.71……99.86
Fountain / Mercury
Ron Roberson
Sean McCarter
2. STRIKE TWO 47.75……34.92……82.67
Onslow Bay / Mercury
Rob Lupola
Ken Odom
Ray Martinez
Jeff Hall
Bobby Schoenfeld
3. A SALT WEAPON 48.24……32.61……80.85
Contender / Yamaha
David Futch
Jay Swindell
Michael Godbee
Blake McMillan
About The Southern Kingfish Association:
The Southern Kingfish Association, LLC (SKA) was founded in 1991 and has emerged as the world’s largest saltwater tournament organization. The SKA produces or sanctions fifty events in 10 regional divisions each year. The king mackerel is relatively easy to catch, especially in school size, while the larger kings require skill and patience. Equally beneficial is their abundance, due to sound fisheries management and strong conservation practices among the anglers. King mackerel migrate along the eastern seaboard from Virginia to Florida and throughout the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Louisiana. The SKA tournament trail annually follows this pattern. For more information, visit www.fishska.com or give us a call in Saint Augustine at 904-819-0360
