Team Blue Water Candy returned from Biloxi, Mississippi this week as National Champions of the class of 23’ of the Southern Kingfish Association. I fish as a team member along with Captain Russell Weaver and Captain Rick Croson, both of Living Waters Guide Service, on Rick’s 23T Onslow Bay powered by twin 250hp Evinrude E Techs. These guys are my best friends and I appreciate them letting an old, ornery, fat guy fish alongside them!
We started the week pinning up bait (Blue Runners and Bluefish) to use along with some 200 Ribbonfish we had taken down with us for the week. Rick and Russell used their mad jigging skills to put on an exhibition in bait catching. Other boats on the oil rigs with us were absolutely humiliated, and some even left shouting expletives at being able only to watch in amazement. Jigs being used were the 2.5 oz. Lil’ Man Roscoe and the new Sparkle Jig Rigs made by Blue Water Candy. A flat sided jig made by Shore Lures out of Raleigh, NC also proved very effective at catching these 1 to 2 pound baits.
With a lot of bait caught early we were afforded time to prefish for the real prize we sought. . . Large Kingfish! 
We spent the next day and a half bouncing around rig hopping, but were only able to locate numerous places holding mostly small fish. We were hearing rumors of bigger fish being caught in a couple of locations, but we weren’t sure where they were. Any successful tournament team has a network of other boats that they share information with. I call ours the “Circle of Turds!!” We shared what we knew and sure enough others in the circle had other pieces of the puzzle and when all was told we felt comfortable tournament morning running to a place we did not prefish at all.
Due to a forecast of bad weather, the format was rightfully changed at the Captain’s meeting to allow still a 2 fish aggregate, but instead of only weighing one each of the two days fished, you could enter 2 fish in the same day if you so chose. Once 2 fish were weighed by a boat you were finished however, meaning if you got beat on Friday and weighed 2 fish you could not weigh more fish on Saturday. 
Friday morning Captain Rick punched in a location 98 miles from the Isle of Capri Casino docks. After checkout we charged nonstop toward that location in choppy seas for 3 plus hours with the 23T Onslow Bay giving us a safe and comfortable ride. Shortly before reaching our way point we saw several boats off at a distance and we altered out course slightly to explore. As we approached we witnessed that only 20 or so boats had beaten us there and of those the only class of 23’ boats were Onslow Bay 23T’s. About 15 of the 20 of these boats were already fighting fish. I don’t think the other 5 had lines out yet.Before reaching the then small pack of boats, we crossed bottom that was holding bait and pulled back to give it a try. I pitched out a Ribbonfish and as I proceeded to put it in the clip to send it down on the downrigger, the line was yanked from my hand by a hungry Kingfish that cut the rig off above the swivel. Meanwhile, Russell was pitching a live bait that too was eaten immediately and again bit through the fluorocarbon. This tough luck continued for the first 6 or so bites with us becoming more perturbed each time. 
The bite was red hot and we saw a 40 plus sky behind the nearest boat to us when finally we hooked up 2 fish without getting cut off. We soon had both fish back to the gaff both being 35 pounds or so. We NEVER trolled all day. We simply drifted with bites coming almost immediately every time a bait was deployed. There was only one time during the day in which we got all 3 lines out. . .and that was a big mistake as soon as all three lines were hooked up with 3 people on the boat!! A Biloxi Fire Drill!!!
The crowd grew all day and we began to notice a pattern that the more we drifted away from our original spot and closer to the crowd the fish got smaller. We also noticed that live bait was a 5 pound upgrade over those caught on Ribbonfish. We also noticed those caught with live bait wearing a certain Blue Water Candy skirt were another 5 pound upgrade from unskirted or skirted with other colors. I had the clicker fly out of a reel when one of these monsters got scary fast stripping line off. So thus a strategy of holding close to our spot, using mostly live bait with that particular skirt developed and we executed well. When you are in the company of Dave Workman of Strike Zone, Bandit (Ron Mitchell), another believer in Blue Water Candy, and Second Catch (the Ferbies) it’s not hard to have confidence in your location.
Captain Rick never fought a fish that day. He only had time to tie on rigs, be ready to gaff, and occasionally chase one down or maneuver to stay out of someone else’s way.
Russell and I fought fish until we were near exhaustion, and at 1:00, slightly over 3 hours from when the first line went in the water, we were out of live bait and the call was made to start the run home so we could go nice and easy and have time to spare. My belief was that we had a 2 fish aggregate of 94 pounds, 49.5 and 44.5.
On the run home we discussed that we had witnessed the damnedest Kingfish bite ever. I had seen them that thick before, but never that thick and 30 pounds plus. I believe we had 35 to 40 20 pound plus fish back to the boat. At one point a fish semi skied the bait on the rod I had in my hand. He hooked up good but we had all gotten a good look at him and agreed he was only 30 to 35 pounds, so I locked the drag to break him off and get back to fishing. It was that “super bad silly.” I had a 40 plus fish bite through the leader after getting him next to the boat and we were okay with that because we felt we had more of the same in the boat already and could only weight 2.
Once inside Biloxi Bay with lots of time to spare we attached the BocaGrip scales to the T-Top and removed the 6 fish we had killed from the fish bags and began the task of deciding which 2 to weigh. With all 6 laying next to each other on the deck of the 23T Onslow Bay, I realized that the 49.5 had “shrunk” some but was still noticeably bigger than the other 5 fish. We had to weigh each of the others to determine fish number 2 as they were all very close to the same weight with none under 40 pounds. 
After choosing the second fish we proceeded to the check in at the Point Cadet Marina and proceeded to the drop off point. After a photo op with SKA Officials, Russell and I grab either end of the Blue Water Candy cooler bag and carried it almost dragging it to the scales where we were welcomed by Jack Holmes and the Weigh master. The weights are announced 46.75 and 44.54, aggregate of 91.29, good enough to take the lead in both big fish and aggregate categories, over Mr. Stan Man and other great teams that had already weighed. So Russell and I cannot resist another high five, but many,many great teams have yet to weigh in.
Soon we learn that defending champ of the class of 23’, Randall Edens “East Coast Sports,” is asking supporters at the scales for information on what has been weighed in. The “Second Catch” team which we had fished along side of came to the scales and I was naturally nervous. They have a respectable weight as we would expect from such an accomplished team, but not terribly close. As others came in it starts to set in that our all live bait, certain color skirt, away from the fleet strategy may have been even better than we thought. Then word comes that the “East Coast Sports” team is backing up in line waiting to see what everyone else weighs before deciding whether to weigh 1 or 2 fish. We don’t know exactly what that means, but we assume we have him beat or he would come on to the scales. Lots of the others continue to weigh and we begin to realize how strong our weight apparently is.
Word comes that Brant, Barrett, and Rube McMullan on the “Ocean Isle Fishing Center” Yellowfin have the biggest Kingfish they have ever caught on board. They make their way to the scales and they have the biggest fish nearly anyone had ever had on board, a new SKA and Mississippi state record 74 pounds. No problem for us as they’re friends as well as customers of ours, plus they fish the open division, so we aren’t competing with them anyway.
Meanwhile “East Coast Sports” team, by now the last boat in line, decides to weigh BOTH fish. We soon learn what we suspected to be true. They had a 2 fish aggregate of 82 pounds, good enough for third place behind second “Fishbuster,” a Jacksonville, Florida team with 84 pounds.
We then proceed to look at the leaderboard and see that 21 boats in the class of 23’ either did not weigh a fish or only weighed one, therefore we had to cross our fingers for 24 hours and hope for the best. Two years ago Rick, Russell, and I slept on the lead at this very same tournament only to get knocked down to second the next day by the “Lined Out” an Alabama team, so we were not very comfortable!
Great teams like “Get Snookered” and Division 5 winner “Johnny B” had not weighed 2 fish yet. On Saturday it was not until the next to last boat in line, the “Johnny B” weighed that we could breathe again and began to enjoy our victory. After raising the trophy and receiving the prizes Sunday morning at the awards ceremony I asked Rick “what now?” He replied “The Big Rock!!” As many of you know this same team fishes Billfish tournaments on another boat.
I wish to congratulate my teammates as we had a tough time in Division 1 this year with terrible weather and the only bite in one tournament (a 30 plus Kingfish) getting clipped by a shark, leaving 24 pounds that was disqualified due to mutilation. No one gave up and I could not be prouder of these guys. 
Congratulations to all the top 15 in the class of 23’ (dominated by Carolina teams again!!) and the Ocean Isle Fishing Center team on their remarkable victory in the open division. I wish to thank my wife, Terry, as she gets up early to make certain we are well fed for everyday of the tournament, including “Nationals.” I also wish to thank every employee, especially my daughter Jessie and my Mother-in-Law, Louise for all they do to afford me the time to play.
I thank the SKA and encourage all fisherman to join and support this organization that protects our rights to fish these tournaments and makes them more fun and interesting than they would otherwise be. I encourage you to fish hard to qualify for nationals and to go and hopefully experience the fun and excitement that I have. No matter where the championship is held, any location is a long drive for somebody and I personally hope to get back to Biloxi because where else can the story I’ve just told be repeated?!
Did you think I wouldn’t tell you what color and model skirts those were?! Here goes “Blue” Featherweights: Cotton Candy, Blue/Pearl Hot Shots: Blue/Orange, Blue/White Ribbonfish Skirts: Blue/Pearl and Light Blue used on live baits were the best.
Team Blue Water Candy Thanks Accurate Reels, Owner Hooks,Star Rods, and Tex’s Tackle for their generous support throughout the year. 
