Corey Durako and the Blew By U! fishing team set the East Coast Got Em On Classic tournament record this weekend after scaling a 56.6 lb toad on Sunday.  (Keep in mind this tournament is in it’s 31st year which makes breaking the record all the more meaningful.)  The Blew By U! was fishing in 65 feet of water 18 miles off Southport along with about 25 other teams.  At 2:30 the record setting king ate a ribbon fish rigged with a Barefoot chinweight on the downrigger.  Angler Richard Gilligan fought the massive king to the boat where Durako handled the gaffing duty 45 minutes after the strike.  The celebration was heard throughout the fleet when that fish come on board.  Durako and his crew finished 5th in this tournament last year which demonstrates the consistency of this talented team. 

50 lb kings are somewhat of a rarity in NC summertime tournaments, perhaps this is a sign of things to come, as there was a 58 lb fish caught the day after the Jolly Mon a few weeks ago and the there was another big fish bite off Southport on Monday.  NC tournament season is really heating up!  Hats off to Ty Cobb and the rest of the Got Em On committee for putting on yet another first class show.  To see the full results from this year’s Classic, click here.

KC.com: The East Coast Got Em On Classic out of Carolina Beach has been a staple for North Carolina king mackerel tournament anglers for over 30 years. Tell us a little bit about the history of this tournament.

After one of the coldest winters on record, the Carolinas have finally thawed out and the Spring king run has officially begun!  There were good numbers of kings caught today at the 390/390 off Brunswick County and Ocean Crest Pier decked a 32 pounder as well, their first of the season. 

The reason the kings have started to show up….BAIT!  Lots of it!  There are pogies from Morehead City to Little River and all points in between, the blues are nearly as thick as the pogies around the inlets and nearshore reefs, and there are good numbers of spanish mackerel mixed in with the blues.  With good weather forecasted for the remainder of the week and into early next week, the annual spring run is shaping up to be a good one. 

Stay tuned to the forum as the first tournament of the season is set to kick off at the end of the month out of New River.  Although this is considered a fun tournament with only a $50 entry fee, the organizers of this event have done an outstanding job by acquiring TONS of great sponsors which have created lots of opportunities to win some cash and prizes.

This footage was taken by a local Venice, LA charter captain at the Horseshoe oil rig.  Looks like the kings are still thick at the Horseshoe three months after SKA Nationals.

North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue’s scientific advisory panel on offshore energy met for the first time on January 26, 2010 in Raleigh to discuss the pros and cons of tapping into North Carolina’s offshore energy resources. 

Be sure to visit the forum to discuss and stay on top of this exciting and controversial issue facing our east coast economic and angling communities.

With the most recent schedule changes, August is going to be a busy month for tournament anglers here in North Carolina with the Raleigh tournament on August 7th, the Onslow Bay Open’s new date of August 14th, Snead’s Ferry on August 21st and Brunswick Islands (Division 9) on August 28th. 

Traditionally, August is a good month for weather, but the fishing can be somewhat spotty and inconsistent.  It will be interesting to see if/how this new schedule will affect tournament participation during the 2010 season.

Stay tuned as the schedule continues to progress.