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  Southern Kingfish Association

Competition Angling Team

'THE' FishDancer and Captain Jeff wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year......'THE' FishDancer y Jeff Capitán deseo a todos una Feliz Navidad y un Feliz Año Nuevo

May 15th, 2013

>>))))))">

   "I forgot how much I love to do this," I exclaimed while setting the first lines, after a 60 mile hard run into building winds and waves.  This was day one of the SKA pro tour championship and Nancy and I were 'crewing' for Conrad on the Koolau.  We would have plenty of opportunity to set more lines and catch fish but the feeling I got after setting the first lines is one I will not soon forget.  This feeling, shared among almost all hardcore SKA anglers (if you didn't have it why would you fish?) is what the Association needs to cultivate in more anglers to get the SKA into a more solid position.  Yes the economy is bad, yes gas prices are hurting (fuel for us during the week was $1,700) and yes there are hundreds of reasons not to fish any event or tour -- but in the end there is only one real reason to fish the SKA and it is that feeling described above.  We also saw some old friends and discussed the 'good times' which is the only other reason to fish the SKA -- the camaraderie of your fellow anglers.  With these two things said --it is something I have been 'preaching' for years -- we are considering returning to the SKA pro tour in 2013 after a one year absence -- we understand from Jack that there will be some 'tweaks' in the circuit in 2013 and as such I thought we would add our $0.02 on how to better make the pro tour more viable.

1.  Since head to head competition has been shelved (I remain in total disagreement with this but there is no sense in gaffing a dead kingfish), practically the pro circuit has now become a points based season long TWT with a single year ending head to head tournament.  Pro teams now can earn points at any sanctioned SKA event.   As such, there is an advantage for any pro team to fish big fish and small turnout events versus a team who tries to fish their home waters.  In 2012 teams who have big fish and small turnout events in their home waters had the best of all worlds.  Look at the 2012 leader board, it is full of great anglers - and I congratulate them all, but there is a geographic tilt to the top 10 -- with only 3 east coast teams represented. From the beginning we saw 2012's angling calculus as '..fish the events where the larger fish and the fewer contestants are..' as it would translate into more pro points earned -- a simple equation. To qualify for 1,000 pro points I believe the SKA event should have a minimum of 75 boats registered.  Any event with less than 75 SKA teams competing would only have 500 points available for the pros to earn for winning.

2.  Something needs to be done with the points system as the data shows it is not working (I would like to see the actual 2012 fish weights published and then run the numbers to see IF the points accurately reflect fish sizes -- the SKA can do this math should they choose).    When less than half (32 of 80 teams) of the field does not fill out their 5 fish/points opportunity prior to the Championship, something is wrong.  Perhaps the SKA needs to consider moving to the old FLW scoring system with points for fishing and then a set amount of points per place?  If the idea is to get pro teams to the weigh in dock for sponsor and local eyes, the data shows that the pro tour is not adding much to the equation in this regard.  Alternatively the SKA might consider a mid-season 'WILD CARD' pro event (best held in Venice, LA or Fourchon, LA where teams willing to travel could fish head to head and replace two of their existing scores or get a points bonus for showing up? One last thought is that every fish in the 40 pound range should earn a 250 point bonus, every fish in the 50s should earn a 500 point bonus and every fish in the 60-70 pound range 1,000 point bonus.  This would make catching a big fish a big deal.  As an example many east coast events are no check out events, if I choose to fish my home waters off Fernandina as a pro event and a divisional team trailers down to Canaveral or up to NC and they catch a 50 winning the event and I catch a 42 ( a big fish for our home waters) I would only earn 840 points but with my 250 point 40 pound bonus I would earn 1,090 points.  This is a much better way to reward those teams fishing home waters and not put them at a disadvantage.

3.  Fees and cut off dates.  The SKA should consider allowing any qualified team to pay their pro fees anytime during the season and have a date certain ONLY for those teams chasing the post season awards.  It seems natural to me to allow all divisional teams at the SKA nationals pre-fishing to pay the $2,500 and fish in the pro championship if they choose -- after all they have done what is necessary to qualify for the pro tour and are fishing anyway.  This serves 3 major purposes; a) allows the divisional teams to get a taste of what the pro series is like, b) potentially increases the payout of the pro championship with more entry fees/participants and c) encourages a few divisional teams each year to step up to the pro division, something that had always been an aspiration for divisional teams.     Another 10 entry fees = $25,000 more prize money.  To make the pro Championship a big event, we should target $100,000 first place money...it may take a few years but I know this can be done via entry fees....

4.  While I agree with what Jack said at the captain's meeting about the aging of the SKA, the association needs to better utilize its heritage members -- those of us who have been fishing for many many years.  When looking at the 2012 SKA pro leader board the following teams represent the bottom tier of the scorebaord; Thats My Dog, My Three Sons, Big Bad Wolf, Koolau, Miss Kimberly, Team Simrad, Young Guns, Strike Zone, Mad Mouse et al.  These teams are among the best of the best yet they have chosen not to fully engage and compete in the pro circuit -- Team FishDancer and others chose to completely sit out in 2012.  The SKA should ask itself why are some of the best anglers in the SKA universe not fully participating in the pro tour -- in our case, it is not because we are aging but rather because the playing field is highly skewed against us.  We can only hope whatever 'tweaks' the association makes, entice us to fish more in 2013....after all rather than blaming the economy or politics, the SKA needs to look itself in the mirror and ask "...what can we do to attract more pro teams to fish?????"

So we enter into the winter season again in flux....wondering and hoping that 2013 will bring something new and exciting to us because "..... I forgot how much I love to do this...."!!!!  Stay tuned

Our week at the SKA Nationals has thus far been eventful, as it usually is.  We decided to sign on as crew for one of friends, Conrad of the Koolau, for Tuesday and Wednesday's SKA 'pro' tour championship and then fish the Big Dance as team FishDancer -- just Nan and I.  But before our fishing plans could be made our week began with more mundane issues when early Saturday we hooked up the Dancer and began our seven hour drive to Biloxi.  This is familiar territory for us, as over the past 13 seasons Nan and I have been to more than 125 SKA events from Cape Hatteras, NC to Port Fourchon, LA.  We checked our road atlas on which Nan has stored the details of every gas station we have ever used when hauling the boat -- which one is tight, which one is good and most importantly to Nancy which ones had the best bathrooms.  We pulled into Biloxi, put the Dancer in the water at the Palace boat ramp (the only one we have ever used in Biloxi) and got the Dancer settled on D Dock at Point Cadet marina.  We fueled up the boat, as usual at Gorenflo's, and saw Danny and Lori -- they always do a great job for the SKA boats working until the 'wee' hours to assure we have what we need to compete.  Once settled the competition planning began in earnest.  The first thing we needed was bait.

        Early Sunday AM Nan and I ran 150 miles all over the east side bait fishing and were able to secure 75 prime blue runners and put them in the bait pen.  It was cool in the AM but warmed up nicely and we were able to get back to the dock around 2pm.  Our plan was to take Monday off (remember we are now eligible for the senior SKA tour and need our rest) meet up with our Captain and discuss the fishing plan.  Monday PM we had the SKA 'pro' Captain's meeting to attend and we were sure to see some old friends, we were not disappointed as we ran into many great anglers from teams like The Reel Won, Bandit, Liquid Fire, Erin's Addiction, The A Team, Roc Doc, Strike Zone, Seafood Kitchen and others.  It was like the 'old' days. Jack explained the rules in his usual fashion and we were ready to go.  The only issue was the weather -- 20-25k N/NW winds and 4-6' seas were forecasted.  Unfortunately the forecasters got this one right.  We fished hard both days weighing in a 33.5 on day one and not getting a fish to weigh day two.  The day one return to port was the toughest we have ever experienced running 58 miles straight into the winds and seas -- it felt like we were in a fist fight with mother nature and of course she always wins.  We took Wednesday off (we are seniors please remember) and went the to SKA Nationals Captains meeting to register and see some old friends as well.

    We ran into a dear old friend, Andy Hinton of Hot Grits, one of the best anglers on Team Donzi.  We were team mates of Andy and many other great anglers (sadly some are now dearly departed) and we spent a few minutes reminiscing about the best of times on the SKA PRO tour -- those years we spent as member of Team Donzi.  Names from the past -- Upton, Camo, Wood, Bellamy, Slaughter, Clark et al, made up 23 of the best teams fishing the SKA PRO when it was a PRO -- head to head, city to city, everyone fishing the same waters at the same time.  It was a hoot and one of the best rides of our fishing career.  Thanks to Team Donzi for the memories.  We headed back after Jack explained the rules in his usual fashion and made a fishing  plan to rig hop about 65-70 miles S of the marina.  We checked out and executed our plan.  We caught many fish but could only weigh a 27 pounder.  We had a HUGE fish -- high 50s at least, the 2nd largest King I have ever seen in the water, roll and take a swipe at our propwash bait but she never hooked up!!!  I hate when that happens. Unfortunately for me -- during all of the baiting, fishing and festivities, my knee has been hurting and it has come to a head this AM.  With just Nan and I on the Dancer I did not feel it was worth the risk, with my gimpy left leg - and only the two of us on the boat, to run 75 miles offshore today.  With the 56 and 58 pounder currently on the leader board so fa with our 27 pounder weighed on day one we would need a 60 just to be in the money.  Couple that with a badly swollen and painful knee and I decided to sit out the second day of the Big Dance and rest.  We are seniors now you know......stay tuned.......

     Much has changed over the past 12 years, not many of the changes have been for the better.  Our economic and political woes have resulted in the weakest economic situation we have seen in our lifetime and have left many Americans with reduced wealth and increasing bills.   SKA anglers are no different and in some ways worse off.  The SKA has done a great job of 'survival management' in this environment -- keeping the sport alive despite a tidal wave of external head winds. Now it is up to us anglers to support the SKA and head over to Biloxi for the SKA National Championships.  This event brings together in one location, the best of the best and allows each of us as anglers to enjoy to camaraderie of our fellow anglers, while at the same time getting some business done with the Association and its local and regional sponsors.  Oh yes, and the fishing is usually outstanding.

      Nan and I have now fished in nearly every division of the SKA; Class of 23, Lady Angler, Open and PRO and even though we now entered the Senior Division in 2012, we clearly remember our trips to the Nationals in the Gulf as they are usually quite the adventure.  The locals like having us there and help us in any way they can.  We both clearly recall that back in the day, when fuel prices were rising,  Lori and Danny at Gorenflo's marina were determined to help all anglers by keeping the cost of fuel down -- it was $1.54/gallon for us during that tournament. 

Before the salt domes were 'discovered' most ardent anglers made the 125 mile one way run to the West Delta to fish.  During one SKA Nationals we made the long run -- in our 29' Wellcraft that held 214 gallons of fuel.  Just for fun we secured multiple six gallon 'jerry cans' full with fuel to the transom and stopped behind the Chandeleur Islands to refuel as soon as we burned enough gas. YIKES!!! Over the past years, many rigs have been removed -- CA 25 one of the top producing rigs is no longer there nor is the GUS but in the day both were famous among king fishers.  Ask Fish Fever, who won the National Championships, SKA Pro event and Angler of Year all in two days at CA 25.

     Weather has always played a factor in this event...the first one we ever fished it was 29 degrees and the wind was blowing 25mph on the first day.  This was before the days of penning up baits so most teams merely baited up first thing after checkout.  We ran about 30 miles in 29 degree temperatures and stopped at the near shore rigs for bait.  I took my brand new bait rod and attempted to toss the sabiki near the leg of the rig but my hands were so cold from the run, I threw the entire outfit (rod, reel and sabiki) at the leg of the rig.  OOPS.   It was that very day that would produce our first ever 40 pound fish.  In subsequent seasons we also caught 50s and a 61 while fishing these fertile waters. 

    One year while staying at the Palace Hotel and Marina, we put in at the boat ramp and tied up to the dock in our slip.  I couldn't understand why our bilge pumps were running until I asked Nan if we had put the plug in.  OOPPS...back to the ramp (thank god it is very close). 

      One year the water in the marina was so cold our beautiful blue runners turned into blue runner popsicles as they all died in our baitpen. Another year we all ran to the West Delta, like idiots, in a fog bank the reached from Biloxi to Venice. Thank god for radar and lady luck.  Anyone who was there will recall that morning.  

      We have stayed at the Isle, The Palace and condos but our favorite was the pre-Katrina Beau Rivage.  The marina there was one of the best we have ever experienced.  Room service to your boat, Brazillian wood on the decks, full laundry/shower facility and mullet right in the parking garage.  Anglers were cast netting from the 2nd level of the parking deck and dragging the nets to our boats -- all loaded with big silver mullet. 

   We also recall clearly running back from the Gulf to head to the scale as daylight disappears.  The picture below was taken from a day that was to become known as the 'Bite of the Century' where we weighed in a 49.90 pound fish on day one and were in something like 30th place. Note how dark it was at weigh in.

So we are looking forward to our upcoming trip and while our competitive juices are flowing, now we look at this event as a fun trip -- good fishing with good camaraderie among some of the best King Mackerel Anglers on Earth.  If you are eligible you should go -- if you go enjoy yourself and make some memories.  We have made many incredible ones along with a few friends along the way and we look forward to more of each in the coming trip....stay tuned.

A Bad Day of Fishin' By Sean McCarthy

(with editorial license by Captain Jeff)

I’ve been in and on and around the water damn near all my life,

I’ve skipped across, been bounced around and bumped bottom once or twice,

Its those kingfish that swim down below just keep calling me back,

So if I don’t show up for work tomorrow you know where I’m at.

Cause a bad day of fishin' is better than a good day at work,

I know they won’t miss me here, so what can it hurt?

If I had things my way I would be going all the time, soaking up that sun boy and stretching out my line.

I feel right at home when I am way off shore,  ain’t no land in sight,

Trolling a new hot spot,  live bait bridled and swimming under my kite,

It hard to describe the feeling I get when the rod starts to bend,

I get that feeling when the line starts peeling,

I wish this day would never end.

Cause a bad day of fishin is better than a good day at work,

I know they won’t miss me here so what can it hurt?

If I had things my way I would be going all the time, soaking up that sun boy and stretching out my line.

I got a bad case of the fishin' pox  - hey a bad one that's for sure, but I hope and pray there never comes a day when they find a cure..

Cause a bad day of fishin' is better than a good day at work,

I know they won’t miss me here so what can it hurt?

If I had things my way I would be going all the time, soaking up that sun boy and stretching out my line,

soaking up that sun boy and stretching out my line......

   Sean McCarthy is Fernandina Beach's own nautical, angling and country troubadour.  A local with his Captain's License, a strong angling resume and a great voice and solid guitar skills, Sean is kind of an Amelia Island version of Jimmy Buffet.  His recent album's title song "A Bad Day of Fishin'" has always captured for Team FishDancer our obsession with the ocean and its finned inhabitants. 

     2012 has been a fun filled and busy year for 'THE' FishDancer and Captain Jeff, their business and personal travels have taken them to, among other places, Costa Rica, The Dominican Republic, England and Scotland and have kept them from competing in many KMTS this summer.  But, with a plan, always with a plan, Captain Jeff devised a scenario where the team could compete and qualify for yet another SKA National Championship in Biloxi, Mississippi.  Having fished the minimum amount of events to qualify, and qualifying for the BIG DANCE out of Division IV, the team is currently slated to crew on a PRO boat for THE pro Championship and then fish as Team FishDancer in the SKA Championship.  There is much to do, re-spool reels, tie rigs, check all equipment, have the Dancer serviced, check the trailer, arrange hotel and marina reservations. Heck we may even have to read some of our old website posts to be sure we remember how to do all of this.  We hope to see many friends at the BIG DANCE and stay tuned for updates between now and the first week in November...

>>))))))">

You and King Fish

Kenny Chesney Sings You and Tequila (with editorial license by Captain Jeff)

Baby, here we go again
Kickin' up wake in the no wake zone
Waitin' for that sun to come up
Made it up to Ricefield Way
Hell bent on catchin’ a smoker
Far southeast of the lights of town

'Cause you and King fish  make me crazy
Run like poison in my blood
One more fish could kill me, Baby
One is one too many, one more is never enough

Fifty five miles east in the light of dawn
Out where tournaments are won
There were times I knew we would win
It's so easy to forget
The sweet taste that 61.1 left
Swore it wouldn't be so long till we did it again

'Cause you and king fish make me crazy
Run like poison in my blood
One more fish could kill me, Baby
One is one too many, one more is never enough

When it comes to you,
All the damage I could do
It's always your favorite sins
That do you in

'Cause you and king fish make me crazy
Run like poison in my blood
One more fish could kill me, Baby
One is one too many, one more is never enough

Never enough
You and king fish

You and king fish (make me crazy)

    The thrill and sense of accomplishment of successfully competing in an SKA event has been described by many anglers as 'addicting', Nancy and I would concur with this description -- having fished in more than 150 events over the past 15 years.  But the interesting thing is, unlike many other 'addictions', KMT fishing is not a hard addiction to kick.  The amount of work required to successfully compete, the resources and time consumed and the drama associated with KMTS is easy to forego.  This is what we were thinking about -- with MC Hammer's classic "Too Legit to Quit" playing on the car radio - while we travelled to the Captain's Meeting for the 26th Annual Two Way Sportfishing Club's KMT. It had been almost 8 months since we had tournament fished -- the longest stretch of our king fishing 'career' and frankly we did not know what to expect.  Or did we?

      The Two Way KMT was one of the first events Nan and I ever fished, back in the 1990s, and we were pleased to be able to support this fishing club and this event.  We arrived at the Captain's Meeting to a decent crowd and were reminded of how much these events resembeled a travelling circus.  Par for the course for a Captain's meeting we saw a few old friends and met a few new ones. We were pleased to hear from one team how we had been the inspiration for that team to get their own boat and fish KMTs -- all from a marina discussion we had with them back in the late 1990s -- frankly a bit embarrassing for me but also gratifying in its own way.  Two Way 2012 would be the first KMT for which we could enter the Senior Angler competition -- so now we have fished the 23' and Under, Open, Pro, Lady, Junior and Senior Angler divisions of the SKA.  Oh yes, that is every single one of them!!!!

    Since we have not fished our home waters in quite a while, we had not a clue as to the status of the fishery or bait supply -- but we decided we would fish this event the same way we used to fish every event, pick a few local places to fish and fish them hard.  The only twist on this event was that we would not stop to hunt for pogies (one of my favorite angling activities) but would purchase baits from Lee the Baitman.  Since we called so late we were only able to purchase 12 baits but thought that would suffice for our one day of fishing. The rules of this event were; no check out but you had to leave from a GA inlet, no boats could enter the Atlantic before 6AM and no lines in the water until 7am. So at 4:30 am we got up to head to the boat already in the water at the Yacht Basin and head out to meet Lee, arriving at the designated spot for bait around 5:30am.  We were the final team to get bait and headed out of the St. Mary's inlet right at 6am.  We had a 35 mile run s/se to get to our chosen spot.

       We got to the spot just at 7am and put the lines out.  First bait out got bit and Nan brought the fish to the boat and we lost the fish ... TAILWHIPPED.   Fishing on the east coast of Florida, I like to use very light line and we were spooled up with 15 pound test and 20 pound fluorocarbon leader and this fish just got the best of us.  So back out go the lines and trolling in 90 feet of water we ended up having a good day.  4 kings to 24 pounds, a cuda and few break offs and 2 seabirds. In all of our fishing and boating we had never seen birds act like this.....they were eating our chum and between 8-12 of them followed our chum line most of the day.  You could not scare them away, you could hit them with water, your fishing rods (they were that close to the boat) or shoot them with the hose and they could care less.  They must have been really hungry??  It was a beautiful day on the water with clam seas and light winds.

     We ended up catching a decent fish and had to run 70+ miles north to the weigh in.  Unofficially we finished 8th overall and when we left to head back to Amelia, Nan was leading in Lady Angler. Woo Hoo!!!! We are a bit tired today and have to clean up the Dancer but all in all we had a nice day of fishing.  In a typical King Mackerel Tournament irony, team 'Hammer Time' won the event with a great 38 pound fish, our congratulations to them. As for us Team FishDancer is pleased to be as MC Hammer would say 'Too Legit, Too Legit to Quit'

We have tried to find a way to effectively compete along the 2012 SKA Pro tour circuit this year -- but alas we have not been successful.  Team FishDancer has always targeted the 5 PRO events and fished the local divisional events that were 'piggybacked' with the PRO circuit - fishing these 10 events each season.  What attracted us to this format was fishing head-to-head with some of the best kingfish anglers in the USA.  With the changes made to this format and the PRO circuit becoming more of a season long TWT our Husband and Wife team of two would be decidedly handicapped.  So we considered fishing the minimum of 3 events and then the PRO championship in November but even that option does not serve us very well. We would effectively give up the chance for any Lady Angler of the Year, Team of the Year or (yes it is true) Senior Angler of the Year awards or payouts.  So after trying to figure this out for the better part of 2012, and having already paid our PRO Captain's membership fees, as requested, we informed the SKA of our intentions.  We were 'scolded' a bit for waiting so long but what else could we do?  We can only hope the SKA understands our position?

We have now committed to fishing two Division IV (Two Way and Sapelo) and two Division V (Georgia/FL and Ancient City) events.  Three of the events we can fish from home and we will take a weekend road trip to St. Augustine and stay at one of our favorite places, Camachee Cove Marina and Inn for the Ancient City KMT.  So for Team FishDancer it is truly a 'Back to the Future' season.  Three of these events (2 Way, Sapelo and Ancient City) are where we got our start in KMTs back in the mid/late 1990s.  We certainly have been many places, leaned a bit about this game and have had some fun since those early days, and we look back on these events with fond memories.  In the end that is what fishing a KMT event is all about -- maybe someday those in power will better understand the non-monetary values that drew most of us into this sport in the first place?  Freedom, a sense of community, head to head competition and fun are the values that drew us in -- sure it is great to win money or prizes -- my perspective is that those events/circuits that offer the most of those non-monetary values will be the most successful.  By the way our first event is the 26th Annual Two Way KMT -- they have it figured out.  Stay tuned as we have not done any pre-fishing, have no idea where the fish are, don't know where bait is or where we might fish -- all we need to do is get our 'flux capacitor' working and we will be ready to go!!! Ahhh the good ol' days!!!!!

Tom Waits sings 'OL 55

 with editorial license from Captain Jeff

Well, my time went so quickly, I went lickety-splitly
Out to my ol' thirty-three.
As I checked out so slowly, feelin' so holy
God knows I was feelin' so free.

And now the sun's comin' up,
I'm fishing with Lady Luck,
Loadmaster and GM trucks.
GPS beginning to fade
And I lead the parade
Just a wishin' I'd stayed a little longer.
Lord, don't you know the feelin's gettin' stronger.

Six in the mornin' gave me no warnin',
I had to be on my way.
Now the boats are all passin' me, anglers are all flashin' me,
I'm headed home to our place.

And now the sun's comin' up,
I'm fishin’ with Lady Luck,
Loadmaster and GM trucks.
GPS beginning to fade
And I lead the parade
Just a wishin' I'd stayed a little longer.
Lord, don't you know the feelin's gettin' stronger.

Well, my time went so quickly, I went lickety-splitly
Out to my ol' thirty three.
As I pulled away slowly feelin' so holy
God knows I was feelin' so free.

And now the sun's comin' up, yes it is,
I'm fishin' with Lady Luck,
Loadmaster and GM trucks.
Loadmaster and GM trucks.
Fishing' with Lady Luck.
Loadmaster and GM trucks.
Fishin' with Lady Luck.
Loadmaster and GM trucks.
Fishin' with Lady Luck. 

It seems that Mr. Waits and The Eagles knew what they were writing and singing about.  Nancy and I have finally decided what the 2012 season will look like for us.  Like Michael Corleone who was lamenting his attempt to take his business down a more legitimate path "...."Just when I thought I was out.........they pull me back in..."!!!!

Although we do not like the format and will not contend for the TOY points or LTOY points, it seems that 'THE' FishDancer and I cannot stay away!!!!  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot????  We will fish the minimum number of events to qualify for the 'pro' championship in November and are still working on finalizing our schedule.  First up is the Seratoma KMT out of Sarasota in April.  We are considering Port Fourchon in June and then will fish some local events in July, August and September depending upon the weather and other variables.  So look for us along the trail......we are fishing our own MacCallan Cup circuit where the winner gets a nice bottle of scotch.....

   For the past 10 seasons 'THE' FishDancer and I have been participants in and supporters of the SKA Professional Tour.  This circuit has, in our experience, always been the best test of man and machine vs. mother nature and AOY always meant something special.  The 'PRO' tour was designed to showcase the best anglers, boats, motors and equipment vs. the best competing in waters far away from home and measured teams on the strength of their ability to catch a 'tournament' grade kingfish each day of fishing.  Teams had to earn their way into the 'PRO' circuit with their performance along the divisional trial and to be able to compete we all pushed the limits of both man and machine.  This head to head -- step up concept created an angling arms race for bigger, faster, more reliable and better boats, motors and equipment.  This in turn led to higher boat/motor sales and created a strong OEM and resale market for just about everything related to king fishing.  The boats and motors we all use today were designed to showcase the OEM's technology via those fishing along the 'PRO' tour and led to increased sales for everyone involved. This format was instrumental in strengthening its sponsors, developing the skills of anglers and created some of the biggest names and teams in our sport today. Unfortunately the very concept that brought share gains and sales increases was killed, like the Golden Goose, three seasons ago by hubris and the desire of some to dominate the circuit with their way or the highway.  They thought they knew better than everyone else and the results speak for themselves. Sure the economy has not helped but the tour was able and would be able today to sustain itself if the format changes had never been made. Frankly this reminds me of the business genius of 'New Coke'.  So with this as a backdrop, the 2012 SKA 'pro' tour details have been announced and this season's version will be the third different format in three years. The 2012 'pro' tour is basically an open TWT with one big money event at the end.   Here is how it works. 

   There is no qualification, any and all teams can participate. Teams pay $140 to fish as a 'pro' captain (something that irks me on principle), a single $2,500 upfront entry fee (due at your first tournament or no later than 6.1.12) and can fish anywhere along the SKA divisional trail for the 'pro' points.  A minimum of three days must be fished and a maximum of eight fishing days are allowed. The best 5 days count toward the 'pro team of the year' points.  There will be cash bonuses for the top 5 'teams of the year' and a 'pro' championship in Biloxi for a $60k cash prize (all based on 100 entries).

   Given our record of supporting the SKA since 1998 and the 'PRO' circuit since 2001, 'THE' FishDancer and I are sad and disappointed that the tour as we know has been eliminated. In our view, with the continuing format changes, it will not ever be back to what it once was and as such it is difficult for either of us to get excited about the 2012 season.  While we still believe that keeping a 3-5 fixed event schedule and a true PRO championship with AOY is the best format to promote the sport and sponsors, even IF we only fish for our own money, we applaud the fact that the SKA is trying to keep something going. So what we are left with is a 'high roller open TWT' that is linked to the SKA local events.....basically $2,500 to enter for a chance to fish for $60,000 at a single event in November.  Those chasing the 'pro' points will fish all over the geographic map and rarely against each other....so TOY (perhaps a true SKA Freudian slip on the acronym?) will become the new AOY. 

      Team FishDancer is trying to determine what we will do. Will we fish?  Since we love the water, fishing and the people, probably, but the SKA and 'pro' sponsors should take note of our comments, we are not the only team to feel this way and collectively these thoughts might just represent the canary in the coalmine for king fishing???  If you think this is just editorial license on my part, consider the number of new trails popping up.  Something is amiss when the BWP Kingfish series (a sub-set of the SKA divisional events), NE Florida Kingfish Shootout (fish from the Pines to SC and from June until August), The Wild West Kingfish Series (4 events out of John's Pass), The Big Pig (a one day 2 fish aggregate event) and other events are attracting anglers support? Many of these same teams supported the old 'PRO' format and are finding different venues to enjoy time, some good competition and camaraderie (all tenets of the traditional 'PRO' tour) on the water.

      The best indication of Team FishDancer's perspective regarding the 2012 angling season is that our first fishing adventure -- which would normally be in Key West or Naples, will be in Los Suenos, Costa Rica chartering for Sailfish and Roosterfish.  No one in the USA seems interested in competing for our dollars so lets try something else -- its a big world full of angling out there.  

Right now we are considering joining the 'pro' circuit in June, not chasing the TOY points and choosing 3-5 locations we love to fish and finish up in Biloxi.  Not much on camaraderie, not much on head-to-head competition and in our view no way equal to AOY, but if we hook up with a few like minded anglers we might create our own head-to-head competition.  Who is in?   Stay tuned....

Team FishDancer has started this new year without a team competition plan for the first time since 1998.  Usually by this time our team has committed to compete in certain events with certain sponsors within the context of the SKA divisional and/or Pro tour circuits.  Captain Jeff would already have made several hundred rigs in preparation of these commitments and time off would have already been arranged to support these events.  What a difference a year makes.  "THE" FishDancer and I are not sure what we will be doing in 2012, there is not enough information for us to commit to any specific course of action.  Will there be a pro tour in 2012 and if so what will the format/locations be?

    We were considering fishing in Key West, perhaps as part of the Division 10 events or perhaps part of an OPEN Pro circuit, but have decided against this for a variety of reasons.  Perhaps we will fish Division 6 to qualify for the Big Dance, but maybe not.  Maybe we will fish the locals -- division IV and V to qualify but perhaps not.  2012 NE Florida Kingfish Shootout?  It's a possibility but not a certainty -- we have heard good things about this event. So after more than a dozen years, 150 SKA divisional and 50 SKA PRO events entered since 1998, perhaps we will take a year off and enjoy other adventures?? It seems odd to enter a season without a plan but nothing stays the same and in the end the only undefeated champions out there are Mother Nature and Father Time.  So without any sense of clarity regarding the direction of the PRO tour we have entered the new year without a competitive fishing plan.  Heck we don't even have enough information to fill out our 2012 SKA membership application!! So we keep our eyes and ears open and hope for the best.  To several fellow members of the Contender Pro team who have reached agreements with new sponsors we wish you well...and hope to see you somewhere fishing in 2012.....

Team FishDancer

2012  KINGFISH TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

The Chum Slick

Editorial Comment by Captain Jeff

The competition for our time and money.....

    Sometimes I wonder if the SKA, its sponsors and tournament promoters realize that we as members, fishing teams and entrants have a wide variety of activities that compete for our attention, time and discretionary dollars??  The SKA is in competition with every other form of recreation -- from movies to casinos - for its' member's attention.  Many long time SKA members are beginning to ask what is the value proposition of membership.  Team FishDancer has been a PRO team for 10 years and competition members for 5 years more and we have always supported the SKA because they kept the PRO playground fun and exciting for us.  2012 might see the end of that as nothing has been announced and at this late stage it would be difficult for us to clear our schedules as we have already moved on to new adventures.   Sponsors should be thinking about how to expand the need for their products. Without the SKA and PRO tour what would be the utility that created the need for boat manufacturers to produce 30-40 foot center console boats or the motor companies to hang twin or triple motors on them? How many anglers would support the boat and motor OEMS without a proper venue in which to use the product to its fullest capacity?  One long time SKA Pro member summed it up nicely by asking without a PRO circuit "...what am I going to do with my big boat????".  Tournament directors have the same opportunity.  Why would I pay to fish any event that keeps for its own purposes more than 50% of the entry fees?  There are too many hands in the bucket, too many groups trying to profit from the kingfish circuit -- this has in kind increased costs and created many hard feelings.   The SKA should be looking forward, creating ways to enhance the value of joining the association for its members, failure to do this will result in the continued winnowing of membership and revenues. Sponsors should be supporting those anglers who purchase and promote their products.  When well regarded teams using your products jump ship to your competition, you should take note.  There is a reason for this. And finally tournament directors should review the entry:reward relationships for participants in their events.  It is not ALL $$$ and cents, but fun, camaraderie and community as well.  Those events that have the best combination of all of those components will survive, those who ignore those calculations will perish.  As anglers we have many places to spend our time and money and almost no one seems interested in competing for our attention....oh well maybe someone soon will wake up to the marketplace reality...

'Captain Jeff '

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This high energy husband and wife team joined the SKA Professional Kingfish Tour after qualifying by finishing 8th in SKA Division IV in 2002.  In 2002 they won the Kingfish Division of the Offshore Blitz, won 1st place Lady Angler in the Two Way KMT, 2nd place Lady Angler and 9th overall at the Halfmoon KMT. Team FishDancer won the final leg of the SKA Pro Tour in Louisiana in 2003 by landing a 61.1 pound fish, the 2nd largest of the season and the largest weighed by a Lady Angler.  Team FishDancer has had 17 top ten day one performances on the SKA Pro Tour and seven top ten finishes; including  2 top Lady Angler wins; Golden Isles leg of the SKA Pro tour in 2007  and the Jacksonville leg of the SKA Pro Tour in 2005.   So far in 2008 the team has finished in 18th place overall in the Junior Angler Jacksonville King Mackerel Tournament and in 8th place at the SKA PRO tour stop in Brunswick, Georgia.   In 2007 the team has finished 4th overall at the Brunswick, Georgia SKA Pro Tour and earned 5th place in the 2007 ASWSC  20th Anniversary Sailfish Tournament, in Palm Beach, Florida. The team performed well in 2006 with 4 in the money finishes, including the 2 National Championships, 17th in the Rumble in the Jungle,  a 7th place finish in the 2006 Little River stop on the SKA Pro Tour and finished 6th overall in the 2005 SKA Pro tour event in Jacksonville. Nancy and Jeff, one of the top performing husband and wife competitive angling teams in the nation, finished 14th overall for the SKA Pro season with Nancy earning 3rd place Lady Angler. Nancy and Jeff  earned The team has completed the SKA Professional kingfish grand slam weighing in fish in the 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 pound classes, holds the SKA big fish (61.1)  for Port Fourchon, LA and has finished in the money 26 times in its SKA career.  Nancy is considered one of the top Lady Anglers in the nation and Jeff has received the prestigious SKA Director's award for his 'unselfish contributions to our sport"'

Nancy@FishDancer.net or Jeff@FishDancer.net

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