Florida kayak tournament reels in the big ’uns

THE 108 kayaks that took off by the Pompano Fishing Pier came back with loads of kingfish, a big wahoo and an even bigger cobia.

Michael Guest In Action On His Offshore Fishing Kayak

THE 108 kayaks that took off by the Pompano Fishing Pier came back with loads of kingfish, a big wahoo and an even bigger cobia. The cobia was a first for the Extreme Kayak Fishing tournament trail, which had its first event in 2011.

Jack Daughtry, of Columbia, Maryland, was the top angler with kingfish of 20.8 and 30.9 pounds for a total weight of 51.7. He won $3500, a trophy and an Adrenaline Extreme Rod.

Joe Kraatz was second with 47.8 pounds on kingfish of 21.2 and 26.6 to win $1500 and a Hobie Outback kayak from Nautical Ventures. Kraatz also caught the first of the five sailfish released on Saturday to win the sailfish division and a free entry into the 2015 Sailfish Smack Down.

John Sims was third with a 46.4-pound cobia to win $500, Costa sunglasses and a Hobie Revolution kayak from Nautical Ventures. A Cooper City commissioner, Sims, 56, was thrilled to accomplish two goals: Catching a big cobia and winning a kayak. He fished out of a kayak that he bought six months ago for $250 on Craigs­list and modified for fishing with gear he made ­himself.

He was fishing live baits on the surface and down 60-70 feet on a downrigger while bouncing a 4-ounce yellow jig with a white bucktail on the bottom in 100 feet south of the pier.

“I thought I caught the bottom,” Sims said, “then it started to move and I realised it was a fish. At first I thought it was an amberjack.”

The fish came to the surface three times and the third time Sims saw it was a big cobia. He needed an hour to land the fish using 25-pound line and a Kunan rod his father gave him.

“It wore me out. I never caught a cobia that big,” Sims said. “It’s a catch of a lifetime. That’s one mark off my bucket list: a big cobia on a kayak.”

Carl Torresson was fourth at 44.2 with kings of 22.4 and 21.8 to win $200 and sunglasses.

Justin Moody was fifth with a 36.7 wahoo, which also won the wahoo and biggest pelagic divisions, to earn a rod and reel, Costas, a wahoo mount and a Guy Harvey necklace.

Hunter Irvine, 11, was the top junior with an 11.9 kingfish to win $150. Fishing in a tandem kayak with his father, Lance, he first released a kingfish that was just short of the 24-inch minimum size limit before catching the winner.

“It was a pretty good fish,” said Hunter.

John McKroid won the Trash Can Slam with a 25-pound barracuda and Jon Cunningham, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, caught the biggest kingfish at 32.4 to win the $2100 kingfish calcutta.