The 34th Annual Rotary Club of Sneads Ferry King Mackerel Tournament is in the books and was another great success. Most noteworthy this year was a change in venue from the New River Marina on the ICW to the Sneads Ferry Marina right on the New River. Hosts/Owners Tim Lanier and Jimmy Everett went above and beyond to prepare the site on relatively short notice, and all anglers and patrons were well-impressed with the venue, which will only improve in the years to come.
Now to the fishing: 111 boats registered, with 89 boats electing to fish Saturday, and 22 on Sunday. Saturday weather was a little more sporting, with scattered showers and thunderstorms in the area all afternoon. Sunday featured clear skies and light winds for the entire day. Low to moderate seas made for comfortable conditions both days.
When the results were all in, L.H. Turner’s Motley Crew brought in the big King at 42.96 pounds. The Crew brought this fish in on Saturday afternoon and had a tense Sunday awaiting the outcome, especially when the second-place boat, Surf N Turf, brought in a 41.7 pounder at 4 PM Sunday. Mas Agua, skippered by venue host Jimmy Everett, took third place with a 40.98 pound King, so less than two pounds separated the top three places! See complete results on the Rotary Club of Sneads Ferry KMT Facebook page.
Also of interest was the Dolphin TWT. In the past few years, the tournament had seen nothing larger than about an 8 lb mahi, but this year, the winners aboard Traveler brought in a 27.3 pound whopper!
All in all, it was a great weekend for the anglers, patrons, and especially the beneficiaries of this tournament: the local community. All proceeds go back into the community for things like scholarships, support of food banks and homeless womens’ shelters, local school athletic programs, and so much more. Many thanks to all sponsors, ad buyers, and patrons for your tremendous and continuing support of this tournament.
See you in 2026!