Local angling team Hot Spot VI won the 2015 Captain Haps Bash on the Bluff tournament Aug. 21-22 in Darien.
The team won this same tournament last season.
“We won this Darien event again this year with a smoker 46.71-pounder,” team member Cameron Mattingly said. “We finished ranked fifth in the state.”
The team won the $7,300 purse.
Mattingly said he, Capt. Dave Massey, Doc Massey Jr., Ben Carter and Tiger Roroback are in awe of the back-to-back wins and the incredible fishing seasons they’ve had the past three years.
Mattingly said the team members weren’t sure they would be successful as the tournament started under extremely dismal weather.
“Fishing in 15- to 20-knot winds and 4- to 6-foot seas really makes it rough,” Mattingly said.
By Saturday, Mattingly said, the weather had cleared, and the boats headed out for the chase. The prize was landing the largest kingfish.
“We started our morning with a prayer giving thanks for the ability to enjoy a sport we all truly love,” Mattingly said. “We asked God to allow us a safe trip; we asked for protection over our families while we were away and to be able to make more fishing memories that we all enjoy so much.”
Mattingly said God answered their prayers with the biggest catch of the day.
It took a little finesse in hunting for the perfect spot and hooking their prized catch.
“Our strategy for the event this year was a long run north,” Mattingly said, adding that the fish seemed to be moving in that direction because of the cooler waters.
The team headed out 80 miles from the weigh-in point and tried a spot. After a while and with no luck, Mattingly said he recalled an article he read about the right time to change lures.
“The takeaway from that article is that when you lose faith that lure will catch a fish, change it,” he said.
The team members changed their lures and moved to a new spot. That’s when they nabbed the big one.
“Everyone did their jobs, and the fish came in the boat in short order,” Mattingly said.
The team is preparing for the national tournament in October in Morehead City, North Carolina.