LIQUID FIRE FISHING TEAM ADVENTURES

BLUE WATER CANDY LURES SPONSORS TEAM!!

2012-02-15T21:40:00.002-05:00

Our Liquid Fire Fishing Team would like to welcome our newest team sponsor... BLUE WATER CANDY LURES!!

http://www.bluewatercandylures.com/
...
Captain Jodie Gay, wife, Terry and daughter, Jessica, have produced tournament-winning product for king mackerel fishermen for the last eight years. The company's commitment to developing the best American made product in the industry is unsurpassed.

Not only has Blue Water Candy Lures had great success in the fishing lures industry, it has also tasted a tremendous amount of tournament success as well by claiming the SKA 23' and Under National Championship in 2009.

Welcome Blue Water Candy Lures!! We look forward to many wonderful days on the water with your product!

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - www.liquidfirefishing.com

MANY TEAM SPONSORS ATTEND BOAT SHOW

2012-02-05T19:50:00.001-05:00

VISIT THESE GREAT COMPANIES AT THE

MIAMI INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW

FEBRUARY 16-20, 2012

SPONSOR LOCATION / INFORMATION IN MIAMI SHOW

For those planning on attending the Miami International Boat Show, check out these awesome companies when you're there. This link will give you a quick preview of their BOOTH # and CONTACT INFORMATION!!

Tell them you saw it on the Liquid Fire Fishing Team websiteF, acebook page and this Google Blog.

Thanks for checking it out! Mark

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - www.liquidfirefishing.com

TACO METALS OFFERS DISCOUNTED ADMISSION TO ATLANTIC CITY SHOW!

2012-01-27T23:27:00.005-05:00

TACO METALS OFFERS DISCOUNTED ADMISSION TO: Atlantic City Boat Show - 2/1-5/12 - Tell them you saw this on the Liquid Fire Fishing Team Google Blog!

"It’s a New Year and it’s Show time! TACO Metals, Inc. will be showcasing its Sport Fishing products, tried-n-true as well as new and we’d love ...for your to drop by our booth and say HI! We’re in Booth No. 608. And, to further demonstrate our appreciation for your ongoing support, we are offering you a special discount admission to the 2012 Progressive Insurance Atlantic City Boat Show from February 1-5.

These discounts can be redeemed by ordering tickets online. Just click on the link below and enter the special promotional code. You’ll save up to $4 off adult tickets! So, we hope we’ll see you sometime between February 1st and 5th! Click Here http://www.nmma.net/assets/cabinets/Cabinet209/7075_AC12_Exhibitor_Coupon.pdf for Discounted Tickets."

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - http://www.liquidfirefishing.com/

AMERICAN FISHING WIRE & RIGID-INDUSTRIES - LED LIGHTING ALIGN WITH LIQUID FIRE

2012-01-23T23:52:00.000-05:00

Our Liquid Fire Fishing Team would like to welcome our twonewest partners/sponsors… American Fishing Wire (AFW) and Rigid Industries –LED Lighting. We consider it an honor tobe aligned with and entrusted to represent such respected companies and their products.

RIGID INDUSTRIES

Your Source for Side by Side Solutions. "Home of theBrightest, Most Efficient LED Light. Period."

"Rigid Industries, located in Mesa Arizona, is theindustry leader and originator of the most efficient LED lighting solutions.Our patented Hybrid and Spector Optics systems and state of the art electronicstechnology makes our LED products second to none. While providing the bestproduct on the market, we still maintain class leading affordability with a USmade product. Rigid Industries is the pioneer of the forward projecting highintensity LED light bars. Out patented technology allows our lights to projectup to 40% more Lux while drawing up to 50% less power than any competitor.

Unmatched customer service along with developing one of akind lighting products is a staple of what Rigid Industries is about. Whether it be designing customlights or offering solutions to new projects. Rigid Industries is able to meetyour needs in our 15,000 square foot location. Our flagship LED light bars are madein the U.S.A. where we are able to remain hands on, expand, design and adapt tocurrent and future needs of clients."

Thank you Rigid Industries - LED Lighting. Wecan't wait to post photos of our new Intrepid Powerboats 375CC Open, powered with triple Yamaha Outboard 350s. The boat will be equippedwith the most amazing underwater and above-deck lighting package on the water!!She should be ready to make a "splash" in April...

Visit this ground-breaking company at: http://www.rigidindustries.com

AMERICAN FISHING WIRE

Line and leaderare the critical link between you and the fish. For over 28 years we’ve beenproviding serious freshwater and saltwater anglers like you with the finestquality line, leader, and rigging products.

"Our AFW range isthe largest selection of wire line and leader products in the industry. Westill produce all of our own wire, strand, and cable at our factory in theUnited States. Our quality exceeds our competition and our products are provento withstand the powerful, unsympathetic bite of toothy fish like Barracuda,Bluefish, King Mackerel, Pike, Shark, and Wahoo. Whether you’re in a stream oron a boat, our range of wires are tailored to suit your specific needs - fromthe stealthy 6 lb. test of knottable Surflon Micro Ultra, to the whopping 900lb. test of the mighty 49 Strand cable.

New this season,we are excited to introduce AFW Titanium Leaders in both single strand and 1x7constructions. These stealthy black leaders stretch and recover on hook set andcan be fished over and over without kinking . And be sure to check out our newAFW Mighty Mini 100% Stainless Steel Swivels and Snap Swivels. Thesetechnologically advanced swivels are smaller and 3x’s stronger than brassswivels. These new products are so revolutionary, they will likely change theway you fish."

Be sure to visit this historic company at: http://www.americanfishingwire.com

Our team has been a long-time supporter of AFW, the finest leader wire on the market! In route to winning the 2008 SKA Yamaha Kingfish Tour Angler of the Year title, every fish we caught was with AFW 60#, 1x7 Surfstrand. We are truly thankful to be considered to represent them as a pro-staff team.

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - http://www.liquidfirefishing.com

NBOA MARINE INSURANCE AND LIQUID FIRE FISHING TEAM JOIN FORCES!

2012-01-16T21:22:00.000-05:00

NBOA MARINE INSURANCE -
THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS

Our Liquid Fire Fishing Team would like to welcome our newest partner/sponsor, NBOA MARINE INSURANCE!! After being an NBOA customer for the last few years, we are excited to be able to work with such a great organization to help spread the word about the quality of their services.

“A great boat deserves great boat insurance, and at National Boat Owners Association (NBOA), we strive to provide every boater with the best marine insurance available, while also accommodating every aspect of the boating lifestyle.”

NBOA Marine Insurance not only provides the highest standard of marine coverage in the industry. The company has been a sponsor and supporter of the Southern Kingfish Association (SKA) and king mackerel tournament fishing for the past few years as well. NBOA works hard to protect our sport, its fishermen and their property.

Not only does NBOA support the SKA as a sponsor, the company also produces one of the FINEST tournaments on the trail. The NBOA Gulf Coast Open Fishing Tournament set the standard for king mackerel tournaments with its inaugural 2011 event in Sarasota, FL. This event was the “Cadillac” of all events with an AMAZING captain’s party and well-orchestrated list of events for the participating teams.

When you get the chance, visit their interactive website, www.nboat.com to get a quote and learn more about the ADDITIONAL COVERAGE you get with your policy!! The NBOA Members Club offers benefits you just will not get with other insurance policies.

In addition to their website, NBOA can be reached any time, toll-free at 800-248-3512, or:

4404 N. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34234-3864
Phone: 941-360-6777
Fax: 941-360-6888

NBOA is not just another insurance company; they will be your partner during all of your “on the water” adventures!! You will be very happy with your choice of NBOA and its staff.

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - http://www.liquidfirefishing.com/

TACO METALS DISPLAYS PRODUCTS AT MAJOR EVENTS!

2012-01-11T21:42:00.000-05:00

I want to make sure that everyone remembers two awesome industry shows coming up very soon. One of our Liquid Fire Fishing Team's newest sponsors, TACO METALS, will be representing their top-of-the-line products at the following shows:

HENRY'S BIG ROCK EAST - Raleigh, NC - January 12-15http://www.bigrocksports.com/support/html-pages/dealer-shows.html
TACO METALS BOOTH #1141

ATLANTIC CITY BOAT SHOW - Atlantic City, NJ - February 1-5
http://www.acboatshow.com/exhibitors/resources/promotional.aspx
TACO METALS BOOTH #608

Make sure you stop by and check out their great products. Please make sure you let them know you saw this on our Facebook page!! Mark

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - www.liquidfirefishing.com

KMT JOURNALS - BRASS BANDS AND SCREAMING DRAGS… FIGHT SONGS OF THE SPORTS WORLD!

2012-01-07T18:12:00.004-05:00

http://www.liquidfirefishing.com/journals/brass-bands.php

Most all institutions of higher education have a “fight song” that is bellowed by a thundering brass band during a celebration of each of its team’s touchdowns! The sport of king mackerel tournament fishing is not unlike these schools of higher education; the thundering, high-pitched, screaming clicker from a cast-aluminum conventional fishing reel bellowing the arrival of a welcome visitor…

…rewind to the 20th Annual Sneads Ferry Rotary King Mackerel Tournament on Saturday, August 20, 2011. This event has been one of our favorite stops among the numerous sanctioned events by the Southern Kingfish Association (SKA) for years.

Our day began with any early morning 45-mile run to a known big king mackerel fishing spot out of Drum Inlet, NC. After deploying our spread of live blue fish and menhaden at 7:00 a.m., we fished the area for over three hours and caught one small king. Although the area looked very “fishy,” with a lot of bait and good water temperature, we decided to try another location in about 90-feet of water over 20 miles away.

Once we arrived at the new chosen grounds, it didn’t take long for us to hear the king mackerel tournament “fight song”… a screaming clicker from one of our Accurate BX600-X reels!!! The long, blistering run indicated that we were chasing down our targeted species, until… the speedy creature appeared and the iridescent glow of vertical blue stripes showed just before Joshua planted the gaff behind the dorsal fin. Never had we been more disappointed to pull a 25# wahoo over the gunwale!

After pouting for a while, we sent our six-bait spread back out, hoping to capture the interest of our intended razor-toothed target this time. Shortly, we noticed the long bait dragging on the surface. Once we got it to the boat, we found that it had been sliced into three pieces by a sneaky predator. I immediately launched another blue fish on the medium line; Joshua skillfully turned our vessel back on the same trolling pattern.

Within 10 minutes, the long-lined pogy was hit by a slow-moving "bus." A couple minutes into the fight the bait thief showed itself, and as we suspected, a seven-foot shark appeared on the surface attached to our line.

Not to be discouraged, I floated the medium-lined blue fish back long, and Joshua made a third pass through the active spot. In a matter of moments the blue was attacked, and Crockett grabbed the rod in time to hear the KMT fight song once again!! After the fish made short work of exhausting our Accurate of about 250 yards of Yo-Zuri Hybrid smoke purple line, I placed the boat on top of the fish less than five minutes into the fight, and Joshua was able to identify it as “a good one.” Indicating that it was a king mackerel we would be proud to have.

That’s when the fun and excitement of hearing a long, spine-tingling run turn to shear anxiety and tension. The big girl decided that she wanted to make our efforts daunting… she dove deep and stayed there for over 30 minutes! The normal king mackerel fight for our team is generally from about eight to 20 minutes. Thus, once the fish hit at 12:40 p.m., the ensuing tussle seemed an eternity as the minutes clicked by from our GPS.

After Crockett patiently worked the big girl close to the surface, our team was able to see her size, and it gave us an opportunity to get really concerned because of her perceived innate ability to stay just out of Joshua’s range with our Aftco 12-foot gaff. Finally at 1:13 p.m., she came close enough to the starboard bow, and Joshua plunged the hook eight-feet into the water, made the short but smooth gaffing motion, and pandemonium broke out!!

Even after the 33-minute fight, she still had enough spunk in her to try to pull the gaff from Joshua’s grip. However, he was up to the task and brought the 42.51# beast over the gunwale for a resounding THUD! When putting the big girl in the fish box, the three-hook rig fell from her mouth without having to be removed, which indicated a true professional angling effort by Crockett. , our prized smoker was a welcome passenger once Joshua placed her in the fish box after a skillful gaff shot!

After setting another three-bait spread while we got the boat cleaned and straightened, Joshua took the helm at 2:30 p.m., powered up the twin Yamaha F350s and proceeded to New River Inlet and the weigh-in at New River Marina and Power Marine Outfitters for an early end to our fishing day. We collected nearly $1,700.00 for our daily efforts, and the king placed us 4th in the event's overall standings, as Crockett claimed his FOURTH JUNIOR ANGLER TITLE of 2011. He also took home third place in another event earlier this fishing season.

As we began our hour-long drive to our home in Cape Carteret following the awards ceremony, I’m almost positive I heard the faint melody from across the intra-coastal waterway of a brass band bellowing the KMT “fight song” of a screaming drag from a cast-aluminum reel... In a year that was as tough for catching king mackerel as we can remember, we have a family memory that will last forever… and a “fight song” that will not soon be forgotten!

Mark Henderson is the captain of the Cape Carteret, NC-based Liquid Fire Fishing Team sponsored by: Intreptid Powerboats, Yamaha Outboards, Cannon Downriggers, Accurate Fishing Products, AmeraTrail Custom Trailers, Simrad, Best Buy Marine, Optima Batteries, Yo-Zuri, Ocean-Tamer Bean Bags, Sportsman’s Toy Store, Crystal Coast Graphics, SPRO/Gamakatsu, Pro Chips, Columbia Sportswear, Costa Del Mar, Lee’s Livebait and Stevenson Automotive Group.

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - www.liquidfirefishing.com

TACO METALS JOINS FORCES WITH THE LIQUID FIRE FISHING TEAM!!

2011-12-20T22:14:00.004-05:00

The Liquid Fire Fishing Team is honored to welcome ournewest sponsor: TACO METALS, INC. TACO is synonymous with Sport Fishing,and has been the brand of choice providing top-quality products to the marineindustry for over 50 years. TACOmarine and sport fishing products can be found on commercial, recreational, andtournament vessels around the world.

“TACO’s line of sport fishing products is known for durability, simplicity, and angler-friendly features”, says Mark Henderson, Captain Liquid Fire Fishing Team. TACO Sport fishing products continue to lead the way in innovation and performance with products that enhance the fishing experience”, continues Henderson.

“Sport fishing tournaments around the world hold a particular commonality: that the winning anglers boast about their natural talents and how they couldn’t have done it without their TACO sport fishing products,” offers Henderson.

“TACO is delighted to be sponsoring this fine sport fishing team” said Jon Kushner, President of TACO Metals, Inc. “They’re well-organized, forward-thinking and they demonstrate how a well-oiled machine can have its successes when everyone owns their position and responsibilities.” Kushner adds, “Their competitive spirit, winning attitude and all-in-the-family approach is what this sport is all about.”

Inaddition to engineering the rugged and reliable industry-standard, TACOGRAND SLAM OUTRIGGERS, TACO’s vast marine product portfolio includes:T-Tops and Teleshades; Marine Lumber and Hardware including latches &hinges; marine LED spreader, spot, task & work lighting; renowned rub railand inserts; casting nest (West Coast Nets) and numerous other boating-marineaccessories. Be sure and click to WWW.TACOMETALS.COM for product and orderinginformation.

SPOTLIGHTON: TACO’s LUMATEQ brand marine-grade LED Lighting, offering a$25.00 manufacturer’s rebate on the purchase of two spreader / spot lightsbetween February 1 and March 31, 2012. Follow this link to learn more aboutthis money-saving offer! It’s a great time to upgrade your T-Top and cockpitlighting!

http://tacomarine.com/ccp51/media/coupons/2012_boat_show_web_coupon.pdf

Ourteam is excited about our partnership with TACO Metals, Inc., we’ve been loyal customers of theirGrand Slam Outriggers and numerous other rod holders and marine accessories foryears and years.

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - http://www.liquidfirefishing.com/

CROCKETT IS YEAR'S TOP JUNIOR ANGLER!! INTREPID POWERBOATS & SKA NATIONALS

2011-11-20T15:54:00.008-05:00

For the second time in four years, Crockett claimed the title of SKA YAMAHA Professional Kingfish Tour TOP JUNIOR ANGLER!! To our knowledge, Crockett is the only junior angler to achieve this award twice! He also captured this honor in 2008; the same year our Liquid Fire Fishing Team captured the Angler of the Year title.

The strength of capturing four of the five Top Junior Angler titles in the 2011 professional season catapulted Crockett into the yearly top spot. The pro events in which he claimed first place were in:

Sarasota, FL - Jensen Beach, FL - Fourchon, LA - Little River, SC (postponed and fished in Biloxi, MS)

One of the major highlights of our trip was having the pleasure to meet Ken Clinton, President of Intrepid Powerboats and John Molfetto, Customer Care Representative. Our team is fortunate and thankful to have the opportunity to partner with Intrepid Powerboats for the 2012 season. Our new boat is scheduled for completion by the second week of April. There is a lot more to share about this great opportunity in the very near future!! I can’t tell you how excited we are to be able to partner with such a respected company. MORE TO COME SOON…

Now to the YAMAHA Professional Kingfish Tour and SKA National Championship in Biloxi, MS. –

Our Liquid Fire Fishing Team jaunted 1/3 of the way across the country on Wednesday, November 2 to complete the 2011 SKA YAMAHA Professional Kingfish Tour. After the fourth leg of the series was postponed in Little River, SC, the make-up date was slated for Nov. 8, with the Tour Championship being held the following day.

On arrival, the fierce winds of Biloxi greeted us in full force. It was our third time traveling to the popular destination in the Northern Gulf to hopefully experience the infamous “Biloxi Bite!” A little discouraged, we tried to make our way out of Horn Pass and Dog Key Pass several days. Unfortunately, each journey was ended quickly once exiting the passes and being faced with 5-7-foot seas!

With the assistance of our new found weather app, Marine Weather by Bluefin, on our new Droid Bionics (that’s another story in itself); we stayed up-to-date with the offshore forecast. Knowing the winds would be blowing out of the south at no less than 15 knots; we stayed “on the hill” and focused on catching mullet for bait.

The poor weather conditions lead to a format change. Tuesday fishing was cancelled, and that left the Yamaha pro tour teams to catch and weigh two fish during one day of fishing on Wednesday.

Heading offshore after the Wednesday 6:30 a.m. check-out, we knew we had a long, 82-mile adventure in 3’-5’ swells. After the three-hour journey, we deployed our mullet at an offshore oil rig known to produce large king mackerel. FINALLY… we began to experience what we had heard about for years. The kings were there, hungry and big!

After boating about 15 kings between 32-40 pounds in our four hours of fishing, we began the long run back through Dog Key Pass. Weighing two respectable kings, 39.80 and 39.12 pounds, placed us 13^th in the tournament, and captured Crockett the 1^st place Junior Angler trophy.

The southerly winds continued and a strong cold front passed through the Gulf states on Thursday and early Friday, leaving Jack Holmes, managing partner of the SKA, the tough decision to make the last tournaments of the year (Yamaha pro and SKA Nationals) another one-day shoot-out… and a shoot-out it was!!!

The infamous Horseshoe / Salt Domes was the location for most of the larger fish caught during the Wednesday pro tournament. With two full days for the 147-boat Nationals’ field to gather this information, everyone believed they had a chance to catch two quality fish in hopes of being crowned Angler of the Year and National Champion.

At the Saturday morning check-out, the teams were faced with a “balmy” 40-degree air temperature. Once again, the Liquid Fire Fishing Team strapped on our Columbia foul weather gear only to protect us from the un-seasonably cool temperatures, as the sea conditions of 1-2 feet was by far the best we had ever seen in the upper Gulf!! This as going to be fun!!!

After the 82-mile, wide open throttle run, Joshua pulled back the throttles at about 9:00 a.m. We immediately deployed three large mullet, and within minutes, three 30-plus pound king mackerel “skied” on all three baits!! The “bite” was real, and it was “ON!”

WOW, WOW, WOW!!! We caught and released more king mackerel than we could count. They bit anything and everything.

After three years of skepticism, we finally got to experience the most amazing king mackerel fishery in our country. For those who haven’t had the pleasure of spending time on the water in this area, I can only say... it was worth the wait!

The SKA staff did an awesome job, as always. Thank you Jack, Deonna, Bob, Chris, Loreen, Terry and all other staff and volunteers for another GREAT event!! We’re ready to go again!

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - www.liquidfirefishing.com

TEAM VISITS BILOXI - WEATHER IS TOUGH!!

2011-11-06T17:20:00.014-05:00

The Liquid Fire Fishing Team has traveled to Biloxi, MS, to finish the 2011 Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour and participate in the SKA National Championship. After arriving in the popular town, we found out quickly what the ominous cloud that followed us all the way from Swansboro, NC, was... 20 mph winds!!

Our team history in Biloxi has been somewhat less than spectacular. After visiting the area in 2004 and 2008, we have yet to be able to fish a tournament day in the fertile waters of Mississippi. Our 2011 trip has been much the same. We battled 4-5 seas on Friday to try to find and catch blue runners. Instead, Joshua caught a 38-inch redfish in 67-feet of water while using a SPRO Swivel Jig. Crockett did catch an 18# king on a 2-oz. diamond jig using an Accurate SR12 spinning reel.

We're really hoping the winds will subside and finally allow us to experience the epic Biloxi "bite." Stay tuned... we'll try to keep you posted.

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - http://www.liquidfirefishing.com/

TEAM PLACES 3rd IN RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE KMT! - CROCKETT WINS 5th JR. ANGLER TITLE OF 2011

2011-10-17T20:10:00.008-04:00

While king mackerel fishing has been slow for most of the season in North Carolina, our Liquid Fire Fishing Team was able to boat a third place 29.34-pound smoker king on Saturday, Oct. 15, in the Rumble in the Jungle KMT out of Little River, SC. In addition to our third place finish in the 93-boat tournament, Crockett won his fifth (5^th) Junior Angler title of 2011!! Again, Crockett did the honors as team angler, while Joshua handled the gaffing duties.

After selling our 2008 Contender 31T on September 2, we were worried about what we would do for a boat to allow us to complete the remainder of the 2011 season. But, our friend, Rob Ferris of the Mad Mouse Fishing Team, came through with “flying colors!” Not only did Rob allow us to use his 2009 SeaCraft 32, he spent the entire weekend as a Liquid Fire Fishing Team member!! This was a tremendous asset to our team. While Rob and I have known each other for five years, this was our first opportunity to fish together competitively.

We currently reside in fourth (4^th) place in Division 9 with one tournament remaining. There are some tremendous fishing teams in this division vying for the top spot. We can only hope to be competitive down to the wire in the Fall Brawl KMT this weekend!!

In addition to our prize winning king mackerel, we also were presented with a surprise... a 43.25" redfish. What a great fish and fight. Even though it's certainly not the targeted species in a king mackerel tournament, it made for an even more exciting day!!

Stay tuned… I hope it will be a great weekend!

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - www.liquidfirefishing.com

LIQUID FIRE CLAIMS 4TH IN SNEADS FERRY KMT – CROCKETT TAKES 1ST JR. ANGLER AND 4TH JUNIOR TITLE OF 2011

2011-08-23T21:20:00.013-04:00

Our Liquid Fire Fishing Team had a highly successful showing during the 20th Annual Sneads Ferry Rotary King Mackerel Tournament on Saturday, August 20, 2011. This event has been one of our favorite stops among the numerous sanctioned events by the Southern Kingfish Association (SKA) for years.

The 42.51# king placed us 4th in the event's overall standings, and Crockett clained his FOURTH JUNIOR ANGLER TITLE of 2011. He also took home third place in another event earlier. In a year that has been as tough for catching king mackerel as we can remember, our prized smoker was a welcome passenger once Joshua placed her in the fish box after a skillful gaff shot!

Our day began with any early morning 45-mile run to a known big king mackerel fishing spot out of Drum Inlet, NC. After deploying our spread of live blue fish and menhaden at 7:00 a.m., we fished the area for over three hours and caught one small king. Although the area looked very “fishy,” with a lot of bait and good water temperature, we decided to try another location in about 90-feet of water over 20 miles away.

Once we arrived at the new chosen grounds, it didn’t take long for us to hear the king mackerel tournament fight song… a screaming clicker from one of our Accurate BX600-X reels!!! The long, blistering run indicated that we were chasing down our targeted species, until… the speedy creature appeared and the iridescent glow of vertical blue stripes showed just before Joshua planted the gaff behind the dorsal fin. Never had we been more disappointed to pull a 25# wahoo over the gunwale!

After pouting for a while, we sent our six-bait spread back out, hoping to capture the interest of our intended razor-toothed target this time. Shortly, we noticed the long bait dragging on the surface. Once we got it to the boat, we found that it had been sliced into three pieces by a sneaky predator. I immediately launched another blue fish on the medium line; Joshua skillfully tuned our 31T Contender back on the same trolling pattern. Within 10 minutes, the long-lined pogy was hit by a slow-moving "bus." A couple minutes into the fight the bait thief showed itself, and as we suspected, a seven-foot shark appeared on the surface, attached to our line.

Not to be discouraged, I floated the medium-lined blue fish back long, and Joshua made a third pass through the active spot. In a matter of moments the blue was attacked, and Crockett grabbed the rod in time to hear the KMT fight song once again!! After the fish made short work of exhausting our Accurate of about 250 yards of Yo-Zuri Hybrid smoke purple line, I placed the boat on top of the fish less than five minutes into the fight, and Joshua was able to identify it as “a good one.” Indicating that it was a king mackerel we would be proud to have.

That’s when the fun and excitement of hearing a long, spine-tingling run turn to shear anxiety and tension. The big girl decided that she wanted to make our efforts daunting… she dove deep and stayed there for over 30 minutes! The normal king mackerel fight for our team is generally from about eight to 20 minutes. Thus, once the fish hit at 12:40 p.m., the ensuing tussle seemed an eternity as the minutes clicked by from our GPS.

After Crockett patiently worked the big girl close to the surface, our team was able to see her size, and it gave us an opportunity to get really concerned because of her perceived innate ability to stay just out of Joshua’s range with our Aftco 12-foot gaff. Finally at 1:13 p.m., she came close enough to the starboard bow, and Joshua plunged the hook eight-feet into the water, made the short but smooth gaffing motion, and pandemonium broke out!!

Even after the 33-minute fight, she still had enough spunk to try to pull the gaff from Joshua’s grip. However, he was up to the task and brought the 42.51# beast over the gunwale for a resounding THUD! When putting the big girl in the fish box, the three-hook rig fell from her mouth without having to be removed, which indicated a true professional angling effort by Crockett.

After setting another three-bait spread while we got the boat cleaned and straightened, Joshua took the helm at 2:30 p.m., powered up the twin Yamaha F350s and proceeded to New River Inlet and the weigh-in at New River Marina and Power Marine Outfitters for an early end to our fishing day. We collected nearly $1,700.00 for our daily efforts, but more importantly, we have a family memory that will last forever!!

Until next time...

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - www.liquidfirefishing.com

TEAM IS 6TH IN EAST COAST GOT-EM-ON - DANNY COMPTON WINS ROD/REEL COMBO

2011-07-13T23:11:00.011-04:00

Our Liquid Fire Fishing participated in the 32^nd annual East Coast Got-Em-On Classic King Mackerel Tournament in Carolina Beach, July 8-10. The highly successful and popular event attracted 161 boats for its two-day Captain’s Choice format.

Choosing to fish the second day, along with another 153 teams, because of a small craft advisory issued on Saturday, we began our quest for a slob at 6:00 a.m. After deploying our six-line spread of pogies, blue fish and mullet, we pounded an area out of Bogue Inlet known for big king mackerel this time of year. Unfortunately, the consistency of this year’s bite matched exactly with our chosen location… NOTHING! Two hours into our day, we decided to make a move and then… make a move and then… make a move… well, you get the picture.

Finally, after we began setting our spread at the seventh location of the day, the long line, featuring a juicy blue fish, began the high pitched scream that gives chills to any king mackerel tournament fisherman! The 2:52 p.m. strike immediately made Joshua, Crockett and me forget about the previous nine hours of shear boredom.

After a seemingly endless 13-minute tussle between Crockett and our prized kingfish, Joshua planted the gaff perfectly behind the dorsal fin and hoisted the 24.90-pound king into the fish box at 3:05 p.m. Forty-five miles from the weigh-in at the Carolina Beach Municipal Docks, we made the run hoping to be “in the money.”

Once the weigh-in closed at 5:00 p.m., 54 of the 161 teams had weighed a king. Our nearly last-minute target placed us sixth (6^th) overall. The East Coast Got-Em-On is always a well run tournament and has been one of our favorite event for several years.

Our next event will be the Raleigh Saltwater KMT in Morehead City, NC, on July 30. This tournament is another popular outing in Division 1. We’ll keep you updated.

CHARLIE WALKER OF GOOSE CREEK MARINE PRESENTS DANNY COMPTON WITH A ROD & REEL COMBO DONATED BY GOOSE CREEK MARINE DURING WEST MARINE SHOW.

As promised, our Liquid Fire Fishing Team held a random drawing from a total of 19 respondents to an email request that asked to verify their email. Danny Compton of Cape Carteret was chosen from the following email participants:

Troy Ellis, Mitch Mitchell, Danny Compton, Dave Compton, David Seaton, George Venuto, Ann Venuto, Curtis Morris, Greg Carr, Carlis Hardin, Tim Turner, Skip Greene, Jesse Vaughan, Millard West, Ray Taylor, Chuck Bryant, Phil Stallings, Mike Harry, Chris Edwards and John Walston

We would again like thank everyone for attending the event. There were a n estimated 300 attendees.

Additionally, we appreciate all of our sponsors for their support of the show; especially GOOSE CREEK MARINE for the rod and reel donation.

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - www.liquidfirefishing.com

LIQUID FIRE HOLDS SUCCESSFUL "HOW TO..." CLINIC AND BOAT SHOW AT WEST MARINE!

2011-07-05T09:11:00.023-04:00

West Marine in Morehead City, NC, asked our Liquid Fire Fishing Team to hold a king mackerel "How To..." seminar on Saturday, June 25. With the assistance of many of our sponsors, the event was a huge success!!!

West Marine Manager, Chris Schoden, was very pleased with the event, stating numerous times, "You guys rock!" According to Chris, and numerous West Marine employees, the event was one of the most successful of its kind for the boating retail store.

In fact, event coordinator, Leslie Cameron, asked us to prepare for another similar event for the store again in and around September.

Many of our sponsors supported the event with donations of shirts, hats, visors and decals.

Goose Creek Marine, the new Contender dealer in Newport, North Carolina, donated a Shimano Torium rod and reel combo as a door prize. This was a $250.00 donation!! Captains Rick and Charlie Walker’s dealership is located in Newport, NC, on Hwy. 24.

In addition, the Best Buy in Morehead City, and its manager, Sophy Stewart, made a special effort to provide us with a 55" wide screen TV to play our Liquid Fire team videos.

Thanks again to our great sponsors:

Cannon Downriggers, Accurate Fishing Reels, Yo-Zuri, Simrad, Contender Fishing Boats, Yamaha Motors, Optima Batteries, Ocean Tamer Marine Grade Bean Bags, SPRO / Gamakatsu, QuadRodz, Pro Chip, Columbia, Costa Del Mar, Power Marine Outfitters, Sanderson Boatworks, Goose Creek Marine.

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - http://www.liquidfirefishing.com/

SPORTSMAN'S TOY STORE IN NEW BERN, NC CLIMBS ON BOARD WITH THE LIQUID FIRE!

2011-06-22T21:17:00.004-04:00

The Liquid Fire Fishing Team would like to welcome the Sportsman's Toy Store in New Bern, NC, to our fine list of sponsors. Earl Dail, owner and long-time outdoorsman, keeps one of the most well-stocked, clean and inviting retail locations you will ever visit!

The Sportsman's Toy Store specializes in all of your fishing, hunting, camping and boating needs. If you can't find what you need in the store, located at 2551 US Hwy 70 E, New Bern, NC 28560, the visit their website - www.sportsmanstoystore.com - or give Earl a call at (252) 638-5600.

Earl's friendly, helpful and trained staff will assit you in getting what you need to enjoy your outdoor activity!

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - www.liquidfirefishing.com

COBIA FISHING DURING THE JOLLY MON!

2011-06-20T15:46:00.014-04:00

As king mackerel tournament fishing goes, we seem to be getting pretty good at catching cobia!

Actually, we had a really fun day during the Jolly Mon. Capt. Brant and the OIFC staff always put on a fantastic event.
Unfortunately, the weather and full moon made things a little difficult for most of the field this past weekend. Only 23 king mackerel over 10 pounds were weighed from the 185-boat field.

Joshua, Crockett and I fished Saturday and had a nice day on the water. Our first and only king was caught about 8:20 a.m. We boated a 12-pounder that hit a double pogy rig. Thinking that it was a start, we didn't even consider running the 70+ miles to weigh the fish. As I researched the tournament results last night, we should have taken it to the scales. The king would have placed us 19th overall in the 185-boat tournament. Oh well... certainly not the only time I've made a bad decision during tournament days.

The highlight for the day was around 11:30 a.m. We had what we thought might be another king strike, again on a double pogy rig. Crockett fought the fish to within about 50 yards, when I heard him say, “Cobia, and there’s a bigger one behind him.”
I immediately baited up another pogy on an Accurate SR-12 Twin Spin spinning reel, and finally got the second fish to decide to eat her last meal. About 15 minutes later, Joshua had planted the gaff into two cobia, 42# and 31#, and put them in the box! Certainly not what we were looking for, but it was a lot of fun!

In addition to at least 10, two-foot sharks, we also had three Spanish mackerel about five pounds each.

Overall, it was a decent day of fishing in some very difficult conditions.

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - www.liquidfirefishing.com

CROCKETT WINS 3RD JR. ANGLER TITLE!! TEAM FINISHES 6TH IN PROS...

2011-06-06T20:24:00.013-04:00

Fourchon, LA, proved to be everything that it's known for during the week of May 26 - June 4... BIG FISH and LOTS OF THEM!!

As stated in the previous post, our Liquid Fire Fishing Team traveled to the spectacular fishing location for a 10-day trip that we won't soon forget. After catching a 70# wahoo, dozens of American Red Snapper, many king mackerel and a nice cobia the first two days, the serious fishing began.

Day one of the pro tournament began with check-out at 6:00 a.m. After fishing the tour for three years, it's still impressive to see some of the triple engine, and up-to 42' boats blasting through the inlet after showing their boat number to SKA Managing Partner, Jack Holmes.

At 9:15 a.m., our largest king of the day engulfed a blue runner, set at 48-feet on one of our Cannon downriggers. After a blistering run and about 10 minutes later, Crockett worked the 40.73# fish within gaff range, where Joshua planted the 3" hook in the tail and brought her over the gunwale. After another seven-hours of heavy action, we took her to the weigh-in at Moran's Marina, had a very nice seafood buffet dinner at the local truck stop and got prepared for the second day of fishing on Saturday.

Day two began much like day one, except we had to find our bait, large blue runners, at a different oil rig. The skies were clear, winds were light and seas were calm. While it took a little longer to catch bait, we set our spread in the same offshore location as Friday. After losing two smokers right off the bat, we finally broke the ice with a mid-20 pounder. The upgrades began from there.

A few minutes later, Joshua gaffed our first 35# fish of the day. Feeling a little better, we began setting our spread. Mark was putting our a long line, and Crockett was letting out the medium line when he blurted out, "I've got him on!" Once again, at 9:15 a.m., we were fighting another nice king. Two long runs later, Joshua placed a perfect gaff shot behind her dorsal fin and hoisted the 46.93# slob over and into the fishbox!

Major action continued through the remainder of the day, including another fish weighing 42 pounds that was brought in backwards from about 250 yards after becoming tail-hooked. Crockett also caught his largest cobia, a 50-pounder, toward the end of the day.

After weighing in our day's catch, Crockett claimed his third straight Top Junior Angler title, and the team finished sixth in the pro event. This finish pushed our team into 11th place overall and the Angler of the Year race. Winning the title is a long shot, but we're going to keep fishing hard and have a good time!!

This was a truly exciting event, and one that we consider the most fun, complete fishing trip that we've ever experienced. Our team and family look forward to visiting this fabulous area again next year.

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - www.liquidfirefishing.com

LIQUID FIRE VISITS FOURCHON...

2011-05-30T17:55:00.025-04:00

The Liquid Fire Fishing Team has embarked on the third stop on the SKA Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour. The 1175-mile, seven state jaunt to Fourchon LA, was a very long and tiring 22.5-hour drive.

However, upon our arrival, the area proved to be everything that's advertised... we landed a 33# cobia on #1 gold live bait hook!! Additionally, an hour and one-half of fishing produced several nice king mackerel.

We were told that the American Red Snapper were thick in the area also. While we were bait fishing on Saturday, we found it to be true. Trying to catch blue runners proved to be difficult, as the snapper were more that willing to eat anything we dropped down!! We can't wait until snapper season opens on Wednesday!!! What an exciting place to fish.

Unfortunately, Sunday and Monday were blow outs... Maybe the rest of the week will have better weather. We'll keep you posted...

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - http://www.liquidfirefishing.com/

SECOND TOP PRO JUNIOR ANGLER TITLE CLAIMED!

2011-05-17T21:14:00.013-04:00

The Liquid Fire Fishing Team comprised of Joshua, Crockett, Audrey and Mark traveled to one of our favorite destinations on the east coast during the week of May 10, Jensen Beach, FL. While it wasn't our greatest showing at this event, (we won it in 2008), Crockett still claimed his second TOP PRO JUNIOR ANGLER title of the year , and we were able to weigh a 17.35# king on day one, a 20.53#er on day two and stay in 18th place in the SKA Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour.

Unfortunately, while Friday was a very slow fishing day, we had a great opportunity to boat a huge king on Saturday morning. Crockett fought the fish for 10 minutes, after it made three long classic kingfish runs, only to come up empty after the beast either tail-whipped the mono or another fish cut the line. While it's a "fish story" to most, it was an extremely frustrating day for our team, knowing we had an opportunity to substantially increase our standings.

In addition, we caught a 22# blackfin tuna, hooked up two sailfish and caught numerous other king mackerel.

Our team travels to Fourchon, LA, on Thursday, May 26, for the third event on the pro tour. Fourchon is one of the greatest fisheries in the world, and our family is very excited about making our second trip to the area. Hopefully, we'll have some great photos and videos we can share from the trip.

We'll keep you posted during the trip if possible!

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - www.liquidfirefishing.com

CROCKETT TAKES TOP JUNIOR ANGLER TITLE - TEAM CLAIMS 13th PLACE FINISH IN SARASOTA!

2011-05-02T18:44:00.018-04:00

After fishing the first leg of the 2011 SKA Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour in Sarasota, FL, Audrey, Joshua, Crockett and Mark returned to Cape Carteret, NC, at midnight, 5/1/11. A 15-hour jaunt across four states gave the Liquid Fire Fishing Team plenty of time to reflect on Crockett's TOP PRO JUNIOR ANGLER honor and its 13th place overall finish.

Our first opportunity to fish the west coast of Florida was made very enjoyable by one of the most organized and well run tournaments in which we've had the pleasure to be involved. The tournament sponsor NBOA Marine Insurance staff, lead by Jim Butler, were prepared, professional and available to help the teams at all times.
A fantastic captain's party kicked off the event Wednesday night. Captains and team members from 35 registered teams shared in food, festivities and conversation throughout the evening. It was a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet some new ones!! Thanks again NBOA!!

Once arriving at the Sara Bay Marina at 2:45 a.m. Wednesday, we caught a couple hours of sleep, met up with another team to discuss our daily bait-catching excursion, and exited the pass. A couple hours later, and after fighting 20-plus knot winds and four to five-foot seas, we had a couple dozen blue runners in the baitwell.

We awoke Thursday to more high winds and steep seas. This allowed our team to get some needed relaxation before the captain's meeting, where once again, NBOA and Contender Boats provided a fine meal of fish tacos for the teams.

Friday morning again greeted the pro anglers with high winds and angry sea conditions. While some of the teams with bigger boats and large fuel capacities were willing and able to make a 185-mile run where there had been a concentration of tournament winning size fish, some teams (like us) were resided to choosing to fish more local waters to try and capture a good "points fish."

Our day one, 14.92#, king mackerel was a bit of a disappointment. However, we were able to put the much needed fish on the scale to begin the year. Day two wasn't much different, as the winds continued to howel. Even though we didn't catch big fish on the first day in Egmont Channel, there were a few teams that caught some respectable fish there. So, off we went.

Saturday began differently than the previous day, as we had a 25# king hit at 7:57 a.m. Shortly after, our 26.04# fish ate a blue runner that we got from Lee's Live Bait that morning, as Crockett was setting the spread. Fifteen minutes later, the fish was in the fishbox and awaiting the five o'clock weigh-in.

Although we would like to have scaled a couple larger fish, we accumulated enough weight for Crockett to claim Top Junior Angler Pro honors in the event (his FOURTH such individual pro event honor). In addition to resting in 13th place overall by the end of the first event.

Congratulations to Stacy Wester and his Big Bad Wolf team on their victory! Great job Stacy.

The Liquid Fire Fishing Team will be leaving for Jensen Beach, FL, next Tuesday, 5/10/11, to participate in the Frances Langford King Mackerel Tournament. This is another very well run event in a wonderful location. It is also the second of the five professional tournaments. We'll be sure to keep you updated!

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - http://www.liquidfirefishing.com/

OPTIMA BATTERIES JOINS OUR TEAM & WE'RE HEADED TO SARASOTA!

2011-04-25T21:20:00.009-04:00

The Liquid Fire Fishing Team will leaving for Sarasota, FL, to fish the first SKA Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour event of 2011!

Traveling along with our team will be our newest sponsor, OPTIMA Batteries!! The OPTIMA battery is truly the ultimate in marine starting power. We want to thank and welcome our new relationship with such a fine product and company. To learn more about OPTIMA Batteries, please visit them at - www.optimabatteries.com

You will also be able to visit our team at OPTIMA BATTERIES POWER PACK NATION - powerpacknation.optimabatteries.com/shows/Boat/960

We are excited to be hitting the tour again full time after missing the 2010 season. Hopefully in addition to having a great time, we'll be able to show up at the scales with a couple of big fish.

We'll keep you posted.

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - www.liquidfirefishing.com

LIQUID FIRE JOINS FORCES W/ AQUATEKO

2011-04-11T20:00:00.016-04:00

The Liquid Fire Fishing Team is excited to announce that it has joined forces with one of the most exciting and innovative products to hit the "offshore fishing" market in years... NICKEL-TITANIUM leader wire!!

AQUATEKO is the manufacturer of the KNOT-2-KINKY (NiTi) product, which provides the stretch and toughness required when fighting "toothy" critters! No leader wire on the market compares to the KNOT-2-KINKY brand.

The benefits of using it are:

It won't kink like single strand

It won't fray like stranded wire

It has a smaller diameter for it's strength

It has less visibility for "leader-shy" fish

It is less expensive than the titanium wire

It has a 10% stretch factor

It can be tied with common knots, such as the Figure-8 and Clinch knots

No more Albright, Haywire Twists or crimping

It can be used again and again and again...

It's just - KNOT-2-KINKY

Visit the AQUATEKO website, www.aquateko.com to learn more about this great product!

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - www.liquidfirefishing.com

NEW LIQUID FIRE VIDEO "TRANSFORMS..." EXCITMENT!

2011-04-08T17:57:00.012-04:00

I hope everyone had a good winter, but is now ready for an exciting SPRING!! With the 2011 tournament season looming, I wanted to share our newestvideo that captures some of our 2010 season. The link is:

www.liquidfirefishing.com

The new video, entitled "2010 Season Review," should begin automatically on the front page of our site.

There are: some fantastic scenery shots (especially at the beginning); a little bit of goofy excitement from a 46 year old man; good music; and hopefully, a half-hour of enjoyment for each of you.

There are a few things I realized when watching this review:

Joshua's getting really good at editing these things.

Crockett and Joshua are much better anglers than me, and

since Crocket has graduated to handling most of the angling chores, and Joshua now handles most of the gaffing duties, I've got to hone my camera skills. :-)

Anyway, it was a fun year for our team. We are looking forward to the upcoming season, which will begin for us at the first SKA Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour event in Sarasota, FL, from April 29-30. We hope to see many of you there and during the upcoming season.

As always, we hope you enjoy the video and our website. It's meant to entertain and show appreciation for this great sport. Thank you for spending your time with our team. See you soon!

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - http://www.liquidfirefishing.com/

AMAZING REDFISH ACTION!!

2011-04-01T22:04:00.008-04:00

During a recent redfish hunt, Joshua landed this perfect "slot size" redfish with his Accurate SR-12 and aswim shad. All in all, the crew of Joshua, Crockett, Audrey and Mark successfully landed and released 42 red drum. WOW!! WHAT AN AMAZING DAY!! BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - www.liquidfirefishing.com

LIQUID FIRE COMMITS TO FISHING 2011 SKA YAMAHA PROFESSIONAL KINGFISH TOUR!

2011-03-31T23:26:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone! The Liquid Fire Fishing Team has made the committment to fish the 2011 SKA Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour, which begins April 29 in Sarasota, FL.

We're hoping to hear our Accurate BX-600X reels screaming to the max!! We'll keep you updated. Until then...

BE SURE TO VISIT US AT - www.liquidfirefishing.com

ACCURATE FISHING IN THE JOLLY MON!

2010-06-23T21:06:00.001-04:00

This past Saturday, 6/19/10, Joshua, Crockett, and I had the privilege of fishing in Capt. Brant McMullan's Jolly Mon King Mackerel Tournament out of Ocean Isle Beach, NC. As always, it was a true pleasure. With 306 entries, the Ocean Isle Fishing Center once again proved how successful a well orchestrated king mackerel tournament can be.

My new Accurate BX-600X reels provided my sons and I a great day on the water, catching four king mackerel, a 31# cobia, a couple of stinkys, two shingle dolphin, and a BAZILLION rubber lips!! Overall, it was a fantastic day with my family.

Attached is a photo of a nice fish we caught a little to late in the day to make the long from where we fished. It would have placed us seventh in the tournament. We should have caught her earlier!! Oh well, maybe next year.