Hooked On Miracles - The Sportsman Team Comes Close To Being In The Money

It's not every day you get to head offshore and catch fish for charity; but when the occasion comes around, a day on the water catching fish for a good cause equals double the reward. This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to head offshore from Charleston with the Sportsman team in our Open 282 featuring Seakeeper Ride. We were targeting King Mackerel; the biggest fish wins the Hooked On Miracles King Mackerel Fishing Tournament.

Sportsman Boats was a sponsor for the 2024 Hooked On Miracles King Mackerel Tournament. The non-profit organization takes 100% of the proceeds and uses them to support the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. "We have a goal of funding and providing hospital dogs for each floor of the hospital for all of the patients to enjoy as they recover and heal." - Hooked On Miracles.

On the morning of the tournament, the weather looked like it was going to be a bit rough offshore, with the potential for storms and unfavorable conditions throughout the day. Yet, the Charleston boating community was out bright and early, catching bait and ready to compete and show their support for this amazing organization. The Sportsman Team was comprised of the Director of Product Development - Jeff Hudson, Director of Sales - Richie Rodgers, and Mechanical Engineer - Luke Beall. Tagging along were myself and one of Sportsman Boat's newest marketing team members, Cody Silver. Once we filled the livewells, we headed to one of Jeff's secret spots about 48 miles due southeast, approximately 30 miles directly east of Hilton Head Island, SC.

This was our first time really putting the Open 282 through its paces with the Seakeeper Ride system on board. 15+ mph winds and 3.5-foot seas at a very tight 5 seconds were going to test its capabilities. Heading southeast, we faced a head sea, and the Ride system had the boat sitting up on the water—no slamming, no unwanted spray coming into the boat, just a comfortable ride cruising at an average of 30 mph. With that said, we were blown away by how well the Ride system countered the less-than-ideal conditions, keeping us comfortable, dry, and safe.

Arriving at the spot, we had our first line in the water within minutes, and within about 30 seconds, we had our first bite. It was the perfect fish for the tournament's name because we were "Hooked" on a "Miracle." We were unsure of the spot and if it would be holding fish, especially in these conditions, but unbeknownst to us, it was going to be the honey hole for the day. After a fun 10-minute fight, Luke's leader was out of the water, and Jeff was gaffing what later would be the 31.2-pound fish weighed in for a shot at the $25,000 award.

As the day progressed, we brought two more very large kingfish into the boat, neither of which would weigh more than our first but would certainly make for good smoked kingfish balls later that evening. Additionally, we had a run-in with a little reef shark and a few barracudas. It was when we were hooked up with our last barracuda that the weather changed, and we made the collective decision to head back inshore and get ready for the 3 PM weigh-in. Jeff had just hooked up with a feisty barracuda when all of a sudden, about 3 miles east of us, we saw water start to rise up into the air and become a very large waterspout. For myself, this was a first, but the rest of the guys had seen many before. Keeping an eye on it through my camera lens, it started to head directly at us, and when it got close to a mile away, Jeff's barracuda jumped next to the boat, spitting the hook. With that, we were leaving the area and making our way to shore.

With the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in our sight, we were nearly home when we saw an incredible amount of commotion on the surface of the water. Jeff quickly stopped the boat and grabbed his spinning rod with a homemade lure just for this situation. The McDonald's straw with googly eyes on it and a hook through the center was what Jeff referred to as the greatest lure for Spanish Mackerel and Little Tunnies. Handing the rod to cameraman Cody, he made a cast into the pile of little tunnies, and with one quick spin of the reel, it was time to fight these speedy little fish with a tail that moves faster than anything you've seen before. Once he landed his fish, it was time for me to make a cast, and just as he did, within seconds, it was time to hold on and let the fish do its thing before I had a chance at bringing it to the boat.

After everyone on the boat had caught a fish for the day, it was time to finally finish the trek in and see what our kingfish would weigh and how it would place in the Hooked On Miracles tournament. We arrived at the weigh-in, and since Luke caught the fish, he got to carry it up to the scales and take a picture with the fish, learning we were in second place for the day with an hour left for more boats to weigh in. While back at the dock, cleaning the boat and filleting the fish, we learned that we'd been knocked down to 7th place, taking us out of the running for the winnings; though at the end of the day, all that mattered is we were successful, got to support a good cause, and were taking home some fresh fish to share with our families.

If you're in the Charleston area and want to fish in the Hooked On Miracles tournament next year, visit their webpage by CLICKING HERE. You'll find all the info you need to get out next year and support a local charity while catching some tasty fish.