Who are the members of team Liquid Fire?
There’s a whole “school” of us. My daughter, Rachel, 21; niece, Lakota Waters, 13; sons, Joshua, 19, and Crockett, 13; wife, Audrey; mother, Sue; father, Charles; brother-in-law, Chris Waters; and me.
What kind of boat and engine do you run?
Currently I have a 25’ Contender outfitted with twin Yamaha 200 HPDIs.
How did you get hooked up with SeaCraft?
Dan, my friend Rob Ferris, captain of the Mad Mouse Fishing Team and a great ambassador for SeaCraft, arranged the opportunity. Rob and I started our friendship through conversation begun on your site, KingfishConnection. I actually called him on Monday night, prior to the Friday fishing day in Key West, to wish him the best. After a few minutes of conversation, Rob asked if I wanted to fish the new SC 23TE that was already at the tournament site. It was a true whirlwind for us, but after numerous phone calls on Tuesday, we decided to go. My family went into high gear and had us on the road to the Keys by 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night.
Have you always fished with your family?
Absolutely. My dad spent many hours on the water with me when we I was growing up in Durham, NC. He is a great largemouth bass fisherman, and he always spent a tremendous amount of time with his family teaching us many things about fishing and life in general.
Why did you decide to introduce them to this sport?
When we moved to the coast of North Carolina, it just fit. My children and all of the family members gravitated to the lure of the saltwater immediately. We spent a lot of time pier and surf fishing for the first two and a half years. Our children learned how to cast, tie knots, rig baits, clean fish, and all of the essentials while learning how to respect the resources that we’ve been given.
What roles do your different teammates have?
Everyone plays a vital role on the team. Most of the time, me, Joshua, Crockett, Chris, and my dad are actually on the boat during the tournaments. However, all of the females in the family spend a tremendous amount of time preparing during the week, whether it be going out on the skiff locating bait, putting line on reels, prepping and cleaning the boat, or getting all of our tournament gear ready.
While we are fishing, if my dad is on the boat, he generally does the trolling while Chris, Joshua, and I work the cockpit. Crockett is kind of the “gofer,” only because he can get in the hatches a whole lot easier than I can. He’s actually just as adept at fighting fish and putting out baits as the rest of us are.
Joshua handles most of the angling duties. It is amazing to watch how patient and skilled he is when fighting a fish. I take care of most the gaffing duties, while Chris clears lines and then mans the helm. Crockett videos every fight. This way, we’re able to share the day’s events with our other team members. They are a huge part of our efforts, and we want them to feel just as involved as those of us on the boat.
Who is the joker?
Well, practical jokes are not a big part of our daily life, but kidding around and laughing is. My dad tries to always keep things lively and “happy go lucky.” He’s always been able to make my family laugh.
Who is always serious?
I’m sure that my family would tell you that I’m the serious one. I take after my mother, and my daughter Rachel takes after me.
Who likes to weigh the fish? Etc.
We really like for our children to take the fish to the scales. Generally, Chris will go with them so that we have an adult presence with them. Plus, he’s a lot better looking than me in case cameras happen to be flashing.
How long have you been fishing kingfish tournaments?
We fished our first tournament in 2004. The previous day, my family and I were king mackerel fishing from the pier. By the way, that is a lot of fun too!
Why did you start?
I really don’t remember why other than my friend Ben Beasley, captain of the High Speed Wobble, bought a 23-foot Sea Pro in 2004 and asked us to fish a local SKA tournament with him. Heck, we didn’t even know what the SKA was at that time. But, we joined the SKA and have enjoyed it ever since. Thanks Ben!
How is fishing the SKA Pro tour different from divisional competition?
The time and financial investment is certainly much more intense. Also, the dedication that it takes from all of the teams on the pro tour is amazing. So many of the teams have been doing this successfully for so long, it’s kind of awe inspiring. The boat and motor packages are very impressive, and the knowledge that everyone has about the sport is unreal. You can just tell these teams are seasoned and prepared every tournament.
At first was there any intimidation?
To say that it wasn’t would just not be true. I realize that we are all just human beings, but when you get an opportunity to meet some of the captains and crew members that you’ve watched on television and seen publicized on so many websites and news article, there was, and still is, a level of “WOW.”
At first, you were planning on fishing only the first pro tournament in Key West. Why did you continue?
First, Johnny Stevenson, the owner of the company I work for, Stevenson Automotive Group, said to go for it. The competition factor is certainly the driving force. SeaCraft made their new SC 23TE available for the second tournament and asked us to fish it one more time for them. I sure am glad they did.
What do you expect in Fourchon?
We mostly will just try to have a good time. I’ve spoken with my children numerous times recently about the opportunities they have that so many others don’t. We are getting to go to places and participate in something that we never dreamed of. Our children are home schooled, and it allows some flexibility for this. This has provided them with the social activity they enjoy while all of the adults in the family are able to share it with them. We have truly been blessed with four wonderful children!
Starting off, what was your goal for the season?
Frankly, our goals are just like most other competitive teams, and that is to win, and place well. We didn’t know that the pro tour was in our future, so our long term goal to start was to win a division and perform well in the Nationals. We still have those same goals.
Did you ever expect to win a tournament?
I’ve tried to determine whether expectations, hopes, and desires in tournament fishing are synonyms or terms that are mutually exclusive. But, yes, I did expect, hope and desire to win a tournament, and hopefully more, this year. But, with so many great teams fishing, those expectations are fulfilled less often than I would like.
Now what is your goal for the season?
We will approach each tournament just like we always have, by studying water temperatures, currents, etc. to try to make the best decisions possible. Sometimes, goals can get in the way of realizing it really is just fishing, and we are extremely fortunate to be able to participate in something so special. However, there are some tremendously talented and very tough teams that fish the divisional races where we live in North Carolina. Therefore, trying to compete for a divisional, junior, and senior angler title is a big goal for us.
Angler of the Year title?
You know, that is such a reach that I generally try not to have such lofty expectations, but we certainly know where we stand in the “Angler of the Year” race. We’ve studied what it’s taken for the great teams in the past to win it and finish in the top 10. Yes, it would be way cool to be able to do that!
What is your favorite tournament?
That’s a hard question. We have some very well run tournaments in our area. Every year, the Swansboro Rotary KMT is promoted very well in the community. I know a lot of the people involved in organizing it, and I see how hard they work. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know quite a few tournament directors at home and on the road. It is amazing to see how dedicated they are to what they do with very little thanks and recognition. We appreciate everything they and the tournament volunteers do.
I guess, to be brutally honest, the Jensen Beach / Frances Langford tournament now holds a pretty special place on the “favorites” list. Terry Adkins, with Blue Water Promotions has got it dialed in as well. He really works hard to make sure the events are targeted to the enjoyment of the fishermen and their families.
There is also a tournament called the Cedar Point KMT that we enjoy fishing at home. Frankie Winberry and a host of volunteers put on a great event. It’s not an SKA sanctioned event, but it sure is fun.
Why is it your favorite tournament?
It seems like great tournaments are combined with great food, and for a chubby 43-year-old man, that’s a beautiful thing!
Which has been your most memorable tournament and why?
Until the win in the pro tournament in Jensen Beach it was probably the 2005 Atlantic Beach KMT. It was an extremely rough day and most boats were resided to fishing the turning basin and shipping channel in Morehead City. We pounded out toward an area known as the Dead Tree Hole with a couple of other teams that are friends of ours. The water was very dirty but there were some fish there. About 10:00 a.m., Chris saw an explosion on a short line. Joshua, 15 at the time, took the reel, fell down into the bean bag chair after getting broadsided by about an 8-footer, got up, and fought the 33.65-pounder to the boat. I stuck the gaff in her, brought her over the gunwale, and an all out verbal celebration commenced! It was our first 30-plus pound fish, and she won us almost $16,000.
We had put out another spread, and I’ll never forget Jim Davis and Todd Matthews, of The Right One Baby, each coming over the VHF wanting to know how long the fish was. When I told them over 50 inches, Jim responded, “Why are ya’ll still out in this mess? You need to get your butt to the weigh-in. Nobody’s going to beat that fish today.” It was an exciting day!
Which team, person or teams have helped you learn the most on the trail?
My dad has been the biggest influence and teacher when it comes to fishing. His knowledge is unbelievable.
Ben Beasley and the crew of The Right One Baby, the first SKA National Champions, have been extremely accommodating and encouraging over the last few years. They are continuously checking on us when we are fishing an event.
Rob Ferris (Mad Mouse) obviously has been a tremendous influence. This is Rob’s third year fishing the professional tour, and he has been instrumental in providing information. Things that we don’t really think about sometimes, such as, where to stay, marina locations, directions is all very important when everything is new, and you don’t know your way around.
I don’t know the man personally, but Joe Winslow’s website was always fun to read.
What advice would you give to a beginner in the sport of kingfishing?
Just understand that bad days and striking out are inevitable. Try to enjoy what we’ve got an opportunity to do. There are so many people that would like to be able to do this just once, and we get to do it almost every weekend.
When you aren’t tournament kingfishing, what does team Liquid Fire do to have fun?
Fun fish and talk about the next tournament. It’s really a beautiful thing! |
