PHOTOS Fishing: Triple J doubles up at kingfish tournaments

Photo by Scott Clair

Team Seconds 2 Spare, out of Estero, display 34.5-pound kingfish, which earned second place at Sunday's Marco Island Kingfish Tournament.

Photo by Scott Clair

Team Triple J, left to right, Keith Mangus, Jeff Smith, Jake Myers, P.J. Myers and Stevie Cooper, out of Winter Haven, took home top honors in this weekend's Fishin' in Paradise and Marco Island Kingfish tournaments.

NAPLES — Deuces were wild for Captain P.J. Myers' Triple J team -- two tournaments, two postponements, and two weeks.

And with two winner's checks in his hands from the Fishin' in Paradise and Marco Island Kingfish tournamants on Saturday and Sunday at Bayfront, the results were too sweet for Myers and crew.

For winning the Paradise, Triple J took home cash and prizes totaling $8,500. For Sunday's Marco victory, Myer's winning check amounted to $4,600, plus prizes.

Originally scheduled for March 6 and 7, the tournaments' director Jim Scharfschwerdt postponed the back-to-back events due to inclement weather, rescheduling them for March 12 and 13. But the bad weather struck again, forcing Scharfschwerdt's hand once more.

But with more welcoming conditions this weekend, and despite the Gulf's still unseasonably cool waters, it was all systems go.

"It was very frustrating," Scharfschwerdt said on Saturday, the date of the one-day Paradise. "There's nothing you can do about Mother Nature. We weren't going to put the anglers in danger. We're very relieved to get them in."

Relieved too was Myers, who came down three times from his Winter Haven home. But the recurring trips seemed to pay off in the end.

"We came down and pre-fished three times," Myers said. "Probably putting in more than 200 miles each day over a three-week span. But, absolutely, knowledge is king, and the only way to get knowledge is to go fishing."

The target of each tournament was kingfish. Teams were allowed to weigh in one fish for each event, with the biggest fish winning.

For the Paradise, which had 40 boats competing, Triple J took home top honors with a 26.87-pound fish, beating Steven Papen's second-place Lagerhead team by more than six pounds.

Besides Myers, the Triple J boat was manned by mates Keith Mangus, Stevie Cooper, Jeff Smith and Jake Myers.

Team Wildride, led by Randy Griffin finished third with a 15.31-pound fish, barely edging Naples dentist Dr. Bill Sullivan's Smile Maker team. Smile Maker's catch, boated by Sullivan's wife, Jen, weighed 15.14 points.

"The conditions (Saturday) were awesome," Dr. Sullivan said. "We went out about 50 miles offshore. Despite the postponements, it was a very well-run event."

Aiding Sullivan and his wife on Smile Maker were mates Kyle Yurewitch and Ty Loyd.

Even with the favorable conditions, catching kingfish proved to be tough. Kingfish generally like waters above 70 degrees. Gulf temperatures for both events ranges in the mid-60s.

Of the 40 boats competing in the Paradise on Saturday, only nine teams entered fish to be weighed. Most of the 40 teams were also entered in the Marco tournament.

Perhaps discouraged by Saturday's results and with a storm forecast for Sunday afternoon, only 18 of 31 registered competing teams fished the Marco tournament. Only five returned with a kingfish.

"The water temperature had a lot to do with (Sunday's) participation," Scharfschwerdt said.

Triple J was the first team in on Sunday, bringing in a 37.03-pound fish. Captain Scott Rush' Seconds 2 Spare team, out of Estero, placed second with a 34.5-pound entry.

"It was a little rough out there," Rush said. "We should win the award for Most Fuel Burned with One Fish Caught."

Team Pennywise finished third, followed by Team Lil Devil and Sullivan's Smile Maker.

"The extra pre-fishing might have helped," Myers said. "We were just as dialed in for this weekend as we were initially. Would have things worked out the same for us. Who knows."

Cedar Bay Yacht Club on Marco Island and Hamilton Harbor Fuel Dock were the events' main sponsors.