Recent Accomplishments ...

• 2009: 25th Annual Raleigh KMT, 1st 23 Class and 2nd overall, 39.96 Ibs.
  
  
• 2009: 2nd SKA National Championships.
  
  
• 2008: 2nd place in the 23 Class at the Southern Kingfish Association National Championships in Biloxi, Ms. Overall the 10th heaviest fish, 42.21 and the 9th heaviest aggregate of 75.68 lbs. in the 430 boat field.
  
  
• 2006 6th Annual Onslow Bay Open King Mackerel Tournament. Kudos to director Captain Stan on another successful event. The tournament raised $25,000 to donate to a variety of charities including Onslow County Christmas Cheer, Miracle Meadows Therapeutic Riding Center, Camp Sunshine, the Eckered Youth Alternative program, the Boys and Girls Home of North Carolina, the North Carolina Special Olympics, Carteret County's Shop with a Cop Program, young Marines of Swansboro, and the Children's Flight of Hope Foundation. The $5,000 donation to Christmas Cheer purchased 126 children's bicycles – a much merrier Christmas thanks to Captain Stan and his efforts. Can't wait for next year!
  
  
• 2005 Southern Kingfish Association (SKA) • Ft. Pierce, Fla. First place: class of 23. Two kings weighing in at 42.47 lb. and 39.91 lb. for a two-day aggregate that was tough to beat: 82.38 lb!
  
  
• 2005 5th Annual Onslow Bay Open King Mackerel Tournament: director. Helped raise $25,000 for orphans, terminally ill, mentally and physically impaired, at-risk, and underprivileged kids. 2005: Organized a meeting to bring attention to the need for dredging shallow draft inlets in North Carolina. The meeting was attended by more than 700 — including government officials of every level. Within a week, $1,000,000 of federal money was allocated for dredging those inlets. Capt. Stanman received the Swansboro Rotary's 2005 "Service Above Self Award" for his dedication to preserving North Carolina inlets.
  
  
• 2004 Carteret County Sportfishing Association (CCSA) King Mackerel Tournament • Atlantic Beach, N.C. 1st place 23-class, 2nd overall with a 39.45 lb. catch
  
  
• 2004 SKA Division 2: finished 2nd – losing the championship by just .67 lb.!
  
  
• 2004: SKA Sportsman of the Year
  
  
• 2003: SKA Nationals • Biloxi, Miss. 15th place with a two-day aggregate weight of 83.93 lb.
  
  
• 2003: CCSA King Mackerel Tournament • Atlantic Beach, N.C. 1st place Class of 23, 2nd overall.
  
  
• 2002: U.S. Anglers Championship: 1st 23-class, 2nd overall with a 46 pounder
  
  
• 2002: Teachs Lair Tournament • Hatteras N.C. 1st place 23 class; 4th overall with a 50.3 lb. catch
  
  
• 2001: Swansboro Rotary KMT • Swansboro N.C. 1st place, 23 and under TWT
  
  
• 2000: 70 West Marina • Morehead City, N.C. 2nd place
  
  
• 2000: Drum Inlet KMT • Beaufort, N.C. 1st place, junior angler (R. Skinner)
  
  
• 2000: Atlantic Beach KMT • Atlantic Beach, N.C. 1st place senior angler, 5th place overall
  
  
• 1999: Johnson Marine KMT • Wilmington, N.C. 1st place with a 43.2 lb. catch
  
  
• 1998: Island Harbor KMT • Emerald Isle, N.C. 1st place daily, 5th place overall

Stanman Says...

• "Had a charter today where we caught a 28 lb. King Mackerel (by a 13-year-old) and his dad caught a 6 ft. Sailfish on 30# Titanium Tooth Proof. Caught other kings and had to change the rig only because the hooks got dull — the line leader never got kinked. It's great stuff!"
• "Dolphinfish will tear up stainless steel wire and twist it. We kept using the Titanium Tooth Proof over and over again — and it doesn't twist. They also say that yellowfin tuna won't hit wire — well, we caught three, up to 40 lb. on that Titanium.

Involvements

• Tournament Involvement: Founded and am the Director of the 9th Annual SKA Sanctioned Onslow Bay Open King Mackerel Tournament.
• Seminar Involvement: Member of George Poveromo's Saltwater Fishing Seminar. Speak at Fishing Clubs and at Boat Shows.
• Club/Organization Involvement: Founded the Onslow Bay Saltwater Fishing Club in 2003, served as President until 2009, now serving as Secretary/Treasurer

Targeted Fish:

• "Big fish, king mackerel, sailfish, cobia, grouper, snapper, wahoo, tuna."

Top HI-SEAS lines and reasons why:

• "Quattro - We use 15 lb. line in the Atlantic which allows for realistic presentations of live baits. In the Gulf we will use 20 lb. line."

Top AFW line and reasons why:

• "Titanium - This line has a forgiveness factor, it stretches under impact. You can use this leader several times, it is black and disappears in the water."

Favorite Fishing Technique:

• "Slow trolling live bait. Baloon fishing while anchored up over a reef catching bottom dwellers"

Favorite Area to Fish:

• "Marathon, The Keys, Florida."

Most Memorable Fishing Experience:

• "Winning the SKA National Championship in 2005."

What tip would you give a non professional angler?

• "No matter what species you are fishing for, pay attention to the details. Details, details, details."

When not fishing I like to…

• "experiment with different rigs, wires and lines, work out 2 to 3 hours a day. Also like to go on cruises with my bride of 47 years, Barbara Ann."

SKA Nationals 2005

The 2005 SKA National Championship was scheduled for November 2005. The team was plagued by bad luck all around, from a broken VHF radio antenna to broken motor cowling, to dead bait — it was a relief when the Championship was cancelled due to high winds and 8 foot seas. The team would have another shot at glory in the rescheduled Championship in April 2006.

Putting bad luck behind them, the team hit the water at 5 a.m. the Wednesday before the rescheduled tournament. They headed south in search of bait. After filling the bait well with greenies, they headed to the spot they'd been told had kings in 60 ft. of water. Without any luck there, they turned toward deeper water, slow trolling those greenies out to 75 ft. deep — when all hell broke loose. They could only keep one rod in the water. Kevin, Sam, Greg and Charles caught 12 Kings, and Kevin's weighed in at 50 lb.! The team released their catch and headed back to port, feeling pretty good about the coming tournament.

On Thursday's bait run, something unusual happened. About 10 miles out, a yellow finch flew into the boat and landed on Captain Stanman's hat. It sat there for about ten minutes. The team dubbed the finch "a bird from paradise" and felt blessed.

Friday was the first day of tournament fishing. Things didn't look good - the team had arranged to supplement caught bait with bought bait...and the bait man was a no-show at 4:15 a.m. He didn't roll in until about 5:30 a.m. — with no tires or rims on the left side of his trailer. Driving on the axle hub. Now that's commitment. The team got a late start (7:15 a.m.) and headed south. They returned to "their spot" and patiently waited, hoping that one or two fo the Big Girls would still be around.

The top middle line was fished very long, no other boats around, and that was the line that went off at 11:25 a.m. After making a fairly good run for the first 150 yards or so, she decided to go into high gear and almost spooled them. And as hard as that Big Girl tried to get out of town, that's as fast as she ran back to the boat. Just as the spool was almost full, she made another run of about 100 yards to the port side of the boat, then made a hard run back trying to wrap in the motors and get cut off. The team got the gaffs ready. Charles stretched out over the gunwale and nailed her in a non-vital spot, the tail. Kevin grabbed her by the tail, and laid her on the deck. No one may have seen them catch the fish, but Stanman wagers they could hear them for miles. She was a 40 pounder for sure. Calling it a day at about 2 p.m., they headed back for the official word: 42.47 lb., narrowly beat out for the first day of competition by a Jacksonville, Fla., fisherman who came up with a 47 lb. fish.

Saturday dawned and the bait didn't look so hot. The team invested in some fresh bait and headed out into 3–5 foot seas. Heading back to "their spot," the team finds it no longer lonely. Turning toward the beach on a tip, there's a local there, fishing at 60 ft., just where the team had had no luck on Tuesday. Drifting for about 15 minutes, Kevin dropped a blue runner down; Greg locked it down when the ball hit 34 ft. Immediately, the line is pulled, but hte fish didn't run. Stanman took the rod, and the team decided to fight this fish as though it was a King, they'd seen 20's do the same thing before. The fish made a 200 yd. run. Nothing to get excited about, typical run of a fish in the 20s.

Everyone was surprised at the size of the fish — looked like another 40! Landed that fish in just about 5 minutes with Kevin at the wheel and Greg and Charles manning the gaffs. At 52 inches long, it looked like another 40. The official weight comes in at 39.91 lb. for a 2-day aggregate of 82.38 lbs., a pretty tough weight to beat!

"A vicious rainstorm knocked out electricity at the weigh-in site, making it tough to keep track of the standings, but 82 lbs. keeps the team on top - not only best in class, but 3rd heaviest tournament-wide. The team looks forward to defending their title in November 2006!