‘One bite and that was it’: Little River fishing crew lands big one in Murrells Inlet
The Permenter crew aboard Mining My Bidness may call Little River their home port, but in 2021 they have owned Murrells Inlet when it comes to competitive king mackerel tournaments.
Chuck Permenter’s crew aboard the 44 Contender with quad Yamaha 425s weighed in a true smoker of a king mackerel on Sunday, a 44.9-pounder, to win their second straight king tournament based in Murrells Inlet — the Marlin Quay King Mackerel Shootout.
In late May, Mining My Bidness won the Saltwater Ammo Co. No Guts No Glory Kingfish Tourney out of Crazy Sister Marina, located on the other side of the inlet, with a 35.13-pound king.
“The fish we caught (in late May) was a nice fish but this was a big fish,” said Permenter, with an emphasis on big.
Permenter and cousin Patrick Bellamy have been fishing king tournaments in the Southeast since 1998, and Permenter’s son, Charlie, joined the crew in 2008 as a nine-year-old.
Sunday’s 44.9-pounder is the largest the fishing team has caught off the Carolina coast in 23 years of king tournament action, and the third largest overall behind a 61-pounder caught in Jensen Beach, Fla., and a 48-pounder in Fourchon, La., in 2007.
The king also set a tournament record at Marlin Quay – just barely.
Tournament director Chris Lawhon said the previous record in the seven-year history of the tournament was a 44.89-pounder weighed in by Trey Tiner in 2018.
Lawhon noted fishing was slow overall in the tournament, with only 10 kings weighed in by the 33-boat field.
“It was a slow weekend,” said Lawhon. “(The number of boats) was a little lower because the seas were projected to be rough.”
Knot @ Work finished second with a 37.2-pound king, Game Hawg was third with a 32.9-pound king, Mas Pescado fourth with a 26.9-pounder and Bite Me fifth with a 22.5-pounder.
Permenter’s 13-year-old daughter, Peyton Permenter joined the Mining My Bidness fishing team for the first time in a tournament, and the crew also included Charlie Permenter, Chuck’s nephew Rocky Permenter and Bellamy.
The crew started the day Sunday by netting plenty of live menhaden just outside Tubbs Inlet (N.C.) and with the live wells full, they decided to work the water’s off Brunswick County, N.C.
The first stop was the Shallotte Ledges, where Chuck Permenter had pre-fished the previous day, but they got no king mackerel bites there when it counted.
Next was the Yaupon Reef, located off Oak Island, N.C., and Permenter moved offshore from there.
“We worked our way back in on some numbers there,” said Chuck Permenter. “I was teaching Peyton how to work the numbers and that long line went off.”
Charlie Permenter, the designated angler, grabbed the rod and began fighting the fish.
“Charlie said ‘C’mon daddy, run him down,’ “ recalled Chuck Permenter. “He said something about a big shark. I didn’t think it (acted) like a shark.”
A few minutes later, Charlie Permenter and Bellamy, the gaff man, got a look at the fish.
“Patrick’s expression when I looked at him, I knew it was a nice kingfish,” said Permenter. “The next time it came around Patrick was able to get the gaff in him and at 10:45 a.m. we had him in the boat.
“It was real quick, simple and sweet.”
That was the only king bite of the day for the crew.
“It was one bite and that was it,” said Permenter. “We quit fishing. We figured if somebody beats that they deserve to beat us. We were a good ways from Murrells Inlet (for the weigh-in). We wanted to get back down south. We stopped (offshore of) Murrells Inlet, put out a couple baits and let Peyton fight a couple sharks, waiting for the weigh-in (to start).”
After going 2 for 2 in Murrells Inlet, Permenter and crew head north for a flurry of king tournaments to close the 2021 season.
“It’s exciting,” said Permenter. “We look forward to taking that momentum to North Carolina now.”
Mining My Bidness will compete in the U.S. Open King Mackerel Tournament Sept. 30 out of Southport, N.C., the Rumble in the Jungle King Mackerel Tournament Oct. 8-10 out of Little River, the Morehead City (N.C.) Open Oct. 13-17 and the Fall Brawl King Classic Oct. 22-24 out of Ocean Isle Fishing Center.
GSSWAA Fishing Derby
The First Annual Grand Strand Saltwater Anglers Association Fishing Derby will be held Saturday out of Murrells Inlet.
Eligible species include Spanish mackerel, bluefish, black drum and whiting with the captains meeting and registration set for Friday at 6 p.m. at the Beaver Bar. Each registered angler must attend the captains meeting. Entry fee is $50 for adults and $25 for youth anglers.
The weigh-in is set for 3-5 p.m. Saturday at the Murrells Inlet Public Boat Ramp.
The largest black drum earns $500, largest Spanish mackerel $400, largest whiting $200 and largest bluefish $200.
For more information, call Ed Skowysz (843-450-8218) Chick McDaniels (843-651-2076) or David Rapp (937-207-4018).