How a 12-year-old beat anglers in more than 300 boats in an Ocean Isle king tournament

What 12-year-old Brayden McMullan accomplished in the Freeman/Yamaha Fall Brawl King Classic last weekend was flat out amazing, simply jaw-dropping.

Fishing with a last-minute partner aboard a re-tooled 18-foot center console dubbed King Slinga and limited to working a small area just outside Shallotte Inlet, the sixth-grader at Shallotte Middle School went out and pulled off an incredible angling feat.

Brayden landed a 52-pound king mackerel last Saturday with help from fishing partner Scott Schmitt to win the prestigious tournament over the other 333 boats fishing in the event out of Ocean Isle Fishing Center.

While most of the rest of the huge field, in spiffy center consoles powered by two, three or even four outboards, zoomed off to fish anywhere within the expansive tournament boundaries, from Swansboro, N.C., to the Winyah Bay jetties at Georgetown, Brayden and Schmitt eased out to the mouth of Shallotte Inlet to work Brayden’s boundaries.

Those boundaries were predetermined by his dad, Capt. Brant McMullan, the tournament director and one of the McMullan owners of Ocean Isle Fishing Center.

“We have a little boundary for (Brayden) to fish, a series of ledges and hard-bottom from the last set of cans out (Shallotte) Inlet, to about two miles out,” said Brant McMullan. “From the sea buoy out to that ledge, a two-mile circumference from the mouth of the inlet.”

With his required North Carolina Boating License aboard and a live well full of menhaden and bluefish, Brayden started thoroughly working over his limited area, slow-trolling live bait Saturday morning.

Schmitt was along to assist Brayden if needed, or if trouble arose.

“He was there to handle any (boat) problems and handle any problems for Brayden while he was fishing,” said Brant McMullan.

Brayden started at the Shallotte Ledge, fished there for three hours and had one bite from a small fish. Next he ran to the mouth of the inlet where there was “a bunch of bait” but did not get a bite.

Back near the Shallotte Ledge, Brayden caught a king in the 20-pound class.

Meanwhile, he was in touch with his dad by phone.

“I was getting texts and phone calls throughout the day,” said Brant McMullan. “They caught a fish about 20 pounds, he was happy with that. He was beside one of our charter boats. He’s only 12 and he knows these guys. He sent pictures of the depth finder marking fish, saying the water looks good. He got a little down as we all do - I reminded him its one bite, one fish.”

Upon his dad’s suggestion, Brayden wound up fishing a “little rock” about midway within the boundaries.

After 2 p.m., some magic happened aboard King Slinga.

“First I saw my double pogy (rig) get nervous,” recalled Brayden. “I stood up on the back deck with glasses and I saw a silhouette of a fish. Then all of a sudden everything stopped and went back to normal for like 15 seconds, then he bites my bluefish on my mid-bait and ran for probably 600 yards.

“I almost got spooled, I saw the silver on my reel.”

With Schmitt at the helm, Brayden could tell he was hooked up with a large fish.

“I felt head shakes and I knew it was a good fish,” said Brayden. “I got him up and I saw it was a really big fish. I told Scott ‘Get the big gaff.’ Scott gaffed it and pulled it into the boat.

“I said ‘Oh my God, we’ve got a 60-pounder. I put the fish in the bag, and ran straight to the scales.”

Sometime, in all the excitement, he called his dad.

“About 2:30-3 p.m., it’s Brayden, he was out of breath,” recalled Brant McMullan. “He said, ‘Dad, we got him, I think it’s a 60-pounder.’ That’s the phone call you dream about. I was excited, panicked, whatever. I tried to calm him down. Given the situation, your eyes can get really big (when judging the size of a fish).”

Brant McMullan encouraged his son to continue fishing.

“He said ‘No way, we’re coming in right now,’ ” said Brant McMullan. “There aren’t many grown men who have been around as many big king mackerel as he has.”

News of Brayden’s big king spread quick, and there was a crowd greeting the duo at the OIFC dock, including his mom and dad, his grandfather Rube McMullan and aunt Deborah Lathem.

There was some skepticism about how big the fish was, but then Schmitt opened the fish bag.

“When he opened that bag and I looked in, and ‘Oh my God,’ I think is what I said,” said Brant McMullan. “That is a monster. Fifty-pounders are rare and then you catch it on the grandest of stages, it just all came together perfectly.”

After waiting a full day to see if the 52-pounder would hold on to first place, the King Slinga did, indeed, finish atop the huge field of boats.

Conditions and fishing were superb in the tournament, with Timothy Hinson of Hallsboro, N.C. and crew aboard Miss Reagan coming closest to Brayden’s fish, finishing second with a 49.30-pounder. Finn-Fisher of Supply, N.C., was third with a 42.70-pounder.

For more results visit www.OIFC.com.

An Early Start

Even at 12, Brayden’s great adventure was a long time in the making.

As a member of the McMullan family, owners of Ocean Isle Fishing Center, he got an early start on fishing, specializing in king mackerel.

Brayden cut his teeth fishing with his parents, Brant and Amy McMullan, both captains.

“We’ve been fishing tournaments since he was probably 3 or 4,” said Brant McMullan. “He’s been fishing with me since he could more or less walk.”

The next step was to set Brayden up with a boat he could hone his craft on.

“When he was 10, I traded something for an 18-foot (Penn Craft) center console that needed some work,” said Brant McMullan. “We put a good engine (Yamaha 115) on it, did a good bit of fiberglass work and set it up with bait wells.

“He’s had that little boat he’s messed around in for a while. He and I have taken his boat out a few times when conditions were just right and let him run the show and I’m just there to drive the boat while he was fishing. We’ve caught some pretty good fish on that boat.”

The 52-pounder isn’t the biggest king Brayden has caught - he was the angler on a 57-pound king mackerel off Key West in January at age 11, on a fun trip following the Key West Kingfish Mayhem event.

With plenty of kingfishing experience under his belt, Brayden was itching to fish on his own in a king tournament.

“About 2-3 months ago he was eyeballing the Fall Brawl,” said Brant McMullan. “He said he wanted to fish it by himself on his boat, but we weren’t going to let him go by himself. He needed an adult to go with him and it had everything to do with safety.”

Sea conditions were looking good as the days before the tournament dwindled, and the adult fishing partners Brayden had in mind went with other options.

“Everything he had planned was falling apart,” said Brant McMullan. “He was kind of moping around, about 9 p.m. the night before the tournament. Scott Schmitt, the Yamaha tech who comes to all the Yamaha-sponsored events, I guess (he and Brayden) got to talking about fishing and Brayden came to me about Scott. I thought about it and there wasn’t anybody else more suited to help if they had (boat) trouble.”

At the last hour, Brayden had his fishing partner and it was on for the next day.

“We’ve gotten to know (Scott) quite well,” said Brant McMullan. “One thing that’s really cool, once myself and Brayden’s mother gave clearance for Scott to be the adult supervisor on board, Scott was incredibly humble throughout this, saying ‘This is all about you Brayden, I’m there to help if needed. I’ll drive the boat while you fish.’

“Even after winning, he’s been incredibly gracious, hasn’t changed his tune at all. It’s been refreshing.”

Brayden’s winnings, including claiming the small boat TWT, totaled $35,753, quite a sum of money for a 12-year-old.

What was the reception from his classmates when the sixth-grader arrived at Shallotte Middle School Monday morning?

“People asked me for some loans,” said Brayden.

As for his plans for the money, Brayden mentioned saving some for a college fund, perhaps for a car down the road. But he has other plans for at least a portion of the money.

“I going to put some in my account and spend it!” he said with glee.

Rumble In The Jungle

Glenn Krofchick and his crew aboard Lil John/Reel Em Up is busy during these days of autumn, juggling fishing in three different king mackerel series in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina.

Before the king tournament season is over, Krofchick and crew out of New Bern, N.C., will have fished in as many as 24 tournaments, and they can chalk one up as a win.

Krofchick, fishing with Dan Kelly, Josh Winslow, James Metzger and Jennifer Metzger, weighed in the two heaviest kings weighing 37.85 and 33.29 pounds to win the Rumble in the Jungle King Mackerel Tournament on October 10 out of Capt. Archie’s in Little River.

Finishing second was Mr. Goodhands/OIFC with a 32.73-pounder followed by Salt & Battery in third with a 32.67-pound king. Reel Exterminators was fourth with a 31.93-pound king and Team OIFC was fifth with a 31.43-pounder.

Krofchick’s team finished first in the Carolina Border division of the Southern Kingfish Association. The crew also finished fifth in the local Kingfish Cup, qualifying for the championship tournament of that series.

The Kingfish Cup consists of four tournaments from Little River to Wilmington, with the Kingfish Cup Championship staged Wednesday through Saturday out of Ocean Isle Fishing Center. The crew is also competing in the Cape Lookout King Series.

Krofchick and crew, fishing in a 39 Contender with three Yamaha 350s, zeroed in on area of live bottom south of Shallotte Inlet. “We fished several different spots from about 5 to 15 miles offshore in that area,” said Krofchick.

Slow-trolling live menhaden and bluefish, they caught the 33.29-pound king a little after noon. Estimating the fish weighed between 31 and 33 pounds, they kept fishing. “This is going to be close here,” Krofchick recalled saying. “Let’s keep fishing.”

After 1:30 p.m., James Metzger was the angler on what wound up the tournament-winner, the 37.85-pound king.

Action was certainly good in the vicinity. “We probably missed five or 10 fish,” said Krofchick. “There were a lot of fish in the area.”

The crew earned $65,920 for winning the Rumble in the Jungle.

This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 2:01 PM.