# Ska



## Egardner (Dec 11, 2012)

Any fish the ska from about 2000-2003? My dad says that they were fairly well know and well respected in Texas. His name is John Gardner, captain of the Category 5 (a 25 contender), just wanted to know if anybody remembers him


----------



## whos your daddy (Jun 2, 2004)

I remember him. Cat 5 was one of the top teams back then. We started competing in the SKA in 2002 in the 23 and under class. Good ol days for sure. There are a few of the SKA teams back then that are on this board, here are a few:

Bill Platt- Papotanic
Brice Fuselier- Outcast
Kevin Arnold-Catch 22
Brett Donahoe- Texas Contender
Larry White- Reel Screamer
Chuck Richey-Team FuBar
Jason Wagen- Millenniumm Marine
Mark Holland- Whos your Daddy
John Thomas Dusek- Team Yellowfin
David Markham- Mellow Yellow


I know im missing some, cant remember all of them.


----------



## ccbluewater (May 21, 2004)

Those were some fun times!

Also Glenn Cook is on here from Big Bite, I know there's several more that I can't think of right now.


----------



## Outcast (May 20, 2004)

I remember him! Good team!!!



Egardner said:


> Any fish the ska from about 2000-2003? My dad says that they were fairly well know and well respected in Texas. His name is John Gardner, captain of the Category 5 (a 25 contender), just wanted to know if anybody remembers him
> View attachment 613600
> 
> View attachment 613601


----------



## BluewaterAg26 (Jan 12, 2009)

Thunderstruck - Ray Brace


----------



## papotanic36 (May 22, 2005)

Yes he is right great people and a great team.
They ran that boat like no one has ran a boat even me.
That was great times and great fishing to bad it's not like that now 70 to a 100 boats was not uncommon .I still fish it I think we are about the only ones left johnny b fished lasted year but hear there not fishing this year.


----------



## papotanic36 (May 22, 2005)

Can't forget 
Steve Cole
Glen cook
Ralph frazor
Jeff gerin cha Ching


----------



## papotanic36 (May 22, 2005)

Gary howles


----------



## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

And before that, we had 200 boats in the Galveston 3-day king tournaments.


----------



## pipeliner24 (Apr 10, 2013)

Why is the ska gone in Texas?


----------



## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Brutal, long, one-day runs offshore, also expenses versus winnings?


----------



## hilton (Jan 28, 2008)

Category 5 was a well-respected team back in the day - they had a really cool team logo of a hurricane...


----------



## Slightly Dangerous (May 21, 2004)

Don't forget Team Lured Away. Arguably one of the top two Texas pro teams of all time. Haven't heard from Bobby or Albert for a long time. Anyone know what they are up to these days?


----------



## TNTSpecial (Aug 16, 2007)

TNT Special Mark Machala 31' Contender

Hi guys haven't seen you all in quite sometime!

Mark


----------



## TNTSpecial (Aug 16, 2007)

Mark Lee Shockwave


----------



## TNTSpecial (Aug 16, 2007)

Goldie Get U Some


----------



## whos your daddy (Jun 2, 2004)

It would be a great idea to have all of us have a get together one day and BBQ and trade stories of the old SKA days. 

Easy Come/ Easy Go - James Howell
Ops Boat/Special Ops- Jill Miller
Maverick- Steve Cole


----------



## [email protected] Sportfishing (Jun 10, 2005)

Good times for sure. BBQ sounds good. Lots of great fisherman.


----------



## Kenner21 (Aug 25, 2005)

pipeliner24 said:


> Why is the ska gone in Texas?


Not enough participation, sometimes just 30-40 boat. Not enough money to make it worth while.


----------



## patwilson (Jan 13, 2006)

I remember Cat 5. We fished against them in a 27" Proline called "Bad Influence" My brother is Capt. Brian Wilson. Lots of FUN!!!!!


----------



## papotanic36 (May 22, 2005)

Family attraction 
Clifford 
Lots of great people back in the day 
wow it's been a while since I heard some of these names !!


----------



## whos your daddy (Jun 2, 2004)

patwilson said:


> I remember Cat 5. We fished against them in a 27" Proline called "Bad Influence" My brother is Capt. Brian Wilson. Lots of FUN!!!!!


If I remember right, that boat had one heck of a stereo system in it. Remember fishing by y'all and listening to it.


----------



## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

I fished a half doz. of them, but that run out of the Teakwood tourney was brutal.
Team YOLO

Anyone remember that one tourney with all the water spouts ? I think I counted 6 at one time.


SKA told me that they pulled out of TX because our distance between ports was too far for most folks to want to travel and it makes sense.


----------



## tpool (Aug 21, 2005)

SKA pulled out of Texas because we could only average 30-40 boat tournaments. And yes, Category 5 was a great team!

Terry Pool, Teams:
Force 10 (Cap'n Chris Machacek)- 1999 to 2006
Texas Contender (Cap'n Brett Donnahoe) in 2007 - 08'


----------



## Kenner21 (Aug 25, 2005)

tpool said:


> SKA pulled out of Texas because we could only average 30-40 boat tournaments. And yes, Category 5 was a great team!
> 
> Terry Pool, Teams:
> Force 10 (Cap'n Chris Machacek)- 1999 to 2006
> Texas Contender (Cap'n Brett Donnahoe) in 2007 - 08'


Good times, Good times


----------



## DRILHER (Apr 4, 2010)

They shot themselves in the foot. It became all about big sponsored teams. Family fisherman that were there for fun were kinda left out. That type of tourney plays well with Bass and Red fish. If they ran it more of a family oriented tourney it would have done better. There was no fun unless you were there for competition. 
May just be my opinion but I wouldn't fish it


----------



## chuck richey (May 22, 2004)

DRILHER said:


> They shot themselves in the foot. It became all about big sponsored teams. Family fisherman that were there for fun were kinda left out. That type of tourney plays well with Bass and Red fish. If they ran it more of a family oriented tourney it would have done better. There was no fun unless you were there for competition.
> May just be my opinion but I wouldn't fish it


I agree. It was all about the money....... Never cared about the teams fishing just the numbers. The ska never pushed a tournament it was all left to the people who put it on to promote it. All the ska did was piggy back all the tournaments and the try and take all the credit for doing ALL the work.

Look at how the numbers have fallen on the divisions that are still around. The payouts will not even cover the fuel burn so why fish?


----------



## DRILHER (Apr 4, 2010)

I think Kingfish tourney would do well if it was an entry fee (for trophies or a small purse)with optional fish pots. This would allow the small boat guys a chance to play and could buy in for how much they felt comfortable. No crazy carry over to another tourney BS. Lots of awards for the kids.


----------



## chuck richey (May 22, 2004)

DRILHER said:


> I think Kingfish tourney would do well if it was an entry fee (for trophies or a small purse)with optional fish pots. This would allow the small boat guys a chance to play and could buy in for how much they felt comfortable. No crazy carry over to another tourney BS. Lots of awards for the kids.


Mark Holland and his wonderful bride have this covered!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They do a great job. ska tied to piggy back for one tournament and Mark had his share of that bs.

Mark puts on a great set of tournaments for the Texas coast.


----------



## Slightly Dangerous (May 21, 2004)

I second that...Mark and Kelly do a great job. We enjoyed the SKA and managed to get to Nationals in both Biloxi and Fort Pierce but in the end the SKA showed little or no interest in Texas anglers. The short-lived FLW Kingfish tour was also a lot of fun but the money just wasn't there and they bailed out. Finally the TKA made a great effort to keep it going for Texas anglers.

My favorites these days are the Matagorda Blue Water Challenge and the Alabama Deep Sea Rodeo. Both make for great fun and anyone has a good chance of winning.


----------



## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

The "mom and pop" teams died off, during the SKA. Few of them had 30-plus foot center consoles, to compete with the go-fast crowd during a go-fast event. That was the kingfish tournament's bread and butter, and now it's gone. And nowhere are wave conditions tougher, and the runs longer, than in Texas. Last year I fished the Matagorda event, and what a difference from there in the mid-1990sâ€”now, every boat was 30 feet or longer. Not a mom-and-pop boat in sight. Back in the 80s you could fish out of little McKee Crafts up to 50-foot Bertrams, and had three days to do it. Also, fuel was cheap and you could run slowly, barely on plane. Even fish at night...


----------



## ReefDonkey (Jul 1, 2004)

Apollo is too far.... :doowapsta


----------



## CHA CHING (May 21, 2004)

We sure tore a lot of sh!t up back in those days!!!


----------



## Marshman (Jul 24, 2008)

I went from fishing the TX SKA stuff, to moving the boat to Key West. The cost was about the same, the runs shorter, and the night life mo bettah.

I told SWMBO that I had all the "victory at sea" medals I could stand! Now, unless the nephews are feeling froggy, I prefer flat seas!


----------



## Texas Contender (Aug 17, 2005)

*Good Ole Days!*

Good times, Great Competition, Great Friends! Broke and spent more than i can count but would not trade it for anything! SKA bought Kingfishing to a different level in Texas. To bad we did not get more support from there sponsors.....


----------



## tpool (Aug 21, 2005)

Yes, they sure were fun! I miss it (all but the sore back 

T-BONE


----------



## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Just got word, Port Arthur got rid of their offshore division in the 39-year old Salt tournament. No more kingfish or ling. They put money this year into Croakers and Sheepshead, instead of kingfish and ling. A sign of the times. We've cancelled.


----------



## Team Navy (Jun 20, 2010)

*I miss those days!*

I ran The Fisher of Men 1988 20' Wellcraft, and we did pretty good.
The class of 23' back then was a kick in the pants. We drove the snot out of that boat. Broke the console off once and tied it down and fished day two. We had about a 60 mile range, TOTAL! When we fished Galveston we used half of our gas getting out of the jetties. I really miss those tournaments, just too dang expensive now. Mark and Kelly do a great job with the Texas tourneys.

Your dad was a great guy to compete with. Always had a kind word and eager to help.


----------



## rippin lips (Jan 8, 2005)

31' OceanMaster "Team Chum Slick" That was some good times.


----------



## whos your daddy (Jun 2, 2004)

Thanks guys for the kind comments. Yes, in the early years, the SKA was great and alot of fun. I learned alot about offshore tournaments during that time. Made some lifelong friends also. If you never fished in a offshore tournament, you dont know what you are missing. You are surrounded by folks who enjoy the same passion that you do. You can talk fishing, boats and have some cold ones also. We try to make our tournaments so that all types of fisherman have a chance to win something. Thats because we offer several different side pots for different fish. We try to make the calcutta category easy enough to catch to even out the playing field for the common fisherman who doesnt have to run 100 miles. I would still like a SKA Texas reunion one day.


----------



## reel thing (Jul 1, 2010)

*ska*

i also fished ska for 9 years ran 29 fountain called reelthing was alot of fun also remember don and jill miller, chris vanos also remember carl christoph. i also have a 27 contender for sale when trailer work is fisnished for $30,000. thanks joe gilleland


----------



## TEAM-FUBAR (Jan 27, 2005)

Yep it was fun while it lasted. I don't miss the beatings.


----------



## chuck richey (May 22, 2004)

That's true. We ran some small boats in seas that we had no business being in. Lol


----------



## Ono Loco (Aug 4, 2005)

*$2 gas*

I remember someone telling me in the early 2000's they where getting out of it due to $2 gas - we'd die for $2 gas these days..


----------



## chasintail2010 (Nov 5, 2010)

Wally Holmes- WALLY WORLD Wellcraft 270 Coastal.


----------



## hawgs (May 22, 2006)

How about the invisible dolphin that was caught during that SKA tourney in Freeport? That was interesting.


----------



## PortHoleDiver (Sep 5, 2007)

BluewaterAg26 said:


> Thunderstruck - Ray Brace


I know Ray from HCSO, Great Guy! Awsome fisherman.


----------



## Never easy (Mar 20, 2006)

BluewaterAg26 said:


> Thunderstruck - Ray Brace


My dad bought the old "thunder struck" from him. Mako252


----------



## CHA CHING (May 21, 2004)

How about Leif Potter "Tooth and Nails" ??


----------



## tpool (Aug 21, 2005)

Leif!!! He was a good kingfisherman too! Good all-around fisherman as far as that goes.

T-BONE


----------



## Reel Screamer (Jun 8, 2004)

hawgs said:


> How about the invisible dolphin that was caught during that SKA tourney in Freeport? That was interesting.


I think I have a picture of that Dolphin somewhere.

LW


----------



## seis dedo del pie (May 12, 2010)

I miss the Port A tournys........ nothing could beat a week of "pre-fishing"


----------



## JohnHumbert (May 21, 2004)

I fished then on the Contender team. My boat, and still is, the 27' Contender "On The Fly". I remember your dad, Carl, and the gang. 

I try to stay low key. Stopped fishing them because every tourny in the rough water was to hard on the boats with too little payout. I remember after every tourny all the boats limping back to the Texas Marine shop for various repairs. Broken T-tops, broken motors, etc. The winning boats/crews, when you figured pre-fishing, bait, fuel, travel, hotels/meals, repairs, etc were spending $3000-5000 to win the TOP prize of $10000!!! The 3rd place was about break-even, and 4-10th place you still lost even if you won.


----------



## JohnHumbert (May 21, 2004)

Once of the most vivid memories for me was the Tiki tourny one year. We were #3 start position. We ran full throttle from the get-go and when we reached the base of the jetties we could see the "Shockwave" (the yellow one) just coming out of the channel. By the time we reached the end of the jetties they had caught us and were heading out of the jetties into 3-4 footers at full speed. 

We slowed down, but they sped up and as they passed us, we could see all three crew members hanging from the t-top like monkeys. Their feet were off the deck and we could see sky under the shoes. 

Amazing.


----------



## Talmbout (Apr 13, 2013)

Egardner said:


> Any fish the ska from about 2000-2003? My dad says that they were fairly well know and well respected in Texas. His name is John Gardner, captain of the Category 5 (a 25 contender), just wanted to know if anybody remembers him
> View attachment 613600
> 
> View attachment 613601


I remember him. I fished with him many times. Is he still with us? I have not heard from him in many years. To say that he was obsessed with fishing would be putting it mildly.


----------



## papotanic36 (May 22, 2005)

I still hold the state record for Invisible darado!


----------



## chuck richey (May 22, 2004)

Well keep stirring the pot and whole story might just come out Bill..........


----------



## papotanic36 (May 22, 2005)

I think it did with a polygraph test remember?


----------



## chuck richey (May 22, 2004)

Everything you and Bobby wanted out did. I still can not understand why YOU took the polly test?????? ALL rules in every tournament I have ever fished states that tha Captian of the boat takes it.......... But I am done with that. There was other people that witnessed it but did not want to step forward due to well, you can see why. I thought all of this was done but you want to keep it stirred, and Bobby has been seen posting the same stuff also. 

The other team involved has not said a thing about it. I guess we can so I am guessing you still have an ax to grind forsome reason??????


----------



## papotanic36 (May 22, 2005)

Your so stupid ! I have no axe to grind with no one , I was making a funny about the thread! I have gotten past that but you must still have a problem with me . Come talk to to me in person if you have a problem ! I have no problem but I can !


----------



## hilton (Jan 28, 2008)

Capt. Platt passed the polygraph with flying colors - the other guy did not. Papatonic did nothing wrong in regards to the phantom dorado. Still can't get my head around why the other guy would lie about it like he did (and he did lie).

Capt. Thomas J. Hilton


----------



## Kenner21 (Aug 25, 2005)

Was that the same tournament they lost their wrap? That was a rough one, I dont think my spine ever recovered.


----------



## James Howell (May 21, 2004)

Tranquilo, boys, tranquilo. Evan, any time you and your dad are ready to go fish a tournament again, let me know. Enjoyed seeing everybody at your crawfish boil last month. Since your dad and I aren't getting any younger, you will have to do most of the heavy lifting though (i.e. fight the fish, clean the boat, lug ice bags, mix our drinks etc.).


----------



## Egardner (Dec 11, 2012)

James Howell said:


> Tranquilo, boys, tranquilo. Evan, any time you and your dad are ready to go fish a tournament again, let me know. Enjoyed seeing everybody at your crawfish boil last month. Since your dad and I aren't getting any younger, you will have to do most of the heavy lifting though (i.e. fight the fish, clean the boat, lug ice bags, mix our drinks etc.).


Well as soon as my hand gets better ill be ready to fish the next tournament that comes up and I'm fine with doing all the heavy lifting


----------



## ccbluewater (May 21, 2004)

Kenner21 said:


> Was that the same tournament they lost their wrap? That was a rough one, I dont think my spine ever recovered.


Not sure about that, but it was definitely a ROUGH arse weekend! Especially Sunday morning. I vividly remember pulling out into the ICW before blast off that morning, and hearing i'm pretty sure the CoolSea say " im in a 36 YF, and i do not want to go".. lol wasn't a good feeling knowing the arse whipping we were about to take, and we were in a 36 Contender. I can imagine some of the feelings the 23 class were thinking.


----------



## Kenner21 (Aug 25, 2005)

ccbluewater said:


> Not sure about that, but it was definitely a ROUGH arse weekend! Especially Sunday morning. I vividly remember pulling out into the ICW before blast off that morning, and hearing i'm pretty sure the CoolSea say " im in a 36 YF, and i do not want to go".. lol wasn't a good feeling knowing the arse whipping we were about to take, and we were in a 36 Contender. I can imagine some of the feelings the 23 class were thinking.


 I was fishing on King Bling a class 23 boat, we were the first ones out of the jetties that morning. The waves were really steep right as you broke the jetties. I remember seeing some bait fish jump up and hit the side of the boat. I was thinking great it's too rough for fish out here.


----------



## tpool (Aug 21, 2005)

Was this the tourney where David Markham launched his McKee and busted the transom? We saw it happen (airborne)! Man I DO NOT miss those tourneys - only the calm ones 

T-BONE


----------



## ccbluewater (May 21, 2004)

tpool said:


> Was this the tourney where David Markham launched his McKee and busted the transom? We saw it happen (airborne)! Man I DO NOT miss those tourneys - only the calm ones
> 
> T-BONE


That's the one!


----------



## tpool (Aug 21, 2005)

ccbluewater said:


> That's the one!


Hahaha - yes, good times! LOL. He was 6+ foot completely in the air! Maybe more..

T-BONE


----------



## Lured Away (May 25, 2005)

I remember your father and team Cat 5....these guys were hard core for sure. When I started fishing they were very nice and helpful to me!

Now, chuck!!...I made comment about bill passing a lie detector test on King fish connection. Didn't talk about why!!.. Or who was involved!!...it was only to make a point!!...I've come to know Bill very well in the last few years. He can be hard headed, bit of a jerk!!...yes!!...but he is not a liar!!!. I am not the one who wanted anyone to have to take lie detector test, nor did I set them up or pay for them!! The person who did the protest did. So how did I have anything to do with the out come of them!!..might want to know the facts before opening your mouth!!..just say'en!!


----------



## chuck richey (May 22, 2004)

PM sent bobby


----------



## Lured Away (May 25, 2005)

PM sent Chuck!!


----------



## [email protected] Sportfishing (Jun 10, 2005)

Good lord. This old ***** again. 

That was the tournament we broke the transom and still fished the whole day. Absolutly Stupid!!! Thank god for my buddy having another boat in SS and letting us fish the second day out of it. Those where the good ole days. Sure do miss them. Sometimes!


----------

