Anyone who fishes knows you’re going to hear a tale or two so if you were to tell me that a captain entered a Southern Kingfish Tournament with an 18ft center console with a single outboard engine, out in The Atlantic Ocean and won the tournament with a 52-pound King, I’d say that’s freakin’ insane but then you tell me this feat was accomplished by a 12 year old captain on the same boat I would probably call you a liar but that’s exactly what 12 year old Brayden McMullan did. Brayden, with an adult fishing partner (who was a family trusted outboard technician) in an 18ft center console with a single engine outboard won the 2021 SKA Fall Brawl King Classic in Ocean Isle Beach, NC held the 22nd thru 24th of October 2021 sponsored by Yamaha & Freeman Boats.
This young angler had to beg his parents, who are both captains and run a successful charter business in Ocean Isle Beach to not only enter the tournament but captain the boat by himself. Now, understand Brayden is not your ordinary 12 year old. He’s been fishing tournaments since he has been 4 years old. With his mom’s nervous blessing and a considerably smaller area to fish that was determined by his dad, Brayden paid his entry fee and covered the Calcutta with his own money. The young man gassed up his boat, loaded up his live-well with menhaden and bluefish and he and his partner set to slow trolling live bait.
Brayden was able to hook up with a smaller king early in the day on Saturday but he knew that the 20lb King Mackerel wasn’t near big enough. In this King Fish tourney it’s a one fish tournament and it better be big if you want your team on that leaderboard. Happy not to be skunked, he continued fishing. Later in the afternoon his persistence paid off.
Seeing the outline of a fish bee-lining his trolling rig as he stood watching from the back deck, all hell broke loose. Hitting his mid bait and nearly dumping his spool, Brayden knew the fight was on and he was fighting a large fish. I know grown men that would have been exhausted fighting a large fish 450 yards back to the boat but Brayden was able to persevere and land the monster King Mackerel.
Knowing he had a fish worthy of taking to the scale, he called his parents to let them know what he had done and set a course to get his King weighed immediately. With his fish on ice, Brayden made his way to the scale; 52lbs on the dot, truly a massive King for any angler but especially for young Brayden.
If you are a tournament angler, on top of the leaderboard then you know how nerve-racking waiting for the scales to close can be. Brayden learned this lesson first hand. As the teams came in, with their fancy, more expensive rigs he watched each weigh in with anxiety. Brayden did have a brief scare on Sunday when a 49lb King was weighed in but after all 334 boats had checked in, 12 year-old Brayden McMullan had won the 2021 SKA Fall Brawl King Mackerel Tournament.
The young angler took home the tournament trophy, a check for 35,753 dollars and some lifelong bragging rights that no one can ever take from him. Congratulations Brayden and thank you for showing it’s not the money spent, fancy rigs or best equipped but about believing in yourself to do something others think is impossible and succeeding.
Leave a Reply