Dogfish tournament lures winter anglers to pier

Fishermen brave January elements

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH -- The hottest days of summer are known as dog days.

But if there is a name for the coldest days of winter, it might be dogfish days, at least for the crowd of anglers gathered at the end of Johnnie Mercer's Pier on Jan. 19.

It was snowing in the western part of North Carolina. At Wrightsville Beach, the weather was windy and cold with the temperature hovering just above freezing. While that may have seemed cold to a beach resident, a few anglers praised the weather.

"The temperature was down into the single digits back home," said Eric Kielmeyer, 46, of Westerville, Ohio. "We found out about the dogfish tournament over the Internet. ... We drove nine hours to get here. It was something different, and we love to fish anytime. There wasn't much else going on this time of year. It's the first time I've been to Wrightsville Beach."

The Mercer's Pier Dogfish Tournament began three years ago when a group of fishermen gathered at the pier house to watch football. Arlen Ash, a 22-year-old student and part-time worker at Tex's Tackle, organized this year's tournament.

"We got the idea during a Super Bowl party," Ash said. "A lot of guys I fished with were there. But we didn't see each other three months of the year. Dogfish are biting in the winter months, so we decided to use them as a reason to go fishing. We are going to hold the tournament the third week of January every year as long as there's interest. The first year, we had 15 anglers. Last year we had between 20 and 25. This year, there [were] 40."

All dogfish weighed in for the tournament had to be released. That presented no problem last year, because no dogfish were weighed in. This year, anglers weighed in four dogfish. Smooth and spiny dogfish, which are small sharks, are eligible for entry. Dogfish catches were overshadowed by catches of skates. The anglers who braved the weather were fishing a total of 59 rods. An angler could fish as many rods as he wanted at a cost of $5 each.

"I don't really need an excuse to go fishing," said Matt Climer, 38, a painting contractor from Columbus, Ohio. "I like to ice fish, so the weather doesn't bother me. When Eric [Kielmeyer] called and told me about the tournament, all I said was 'Let's go.' We packed our rods, and here we are."

Cas Prewitt, a 13-year-old high school student from Fayetteville, was using large shrimp for bait. Several people commented that the shrimp looked too edible to use as bait. Most of the other fishermen were using frozen mullet.

"Fresh shrimp makes the best bait, and I've had several strikes," Prewitt said. "My dad gave me a ride to the pier. We have a place at Wrightsville Beach, and I'm a pier rat. I fish the pier every chance I get, and I caught a 9-pound, 7-ounce dogfish last weekend. I love to eat them, especially the smooth dogfish because the meat's all white."

A few fishermen were huddled beneath a tarp stretched over the long wooden sitting bench near end of the pier creating a makeshift tent. A propane heater hissed as it knocked off some of the chill. But most anglers stayed outside the tarp, using umbrellas and foul weather gear to stay as dry and warm as possible. One of them was Matt Johnson, whose family owns the pier.

"Everybody wants to come out when the weather is warm," Johnson said. "But we have a great winter fishery here, too. The guys from Ohio caught 20 dogfish last night. Dogfish bite best just after dusk. But kids love to catch fish anytime, and what kid doesn't want to catch a shark? There are kids as young as 5 out running around here today and everyone's having a good time. If you get cold, all you have to do is walk to the pier house to get warmed up. People will even watch your rods for you. Nobody's a stranger out here on the pier."

Johnson, along with Tex's Tackle, Sumo Express, Wal-Mart and Gander Mountain, sponsored the tournament. There were door prizes and a payout of $150 for first place, $100 for second and $50 for third. Nathan McClellan of Wilmington won first place with a 7-pound, 12-ounce spiny dogfish. Prewitt won second place with a 2-pound, 15-ounce smooth dogfish.

There was a tie for third place between Joe Cenname, a 42-year-old carpet installer, and Blake Gainey, a 14-year-old student from Fayetteville. Both anglers caught a 1-pound, 7-ounce smooth dogfish. By the rules, the first person to weigh-in a fish would win any ties, and Cenname caught his fish first.

"I'm going to split the prize money with Blake," Cenname said. "His fish was as big as mine, so it's the right thing to do."