The 2026 Rumble in the Jungle King Mackerel Tournament fished out of Little River on October 16 and 17. On the tournament's unofficial leaderboard, team Never Ready (boat #124, Hollar) sits first with a single king of 41.80 pounds.
Photo is illustrative and does not show the fish or boat in this story.
What happened
The Rumble in the Jungle is one of the Grand Strand's best-known fall king mackerel tournaments. The 2026 event ran October 15 to 18, with fishing days on Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17, according to the tournament's site.
The primary leaderboard ranks teams by their heaviest king. As read on October 29, 2026, the top five on the unofficial leaderboard were:
| Rank | Team (boat #, captain) | Heaviest fish |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Never Ready (#124, Hollar) | 41.80 lb |
| 2 | ClearCut (#54, Moore) | 41.63 lb |
| 3 | Trade Mark (#188, McKeithan) | 41.57 lb |
| 4 | Team OIFC (#4, McMullan) | 40.73 lb |
| 5 | High$Hooker (#31, Johnson) | 40.70 lb |
Fewer than two pounds separated the top five fish. The tournament's own prize page lists a $25 side pot to "break the 47.22 lb. record," so no 2026 fish beat the event record.
Why it matters if you fish here
A 40-pound king mackerel is a true "smoker" king. Fish of that size usually show up in fall, when kings feed close to the beach and around nearshore reefs and live-bottom areas as the water cools. Local captains slow-troll live menhaden (pogies) or bluefish for them. If you want to try, a nearshore or half-day king trip in October is the closest a visitor gets to tournament fishing; see king mackerel for seasons and rigs.
Is this final?
No. The tournament labels these results as unofficial. Placements can change after final review, so check the tournament's results page for the official standings. We will update this page if the official results differ.
Sources
- Rumble in the Jungle KMT: results (unofficial leaderboard) (read October 29, 2026)
- Rumble in the Jungle KMT: tournament home page (dates, prize structure)
News items summarize official or organizer sources linked above. Results marked unofficial can change. We do not publish catches we cannot verify.