The InTheBite Captain of the Year Cup is the championship of sportfishing. The Cup is the world’s only quantifiable way to recognize the tournament success of professional sportfishermen. Comprised of 90-sanctioned events that span the world, there is nothing else like it. Winning an InTheBite Captain of the Year Award is a major achievement. From the winners to the Cup’s origin, it is an interesting tale.
Photo courtesy Michelle Gaylord/Out Your Front Door
Auspicious // 1,350 points
Bermuda Billfish Blast 2nd Place – 300 pts.
Bermuda Big Game Classic 1st Place – 500 pts.
Sea Horse Anglers Club 2nd Place – 300 pts.
Bermuda Triple Crown Overall Champions – 250 pts.
Photo courtesy Steve Momot
White Marlin Open, 1st Place Release – 500 pts.
MidAtlantic, Most Points Overall – 500 pts.
It never hurts to have a former champ in the driver’s seat and for the third time in five years, Capt. Russell Sinclair of Merritt Island, Florida, has earned a coveted Captain of the Year Cup. And with his 2020 showing, Sinclair is the first captain to win different divisions. With tournaments being forced to shutter across the globe, this was unlike any fishing season anyone had ever experienced. “So, we started last year in March and had some great fishing in the Abacos. We had two trips down there. And right before the closure, we moved the boat back to the U.S. and we sat there waiting during the whole quarantine thing to see what to do with our season. We wanted to go down to St. Thomas and fish the BVI and USVI, but we finally just pulled the plug on everything and went to the Northeast. We kinda weren’t supposed to be there,” Sinclair says.
We’ve got a short intermission before the next round of sanctioned tournaments kick off and the Champion’s Cup is gearing up for another couple of weeks of tough competition. Currently, 13 teams are fighting for the top prize among the Florida, Gulf Coast, East Coast, International and Hawaii Divisions. Check out the competition below, and if you feel like you’re up for a challenge, register now.*
Current Champion’s Cup Team Lineup:
Winning a coveted Captain of the Year Cup is worth far more than any amount of money you could attain for the victory and this longstanding tradition will still be presented independently of the Champion’s Cup. However, we thought it would be nice to reward the rest of the fleet with new opportunities to win some extra cash.
Click the links below for additional information on each division or click here to register for an event.
Upcoming Captain of the Year Sanctioned Tournaments:
*Teams should register one month prior to their next division tournament in order for InthBite to process all the boat’s information.
Photo courtesy JJFISHWEEK/Lalan Productions
CAPT. JOHN DUDAS, Sandman, 1,000 points
Buccaneer Cup, 1st Place – 500 pts.
Jimmy Johnson’s Quest for the Ring, 1st Place – 500 pts.
Since 2003, InTheBite’s Captain of the Year Cup has celebrated the most successful tournament captains. It is still the world’s only quantifiable metric that ranks captains across five separate and geographically diverse tournament divisions – Florida, Hawaii, International, Gulf of Mexico and East Coast.
New for 2021, we are introducing an optional paid entry winner-takes-all prize format awarding teams with the most division points, heaviest marlin, and most sailfish releases. Registered teams can compete in as many InTheBite sanctioned tournaments or divisions as they choose. Each division will be scored independently.
Champagne Lady. Photo courtesy Fish Heads of Stuart “The Quickie”
Fish Heads of Stuart “The Quickie”
Photo courtesy Peter Tyson
By Rachel Chesnes
Last year’s Pelican Yacht Club Invitational Billfish Tournament was one for the books. The fleet of 30 boats caught and released a tournament record 969 sailfish in three out of four fishing days. The event also set records for the daily total boat catch and daily fleet catch of 712.
Photo courtesy Leonard Bryant
Photo courtesy Teddy Hoogs
