InTheBite

MidAtlantic/Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament Results

By

The crew of the Kaarmaa posing with their catch.

Photo: South Jersey Tournaments

MidAtlantic Tournament Results

It was bound to happen. Day Five at the MidAtlantic has a history of dramatic finishes and 2022 would be no different.  Many a crewmember has spent the night before the final day of the tournament tossing and turning as they nervously await the end of the final day of fishing.  Way back in 1997, the phrase “Moving Day” was first used for Day Five at this event because of the big changes that occur to the leaderboard. Fortunes have been made and dashed over the years, and 2022 would be no different as Day Five saw several major changes and a new tournament record set as well! The final day of fishing saw the largest fleet of the week head offshore as 160 boats had Day Five of the tournament left to fish and hopefully get a piece of the tournament’s $5.23 million purse.

[Read more…]

Country Girl Wins 39th Annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament 

By

The crew of the Country Girl posing with a check for their prize money.

(Photo/Capt. Dave Lear)

MANTEO, N.C.—With less than a minute to go in the last hour of the last day, Capt. Charles Foreman relied on his vast local knowledge as a charter skipper to put his team on the winning fish. A sailfish vaulted Country Girl to the top of the leaderboard to claim the biggest payout for the 2022 Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament. A total of 274 anglers on 86 boats were competing for more than $1.04 million in prize money this year. [Read more…]

Last Day Marlin Wins World Record Payout … Again

By

The crew of the Billfisher posing with their white marlin.

The crew of the Billfisher posing with their white marlin. (Photos/White Marlin Open)

For the second year in a row, the last white marlin weighed netted a world record purse. In 2021, Sushi out of Ocean City, MD, took the top white marlin at the last minute and at the time collected (a then world record payout) of $3,200,000 for catching a fish. That record payout lasted just 10 months when angler Matthew Brown fishing aboard the Mercenaria in the 2022 Big Rock tournament out of Morehead City, NC weighed a 572.6-pound blue marlin and won $3,489,813.

[Read more…]

Blue Sky Wins the Carolina Billfish Classic

By

The Blue Sky with crew onboard.

The Blue Sky with crew onboard. (The Buckskin Billfish/Cameron J. Rhodes)

By Zachary Granat

The Carolina Billfish Classic, part of the South Carolina Governor’s Cup, concluded June 25 with The Blue Sky winning first place. In second was the Showtime, followed by the Buddy Rowe in third.

These were just three of the 53 boats that participated in the tournament, which lasted from Wednesday June 22 to Saturday June 25 at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina. Final registration ended on June 22, and the fishing itself lasted from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day from June 23 to June 25.

[Read more…]

A Work of Art Wins 20th Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic

By

The crew of the Work of Art, the winner of the Blue Marlin Classic, posing with a check for $545,681.25.

The crew of the Work of Art posing with the check for their prize money.

Miramar Beach, Florida— Angler Christian Fast, Capt. Jason Buck and the team aboard A Work of Art won the 20th anniversary Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic after weighing the largest blue marlin at 638.7 pounds. The team also released three blues. With tournament awards and optional entries, that effort was worth $545,681. Art Favre owns the 92 Viking based in Orange Beach, Alabama. The 84 teams competing in this year’s Classic were angling for $1.987 million in overall prize money.

[Read more…]

2022 Cajun Canyons Billfish Classic Winners

By

The Crawgator team with their first place 492.6-pound blue marlin. 

This year’s first place title at the 2022 Cajun Canyons Billfish Classic went to Southern Charm, Capt. Landon Bell. Mon Chari, Capt. Matt Coppoletta, took second with Amigo, Capt. Brad Schoenfeld, taking third.
Heaviest marlin went to Capt. Erik Chandler and the Crawgator team with their 492.6-pound blue marlin.

Top Captain Landon Bell and Top Mate Connor McLeod, Southern Charm.

It Just Takes Time Three-Peats as 2022 MGCBC Champion

By

MGCBC

June 13, 2022; Biloxi, Mississippi—Owner/angler Nick Pratt, Capt. Chris Hood and the It Just Takes Time team swept the blue marlin divisions by weighing the only qualifier during the 2022 Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic, which concluded Sunday, June 12. The 763.6-pound blue gave the team an unprecedented win for the third year in a row. That feat has never been accomplished in the 26-year history of the Classic or in any other Gulf Coast big game tournaments.

[Read more…]

2022 Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament Results

By

Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament

Photo: SC Gov Cup/The Buckskin Billfish

Jay Weaver, captain of the Blue Sky, seized first place in the 54th annual Georgetown Blue Marlin tournament, which ran from May 26 to May 28. No fewer than 71 boats participated in the event, the largest turnout since 2000, according to Tournament Coordinator Amy Dukes.

The Blue Sky caught and released three blue marlins and one sailfish, while Capt. Stuart Lackey of the Reel Hook Up came in second with one blue marlin, one white marlin and one sailfish. Capt. Mike King of the Frequent Flyer followed in third with one blue marlin and one sailfish. The Hydrosphere, captained by Mike Bierley, reeled in the biggest marlin, which weighed 532.1 pounds and measured 110 inches in length.

Blue Sky won a prize of $154, 395, which came out of a total payout of $569,875 across all categories.

Old No. 7 Wins the Inaugural Florida Sailfish Cup

By

Florida Sailfish Cup, June 3, 2022—After seven months of fishing, the first annual Florida Sailfish Cup has come to a close. 41 boats participated in the tournament and represented all different locations over Florida, from New Smyrna Beach all the way to Key West, FL. 183 Sailfish were released between the top three teams across their five fishing days and a total of 688 fish were released by the 41 boat fleet. The total purse for the tournament was $265,850, with the biggest payout being awarded to team Reel Synergy!

[Read more…]