By Capt. Dave Lear Manteo, North Carolina; Winners win for a reason. Granted, luck sometimes comes into play in this sport. But consistent teams are successful because of skill, coordination and drive. So it’s not surprising that two former overall winners—Uno Mas and last year’s top boat, Desperado NC—are currently in the top tier on […]
By Capt. Dave Lear Manteo, North Carolina: Local knowledge was a big factor on the first day of the 2020 Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament. Capt. William “Bo” Dobson and his family team aboard Haulin’ Gas, a 57 Blackwell charter boat based at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, jumped to an early lead in the 37th […]
By Capt. Dave Lear August 11, 2020; Manteo, North Carolina: So what will it be, feast or slim pickings? With a slower marlin year than normal, against the backdrop of a national pandemic, will the 2020 Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament action be red hot or luke warm? The next four days will tell the story […]
Manteo, North Carolina: Desperado ain’t out riding fences no more. The Manteo-based charter boat, a 56-foot Taylor Harrison run by Capt. Rob Barker, went wire to wire to win the 36th annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament. The team added a confirmed blue marlin and sailfish on Friday to accrue 1,000 points overall, good for a […]
Manteo, North Carolina: The Wright Brothers must have been billfishermen, too. The two aviation pioneers used a strong westerly wind to gain enough lift to launch their flimsy aeroplane from dunes at nearby Kitty Hawk many years ago. A strong west win also benefitted the 70 boats fishing Friday in the last day of the […]
Manteo, North Carolina: Mother Nature put on quite the show for the participants of the 36th annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament Thursday. Sheets of rain, ominous clouds and bolts of lightning were the backdrop for most of the day for those remaining ashore. The fleet had to ease through nasty weather as they got closer […]
Manteo, North Carolina: And on Wednesday, the fleet rested. Only one boat, Due South, opted to fish on Wednesday and with no billfish releases, the overall standings didn’t change. The format for the PCBT calls for a single declared lay day amongst the four total fishing days, so barring any mechanical or other unexpected issues, […]
Manteo, North Carolina: In tournament venues, boats like to show others what they accomplished that day. In big-game circles, that’s done by flying capture flags off the outrigger lanyards as they return to their slips to indicate how many fish were caught. For sailfish, it’s a white flag with the distinctive silhouette of the sail […]
Manteo, North Carolina: To survive and thrive for more than three decades, a special event has to be…special. Such is the case for the Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament, celebrating its 36th season this year. Long known as one of the premier stops on the big-game circuit, a stroll around the tournament pavilion during Monday’s registration […]
Builder’s Choice definitely made a lasting impression in the 35th annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament. Angler Harris Huddle and his team put a 911-pound blue marlin on the dock on Tuesday, the first day of fishing, and never looked back. That blue, combined with a white marlin release the same day, vaulted the New Bern […]
