Capt. Dave Lear’s PCBT Blog
Please welcome Capt. Dave Lear who will be covering the event and posting photos each day. Capt. Dave Lear has been covering big-game fishing for more than two decades, first as the editor of Marlin magazine and later as an award-winning freelance writer and tournament correspondent. The former executive director of The Billfish Foundation was also the 51st angler to gain membership in the IGFA’s exclusive Royal Billfish Slam Club by catching and releasing all nine species of billfish. Learn more about Dave at www.captaindavelear.com.
Keep in mind that official scores will not be posted until after 9PM each day. ALL APPS, REAL TIME SCORING, TWITTER INFORMATION AND WEB CAM WEIGH INS ARE FOR ENTERTAINMENT VALUE ONLY! We are welcoming back Tournament Control to score our event and as the rules state teams won’t actually earn points until they turn their scorecard in (on time) and it is accepted by tournament staff.
Pirate's Cove Billfish Tournament News
Top Flyer
Team Pelican kept a close eye on Friday’s leaderboard, but in the end the score held up to earn top-boat honors in the 41st annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament. Capt. Arch Bracher is the skipper of the 56 Paul Mann based at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. Pelican scooped up seven billfish, worth 1,000 […]
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Bittersweet
The action was again slow on the final day of the 41st annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament, yet it was not without some high-seas drama. As expected, a couple boats added to their tallies, but in the end Pelican would retain its top lead. Sweet Spot, last year’s winner, released the only fish it encountered, […]
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Setting the Stage
There was a significant shift on Thursday as the 41st annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament starts to wind down. Several boats made gains on the leaderboard, setting the stage for Friday’s final-day showdown. With $1.2 million-plus on the line, antacid tablets will chomped quicker than a chin-weight ballyhoo. Pelican, a 56 Paul Mann based at […]
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Slim Pickings
It’s not due to lack of effort. Sixty boats (of the 84 registered) ventured offshore this morning in the hunt for tournament billfish. Most came back to the marina with bare outriggers. A few scored, usually in bunches. But the action is definitely atypical for this time and place. “It was slow, very slow,” said […]
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Beginner’s Luck
In all honesty, by normal Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament standards, fishing was a tad slow on the first day of the 41st annual event. A total of 45 billfish were released on Tuesday among the 77 boats competing. But in fairness, conditions haven’t been great and everyone is a little rusty from a long lay-off […]
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Guessing Game
Tropical Storm Debby is gone but certainly not forgotten. Inclement weather the last couple weeks limited the amount of fishing the local boats could do. So as the 41st annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament gets underway, the 84 teams entered will be playing a guessing game as to where the bait and fish might be. […]
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