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
Wave Paver Rolls to Championship
The action during the 38th annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament wasn’t quite up to the usual pace associated with this event. But that didn’t stop Wave Paver from claiming victory over the other 98 competitors and capturing the biggest share of the more than $1.2 million in prize money. The 77 Bayliss released 11 billfish, […]
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Jinx Busters
Anglers are a superstitious lot. Bananas on board a boat are taboo. Mates will never wash lucky hats. Special food, music and rituals are observed to maintain good karma. So when a boat does well on a bad omen day like Friday the 13th, it goes against common logic. The secret? Not realizing the actual […]
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Fish Stories
It was a mellow Thursday, compared to normal OBX August standards. Wave Paver, Mama C and Tarheel padded their leads. But there is still one more day of competition in the 38th annual PCBT and the 39 remaining boats will be trolling naked ballyhoo and pulling dredges and daisy-chain teasers Friday in hopes of a […]
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Hit or Miss
It may have been the shifting moon phase, a more concentrated effort or simply the cosmic tumblers aligning. Whatever the case, the action was definitely more upbeat on the second day of the 38th annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament. But like fishing of any sort, boats had to be in the right spot at the […]
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Sparse Halyards
It is a common practice in billfish tournaments for boats to display flsh flags reflecting the day’s catch from the outrigger halyards when returning to the marina. Local customs vary, but generally the rectangular pennants with the fish right-side up depict a boated fish, while inverted graphics designate releases. Along the Mid-Atlantic seaboard, a white […]
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The Big Stage
If there was any doubt about a return to today’s version of normalcy, it was shattered Monday night. The 38th edition of the Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament is back to glory days levels. A total of 99 boats have registered to fish this week for an unofficial total prize purse of more than $1.2 million. […]
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