The winning Widespread team. Photo from the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament.
The 63rd annual Big Rock Blue Marlin tournament wrapped up this past weekend, and a boat based out of Oregon Inlet ended up landing the top spot, as well as the tournament’s largest cash prize for a first-place marlin in history.
The winning Widespread team. Photo from the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament.
The vessel WideSpread, with local Captain Jay Watson and a team of anglers from Raleigh, won the first-place prize of $1,678,250 for a 656.5-pound blue marlin that was reeled in by 19-year-old Cole Pirrung on Friday evening, June 18.
The other winners in the Blue Marlin Division for 2021 included the boat Natural, which landed a 521.6-pound marlin on Tuesday and a prize of $453,700, followed by Outnumbered, which reeled in a 512.4-marlin and a $301,800 cash prize.
The largest prize for a gamefish went to Fin Print, which landed a 48.3-pound dolphin on Thursday and took home $529,125 for their efforts.
The Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries has rescheduled three Observer Trip Scheduling System (OTSS) training sessions that were cancelled due to inclement weather. Including two meetings that were not cancelled, the training sessions are now scheduled for: Presentations from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. January 28 January [...]
Fishing | Full Article
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will close coastal and joint waters in North Carolina to both commercial and recreational spotted seatrout harvest effective at 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24 due to widespread cold stun events. Cold stuns are natural events that occur when there is a sudden drop in water [...]
Fishing | Full Article
The Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries has rescheduled three Observer Trip Scheduling System (OTSS) training sessions that were cancelled due to inclement weather. Including two meetings that were not cancelled, the training sessions are now scheduled for: Presentations from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. January 28 January [...]
Fishing | Full Article
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will close coastal and joint waters in North Carolina to both commercial and recreational spotted seatrout harvest effective at 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24 due to widespread cold stun events. Cold stuns are natural events that occur when there is a sudden drop in water [...]
Fishing | Full Article
Due to the forecasted inclement weather, the Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries has cancelled the three Observer Trip Scheduling System training sessions that were slated for this week. The meetings will be rescheduled and the dates and times announced later. The canceled meetings are: January 21 at 6 p.m. January 22 at [...]
Fishing | Full Article
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries wants to remind the public to report any cold stunned spotted seatrout they may see in North Carolina coastal waters. During the winter, spotted seatrout move to relatively shallow creeks and rivers, where they can be vulnerable to cold stun events. Cold stun events have [...]
Fishing | Full Article
From CoastalReview.org The 20 commercial fishermen and women hired for this year’s Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project headed out Wednesday to begin collecting crab pots from the northeastern and central coasts. In its 11th year, the North Carolina Coastal Federation coordinates the project, which aims to locate and remove displaced fishing gear that can pose [...]
Fishing | Full Article
The Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries is hosting a series of public outreach meetings to train fishermen on the Observer Trip Scheduling System (OTSS). The OTSS is an automated system that will be used to schedule observer trips for Estuarine Gill Net Permit (EGNP) holders in North Carolina. The Division has worked [...]
Fishing | Full Article
From SamWalkerOBXNews.com NOAA Fisheries has announced voluntary slow zones have been put in place in off the Outer Banks after endangered North Atlantic right whales were spotted offshore. There are approximately 360 individual North Atlantic right whales remaining, including fewer than 70 reproductively active females. Vessel strikes are considered the primary threat to the whales [...]
Fishing | Full Article
Atlantic bluefin tuna retention limit for recreational fishermen will revert to the default limit of one school, large school, or small medium bluefin tuna (27 to <73” curved fork length) per vessel per day/trip. This limit will take effect January 1, 2025, and extend through December 31, 2025, unless modified by later action. NOAA Fisheries says [...]
Fishing | Full Article
The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries is hosting a series of public outreach meetings to train fishermen on the Observer Trip Scheduling System ahead of its launch next year. The OTSS is an automated system that will be used to schedule observer trips for Estuarine Gill Net Permit holders in North Carolina. NCDMF has [...]
Fishing | Full Article
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program sank a 55-foot trawler at AR-305, off Cape Lookout, last week. The FV Alexandria Dawn, was constructed in 1984, but has been out of use for around a decade. Before sinking, the vessel was cleaned extensively in accordance with EPA requirements. Purchase [...]
Fishing | Full Article
The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission this week chose preferred management measures for the N.C. Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan Amendment 1 that merged recommendations from its advisory committees, as well as public comment, with proposals from the Division of Marine Fisheries. Most notably, the Commission’s preferred management options do not include a proposed seasonal closure. [...]
Fishing | Full Article
