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 North Carolina Coastal Federation is set to begin its 11th year of the Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project in January 2025. But before the effort can get underway, the Federation needs the help of commercial watermen and women along the northern and central coast to sign up to help us find and collect lost [...]
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The Cape Hatteras Anglers Club 66th Annual Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament was held on November 6-8, 2024. 120 teams participated in this year’s tournament and caught a total of 813 fish. This tournament is the largest of its kind in the world. Each year, 120 teams (720 fishermen and women) are invited to participate. Including [...]
Fishing | Full Article
The North Carolina Coastal Federation is set to begin its 11th year of the Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project in January 2025. But before the effort can get underway, the Federation needs the help of commercial watermen and women along the northern and central coast to sign up to help us find and collect lost [...]
Fishing | Full Article
The Cape Hatteras Anglers Club 66th Annual Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament was held on November 6-8, 2024. 120 teams participated in this year’s tournament and caught a total of 813 fish. This tournament is the largest of its kind in the world. Each year, 120 teams (720 fishermen and women) are invited to participate. Including [...]
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At its May business meeting, the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission voted to approve new, more restrictive management rules for the striped mullet fishery. Six months later, bait and tackle shops are feeling the effects of the day-of-the-week commercial closures on their businesses. With Hatteras Island’s fall fishing season in full swing, mullet is harder [...]
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The Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® (OBAR) hosted its 27th Annual Surf Fishing Tournament in Nags Head in October. The event is part of OBAR’s “Surf, Turf, and Roll” initiative, a series of three fundraising events, including a Surf Fishing, Golf, and Bowling tournament, which invites the community to donate and support OBAR’s charitable funds. [...]
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The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries Artificial Reef Program is soliciting public input and project advisers for the next five years of ocean reef enhancements. The Artificial Reef Program plans to complete one project per year, for a total of five projects, one in each coastal region (see map): Outer [...]
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National database aims to pinpoint locations of ADVs, track removal, provide clearer picture of the national problem In an effort to clean up the nation’s coasts and Great Lakes and rid our shores of abandoned and derelict vessels (ADVs), the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is creating a new national ADV [...]
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By Mike Regan, NCBBA Red Drum Tournament Chairman Just after another King Tide event, the 2024 Red Drum Tournament brought 551 anglers and their families to the beaches of Hatteras Island. The event is growing each year as word gets out, with anglers hailing from 23 states and three countries ranging in age from six [...]
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The 15th annual North Carolina Beach Buggy Association (NCBBA) Red Drum Tournament began at midnight on Wednesday with a record-breaking 550 anglers participating in 2024’s event. “It was much more than we expected, and we had a rush of about 60 different anglers added [on Wednesday],” said NCBBA Committee Chairman Mike Regan. “We have anglers coming [...]
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By USCG Petty Officer 3rd Class Christine Bills The safety of all mariners is a top priority for the Coast Guard. As technology continues to advance, the service strives to utilize these advancements to improve their aids to navigation data management and dissemination capabilities. One of the many ways the Coast Guard aspires to accomplish [...]
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The Rodanthe Pier will temporarily close for imminent maintenance and repair projects, (which includes the replacement of several older pilings), starting on Sunday, October 20. “We are going to begin some much-needed repair and maintenance on the pier in the next week as that is when the crew can work in between other jobs,” stated [...]
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On October 19, the Outer Banks Seafood Festival continues its tradition of celebrating and supporting the local fishing industry. Proceeds from the festival benefit the Outer Banks Seafood Festival Fund, managed by the Outer Banks Community Foundation. This fund supports vital initiatives, including a recent grant to North Carolina Watermen United (NCWU), which advocates for [...]
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