PCF Tournaments May 2016
Tar Heel Saltwater Tournaments Fire Up in May
By Capt. Jerry Dilsaver
Many different species of fish have arrived and will be arriving along the North Carolina Coast during May and tournament anglers are ready and anxious to get going. Point, Click, Fish is ready to get the new season going too. The first tournament we are scheduled for is the 36th Annual Swansboro Rotary Memorial Day Bluewater Fishing Tournament, May 26 to 29.
While many fishermen have already seen it on the N.C. Coastal roads, the Swansboro Memorial Day Tournament will be the official debut of the Ultimate Fishing Truck that PCF has been assembling and accessorizing during the winter. What began the winter as a mild mannered Ram 2500 slipped into the phone booth and emerged as a rip snortin’ fishing machine. You really should check it out and the first opportunity will be May 26, during the Captains Meeting at the Swansboro Rotary Civic Center. It will also return there for the Awards Ceremony Sunday evening after being at the tournament weigh station at Big Rock Landing in Morehead City Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons. Those not fishing can come by and check out the big fish being weighed and give the PCF Ultimate Fishing Truck a once over there too.
Point, Click, Fish has stepped up the game this year to provide the ultimate in tournament coverage. Our website design team can build tournament websites that handle everything from registration, to tournament news and live streaming weigh-ins and instantly updating on-line leaderboards. We also have a new trailer that can be the on-site tournament headquarters, weigh center, interview room and stage for captains meetings and awards ceremonies. PCF aims to be the one-click link between fishermen and tournaments.
The Swansboro Memorial Day Tournament is the second event in the 2016 N.C. Governor’s Cup Billfish Conservation Series and always provides thrills and big fish. Tournament organizers and fishermen are looking forward to starting off 2016 where last year’s tournament ended. Capt. Lacy Henry and crew on the Miss Judy released four blue marlin to amass 1200 points and score the 2015 win. The Double B and Builder’s Choice each had a pair of releases and finished in second and third places. Other tournament boats recorded an additional dozen billfish releases, plus landed numerous gamefish to keep the weigh station busy.
The Swansboro Memorial Day Tournament allows fishing two of the three days in a captain’s choice format for billfish and blue water gamefish. The moon is full the Saturday before the tournament so fishermen will be dealing with the waning moon and whatever weather Mother Nature throws their way. If the weather isn’t a deciding factor on which days to fish, fishing the last two days has potential to be good. The Astro Tables show the bite intensity increasing during the tournament, with early morning Sunday the strongest feeding period. This could create a rush to the scales Sunday afternoon. Let’s hope for good weather to allow the bite to flourish and build some excitement as fishermen bring lots of big fish to the scales.
Those who can’t make it to the weigh-in site can follow the tournament on line. PCF will be live streaming leaderboard updates to the tournament website at www.swansborobluewater.com and doing continuous updates on FaceBook, Twitter and Instagram.
North Carolina May tournaments include:
April 16 to June 12: Chasin’ Tails Outdoors Cobia Challenge,
Cobia, Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, Atlantic Beach, www.chasintailoutdoors.com.
May 7 to 15: Far Out Shoot Out,
Multiple blue water species, Ocean Isle Fishing Center, Ocean Isle, www.oifc.com.
May 10 to 14: Hatteras Village Offshore Open,
N.C. Governors Cup – Billfish and blue water gamefish, Hatteras Harbor Marina, Hatteras, www.hvoo.org.
May 20-22: Topsail Island Surf & Pier Fishing Challenge,
Multiple species, East Coast Sports, Surf City, www.fishermanspost.com.
May 21: Cape Fear Flatfish Open,
Flounder, Island Tackle and Island Marina, Carolina Beach, 910-223-3633 or 910-524-0353.
May 21: CCA-NC Cobia Challenge,
Cobia, TowBoat US/Portside Marina, Morehead City, www.ccanc.org.
May 21 and 22: Oak Island Pier Tournament,
Multiple species, Ocean Crest and Oak Island Piers, Oak Island, Oak Island Parks and Recreation Department, http://oakisland.recdesk.com.
May 26 to 29: Swansboro Rotary Memorial Day Blue Water Fishing Tournament,
N.C. Governor’s Cup – Billfish and blue water gamefish, Swansboro Rotary Civic Center/Big Rock Landing, Swansboro/Morehead City, www.swansbororobluewater.com.
May 27 to 30: Cobia Clash,
Cobia, Ocean Isle Fishing Center, Ocean Isle, www.oifc.com.
May 28: Blackbeard’s Spring King Bash,
King mackerel, Blackbeard’s Restaurant, Sneads Ferry, www.blackbeardskmt.com.
* If any tournaments were not included, we apologize, but we did not have any information on them. Tournament directors are urged to send their tournament information and press kit to Capt. Jerry Dilsaver at [email protected].
