Weekly Tournament Digest · April 28–May 4, 2026
Plane Simple Takes The Shootout: Production vs Custom.
Tournament Results
Plane Simple Takes The Shootout: Production vs Custom; 6 Events Fish…
The Shootout: Production vs Custom
Top finisher
"Plane Simple"
3,650 pts
Top finishers
- 1"Plane Simple"3,650 pts
- 2"Marlin Darlin"3,350 pts
- 3"Mama Who"2,450 pts
- 4"Incognito"2,300 pts
- 5"HMY"2,300 pts
- Fleet: 65 boats
- Overall Standings (Top 5):
- Overall Winner: Plane Simple (2022 Spencer Yachts 77', Captain Jimmy Werling — Custom division)
More from this tournament
- Fleet-Wide Billfish Releases: 343 total — 100 blue marlin, 130 white marlin, 113 sailfish
- Heaviest Blue Marlin ($5,000): VALENTINE — Clinton Rodamer, 566.2 lbs
- Runner-up Heaviest BM: Summer Girl — Chris Arguedas, 372 lbs
- Top Tuna: Cloud Nine — Kevin Paul, 65.8 lbs
- Daily Winners: Day 1 Marlin Darlin (1,400 pts), Day 2 Inconclusive, Day 3 Incognito
- Production vs Custom all-time: Custom now leads 7–3 following this win
- Sources: skip.catchstat.com — 2026 Shootout final scoring; skipstournaments.com
Cayman Islands International Fishing Tournament
Top finisher
"Scotch Bonnet Express"
2,000 pts
Top finishers
- 1"Scotch Bonnet Express"2,000 pts
- 2"Naut Wukin"1,600 pts
- 3"Rocksteady"1,200 pts
- 4"Liquid Limo"800 pts
- 5"Grander"400 pts
- Fleet: 73 registered entries
- Billfish Release Standings (Top 5):
- Overall Boat Weight Leader (unofficial): Bigblu — followed by Tres Amigos, Infinity, Naut Wukin, Jah Bless
More from this tournament
- Team Grand Slam (Tuna + Wahoo + Dolphin): Tres Amigos — swept all three combo categories
- Heaviest Swordfish: Joshua Clark (Soul Rebel) — 318.7 lbs
- Heaviest Yellowfin Tuna: Lewis Wood (Just Right) — 53.6 lbs
- Heaviest Wahoo: Vilma Cayasso (Jah Bless) — 48.4 lbs
- Heaviest Dolphin: Nicolas Ebanks (Naut Wukin) — 43.2 lbs
- Top Female Angler: Vilma Cayasso (Jah Bless)
- Top Junior Angler: Jaheim McLean (Outcast II)
- Note: Standings are unofficial pending the awards banquet. Bigblu expected to take overall champion based on total boat weight.
Louisiana Gulf Coast Billfish Classic
Current leader
"Metal Masher"
2 blue marlin released
Top finishers
- 1"Metal Masher"2 blue marlin released
- 2"Boujee Marlin"2 blue marlin released
- 3"Cole Play"1 blue marlin released
- 4"Relentless Pursuit"1 blue marlin released
- 5"Rising Sons"1 blue marlin released
- Hosted at Cypress Cove Marina, Venice, LA and Hurricane Hole Marina, Grand Isle, LA
- Day 1 Leaderboard (Top 5):
- Fleet totals Day 1: 5 blue marlin released, 0 weighed/killed, 0 white marlin
More from this tournament
- Standout angler: Gregg Trenor (Boujee Marlin) — 2 personal blue marlin releases
- Day 2 fishes May 5. Final results and winner announced May 6.
- Sources: lgcbc.catchstat.com — 2026 live scoring; lgcbc.com
13th Pilar Sport Fishing Cup 2026
- 13th Pilar Sport Fishing Cup 2026 — Pilar, Philippines
- Species: Blue marlin, black marlin, sailfish, yellowfin tuna
- Results: No data available — no post-event results published as of this issue.
Torneo Internacional de Pesca Deportiva de Marlín Huatulco
- Torneo Internacional de Pesca Deportiva de Marlín Huatulco — Huatulco, Mexico
- Species: Blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin
- Results: No data available — no post-event results published as of this issue.
Port Hacking 100 Paul Barning Memorial
- Port Hacking 100 Paul Barning Memorial — Burraneer, Australia
- Purse: $250,000 total prize pool, including $100,000 for heaviest blue marlin over 551 lb
- Species: Blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin, sailfish, spearfish, yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna, wahoo, mahi-mahi
More from this tournament
- Results: No data available — check phgfc.com for results when posted.
Billfish Hotspots
Abaco, Bahamas Firing; 5 Regions Reporting
Cayman Islands
Active- Blue Marlin
- White Marlin
- Sailfish
- Wahoo
- Swordfish
- 73-boat fleet fished April 30–May 3 in the 2026 Cayman Islands International Fishing Tournament
- 12 teams on the billfish release board
More reports
- Heaviest swordfish: 318.7 lbs (Joshua Clark, Soul Rebel)
- Solid mixed bag across wahoo, yellowfin tuna, and dolphin
- Tres Amigos: 93.2-lb Grand Slam (tuna + wahoo + dolphin combined)
Deep water around Grand Cayman produces blue marlin, white marlin, and wahoo in the spring window. Swordfish at depth on overnight trips.
South Florida
Active- Mahi-Mahi
- Wahoo
- Blackfin Tuna
- Kingfish
- Mahi-mahi: very good in 300–600 ft, weedlines producing solid numbers including gaff-worthy fish
- Blackfin tuna: active in 200–300 ft, particularly northward
More reports
- Wahoo: biting through the last moon phase sea-witch + bonita strip behind a planer the preferred method
- Kingfish: running the 120-foot ledge
Bahamas
Hot- Blue Marlin
- White Marlin
- Sailfish
- The Shootout Production vs Custom (April 29–May 2): 343 billfish total 100 blue marlin, 130 white marlin, 113 sailfish
- Plane Simple closed Day 3 with 2 blue marlin, 2 white marlin, and 4 sailfish to seal the title
More reports
- VALENTINE weighed a 566.2-lb blue marlin for heaviest fish (Clinton Rodamer)
Abacos in peak spring billfish season. Blue marlin numbers building through May–June as fish move north. White marlin and sailfish active across all depths out of Marsh Harbour.
Cape Verde
Active- Blue Marlin
- The Release Man 6 for 10 over 2 days, including an estimated 800-lb release on Day One, then 2 for 2 (500, 450) on Day Two
- Smoker 24 for 32 over 6 days, including fish at 600 and 500 lb
More reports
- The Hooker 13 for 18 over 4 days
- Blue Oceans released a 500-lb blue marlin
- Miss Angela 44 blue marlin (including 750, 550, 500, 500) plus a spearfish over a multi-day stretch
Cape Verde's spring window (April–June) is historically peak Atlantic blue marlin season — multi-grander seasons documented, fleet averages of 10+ releases per day during hot stretches. The volume above is consistent with that. No tournaments are running in Cape Verde this week — these are private/charter boat releases.
Gulf of Mexico
Active- Blue Marlin
- LGCBC fishing Day 1 out of Cypress Cove Marina, Venice
- 5 blue marlin released on Day 1, all catch-and-release
More reports
- Metal Masher and Boujee Marlin tied at 2 releases each
- Deep-water rigs 100–150 miles offshore: the Gulf's premier early-season blue marlin ground
Seasonal Outlook
In season as of April 28–May 4, 2026 — each window is the species' full run, start to finish. No fresh reports this week.
- AustraliaPacific Blue Marlin (Jan–Apr), Striped Marlin (Jan–May), Pacific Sailfish (Jan–Apr)
- Costa RicaPacific Sailfish (Dec–Apr)
- Dominican RepublicWhite Marlin (Apr–Jul)
- GuatemalaPacific Sailfish (Oct–Jun), Pacific Blue Marlin (Apr–Aug)
- HawaiiPacific Blue Marlin (Apr–Sep)
- Mexico (Caribbean)White Marlin (Apr–Aug)
- Mexico (Pacific)Striped Marlin (Jan–Jul)
- New ZealandStriped Marlin (Dec–May)
- US Virgin IslandsWhite Marlin (Apr–May)
- VenezuelaAtlantic Blue Marlin (Mar–May)
Upcoming Tournaments
No upcoming offshore tournaments in the next 7–10 days.
New Builds
Quiet week — no verified builds, launches, or deliveries to report.
Industry News
South Atlantic Gag Grouper Season Now; Marine AI Hardware Hits the Market
Industry
South Atlantic Gag Grouper Season Now Open — 93-Day Window
NOAA Fisheries opened the 2026 recreational gag season in South Atlantic federal waters at 12:01 a.m. on May 1, 2026. The window runs 93 days and closes at 12:01 a.m. on August 2, 2026.
Industry
Marine AI Hardware Hits the Market — Simrad AutoCaptain & SEA.AI Watchkeeper
- What: Brunswick's Simrad AutoCaptain is the first commercially available autonomous docking system for recreational sportfishing and cruising boats. Six stereo cameras build a real-time 3D map and execute docking maneuvers without captain input. Available now on Boston Whaler 405 Conquests at approximately $120,000, with Sea Ray to follow.
Offshore Fuel Index
US National Average $5.641
Marine Fuel Snapshot
Latest Prices & Estimates
Price range · USD/gal$5.00$8.00
- US National Average (AAA)AAA national average diesel, May 4, 2026$5.641↑ Up
- US On-Highway (DOE/EIA)EIA weekly average, one-week lag$5.351 (wk Apr 27)↓ Down
- Gulf Coast RegionVenice / Orange Beach corridor; estimate based on national trend~$5.00–$5.50 (est.)↑ Up
- SE Florida (marina docks)Marina dock premiums typically 20–40 cents above retail~$5.20–$6.10 (est.)↑ Up
- Bahamas (out-island marinas)Baker's Bay, Guana Cay marinas vary; verify dockside before departure~$5.00–$8.00+— —
Prices vary by location, supplier, and time. Always verify locally before fueling. USD per gallon.
What to Watch
Baker's Bay, Charleston, Armed Forces, Hurricane; LGCBC final results today —…
Baker's Bay, Charleston, Armed Forces, Hurricane Hole — back-to-back start Wednesday May 6
- Context: Four billfish events all kick off May 6, spanning the East Coast and the Bahamas. Charleston opens the SC Governor's Cup series calendar that runs through July. Baker's Bay is the invite-only Bahamas marquee. Armed Forces and Hurricane Hole add depth to the Gulf and Bahamas slate.
LGCBC final results today — May 6
- Context: The Louisiana Gulf Coast Billfish Classic wraps today out of Venice. Scales close at 6 PM, awards at 7 PM. Day 1 left Metal Masher and Boujee Marlin tied at 2 blue marlin releases each — final standings and the Gulf Grander 7 jackpot status (a $1,000,000 payout for any blue marlin over 1,000 lbs) post tonight. Live at lgcbc.catchstat.com.
Sugar Mama's, NEFMA, Savannah — late-week starts
- Context: Sugar Mama's opens May 10 in Guatemala, NEFMA in Saint Augustine May 7, Savannah Bluewater Invitational May 11.
Shootout final recap expected
- Context: The Shootout Production vs Custom concluded May 2 with Plane Simple taking the title. An official media recap from Skip's Tournaments is expected within the week. Full standings at skip.catchstat.com.