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…
Completed
The Shootout: Production vs Custom
- 1Plane Simple3,650 pts
- 2Marlin Darlin3,350 pts
- 3Mama Who2,450 pts
Key takeaways
- Fleet: 65 boats
- Overall Standings (Top 5):
- Overall Winner: Plane Simple (2022 Spencer Yachts 77', Captain Jimmy Werling — Custom division)
- 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
Completed
Cayman Islands International Fishing Tournament
- 1Scotch Bonnet Express2,000 pts
- 2Naut Wukin1,600 pts
- 3Rocksteady1,200 pts
Key takeaways
- Fleet: 73 registered entries
- Billfish Release Standings (Top 5):
- Overall Boat Weight Leader (unofficial): Bigblu — followed by Tres Amigos, Infinity, Naut Wukin, Jah Bless
- 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.
In Progress
Louisiana Gulf Coast Billfish Classic
- 1Metal Masher2 blue marlin released
- 2Boujee Marlin2 blue marlin released
- 3Cole Play1 blue marlin released
Key takeaways
- 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
- 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
Completed
13th Pilar Sport Fishing Cup 2026
Key takeaways
- 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.
Completed
Torneo Internacional de Pesca Deportiva de Marlín Huatulco
Key takeaways
- 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.
Completed
Port Hacking 100 Paul Barning Memorial
Key takeaways
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Wahoo: biting through the last moon phase sea-witch + bonita strip behind a planer the preferred method
Upcoming Tournaments
Bahamas Billfish Championship – Guana Cay; NPDL Pacific Islands Tournament –…
- May 4–7, 2026
Bahamas Billfish Championship – Guana Cay (Leg 1)
Great Guana Cay, Bahamas · Blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish, spearfish - May 5–10, 2026
NPDL Pacific Islands Tournament – Tonga Leg
Vava'u, Tonga · Blue marlin, striped marlin, yellowfin tuna, wahoo - May 6–9, 2026
Armed Forces Shootout
Abaco Beach Resort, Bahamas · Marlin - May 6–9, 2026 (fishing days May 8–9)
Baker's Bay Invitational
Baker's Bay, Bahamas · Blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish, wahoo - May 6–9, 2026
Charleston Billfish Invitational (SC Gov Cup Leg 1)
Charleston, SC · Blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish - May 6–9, 2026
Hurricane Hole Invitational
Grand Isle, LA · Blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish, spearfish
New Builds
No new builds or launches reported this week.
We didn’t find any new builds, launches, or deliveries reported this week.
Think we missed one? Let us know and we’ll add it next week.
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)LowerHigher
- 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
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.