Pura Vida (Capt. Rudy Arguedas) swept all five SONAR Daily Billfish Release Jackpots at the inaugural Bisbee's Costa Rica Offshore to collect $929,850 in a single event — the largest payout from a first-time Bisbee's venue in the tournament's 44-year history — while Lights Out Boston edged South Carolina Outcast on tiebreaker to open the 2026 Sportfishing Championship season at the Key West Classic.
At a Glance
1 / Tournament Results
| # | Boat | Catch | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pura Vida — (Capt. Rudy Arguedas) | 6,800 pts | $59,250 |
| 2 | Fish Tank/Galati | 6,000 pts | $29,625 |
| 3 | Deal Sled / Junk Male | 5,800 pts | $9,875 |
Other Category Winners: Top Captain & Crew: Pura Vida — 6,800 pts — $19,750 Top Tournament Tuna: North Star Costa Rica — 187.00 lbs — $39,500 Top Tournament Dorado: Howler — 60.31 lbs — $39,500 Top Lady Angler: Nikita Timmermans (Salochankita) — 2,340 pts Top Junior Angler: Abbigail Arn (E&A) — 2,340 pts Pura Vida swept all five SONAR Daily Billfish Release Jackpots ($1K through $10K levels) for a total team payout of $929,850 — by far the event's top earner. Blackhawk swept all four SONAR Marlin Release Daily Jackpots for a total payout of $343,400. North Star Costa Rica added tuna jackpot wins on top of the tournament tuna category for a $186,550 total payout. Total purse: $2,155,900 (unofficial per CatchStat)
CatchStat — Bisbee's Costa Rica Offshore Payouts | April 18–19, 2026Payouts shown are unofficial per CatchStat. Final standings may differ. Verify at bisbees.com.
2 / Billfish Hotspots
Fleet went 25–34 on billfish on April 15, with Deal Maker achieving a Grand Slam (1-1 blue marlin, 1-1 white marlin, 1-1 sailfish). April 17 saw the fleet go 7–12 on billfish, with Doña Maria Luisa going 2-2 on blue marlin. Activity on April 13 produced a 4–7 fleet count with mixed species.
Multi-species bite with blues, whites, and sailfish all present simultaneously. The region is transitioning from its peak blue marlin window into white marlin season, and all three species are showing up on the same days.
Source: Marina Cap Cana social media, April 13–18, 2026; cited via Billfish Report, April 13–18, 2026
The Bisbee's Costa Rica Offshore drew 79 teams and produced elite release totals — Pura Vida accumulated 6,800 pts across 3 fishing days, and Blackhawk dominated the marlin release jackpots for a $343,400 payout. Marlin and sailfish both contributed to top-team tallies.
Tournament competition data confirms consistent billfish presence throughout the fishing days of April 14–18, with both sailfish and marlin accessible out of Quepos. Pre-tournament reports from Nosara through April 13 also showed an active sailfish bite ahead of the event.
3 / Upcoming Tournaments
| Tournament | Location | Dates | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Offshore World Championship | Quepos, Costa Rica | Apr 19–23 | Pacific sailfish, blue/black/striped marlin |
| IGFA Walker's Cay Shootout (2nd Annual) | Walker's Cay, Bahamas | Apr 23–26 | Blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish |
| The Shootout: Production vs Custom | Key West, FL | Apr 30–May 3 | Sailfish, marlin |
| Louisiana Gulf Coast Billfish Classic | Venice / Grand Isle, LA | Apr 29–May 3 | Blue marlin, white marlin, yellowfin/bluefin tuna |
4 / New Builds
UPDATE from April 13 issue — was "launch imminent"; splash confirmed.
5 / Industry News
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission voted to reduce the industrial menhaden fishing buffer zone from one-half mile to one-quarter mile, acting under pressure from the menhaden industry and with support from the Louisiana Governor. IGFA joined a coalition urging a "no" vote.
Menhaden are a primary forage fish for offshore gamefish including billfish, tuna, and wahoo. The reduced buffer allows industrial harvest closer to shore along the Louisiana coast, which could directly affect the bait base in recreational fishing grounds ahead of the Louisiana Gulf Coast Billfish Classic season.
The vote was finalized this week. IGFA's coalition sought to preserve the half-mile buffer as a minimum protection for nearshore sportfishing habitat. The Louisiana Gulf Coast is a major spring tournament corridor (Venice / Grand Isle).
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina submitted Exempted Fishing Permit applications to NOAA to test state-level data collection for South Atlantic red snapper management.
If NOAA approves the EFPs, those states could begin state-managed test seasons for red snapper — a model similar to how Gulf states now independently manage their own red snapper seasons. Approval would represent a meaningful expansion of access for offshore anglers along the South Atlantic coast.
Applications are now under NOAA review. No approval timeline has been publicly announced. A positive NOAA decision would be the first step toward state-managed access in the South Atlantic.
6 / Market Pulse
No new data-backed sportfishing or center console market reports were published this week. The most recent comprehensive benchmark remains the Denison/Boats Group 2025 Year-End Market Index from March 3.
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7 / Fuel Index
### Section 7: Offshore Fuel Index National diesel eased modestly from last week's $5.62 to $5.593 on April 17, but the EIA raised its 2026 and 2027 fuel price projections this week, signaling no structural relief ahead. Brent crude remains approximately $100/bbl. Middle East conflict (U.S.-Iran / Strait of Hormuz) continues to be the primary driver. (Rigzone / EIA, April 17, 2026.)
| Region | Diesel ($/gal) | Direction | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| US National Average | $5.593 | ↓ Down | AAA national average diesel, April 17. Down from $5.62 last week. |
| SE Florida (marina docks) | $5.00–$5.90 (est.) | ↓ Down | Marina dock premiums typically 20–30 cents above street. Fort Pierce City Marina was $5.59 last week. |
| US Gulf Coast | ~$5.60–$6.20 | ↓ Down | Venice/Grand Isle tournament pricing remains elevated. |
| Bahamas | ~$5.00–$6.51+ | → Stable | Chub Cay dock ~$6.51; Walker's Cay historically $8.74 — confirm on site ahead of the April 23–26 Shootout. |
| Costa Rica (Quepos) | ~$5.18/gal current | → Stable | RECOPE current rate in effect for Costa OWC teams. Confirmed May increase of ~$0.98/gal will push to ~$6.50/gal. |
| Azores | Data not available | — — | In-season (March–October). |
| Cape Verde | Data not available | — — | In-season (March–October). |
All marina-dock diesel prices carry significant location and volume premiums over national averages. Call ahead to confirm pricing before departure.
8 / What to Watch
The 2026 Costa Offshore World Championship is currently fishing (April 19–23) in Quepos under its new Challenger open-entry format and reduced fee structure. Results will confirm whether the format change drove meaningful entry growth. Watch owc.catchstat.com for standings.
No specific catch data emerged from the Bahamas this week. The Walker's Cay Shootout is the first concentrated event of the season and will provide early-season conditions data for teams planning late-April and May Bahamas runs.
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina filed EFP applications this week for state-managed red snapper data collection. A NOAA approval would mark the first step toward state-managed access on the South Atlantic coast — watch for a decision timeline announcement.
Skin Deep splashed approximately April 15 with waterline marked. The next milestone is completion of hull paint and final interior finishing before sea trials. Watch scarboroughboatworks.com for the sea trials announcement.
The EIA raised its 2026–2027 projections even as the national average ticked down slightly this week. Next week's AAA and EIA data will indicate whether this is the start of a modest downtrend or a one-week fluctuation ahead of another push toward the June 2022 all-time record of $5.82/gal.
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| # | Boat | Catch |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lights Out Boston — 450 pts (Atlantic Division | defending champions; won on tiebreaker over South Carolina Outcast) |
| 2 | South Carolina Outcast — 450 pts (Atlantic | Steven Lackey's 4:58 PM release tied Lights Out Boston but lost the tiebreaker) |
| 3 | Third Coast Renegades — 375 pts (Gulf Division leader | Garrett Frazier with 5+ releases) |
Trey Burton (retired NFL Super Bowl champion, Philadelphia Eagles) fished as a roster member for New Jersey Sea Birds and released multiple sailfish. Brian Kelley (Florida Georgia Line co-owner) released a sailfish for Gulf Coast Cowboys. The event's first live protest of the 2026 season was upheld, confirming a Gulf Coast Cowboys release as a sailfish rather than a white marlin. Lights Out Boston overcame a pre-tournament steering issue to defend their Atlantic title.
SFC Official Leaderboard | April 19–20, 2026| # | Boat | Catch |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sandbob — (Capt. Chris Correia, 74' Viking) | 2,300 pts — 10 releases (4 blue marlin, 2 white marlin, 4 sailfish) |
| 2 | Reel Steel | 1,950 pts |
| 3 | Right Hook | 1,650 pts |
Other Category Winners: Top Angler: Chad Moss (Sandbob) — 1,300 pts Top Lady Angler: Kristina Lasserre (Kennel Up) — 650 pts Largest White Marlin: Cheeseburger (Ron Ladner) — 119.8 lbs Top Wahoo: Lunatico (Josh Wiley) — 75.8 lbs Top Mahi: Time Out (Manuel Ortiz) — 44.4 lbs The 28-boat fleet released a combined 100 billfish (30 blue marlin, 34 white marlin, 36 sailfish) across three fishing days — strong early-season production for the Abacos. No blue marlin were brought to the scale; the $85,000 Largest Blue Marlin purse went unclaimed as all blues were released. Marilee posted a Grand Slam (2-3 blue marlin, 1-2 white marlin, 3-3 sailfish) during the event.
CatchStat — Abaco Beach Invitational | April 18, 2026Payouts shown are unofficial per CatchStat. Final standings may differ. Verify at skipstournaments.com.
| # | Boat | Catch |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eclipse | 2,250 pts |
| 2 | Lionheart | 1,500 pts |
| 3 | Never Enough | 1,500 pts |
Other Category Winners: Champion Overall Angler: Jonathan Webster (Eclipse) — 1,250 pts Champion Female Angler: Kathryn Mitchell (Lionheart) — 1,000 pts Champion Junior Angler: Louki Lanza (Eclipse) — 1,000 pts Eclipse dominated the field with the top team score, champion overall angler, and champion junior angler. Species caught included blue marlin, sailfish, wahoo, dolphin, and barracuda. Jimmy White (Never Enough) released a blue marlin on the final fishing day to lock in third place.
BGFA Pro Fishing Tournaments | April 18–19, 2026Results shown are unofficial as of publication. Final standings may differ. Verify at bgfa.profishingtournaments.com.
The SFC Key West Classic (April 17–19) saw 13 clubs release multiple sailfish over three days using kites and helium balloons; Third Coast Renegades (Gulf) and Lights Out Boston (Atlantic) led their respective divisions. The Keys sailfish window typically closes through May as water temperatures rise and bait migrates north.
Tournament-grade sailfish activity persists in the Key West area into the final weeks of the spring window, but fleet-wide report numbers are lower than the exceptional conditions documented two to three weeks prior.
No specific catch reports from this week. Cape Verde's blue marlin season kicks off in April and runs through October, with the main fleet arriving over the next several weeks.
Early season. Teams typically start targeting blues out of Mindelo (São Vicente) and Sal through spring, building toward the peak months of May–July.
Source: Seasonal calendar; no fresh reports from April 14–20 window
The Abaco Beach Invitational (April 16–18) produced 100 billfish releases across 28 boats — 30 blue marlin, 34 white marlin, and 36 sailfish in three fishing days. Marilee released a Grand Slam (2-3 blue marlin, 1-2 white marlin, 3-3 sailfish). The Bimini Big Game Club Billfish Segment (April 13–17) also fished out of Alice Town but has not posted results.
Blue marlin season (April–August) and white marlin season (March–July) are now active, with the Abacos producing multi-species action. Teams from the Costa Rica Pacific circuit typically begin migrating to the Atlantic side around this time, heading to the Bahamas through the end of May before pushing north to the Carolinas. The IGFA Walker's Cay Shootout (April 23–26) will provide the next data point.
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Bipartisan legislation was introduced in the U.S. House to fund investment in whale detection and vessel-strike awareness technologies, generating improved data for mitigation programs.
Whale protection regulations — primarily speed restrictions and mandatory routing measures — directly affect offshore sportfishing vessels. Technology-based solutions could preserve fishing access routes and transit speeds while satisfying conservation requirements, compared to the blanket slow-speed zones currently in use.
The bill is in the introduction stage; no committee vote scheduled as of publication. Vessel-strike mitigation rules are an active regulatory issue in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast corridors.
H.R. 6422 passed the House and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The bill reauthorizes EPA programs including the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the National Estuary Program, focusing on non-regulatory, collaborative, science-based water quality and habitat solutions.
Cleaner water and improved estuarine habitat benefit gamefish populations and the fisheries dependent on healthy inshore and nearshore ecosystems. Senate passage would extend program funding through the next authorization cycle.
The bill passed the House this week. Senate timeline is not yet set.