Weekly Tournament Digest · April 14–20, 2026
Pura Vida Takes Bisbee's Costa Rica Offshore; 3 Events Fish Simultaneously
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.
Tournament Results
Pura Vida Takes Bisbee's Costa Rica Offshore; 3 Events Fish Simultaneously
Completed
Bisbee's Costa Rica Offshore (Inaugural)
- 1Pura Vida — (Capt. Rudy Arguedas)6,800 pts
- 2Fish Tank/Galati6,000 pts
- 3Deal Sled / Junk Male5,800 pts
Key takeaways
- 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)
Payouts shown are unofficial per CatchStat. Final standings may differ. Verify at bisbees.com.
CatchStat — Bisbee's Costa Rica Offshore Payouts | April 18–19, 2026Completed
Abaco Beach Invitational
- 1Sandbob — (Capt. Chris Correia, 74' Viking)2,300 pts — 10 releases (4 blue marlin, 2 white marlin, 4 sailfish)
- 2Reel Steel1,950 pts
- 3Right Hook1,650 pts
Key takeaways
- 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.
Payouts shown are unofficial per CatchStat. Final standings may differ. Verify at skipstournaments.com.
CatchStat — Abaco Beach Invitational | April 18, 2026Completed
Republic Bank Sir Charles Williams International Tournament
- 1Eclipse2,250 pts
- 2Lionheart1,500 pts
- 3Never Enough1,500 pts
Key takeaways
- 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.
Results shown are unofficial as of publication. Final standings may differ. Verify at bgfa.profishingtournaments.com.
BGFA Pro Fishing Tournaments | April 18–19, 2026Billfish Hotspots
Dominican Republic (Cap Cana) Firing; 5 Regions Reporting
Dominican Republic
Hot- Blue Marlin
- White Marlin
- Sailfish
- 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.
Costa Rica Pacific
Active- Sailfish
- Marlin
- 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.
South Florida
Active- Sailfish
Upcoming Tournaments
Costa Offshore World Championship; IGFA Walker's Cay Shootout
- Apr 19–23
Costa Offshore World Championship
Quepos, Costa Rica · Pacific sailfish, blue/black/striped marlin - Apr 23–26
IGFA Walker's Cay Shootout (2nd Annual)
Walker's Cay, Bahamas · Blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish - Apr 30–May 3
The Shootout: Production vs Custom
Key West, FL · Sailfish, marlin - Apr 29–May 3
Louisiana Gulf Coast Billfish Classic
Venice / Grand Isle, LA · Blue marlin, white marlin, yellowfin/bluefin tuna
Format notes:
- Costa Offshore World Championship: 2026 is the first year under a major format overhaul — open-entry Challenger division added, teams supply their own boats, entry fees reduced from approximately $16,000 to $3,500–$5,000. The event is currently in progress as of April 19.
- IGFA Walker's Cay Shootout: $4,500 entry includes a mandatory $1,500 IGFA conservation donation. This is the second annual running of the event.
New Builds
New Builds & Launches
Scarborough Boatworks — 75' "Skin Deep" (Hull 19)
- Details: UPDATE from April 13 issue — was "launch imminent"; splash confirmed. first splash approximately April 15, 2026. Waterline marked. Heading into hull paint and final interior finishing.
- Key specs: Twin MTU 2,600 hp, Seakeeper gyro stabilizer, 3,000-gallon fuel capacity, 4 staterooms / 3 heads, 20 built-in tuna tubes, mezzanine cockpit. Gulf Coast tournament-spec build.
Scarborough Boatworks social media, April 15, 2026
Industry News
Louisiana Menhaden Buffer Zone Reduced; South Atlantic Red Snapper EFP…
Industry
Louisiana Menhaden Buffer Zone Reduced — IGFA Opposed
- What: 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.
- Why it matters: 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.
- Key details: 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).
Industry
South Atlantic Red Snapper EFP Applications Filed
- What: 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.
- Why it matters: 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.
Offshore Fuel Index
US National Average $5.593; Costa Rica Hike Coming
Marine Fuel Snapshot
Latest Prices & Estimates
Price Range (USD/GAL)LowerHigher
- US National AverageAAA national average diesel, April 17. Down from $5.62 last week.$5.593↓ Down
- SE Florida (marina docks)Marina dock premiums typically 20–30 cents above street. Fort Pierce City Marina was $5.59 last week.$5.00–$5.90 (est.)↓ Down
- US Gulf CoastVenice/Grand Isle tournament pricing remains elevated.
What to Watch
Costa OWC results expected by April; IGFA Walker's Cay Shootout (April 23–26)
Costa OWC results expected by April 23 — first test of new open-entry format
- Context: 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.
IGFA Walker's Cay Shootout (April 23–26) is the season's first read on Bahamas blue marlin
- Context: 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.
South Atlantic Red Snapper EFP decisions pending at NOAA
- Context: 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.
Scarborough 75' Skin Deep enters hull paint phase — sea trials timeline to follow
- Context: 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.
No other new custom sportfishing builds or launches were announced within the April 14–20 window.