Weekly Tournament Digest · April 21–27, 2026
Team The Rodfather of Spain claimed the 2026 Costa Offshore World Championship in Quepos
Team The Rodfather of Spain claimed the 2026 Costa Offshore World Championship in Quepos with 10,920 points in the first running of the event under its new open-entry "Challenger" format, while Team Kateric won the second annual IGFA Walker's Cay Shootout in the Bahamas, topping a $165,300 prize pool from 9 entries.
Full intro
Team The Rodfather of Spain claimed the 2026 Costa Offshore World Championship in Quepos with 10,920 points in the first running of the event under its new open-entry "Challenger" format, while Team Kateric won the second annual IGFA Walker's Cay Shootout in the Bahamas, topping a $165,300 prize pool from 9 entries.
Tournament Results
Three Tournaments Conclude This Week: OWC, Walker's Cay & Sea Spray
Costa Offshore World Championship (2026)
Top finisher
Top finishers
- 1st"The Rodfather (Puerto Calero Marlin Cup) — Spain" - 10,920 pts1 blue marlin, 1 black marlin, 73 sailfish
- 2nd"2021 OWC Champions — Costa Rica"10,900 pts
- 3rd"Kelly Dawn — Costa Rica (Challengers)"10,000 pts
- 4th"Los Hermanos / Royal Charlotte Arena by Sedna — Brazil"9,520 pts
- 5th"Reel Saudis — Saudi Arabia (Challengers)"7,840 pts
- Champion: The Rodfather (Spain) — 10,920 pts (1 blue marlin, 1 black marlin, 73 sailfish)
- Victory margin: 20 points over 2nd place
- 2nd: 2021 OWC Champions (Costa Rica) — 10,900 pts
More from this tournament
- 3rd: Kelly Dawn (Costa Rica, Challengers) — 10,000 pts
- 4th: Los Hermanos / Royal Charlotte Arena by Sedna (Brazil) — 9,520 pts
- 5th: Reel Saudis (Saudi Arabia, Challengers) — 7,840 pts
- Top Angler: Lady Angler Erika Sandi — 28 releases
- Results per CatchStat Live Scoring (unofficial). Official standings confirmed by tournament committee.*
IGFA Walker's Cay Shootout (2nd Annual)
Top finisher
Top finishers
- 1st"Team Kateric"1,000 overall pts
- 2nd"Team Goose"750 pts
- 3rd"Team Marlin Darlin"650 pts
- Total prize pool: $165,300 across 3 money winners
- Champion: Team Kateric — $100,500 (1,000 overall pts)
- 2nd Place: Team Goose — $56,700 (750 pts)
More from this tournament
- 3rd Place: Team Marlin Darlin — $8,100 (650 pts)
- Day 1 Daily Winner (April 23): Team Kateric
- Day 2 Daily Winner (April 24): Team Goose — $40,000
- Top Angler: Ito Quintera (Marlin Darlin)
- Catch summary: 11 total releases — 8 sailfish, 2 white marlin, 1 blue marlin. 5 of 9 boats scored.
- Payout figures sourced from ReelTime app, which labels all data unofficial. Team Kateric champion payout ($100,500) independently confirmed via official Walker's Cay social channels. Full standings pending official host confirmation at walkerscay.com/shootout.*
Sea Spray 3rd Annual Billfish Tournament
Top finisher
Top finishers
- 1st"Fender Bender" - 1,800 pts2 blue marlin, 6 white marlin
- 2nd"Mo Betta" - 1,700 pts2 blue marlin, 9 sailfish, 1 white marlin
- 3rd"Not confirmed as of publication"—
- 1st Place: Fender Bender — 1,800 pts (2 Blue Marlin, 6 White Marlin)
- 2nd Place: Mo Betta — 1,700 pts (2 Blue Marlin, 9 Sailfish, 1 White Marlin)
- 3rd Place: Not confirmed as of publication
More from this tournament
- Top Male Angler: Luca Picariello (Team Rhumline Land and Sea) — 5 releases
- 1st and 2nd place confirmed from official Sea Spray Resort social channels. 3rd place not confirmed as of publication deadline.*
Billfish Hotspots
Costa Rica Pacific (Quepos) Active; 3 Regions Reporting
Costa Rica Pacific
Active- Pacific Sailfish
- Blue Marlin
- Striped Marlin
- The Costa Offshore World Championship (April 19–23) crowned a champion with 10,920 release points, indicating consistent multi-species billfish action across the open Challenger fleet. Team The Rodfather's totals are the highest single-team release count documented from Quepos this week.
Late-April Quepos remains the Pacific hotspot heading toward the seasonal handoff to Guatemala and Panama. Sailfish numbers are slowing from peak January–February levels but remain strong, with marlin contributing to mixed bags.
Bahamas
Active- Blue Marlin
- White Marlin
- Sailfish
- The Walker's Cay Shootout (April 22–25) and Sea Spray Billfish Tournament (April 22–25) both fished concurrently in the Abacos chain. Walker's Cay produced 11 releases across 9 boats sailfish-dominant (8 of 11) with 2 white marlin and 1 blue marlin. Sea Spray's field put 1st-place Fender Bender on 2 blues and 6 whites over the event.
Blue marlin season opens in April and runs through August; white marlin season is active March–July. The Abacos chain is producing across the species mix as crews migrate from Costa Rica.
Dominican Republic
Active- Blue Marlin
- White Marlin
- The sportfish vessel La Polla, fishing out of Cap Cana, reported going 2-for-2 on blue marlin and 10-for-12 on white marlin in a single day on April 25 one of the standout individual trip reports of the week and consistent with the Mona Passage white marlin peak. Source: Billfish Report, April 2026.
Late April typically begins the transition toward white marlin focus. Check Marina Cap Cana and Casa de Campo marina channels directly for current bite conditions.
Seasonal Outlook
In season as of April 21–27, 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)
- Cape VerdeAtlantic Blue Marlin (Apr–Jul), White Marlin (Apr–Jul), Atlantic Sailfish (Apr–Jul)
- Costa RicaPacific Sailfish (Dec–Apr)
- 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
Weaver Boatworks 80' "Mama Who" Splashed
Weaver Boatworks — 80' "Mama Who"
- Details: yard activity captured in late-April updates from the Weaver Boatworks team. The 80-footer is the next major project nearing completion at the Maryland yard.
Weaver Boatworks official social media, April 2026
Bayliss Boatworks — Yard activity (Wanchese, NC)
- Details: late April yard updates, including Trash Man, Qualifier, and Sequel. No splash announced this week from Bayliss.
Bayliss Boatworks official social media yard update, April 18, 2026
Industry News
NOAA Sets 93-Day 2026 Recreational Gag
Industry
NOAA Sets 93-Day 2026 Recreational Gag Season for South Atlantic
- What: NOAA Fisheries announced a 93-day 2026 recreational fishing season for gag in federal waters of the South Atlantic, opening at 12:01 a.m. local time on May 1, 2026, and closing at 12:01 a.m. on August 2, 2026.
- Why it matters: The 93-day window represents a reduction taken to keep recreational landings within the 2026 annual catch limit of 220,030 pounds gutted weight, with the cut required because 2025 recreational landings exceeded the 2025 ACL. Crews running offshore in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and east Florida bottom grounds will have a tighter window than in previous open years and need to plan trips accordingly.
- Key details: Recreational harvest for the 2027 fishing year in South Atlantic federal waters is currently scheduled to open at 12:01 a.m. on May 1, 2027, unless otherwise specified. The season-reduction requirement was effective October 23, 2023, through Amendment 53 to the Snapper-Grouper FMP, which also reduced ACLs to end overfishing and rebuild the gag stock.
Offshore Fuel Index
US National Average $5.464
Marine Fuel Snapshot
Latest Prices & Estimates
- US National Average (AAA)AAA national average diesel, April 27. Down from $5.531 last week.$5.464↓ Down
- US On-Highway (DOE/EIA)EIA weekly retail on-highway diesel, week of April 20. Down from $5.608 the week of April 13.$5.403 (week of 4/20)↓ Down
- US Gulf CoastVenice/Grand Isle tournament corridor pricing easing with the national move.~$5.30–$6.00 (est.)↓ Down
- SE Florida (marina docks)Marina dock premiums typically run 20–30 cents above retail street prices.~$5.00–$5.85 (est.)↓ Down
- BahamasOut-island marinas (Walker's Cay, Chub Cay) historically run substantially above U.S. averages — confirm dock-side ahead of departure.~$5.00–$8.00+— —
- Costa Rica (Quepos)RECOPE current rate: ₡565/liter effective April 17, 2026, up from ₡530. Source: AM Costa Rica / RECOPE via GlobalPetrolPrices.com, April 20, 2026.~$4.55↑ Up
Prices vary by location, supplier, and time. Always verify locally before fueling. USD per gallon.
What to Watch
Production vs. Custom Shootout opens in; SC Governor's Cup season opens May
Production vs. Custom Shootout opens in Abaco April 29–May 2
- Context: The invitation-only field of up to 60 inboard teams returns to Abaco Beach Resort & Boat Harbour Marina. Hosted by Skip's Tournaments, this is one of the most competitive annual events in the Bahamas billfish circuit. Standings: theshootoutfishing.com.
SC Governor's Cup season opens May 6–9 at the Charleston Billfish Invitational
- Context: The Charleston Billfish Invitational launches the five-leg 2026 South Carolina Governor's Cup Billfishing Series. The series perpetual trophy is decided across all five legs, with Charleston historically setting the early baseline.
Louisiana Gulf Coast Billfish Classic — late June
- Context: The LGCBC is the Gulf's signature billfish event of the summer season, drawing teams to Venice and Grand Isle. Exact 2026 dates have not been officially published — check lgcbc.com for registration and schedule updates. The 2025 total payout was approximately $241,000; 2026 purse is subject to entry volume.
Diesel watch: does the 14-cent weekly decline extend?
- Context: This week's drop is the largest single-week decline of the spring. Next week's AAA and EIA data will indicate whether this is the start of a sustained downtrend or a one-week move ahead of summer demand season — a meaningful question for tournament fuel budgets through May.