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.
1 / Tournament Results
| # | Boat | Catch |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | The Rodfather (Puerto Calero Marlin Cup) — Spain — 10,920 pts | 1 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 |
Results per CatchStat Live Scoring (unofficial). Official standings confirmed by tournament committee.
2 / Billfish Hotspots
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.
Source: Offshore World Championship and FECOP official results announcements, April 23, 2026
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.
Source: Walker's Cay Island Resort official social media, April 23–24, 2026; Sea Spray Resort official social media, April 26–27, 2026; ReelTime app, April 27, 2026
3 / Upcoming Tournaments
| Tournament | Location | Dates | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cayman Islands International Fishing TournamentOfficial site → | Cayman Islands | Apr 28–May 5 | Blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish, wahoo, yellowfin tuna |
| The Shootout: Production vs CustomOfficial site → | Abaco, Bahamas | Apr 29–May 2 | Blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish, spearfish |
| Bahamas Billfish Championship — Guana Cay (Leg 1)Official site → | Great Guana Cay, Bahamas | May 4–7 | Blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish, spearfish (series) |
| Charleston Billfish Invitational (SC Gov Cup)Official site → | Charleston, SC | May 6–9 | Blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish (series) |
| Hatteras Village Offshore OpenOfficial site → | Hatteras, NC | May 12–16 | Blue marlin, sailfish, white marlin, wahoo |
| Orange Beach Billfish Classic (30th Annual)Official site → | Orange Beach, AL | May 12–16 | Blue marlin, white marlin |
| Louisiana Gulf Coast Billfish ClassicOfficial site → | Venice / Grand Isle, LA | Late June 2026 (dates TBC) | Blue marlin, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, mahi-mahi |
4 / New Builds
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.
Source: Weaver Boatworks official social media, April 2026.
late April yard updates, including Trash Man, Qualifier, and Sequel. No splash announced this week from Bayliss.
Source: Bayliss Boatworks official social media yard update, April 18, 2026.
Both items above are sourced from builder-controlled social media. Hull numbers, exact specs, and projected splash dates have not been independently confirmed by a non-social source.
5 / Industry News
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.
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.
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.
6 / Market Pulse
No new data-backed sportfishing or center console market index reports were published this week. The most recent comprehensive benchmark is the Denison 2025 Boating Market report, which showed average North American sold prices up approximately 4.9% year-over-year, used boats averaging 139 days on market (up 16 days from 2024), and overall unit sales down roughly 8.5%. Those figures have not been independently updated this week.
This week's meaningful diesel decline (see Section 7) may modestly support transactional demand for large-platform sportfish at the margin, but no brokerage data has been published this week to confirm a market shift.
7 / Fuel Index
National diesel dropped roughly 14 cents week-over-week, with the AAA national average at $5.464/gal as of April 27, down from $5.531 the prior week. The DOE/EIA on-highway diesel weekly average tracked the same direction at $5.403/gal for the week of April 20, down from $5.608 the week of April 13. The drop is the largest single-week decline since early March.
| Region | Diesel ($/gal) | Direction | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| US National Average (AAA) | $5.464 | ↓ Down | AAA national average diesel, April 27. Down from $5.531 last week. |
| US On-Highway (DOE/EIA) | $5.403 (week of 4/20) | ↓ Down | EIA weekly retail on-highway diesel, week of April 20. Down from $5.608 the week of April 13. |
| US Gulf Coast | ~$5.30–$6.00 (est.) | ↓ Down | Venice/Grand Isle tournament corridor pricing easing with the national move. |
| SE Florida (marina docks) | ~$5.00–$5.85 (est.) | ↓ Down | Marina dock premiums typically run 20–30 cents above retail street prices. |
| Bahamas | ~$5.00–$8.00+ | — — | Out-island marinas (Walker's Cay, Chub Cay) historically run substantially above U.S. averages — confirm dock-side ahead of departure. |
| Costa Rica (Quepos) | ~$4.55 | ↑ Up | RECOPE current rate: ₡565/liter effective April 17, 2026, up from ₡530. Source: AM Costa Rica / RECOPE via GlobalPetrolPrices.com, April 20, 2026. |
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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| # | Boat | Catch | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Team Kateric | 1,000 overall pts | $100,500 |
| 2nd | Team Goose | 750 pts | — |
| 3rd | Team Marlin Darlin | 650 pts | — |
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.
| # | Boat | Catch |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Fender Bender — 1,800 pts | 2 blue marlin, 6 white marlin |
| 2nd | Mo Betta — 1,700 pts | 2 blue marlin, 9 sailfish, 1 white marlin |
| 3rd | Not confirmed as of publication |
1st and 2nd place confirmed from official Sea Spray Resort social channels. 3rd place not confirmed as of publication deadline.
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.
Source: Seasonal billfish calendar — no current-week primary source confirmed
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