their activity to the tourist season. So 

 before the crowded beaches can fade 

 into a postcard memory, the second 

 season begins when the saltwater 

 sportfishing tournaments fill the 

 coastal communities again. 



And, it's a profitable season for 

 North Carolina. In a 1978 survey, 

 North Carolina ranked fourth in the 

 value of its saltwater sportfishing 

 (behind Florida, California and 

 Texas). Leon Abbas, Sea Grant's 

 recreation specialist, says: "Not only 

 do the coastal communities do a fine 

 job of handling the tournaments, but 

 North Carolina also has the 

 availability of many types of fish and 

 fishing." 



Three kinds of saltwater tourna- 

 ments are very popular in this state — 

 billfish, mackerel and surf fishing. 

 Although tournaments unite fishermen 

 in competition, each type has its own 

 distinct organization and methods of 

 fishing. Jim Bahen, a Sea Grant 

 marine advisory agent, and tourna- 

 ment fisherman, provided some of the 

 following information on equipment 

 costs and baits. 



Surf fishing tournaments in North 

 Carolina are generally held in the 

 spring and fall when the bluefish, 

 channel bass, drum, croaker, flounder 

 and trout are biting. Two of the oldest 

 events are the Nags Head Surf Fishing 

 Tournament and the Cape Hatteras 

 Anglers Club Surf Fishing Tourna- 

 ment, both held in the fall. 



In a typical surf fishing tournament, 

 70 to 85 six-member teams register. A 

 drawing held on Wednesday evening 

 assigns each team the four positions 

 they will fish Thursday and Friday. 

 With a different position for each morn- 

 ing and afternoon session, every team 

 has an equal chance to win. Each posi- 

 tion, called a station, is approximately 

 one-fifth mile in length and marked by 

 the club. Once fishing begins, judges 

 patrol the beach in four-wheel-drive 

 vehicles, measuring and recording each 

 catch by length. 



The basic equipment for surf fishing 

 is a surf rod and reel, which cost about 

 $125 for top-of-the-line brands. Surf 

 rods are longer than traditional rods, 

 usually 10 feet, and feature either spin- 

 ning or conventional reels. Artificial or 

 natural bait can be used in competi- 

 tion. The Hopkins is the favorite ar- 

 tificial lure and cut-up mullet the 

 choice in natural bait. Most surf fisher- 

 men also own four-wheel-drive vehicles 

 for beach access and transportation to 

 stations. 



Because the longest fish earn the 

 most points in surf fishing competi- 

 tion, each team strives to catch a great 

 number of fish, hoping for a least a few 

 large ones. According to Fritz Boyden 

 of the Nags Head Surf Fishing Club, 

 "Bluefish and gray trout are the 

 predominant catch of the day, averag- 

 ing 15 to 18 pounds each. I remember 

 one tournament," he recounts, "where 

 we scored 17,000 points in the two-day 



competition. When we figured the 

 points, it was somewhere in the 

 neighborhood of 11,000 fish with the 

 average fish weighing about a pound 

 and a half. Now that's a lot of fish." 



No cash awards are given in these 

 tournaments, but trophies and other 

 prizes abound for the team scoring 

 most points overall, for the most 

 points in each session, for the largest 

 fish, and for the angler scoring the 

 most points, just to name a few of the 

 categories. Anglers take home 

 trophies, plaques, trays, rods, reels, 

 tackle and other equipment. The Cape 

 Hatteras Anglers Club awards its first 

 place team a replica of the Cape Hat- 

 teras lighthouse, complete with an 

 electric beacon. 



Surf fishing is not just for men, as 

 Cape Hatteras Anglers Club President 

 Toni Zindel will attest. "We have both 

 men and women on teams, several all- 

 women teams and couples registering 

 as teams," she says. "They are all ages, 

 and they come from all walks of life 

 with at least one thing in common — 

 they just plain enjoy fishing." 



For many years, offshore fishing was 

 limited to wealthy anglers who could 

 purchase and maintain the large 

 seaworthy vessels necessary for this 

 type of fishing. But, in recent years, 

 smaller, more economical boats have 

 been introduced, enabling the middle- 

 class fisherman to compete offshore. 



Mackerel fishing, the newcomer to 

 North Carolina tournaments, is ex- 

 cellent for the smaller boats. Not only 

 are mackerel smaller than billfish, but 

 they can be caught within 10 miles of 

 shore. The number of local anglers 

 competing has increased as excellent 

 prizes are available with a much more 

 modest investment. 



Mackerel tournaments generally 

 begin with a pre-tournament meeting 

 on Friday evening and fishing from 

 early Saturday morning until Sunday 

 afternoon. Usually, three people fish in 

 a small boat and three to five in a large 

 boat, manned by a captain and mate. 

 Boundaries are set by the sponsors, 

 and boats may weigh-in three fish per 

 day. 



Equipment for mackerel fishing can 

 easily run from the basics to the best. 

 A good rod and reel capable of landing 

 a 40-pound fish can be had for $50, 

 though some anglers will be reeling in 

 fish on a $225 outfit. And, sharing the 

 waters with custom-built vessels will 

 be the most common boats for this 



Landing a marlin requires the strength of several crew members 



