Elizabeth Dixon casts her line 

 into the rough waters of the Atlantic. 



Memorial Ladies Only Billfish Tournament in 

 Manteo. Sponsored by Pirate's Cove, the 

 Kelly tournament raises money for the Outer 

 Banks Cancer Support Group. 



The tournament has grown from 23 boats 

 in 1990, its first year, to 90 boats in 2000, 

 according to Heather Maxwell, the tourna- 

 ment director. 



"There are a lot of competitive lady 

 anglers on the tournament circuit," says 

 Maxwell. "This is more of a fun fishing 

 tournament. It is a great introduction to the 

 sport." 



ANGLERS' SURVEY COMPARES 

 WOMEN TO MEN 



To find out if women have different 

 reasons for entering tournaments than men, 

 North Carolina Sea Grant acting extension 

 director Jack Thigpen and Texas A& M 

 University recreational fishing researcher 

 Robert Ditton conducted a survey. They 

 compared women anglers in the Alice Kelly 

 tournament to their male counterparts in the 

 Pirate's Cove Annual Tournament in Manteo. 



Although tough competitors, the women 

 also were motivated to enter tournaments 

 because of social factors such as "being 

 outdoors" and "family recreation," says 

 Thigpen. In contrast, men were more likely to 

 cite technical reasons, including catching 

 trophy fish and developing fishing skills. 



"These results show definite gender 

 differences between women and men in 

 reasons for entering fishing tournaments," 

 says Thigpen. "The women are just not 

 emulating men when they compete." 



As more women take the helm of 

 sportfishing boats, boat manufacturers are 

 redesigning recreational boats to accommo- 



date women — from less visible marine heads 

 or toilets to more storage space. 



"As the baby boomers get into the height 

 of their earning years, they are recreating more 

 with their families," says Eddie Smith, CEO 

 of Grady White Boats in Greenville. About 10 

 years ago, we saw a trend toward more and 

 more families fishing. We incorporated more 

 opportunities for enclosures for marine heads. 

 We also have incorporated more searing into 

 fishing boats." 



ENDURANCE REQUIRED 



To get a behind-the-scenes look at 

 women anglers, I ride with Dixon and her 

 crew during the first day of the CCSA Ladies 

 King, Spanish, Dolphin Rodeo. 



My first fishing tournament trip begins 

 when it is still pitch black. I meet Dixon and 

 her husband Gary Unger at their Cartaret 

 County home. They have been up for a while 

 stocking the boat and checking the fishing 

 lines. 



I load my food and drinks into their boat. 

 Then I drive to the private boat dock near their 

 home where I jump onto the red and blue- 

 striped center console boat and meet the other 

 women anglers. 



The three women on board are long-time 

 pals. The tournament is a chance for them to 

 catch up on friends and family. 



"It's the girls' weekend," says Elizabeth 

 Dixon. "This is a big treat to fish together. We 

 all grew up playing on the water." 



Before the boat leaves the pier, Unger 

 jumps on board to help catch bait. Tournament 

 rules allow him to stay on the boat until 7 am. 

 Then he has to leave because the anglers are 

 entered in the all ladies' category. In other 

 categories, men can stay on the boat but 



cannot catch any fish. 



As we head into Bogue Sound, 

 Elizabeth Dixon warns me that they are not 

 fishing near the shoals because the weather 

 might be rough. 



"During a tournament, we go out no 

 matter what the weather is like," she says. "I 

 have fished during Hurricane Felix and also 

 during a tornado warning." 



Two boats follow us as we try to catch 

 bait in the middle of Bogue Sound near 

 Atlantic Beach. As the sun begins to rise, it 

 casts a pink haze on the aqua blue water. 



"Catching bait is one of the hardest 

 parts of fishing," says Cameron. "Sometimes 

 it can take hours to catch bait." 



Fortunately, we hit a pool of menhaden. 

 After pulling in the net, Dixon scoops out 

 about 50 silver menhaden and puts them into 

 a container. 



"Now that we have got the fresh bait, it 

 will be a piece of cake," says Dixon. After 

 catching the bait, Unger and his black 

 Labrador retriever, Trader, jump onto 

 another boat. Now it's up to the women to 

 pull in the big ones. 



Because of tournament time limits for 

 catching fish, Dixon speeds up as we head 

 into the Atlantic. Within 15 minutes, the boat 

 is at the targeted fishing site. 



Cameron, who is wearing a gold king 

 mackerel necklace, idles the engine back. We 

 wait in the hot, muggy air until a fish tugs on 

 the tine. 



I feel a little queasy as the boat 

 continues to rock and wonder if I can endure 

 the whole day on the water. I eat some 

 crackers, drink a Coke and try to concentrate 

 on the horizon instead of the ocean to prevent 

 seasickness. 



14 HOLIDAY 2000 



