PATIENCE, FINESSE NEEDED 



For the anglers, this tournament is a 

 chance to show their fishing finesse and 

 athletic prowess. 



Dressed in a baseball cap, shorts and top, 

 Dixon climbs above the rods and puts 

 menhaden bait on a double-pogie rig. 



"Elizabeth is very athletic," says 

 Cameron. "Not many women on the circuit 

 can work the fishing lines." 



While they wait for fish to bite, the 

 women swap fishing stories and bask in the 

 hot sun. One person continually monitors the 

 depth recorder to see where the fish are. 



"Bring the lines around," yells Elizabeth 

 Dixon. "I think we have something." 



She reels in a small baby cobia. 



"We may not catch a lot because it was a 

 full moon last night," says Cameron. 



As two to three-foot waves crash against 

 the boat, Elizabeth Dixon yells that she hears a 

 zing or grating sound of a king mackerel on 

 the lines. "Go girls. We got something," she 

 says. 



With the boat swaying in the waves, 

 Cameron, a petite woman with sparkling blue 

 eyes, rushes to the back of the boat. She 

 moves to the side, leans back and slowly reels 

 in a small king mackerel. 



Each time the women catch something, 

 I stand behind the captain's chair. The women 

 are strictly following the tournament rules, 

 which don't allow noncompetitors to get close 

 to the fish. Jumping from one boat to another 

 also is prohibited. 



A few minutes later, there is another tug 

 on the line. The women let Sarah Dixon, a 

 single mother from Snow Hill, pull this one in. 



After finessing the line for more than 20 

 minutes, she pulls in a large kingfish. The 



women use a gaff to pull the fish onboard. As 

 the fish hits the floor, its silver mouth bobs. 

 The fish measures 45 inches. 



"It was fun to get the fish," says Dixon. 

 "But it was also work wearing the fish out. 

 This is probably the only time I will fish this 

 year." 



After being on the water for several hours, 

 I am beginning to feel comfortable. I delight in 

 seeing women work so hard to catch fish. 



STORM CLOUDS MOVE IN 



A few minutes later, tournament director 

 Eddie Cameron, a Carteret County contractor 

 and Michele Cameron's husband, radios the 

 women about a storm heading from the 

 southeast. 



"It is better to stay out in the water," says 

 Cameron. "You might head right into the 

 storm." 



As the black clouds begin to roll in, we 

 take down the rods and put on our rain gear. 

 We also radio friends who are still in the 

 Atlantic and head down the beach to meet 

 them. 



To get away from the storm, Dixon 

 speeds up and heads away from the clouds. 

 I hang on to the rails. As we head toward 

 Swansboro, my knees start shaking. A couple 

 of times, I feel like I am going to lose my 

 balance and even ask the captain to stop the 

 boat. 



We stop in the middle of the ocean where 

 I regain my composure, taking a deep breath 

 and wiping off my sweaty hands. With no 

 boats in sight, I decide to sit on a container near 

 the side where I get a thorough soaking. 



Throughout the long ride, we only come 

 close to one boat. However, we never find the 

 friends' boat. 



From left, Michele Cameron, Elizabeth Dixon 

 and Sarah Frances Dixon hold up a prize- 

 winning, 27.3-pound kingfish. 



As the captain navigates through the rain 

 with a global position system (GPS) — a 

 satellite system — I move once again to a seat 

 next to the captain where I feel more secure 

 the next time a wave smacks the boat. 



I begin to relax when I see the "no wake" 

 sign in Beaufort Inlet. 



As we pull into the dock, Elizabeth 

 Dixon, who had remained calm at the helm, 

 admits that storms scare her. 



"I am afraid of lightning," she says. "Last 

 weekend, we got in a storm. Part of being a 

 veteran angler is making sound and quick 

 decisions." 



After we pull into the dock, the women 

 relax for an hour. They weigh in the kingfish 

 at 27.3 pounds. 



The next day, they find out they have 

 won first place and a $4,000 prize. 



"It was great winning the tournament," 

 says Elizabeth Dixon. "This was the first time 

 that an all ladies' boat has won the ladies' 

 tournament." 



However, Elizabeth Dixon, who has won 

 a couple of boats in tournaments, says you 

 don't turn a profit with prize money. 



"Every cent goes back into maintain- 

 ing a boat," she says. □ 



The North Carolina Wildlife Resources 

 Commission's Division of Conservation 

 Education offers fishing classes at its 

 Becoming An Outdoors-Woman (BOW) 

 workshops. In addition, women can learn 

 saltwater fishing techniques at the Beyond 

 BOW workshops. For infomiation on 

 workshops locations and dates, call Cheryl 

 West, 9191733-7123, ext. 269 or visit the Web: 

 www.wildlife.state.nc.us/ConservationEd/ and 

 follow the links toN.C Wild and workshops. 



COASTWATCH 15 



