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Silver Airways is BBC's Presenting Sponsor
The Bahamas Billfish Championship is happy to announce that Silver Airways will be the series' 2013 'presenting sponsor.' In making the announcement, BBC president Al Behrendt said, "We are delighted to  have Silver Airways as presenting sponsor for the Championship's 40th anniversary. Silver Airways' reputation for exceptional service coupled with the company's expanded domestic and Bahamas destinations makes this sponsorship significant for the BBC and for its participating anglers and crews."
Matt Holliday, VP of Marketing & Sales for Silver Airways said, "On behalf of Silver Airways, let me say how pleased and proud we are to serve as a presenting sponsor for the 2013 Bahamas Billfish Championship. This event has provided a great boost to the tourism sector in several of our top Bahamas destinations, while also producing great memories among visitors and locals alike over an incredible run of 40 years. We're delighted to lend our support."
To read the complete announcement click here.
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Winning Ways for the 40
th BBC
By JAN FOGT
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Dragging that Black Bart Grander Candy or Moldcraft Wide Ranger through the bottomless fathoms of no man's land on the hunt for a promising looking ledge has not been the best strategy for 'winning it all' in the Bahamas Billfish Championship the last few years. With the current scoring system, the BBC is more about numbers and less about big fish so if 2011 or 2012 is an indicator of future success,
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BBC 1987 Champion Ron Picou with Capt Keith Bokenhagen.
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we'd say the Championship has become a lot more tactical which brings us to those Fort Pierce, Florida boys. The last two years, Fort Pierce captains Glenn Cameron and Rob Moore
have swept the competition, racking up unimaginable scores to win not only the BBC but
In the Bite Magazines' Captain of the Year titles as well.
Capt. Glenn Cameron attributes some of his success to the training he got fishing his home waters which as it turns out, are a perfect training ground for catching multiple species of billfish in the Bahamas. Situated 20 miles north of Stuart or more importantly, 12 to 14 miles from the Gulfstream, unlike South Florida where the Stream shadows the Continental Shelf and depths go from 100 to 180 feet within a few hundred yards, Fort Pierce captains must travel three to four miles to cover those kinds of depths.
This explains why dead bait has always been more effective for billfishing than live bait in these waters. "Fishing off Fort Pierce is more like a deer hunt than a turkey shoot," said Cameron. Like Bahamian waters, the fish are scattered rather than bunched up, he explains. So to succeed off Fort Pierce, you have to be a good hunter, good at reading signs for fish which may explain why so many local captains have succeeded on the world stage - captains like Chip Shafer, formerly of the Temptress now on the Old Reliable, Mike Brady on Cowpoke, Jimmy Grant and of course Rob Moore on the Fa-La-Me, last years top BBC captain.
Click here to read Jan's fascinating article about the changing fishing techniques of the BBC winners over the past 40 years.
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Blasts from the Past 40 Years
Actually, more than 2,600 blasts (images) from the past 40 years of Bahamas Billfish Championship tournaments. We have created five online volumes of pictures that you can review and actually save images that you like. Simply click on the volume (below) that you wish to review as individual images or as a slide show. Enjoy!
Vol I - 1973-1983 - Vol II - 1984-1993 - Vol III - 1994-2003
Vol IV - 2004-2008 - Vol V - 2009-2012
Our thanks to photographers Dade Thornton, Bailey Bobbitt, Chris Everhart, John Clemens, Peter & Jackie Caspari and Brenda Fletcher. Special thanks to the IGFA Library and to Brenda Fletcher for digitizing the thousands of old photos, slides and negatives.
Links to these BBC photos are also available on the BBC website Home page and History page.
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BBC 40th Anniversary Reunion
All past Bahamas Billfish Championship participants are cordially invited to join this year's anglers and crewmembers at the Marsh Harbour Championship for a BBC 40th Anniversary Reunion.
Whether you have a boat or not, if you fished the BBC in the past, plan on being in Marsh Harbour June 9th through 14th. We're planning a full week of fishing, fun and reminiscing and, of course, many old photos and video/slide shows of BBC days gone by! Get a feel for what's in store by viewing the BBC Photographic Yearbooks available above or on the BBC website.
Watch upcoming issues of The Teaser and BBC e-Updates for the latest information and details.
Mark your calendars for the BBC 40th Anniversary Reunion. And it's not to soon to make your reservations. Call or email the BBC office for more information.
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Celebrating 40 Years
By Capt. Skip Smith
Congratulations to the tournament series that set the standards for all others to follow.
In the beginning the tournaments were held in Bimini, Walkers Cay and Chub Cay. They all were the far away destinations that we all  couldn't wait to fish. Back then most boats were anything from a 31' or 46' Bertram to a 41' or 46' Hatteras.
Those tournaments were held in the 'top spots' and the anglers, captains and crews that fished these tournaments are the legends we read about now. Then there are those with their names on the illustrious BBC trophy. So many great catches and so many great stories...
There were costume parties, appetizer challenges, clowns and beach parties in the middle of a fishing day. And then there was Dade Thornton taking photos and smoking that damn pipe. Looking back at Dade's photos, they are priceless. Dade was doing something he loved and ended up capturing all of our memories for us. Then Dade left his job to Bailey Bobbitt, who continued to refresh our memories with his photos.
To read all of Skip's reflections of 40 years click here.
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As The Propeller Turns ...
Remember you can save $500 by registering early for the 2013 BBC Tournaments. Entry fees received less than 30-days prior to the tournament's start are $3,500. Look for a big announcement from Smith-Merritt, International Special Risks and Travelers coming in the March issue of BBC e-Update.
Bahamas Fisheries Officer, Carol Laing is recovering in the Jackson Memorial Hospital from a serious car accident. We wish him a speedy recovery ... Jennifer Dudas reports that there will be an Android version of the BBC App available before the start of the 2013 season. Jimmy Albury informs us that entire Orchid Bay Yacht Club & Marina is being spruced-up for the Guana Cay Championship.
Treasure Cay GM, Patrick Fetsch is heading back to Oregon to assume a new position at a resort near Crater Lake by the name of 'Running Y Ranch.' Patrick has been a great friend to the BBC dating back 14-years when he was GM at Chub Cay. We wish him the very best of luck in his new endeavor.
If you missed the fall issue of The Teaser, you can read Jan Fogt's first article, BBC 2013 - Fabulous 40th by clicking here ... Based upon available statistics, BBC fans really love stories and viewing pictures from the BBC's past. Thank you to everyone that has made our 'look-back' at the past 40-years so popular ... Speaking of pictures; Bailey Bobbitt will be at the BBC 40th Anniversary Reunion ... Steve Goione is working on a special piece of artwork for the BBC's 40th anniversary that will be awarded to the 2013 BBC overall Champion.
Congratulations to following BBC teams on their victories this winter - Pelican Yacht Club, 4th Place Cowpoke; Silver Sailfish Derby, 1st Place Absolut Joy; Jupiter Billfish, 1st Place Miss Annie; Fish For Life, 1st Place Viking 55, 3rd Place Fa-La-Me; Reef Cup, 1st Place Hatterascal; Buccaneer Cup, 1st Place Fa-La-Me, 2nd Place Viking 55.
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Dolphinfish Research Newsletter
Dolphin Tagging in 2012
The 2012 study of dolphin movements and migrations was assisted by 102 different sports fishing vessels fishing the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. Atlantic Coast northward to New Jersey, the Bahamas and Caribb  ean Sea. The crews of these vessels tagged a total of 1,147 dolphin. While 193 anglers were reported participating in the tagging, the number is significantly higher because most of the participating charter boats do not report the anglers. A record number of 173 new anglers/boats were signed up to tag dolphin in 2012. Tagging reports showed that of the 102 participating boats, 51 tagged their first dolphin in 2012. Making up half of the fleet tagging dolphin in 2012, these boats accounted for 211 fish or 18 percent of the dolphin tagged and released in 2012.
To read the complete newsletter click here.
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