The Bahamas Billfish Championship Quarterly
In This Issue
It's Your Turn To Be The Champion!
We Love Our Sponsors
Let's Get Social!
Fishing Forecasts
Champion Trophy
As The Propeller Turns
Dolphinfish Research Newsletter

Lewis Marine

Aqualuma 2014
Cat 2014



Abaco Gold
ROFFS

SixSidedStudio
It's Your Turn To Be The Champion!

    

Next week the 2014 Bahamas Billfish Championship begins! Exciting things are on the horizon for this season! Check out the rules for changes we've made based on your feedback. Look forward to the awesome goodie bags and crew prizes! 'Rum Punch' and 'Gully Wash' will be delivered to your boats when you return from fishing! Get ready to see some big blue marlin! It all awaits you! 

The BBC office has received excellent fishing reports from the Abacos. Big blue marlin are moving in. Lots of dolphin and tuna have been caught. The conditions are perfect. Check out Roff's forecast for the 2014 series here.

The first stop is Orchid Bay for the Guana Cay Championship. Our hosts are Hatteras and MarineMax. Look for a new chef at SunSetter Restaurant with a yummy menu and don't forget our Thursday night Pig Roast for BBC anglers at Nippers. View the complete schedule of events.

It's your turn to be the Champion! Everyone starts at zero - but you have to fish to win! Procrastinate no more - Sign up today!

See you in the Abacos!

The BSFN wants your photos to share with USA TODAY readers! Make sure to see Jennifer if you have some great photos to share. You will receive photo credits.
We Love Our Sponsors!

      The BBC is pleased to welcome these sponsors for the 2014 tournament series:

Abaco GoldAbaco Tourist Office
AlexsealAqualuma
Black Bart LuresBodo Muche
Bristol CellarsBahamas Sport Fishing Network
Burns HouseCosta
Gregory Poole CaterpillarHatteras
Lewis Marine GroupLMR Tackle
MarineMaxMurray Products
Ocean Club Port CanaveralRoff's Ocean Fishing Forecast
Silver AirwaysSimrad
Sirius XM MarineSmith Merritt Insurance & ISR Insurance
StarbriteTreasure Coast Propellers
ZF Marine

        We thank them for their continued support and encourage you to visit their websites and see what they can do for you! For a complete list of sponsors and their websites, please view the Sponsor page on the BBC website.

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Hatteras
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Let's Get Social!
Updates available for both the iPhone app and the Android app. Download now so you are ready for all of the action next week!

 

The Bahamas Billfish Championship has several ways for you to stay connected to the latest BBC news, results and photos.  Our Facebook page is a great place to socialize with fellow anglers and find fishing updates and photos during the tournaments.

The BBC web site has a live scoring page which is updated as fish are caught. Our iPhone and Android apps post live results and you can sign up for notifications when your boat posts a score! Both are great resources for keeping up with the action!

Finally, the BBC has an Instagram page. Photos will be posted by the BBC and we invite you to share your photos as well! When you post any BBC photos be sure to use #bahamasbillfish.

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Quick Links:  BBC Rules   Resort Info   Online Entry
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Capt. Skip Smith

 

     Who could have forecast the record catching season that Costa Rica had this year? The Dominican Republic has had decent fishing so far this year. Tropic Star in Panama had a slow start and Guatemala had their "normal" fishing. Last year's white marlin bite off Ocean City, MD was awesome along with a big eye tuna bite that was a great big surprise!

     South Florida had some very unusual weather this past sailfish season. A few cold fronts passed by halfway through the tournament season but when the cold fronts stopped the sailfishing got sporadic. Now as the reports come in from the Bahamas it looks to be a great start for the BBC!  White marlin, mahi-mahi, and blue marlin are being caught with a few of the marlin released being estimated at over 700lbs!  There have even been.... Finish reading Skip's Article

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One-Of-A-Kind Murano Glass Trophy Awaits the 2014 Overall BBC Winner!

We are excited to announce that this year's overall trophy has been designed by the fine glass craftsmen of Italy's Orovetro Murano. This hand blown, 24" glass blue marlin was commissioned exclusively for the BBC.  The trophy will be awarded to the 2014 Bahamas Billfish Champion at the Marsh Harbour Championship in June. The piece has a serial number and comes with a certificate of authenticity from Orovetro Murano. It is a piece of art that will be proudly displayed by this year's Champion!

Wave WiFi MBR
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As The Propeller Turns...

The Bahamas lost an advocate on March 23rd when Skip Allen, Sr. passed away. Skip, your friends at the BBC will miss you....Treasure Cay Resort & Marina, our host resort for leg 3 of the BBC, is offering a 5th night free when you book 4 nights. Special tournament rates apply!....Silver Airways, the 'Official Airline' of the 2014 BBC, is offering BBC participants 10% off airfare to the Abacos.... Congratulations to Fa La Me for winning the Casa De Campo International Blue Marlin Classic!....The BBC tournament series is an InTheBite 'Captain of the Year Cup' sanctioned event!....The marinas in the Abacos are filling up with BBC boats ready to go!....You asked for them and this season we have awesome Ladies tees!....For 2014 there are new categories in the Award Pool for first and last marlin of the day!....Thanks to Black Bart, Simrad, LMR Tackle, Costa, Starbrite, and Lewis Marine for some great Crew Prizes!....Look for Allison Wigley as the BBC official photographer at each leg....The girls are running the show this year!....This just in from Mitch Roffer: "Fishing action continues to improve in the Bahamas. Apparently a pulse of new fish has come in this week."....Let's go fishing!! 

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Dolphin Study
Dolphinfish Research Newsletter

  

May 2014 Newsletter

 

    This issue of the newsletter examines the size of the dolphin that are being harvested by recreational fishermen along the U.S. Atlantic Coast. It looks at which states have dolphin harvested and what their share is of the total U.S. Atlantic Coast recreational harvest over the past ten years. The landings for the states forming the South Atlantic Bight are profiled in more detail because of their importance within the fishery. I think many of you will be surprised at what segment of the dolphin population is the mainstay of the fishery.

  
To read the complete newsletter click here.