52nd Cape Fear Blue Marlin Tournament
G-BABY, a 58’ Cap’n Squid docked at Seapath Marina, took first place in the 52nd Cape Fear Blue Marlin Tournament with one sailfish and two blue marlin releases over two days of fishing. The crew, led by Capt. Lynn Perry, fished Thursday and Sunday, capitalizing on the best weather windows of the event. They earned first place in both Level 1 and Level 2, along with daily honors on Thursday and Sunday.
Their win came in textbook fashion—fishing smart, covering water in a few hundred fathoms, and trusting their sonar and instincts.
REBELETTE, a Jarrett Bay sportfish captained by Jack Huddle and owned by his father, Carl Huddle, earned second place with two blue marlin releases over the weekend. Fishing out of Morehead City, the team competed on both Saturday and Sunday, making the most of their opportunities despite challenging conditions.
The first marlin appeared on Saturday after an initial missed bite in the spread. Not long after the missed bite, another fish returned, charged the teaser, and then veered off to eat the short rigger bait, resulting in a clean hook-up and release.
On Sunday, after marking a few fish and seeing limited life offshore, the team moved inshore to the 80 fathoms area. There, a second marlin rose behind the teaser, tracked it closely, and then switched to the long rigger bait. It was hooked cleanly and brought to the boat within minutes.
The crew of G-BABY, led by Capt. Lynn Perry, celebrates their 1st place finish at the 52nd Cape Fear Blue Marlin Tournament. Based out of Seapath Marina in Wrightsville Beach, the team earned a hometown win with one sailfish and two blue marlin releases, taking home a $26,180 payout.
Joining Jack and Carl Huddle were mates Ayden Kelly and Thomas Dominick, along with angler Landry Hodges, of Nashville, Tennessee, who successfully reeled in both fish. The crew fished a traditional spread featuring two dredges, squid chain teasers, plugs on the short riggers, and naked ballyhoo on the long riggers rigged with circle hooks and 80-pound leaders.
The John Boat, owned by Seth Yowell and captained by Jed Galloway, secured third place after a strong final day performance that included four sailfish releases. The team fished out of Wrightsville Beach on Thursday and Sunday.
“We’d been marlin fishing a lot lately and were seeing a lot of small fish,” said Galloway. “Thursday we marked a lot but just weren’t getting the bites. We figured if we were around sailfish and white marlin, we’d have a better shot with bait.”
On Sunday, the team began bait fishing along a productive temperature break between 80 and 100 fathoms, working a stretch from the 350 to the 300 line. The change paid off late in the day when they encountered a pocket of fish.
“They were lazy bites, just kind of eating out the back,” Galloway said, “but we stayed on them and went four for five.”
Key to the day’s success were mates Michael Black and Cole Plott. Plott, a longtime friend of Galloway’s and mate on Fins Up, joined the crew for the day. “Between him and Michael, they were sharp in the cockpit and went four for five on the bites,” Galloway said. “That’s what made our day. We were covered up with fish, and they made it count.”
Team REBELETTE took second place in the 52nd Cape Fear Blue Marlin Tournament. Captained by Jack Huddle and fishing out of Morehead City, the team released two blue marlin over the tournament weekend.
The John Boat fished a spread of two dredges, two squid chain teasers, and four naked ballyhoo, with a plug on the short rigger in case a blue marlin showed up. All the bites came on the bait.
You can find the full leaderboard and additional information about the Cape Fear Blue Marlin Tournament at capefearbluemarlin.com.
