By Capt. Dave Lear June 8, 2018; Biloxi, Mississippi: The 22nd annual Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic got started with a bang as Team Supreme christened the scales with a 739.1-pound blue marlin not long after they opened at 3 p.m. Angler Alex Krake cranked on the fish for 11 hours after it died. Krake [...]
By Capt. Dave Lear June 7, 2018; Biloxi, Mississippi: One by one they slowly churned past the tournament control boat to be checked off the list. Nearly 120 big center consoles, catamarans and sport-fishing convertibles, most with filled fuel bladders lashed to the deck or cockpit, departed the Point Cadet Marina at 11 a.m. Thursday [...]
By Capt. Dave Lear June 6, 2018; Biloxi, Mississippi: One person could not do it alone. To put on a big-game tournament the caliber and magnitude of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic requires a sizable and dedicated staff. Each member works on different tasks but the combined effort is necessary to complete the countless [...]
By Capt. Dave Lear June 12, 2017; Biloxi, Mississippi: Aries is the first sign in zodiac astrology and is associated with energy and fire. Those traits also apply to Team Aries, which earned the top tournament award in the 2017 Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic that finished Sunday morning. Owner/captain Russell Craft, mate Hollis Legg, [...]
By Capt. Dave Lear June 11, 2017; Biloxi, Mississippi: Blame it on a wet spring, the absentee Loop Current or the usual scapegoat El Nino. Whatever the case, many long-time Gulf anglers agree the start of the 2017 big-game season has been slow to develop. All that changed, however, as fishing in the MGCBC ended [...]
By Capt. Dave Lear June 9, 2017; Biloxi, Mississippi: The first round of fights are over. The outcome on many more is yet to be decided. The weigh scales at the Point Cadet Marina were christened Friday night as four noteworthy billfish were weighed. The first two broke the existing Mississippi record for swordfish—75 pounds—only [...]
By Capt. Dave Lear June 9, 2017; Biloxi, Mississippi: Offshore, the action is underway with several swordfish and at least two blue marlin boated amongst the 120 teams competing in the 2017 MGCBC. Scales open at 3 p.m. on Friday and stay open until 8. They re-open again at the same time on Saturday and [...]
By Capt. Dave Lear June 8, 2017; Biloxi, Mississippi: As the 120 boats in this year’s Classic plot a course deep into the iridescent blue depths of the Gulf, a certain expression bears repeating: The more things change, the more they remain the same. Adding the swordfish division this year and the chance for a [...]
By Capt. Dave Lear June 7, 2017, Biloxi, Mississippi: Stacks of hundred dollar bills are still being carefully counted as the bets add to the growing pot. Yet even as registration for the 2017 Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic draws to a close, this much is apparent—come Thursday morning 120 boats will blast off in [...]
January 06, 2017; Biloxi, Mississippi: By Capt. Dave Lear In the sport of fencing, En Garde is the French warning for participants to be on their guard and ready for action. But for the contestants suiting up for the 2017 Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic June 5-11, this notice also represents the tip of the [...]
