The Billfish Report is counting down its Top 10 Billfisheries of the Year, and our first Honorable Mention goes to Oregon Inlet, North Carolina USA.  Criteria for our Top 10 include fish numbers, variety of billfish species, average size of fish, length of season and numbers of boats fishing.

It was an unbelievable White Marlin season off Oregon Inlet. Double Digits days become commonplace as boat after boat came home with a rigger full of flags. It got so crazy that a the the height of the season, anything under 10 White Marlin released, was not even news. While White Marlin were the showcase, plenty of Blue Marlin and even some Sailfish made their way into the spread. There were at least 5 Blue Marlin over 500 lbs. released in these waters, the largest of which was The Hooker’s Blue Marlin estimated at 950+ lbs. We could only imagine the numbers of fish caught here, if the season was only longer.

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Rigged Up released 25 White Marlin

Sea Toy released 21 White Marlin

Bi Op Sea released 21 White Marlin

Legacy released 21 White Marlin

Pelican released 19 White Marlin

Honey Hush released 19 White Marlin

Qualifier released 29 White Marlin