Beaufort Area Sportfishing Tournaments

The waters around Beaufort are world-class fishing grounds. Individual trips and organized sport fishing tournaments approach the intensity of a religion here.

Every year hundreds of participants turn out on our Crystal Coast for some of the best fishing tournaments along the North Carolina coast. From pier fishing to surfcasting to following the fish in their sport fisher boats, the anglers who participate in these local tournaments don't have to tell tall tales - they live them.

Morehead City's annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament is the granddaddy-- truly a world-class tournament with over $1.5 million going out in prize money to more than 150 participants. In 2007 the big winner walked away with the $800,839 first prize! Next year is the tournament's 50th anniversary.

This event has drawn enthusiastic crowds every year. With both a lady angler and junior angler division, this tournament is a must for the seriously competitive sport fisherman. Local charities receive bountiful donations from the Big Rock organization and the town of Morehead City is particularly delighted to receive a donation of one hundred seventy-five thousand dollars toward a new baseball stadium.

Swansboro's Rotary Club sponsors the Annual King Mackerel Blue Water Fishing Tournament. This is the club's largest single fundraiser with proceeds from this tournament going to community projects, fishing interest funds and local scholarships. Forty-five thousand dollars was awarded to eleven grateful high school students and over two hundred fifty thousand dollars was paid out in prize money.

Also worth mentioning are Beaufort's Strike It Rich King Mackerel Tournament and the Atlantic Beach King Mackerel Tournament. Paying out a guaranteed minimum of fifty thousand dollars to the overall winner in Beaufort, multiple cash and manufacturers prizes are also available. Weigh in and all surrounding events are held on the waterfront in Beaufort. The Atlantic Beach tournament is touted as the largest all-cash tournament in the nation.

The boats used by winning captains vary greatly. Ask any "old hand" tournament angler and he'll tell you exactly what type of boat, tackle and bait to use depending on the catch you're after. For those with less experience who still want to become an adept old salt, you will find the sales staff at Beaufort Yacht Sales to knowledgeable. They are experienced fishermen and boaters who have fished and cruised the east coast waters as well as the Caribbean.

Beaufort Yacht Sales suggests Albin yachts-a proven marriage of the fishing boat and the family cruising boat. Albins enjoy a 106-year history of handcrafted, diesel powered yachts designed to handle the rigors of the North Sea. Sold in the US since 1966, Albins can take you offshore and still afford outstanding accommodations for the cruising family.