May 3, 2010

The overall winner in the Ocracoke Invitational Surf-fishing Tournament was the Oceanside Anglers team from Hatteras Island.

The team caught 67 fish for a total of 187 point.

The annual Ocracoke tournament was on Thursday and Friday, April 29 and 30.

Sixty-nine teams of six members each fished in the tournament.

“The fishing could have been better,” said Woody Billings, the tournament’s chief judge.

The fishing, he said, was better in the morning sessions, with a 30-1/4 inch striper caught on Thursday morning.  But fishing “died off” in the afternoons with mostly dogfish and skates caught.

“We had a good tournament,” Billings said.

The weather, he said, was great, the pig picking was terrific, and there was an “awesome” turnout.

Total fish caught totaled 668 for a total 1,925 points.

The second place team overall was the Merchantville Fishing Club with 40 fish and 123 points.  Third place was won by the Surfside Anglers, also from Hatteras, with 31 fish and 102 points.

The first place female team was also from Hatteras – the Island Girls with 14 fish for 55 point.  Second place in the female team category went to the Nags Head Outcasters with 17 fish and 48 point.  Third place was won by another Hatteras team, the Hatteraskals, with 11 fish and 27 points.

The award for most fish caught by a male went to John McGee of the Oceanside Anglers with 26 fish.  Most fish caught by a female was won by Nancy Gianotti of the Island Girls with eight fish.

The largest fish caught by a male went to Joe Hite of the Pheasant Pluckers for a 30 1/4-inch striper. The largest fish caught by a female was a tie between Audrey Whitlock of the Nags Head Outcasters and Sue Glass of the Island Girls, both of whom had 17 1/4-inch bluefish.

Session winners were Surfside Anglers, Team Diawa, Oceanside Anglers, and Singing the Blues.

A 16-member board of directors organizes the non-profit Ocracoke tournament each year, and all the proceeds go to island non-profit groups, including the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department, Ocracoke Child Care, Ocracoke Youth Center, and the Sigma Willis Scholarship Fund for the Ocracoke School.

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