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Situated just inside Oregon Inlet in Manteo, North Carolina, Pirate’s Cove combines one of the East Coast’s most storied billfish fisheries with the kind of dockside camaraderie that has kept generations of anglers, captains and crews coming back each August.
What began in 1983 with only seven competing boats has grown into one of the region’s signature offshore events. The 43rd annual tournament, held Aug. 11-14, once again delivered everything that has come to define Pirate’s Cove: strong competition, great fishing and a championship that remained very much undecided entering the final hours.
When the lines finally came out Friday afternoon, however, Capt. John Bayliss and the crew aboard Tarheel, a 64-foot Bayliss, captured the 2026 Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament with 2,200 points, completing a tremendous late charge to overhaul a leaderboard that had remained unsettled throughout the week.
The victory was anything but straightforward.
Stream Weaver, the 60-foot Spencer led by Capt. Timmy Kidwell, struck first, winning the opening-day daily and establishing itself as an early contender. Simple Man responded by taking the Day 2 daily, keeping the tournament wide open.
By Thursday afternoon, the standings had taken another turn. Doc Fees sat atop the leaderboard with 1,600 points, followed by Drifter at 1,500. But while other teams held the top positions, Tarheel was putting together the performance that ultimately changed the tournament.
Bayliss and crew exploded on their third fishing day with six sailfish, two blue marlin and a white marlin, earning the Day 3 daily and putting themselves squarely into championship contention.
That set up a classic Pirate’s Cove finale.
By 1 p.m. Friday, Tarheel had climbed into first with 1,900 points. Builder’s Choice, the 64-foot Jarrett Bay captained by Brent Gaskill, sat only 100 points behind at 1,800, while Stream Weaver remained within striking distance at 1,700. With two hours of fishing remaining, there was virtually no margin for error.
Tarheel found another 300 points before lines out, finishing with 2,200 and securing the championship. Builder’s Choice countered with a productive final day of its own, releasing eight sailfish and a white marlin to claim the Day 4 daily and finish second overall with 1,900 points. Stream Weaver held third with 1,700.
Behind them, Doc Fees finished fourth with 1,600 points, followed by Drifter with 1,500. Bull Pen and SEQUEL each posted 1,400, while Don’t Panic, Sweet Spot and Bi Op Sea rounded out the top 10.
The overall numbers reflected just how productive the fishing had been. Tournament organizers reported 448 billfish releases from the participating fleet, an impressive total even by Pirate’s Cove standards.
The 2026 purse reached $1,395,113.90, and Tarheel’s late charge proved especially lucrative. The tournament champions collected $560,095 across the various categories they entered. Third-place Stream Weaver actually finished second in total earnings, collecting $311,010, while Builder’s Choice earned $211,855.
The gamefish divisions added another layer to a week dominated by billfish releases. Jim Giles aboard Pelican landed the tournament’s heaviest dolphin at 25.4 pounds. Will Pittman on Goombay took top wahoo honors with a 41.9-pound fish, while Brian Davis aboard Weldor’s Ark weighed the heaviest tuna, a 67.3-pound yellowfin.
The event was founded in 1983 and has evolved from that seven-boat beginning into a weeklong celebration of Outer Banks sport fishing. Tournament week has now expanded beyond the main event to include the Alice Kelly Memorial Ladies Only Billfish Tournament, now in its 37th year and held in support of those affected by breast cancer.
That sense of community is part of what makes Pirate’s Cove bigger than a fishing tournament. It is a gathering of crews, families and friends built around competition, tradition and a shared connection to the water. And in 2026, it all came down to the final afternoon, when Tarheel made the most of its opportunities and emerged with 2,200 points, the championship and a place atop one of the sport’s most respected leaderboards.
