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The 2026 East Cape Offshore came down to the final afternoon, when Magic Touch delivered the fish that reshaped the leaderboard.
Angler Taylor Schuster caught a 675-pound blue marlin aboard the 54-foot Bertram, giving Capt. Kim Manning and his team the tournament’s largest qualifying marlin and the overall victory. The fish earned Magic Touch $278,379 from a purse of approximately $1.6 million.
Schuster’s blue measured 120 inches lower-jaw fork length with a 66-inch girth and ate a green-and-black Andy Moyes medium plunger. The winning team also included mate Richard Roudstell and anglers Ronald Weisfeld, Ken Eberle and Joy Badger.
The result continued a strong stretch for the Cabo San Lucas-based operation, which also claimed the 2025 Bisbee’s Black & Blue.
Sneak Attack finished second overall after Lukas Huberman weighed a 488-pound black marlin. Capt. Vicente Bojorquez and the team aboard the 65-foot American Custom Yacht collected $411,223 through the tournament’s optional-entry categories, the largest payout of the event.
Another final-day fish put Wild Hooker into third place. Angler Jean-Paul Michel caught a 451-pound black marlin aboard the 68-foot Blackwell, earning Capt. Shane O’Brien and the team $161,257.
Second Wind weighed a 433-pound black marlin caught by Jim Arthaud on the opening day. Capt. TJ Dobson and the team aboard the 64-foot Bertram earned $399,600 in optional-entry money.
Three additional teams brought qualifying marlin to the scales. Jakob Gonterman weighed a 386-pound black aboard Stella June, Austin Angel caught a 366-pound black aboard Sea Angel, and Andrew Anderson landed a 363-pound blue aboard Bend Bandits. Blue and black marlin were required to weigh at least 300 pounds.
The Release Division remained competitive throughout the event, with Estrella Kahe emerging as the winner. Capt. Jorge Adrian Martinez Geraldo and his team released nine blue marlin and earned $158,100.
Stella June also topped the tuna standings after Francisco Ruiz weighed a 192-pound yellowfin. Gildardo Lucero caught the heaviest dorado, a 41.6-pound fish aboard NO QUE NO. Each team earned $43,995, including daily jackpot winnings.
Daily game-fish payouts also went to Bendito Mar, Reel Talent 250, Team Too Awesome and Don Julio. Each earned $26,775 for their respective tuna or dorado catches.
The 82-team fleet recorded 61 blue marlin, 10 black marlin, 48 striped marlin and 39 sailfish during the tournament. Anglers also weighed 22 yellowfin tuna and 10 dorado.
Tournament Director Wayne Bisbee credited the fleet, sponsors and hosts for another successful week in the East Cape, where teams avoided the worst of the nearby weather and produced several quality fish at the scales.
The Bisbee’s Baja Series continues in Cabo San Lucas with the Los Cabos Offshore from Oct. 13-17, followed by the Bisbee’s Black & Blue from Oct. 20-24.
