2013

Call it beginner’s luck, offshore fishing skill or maybe a combination of both.

But the crew of Magellan out of Harwich and captained by Jason Pillsbury took home the $20,000 prize in the Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament Saturday.

Magellan landed a 429-porbeagle shark on Friday and another 313-pound porbeagle on Saturday and won the tournament with 742 points.

A 429-pound porbeagle shark was the winning catch on the first day of the Monster Shark Tournament Friday.

Dan Lundy landed the shark aboard Magellan out of Harwich, captained by Jason Pillsbury.  It was their first time to fish the tournament, which is sponsored by the Boston Big Game Fishing Club and carries a $20,000 prize for the boat that wins the most points.

The 27th Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament is set for this weekend, and will likely be the last tournament of its size to be held in town following years of debate and controversy.

Sponsored by the Boston Big Game Fishing Club, the tournament begins Friday and continues Saturday. The tournament’s home base is the Oak Bluffs marina.

Oak Bluffs voted in favor of catch-and-release shark tournaments, West Tisbury approved a new police station and Edgartown approved two spending projects during annual town elections last week.
Voter turnout was sparse, between nine and 13 per cent, and few races were contested.
Oak Bluffs voters approved a nonbinding referendum that would make shark tournaments in town catch and release only by a margin of 225 to 186.

The annual Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament, which offers prizes for the largest shark caught, is held at the Oak Bluffs harbor every summer.

Monster Shark Tournament organizer and president of the Boston Big Game Fishing Club Steven James will takes steps to control the crowd at the controversial Oak Bluffs event, he told selectmen at a meeting Thursday afternoon.

Mr. James’s visit before the board was a condition of approval for the harbor use permit issued by the selectmen for the event. The event will take place July 18 to 20.

I am a captain of a boat that participates in the shark tournament. We have been fishing this tournament for a long time. I first will say I really do enjoy the town of Oak Bluffs and usually things seemed to go off without a hitch. I frequent the town as well with my family and friends for dinner and drinks and shopping multiple times during the summer season.

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