JWR Gaffer Dolphin
Brian Bosman and Capt. Bobby Borquin, of Emerald Isle's Teezher Charters, with the 27.5 lb. bull dolphin that earned them the win in the 2011 JWR Gaffer Dolphin Tournament. Their money fish fell for a blue/white-skirted ballyhoo just inshore of the Rise.
Deciding to enter the tournament on a whim, Emerald Isle’s Capt. Bobby Borquin and the Bosman crew, from Mebane, NC, soared past the competition, scaling a 27.5 lb. bull dolphin to take the top spot in the 2011 JWR Memorial Gaffer Dolphin Tournament, held May 20-22 out of Jack’s Waterfront Bar in Morehead City.
“I had a Gulf Stream charter with those guys,” Borquin, of Teezher Charters, explained. “I told them about the tournament, and they said, ‘let’s do it, we’re in!’”
With Wayne Bosman and sons Brian, Nick, and Peter aboard his 26’ Sailfish walkaround, Borquin struck out for the Rise, pulling back on a weedline in 77 degree water just inshore of the numbers for the spot.
Finding action with smaller dolphin almost immediately, it wasn’t long before Borquin spotted a large dolphin beelining for the boat from under the grass.
“He slammed the teaser, then turned on the left flat line, inhaled it, and started jumping,” the captain continued. “I said ‘Guys, this is a money fish!’”
The dolphin attacked a ballyhoo under a Blue Water Candy Mylar skirt, and after the bite the anglers cleared the cockpit and Brian Bosman went to work on the big mahi.
After 40 minutes of long runs and wild leaps, Bosman finally worked the fish back to the boat, and Borquin sank home the gaff.
At the scales, the fish bested the second place fish in the two-day tournament by four pounds, and the “Teezher” crew took home the first place check.
Scaling a 23.5 lb. dolphin to take second place was Greg Crowder on the “Magic.” “Smackwater Jack’s” weighed a 22 lb. fish to round out the top three on the leader board.
Taking first place in the event’s heaviest fish TWT was Raleigh’s Jamie Williams, who weighed a 41 lb. wahoo while fishing aboard the “Delta Dawn.” The team also took home the prize for the event’s two-day TWT.
A 21 lb. dolphin earned Jan Mizelle the event’s Top Lady Angler honors, and Joshua Chowdiard, fishing on the “Dazzler,” took home Top Junior Angler for a 17.5 lb. dolphin.
This is the eighth year the Hillsborough Sportfishing Club has put on the JWR Gaffer Dolphin Tournament, and plans are already in the works for next year’s event. More information is available at www.hillsboroughsfc.com.
