TAG & RELEASE

2026 Competition

6-Month Competition Update

Last Updated: 

June 8th, 2026 – 2:39PM

Overview

Who’s ready for the latest update in TBF’s Annual Tag & Release Competition? Here are the unofficial standings for captains, anglers, and mates in each category.

Reminder, the deadline for data submissions during this competition year is October 31st, 2026. If mailing your cards, the physical tag or release cards must be in house with TBF staff by November 15th, 2026.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]. To purchase tagging equipment or other TBF gear, visit our online shop.

Ceremony

Ceremony details to be updated later this year!

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at [email protected].

If you’d like to attend…

Check back in later this year for more details on our next ceremony!

 

Captains and anglers, please remember, only active members of The Billfish Foundation are eligible to receive awards and/or attend the ceremony in 2027.

If you cannot make it…

All active members of The Billfish Foundation are eligible to receive awards, regardless of attending our ceremony. Just contact us at [email protected] for additional details.

2026 International Competition Winners

TAGGING

ANGLER

  • 1st Chad Beaudry – Kailua Kona, Hawaii

CAPTAIN

  • 1st Douglas Covin – Jupiter, Florida

LADY ANGLER

  • 1st Dawn Samuels – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

YOUTH ANGLER

No Qualifiers

RELEASE

ANGLER

  • 1st Camila Ingram – Jupiter, Florida

CAPTAIN

  • 1st Dean Panos – Pembroke Pines, Florida

LADY ANGLER

  • 1st Camila Ingram – Jupiter, Florida

YOUTH ANGLER

  • 1st Oliver Pratt – Theodore, Alabama

Overall Tagging

Angler

  • 1st Chad Beaudry – Kailua Kona, Hawaii
  • 2nd John Henry David – Neptune Beach – Neptune Beach
  • 3rd Thomas Ripley
  • 4th Malan Horak – Port Elizabeth, South Africa
  • 5th Jack Eudy

Captain

  • 1st Douglas Covin – Jupiter, Florida
  • 2nd Richard Peeples – Palmetto Bay, Florida
  • 3rd Tracy Epstein – Kailua Kona, Hawaii
  • 4th Rick Carney – Delmar, Maryland
  • 5th Michael Samuels – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Lady Angler

  • 1st Dawn Samuels – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
  • 2nd Shelby Callison – West Palm Beach, Florida
  • 3rd Martha MacNab Warlaumont – Balboa Island, California

Youth Angler

No Qualifiers

Overall Release

Angler

  • 1st Camila Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  • 2nd Gray Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  • 3rd Jack Eudy
  • 4th Rich Cook – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • 5th Larry Lottenberg – Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Captain

  • 1st Dean Panos – Pembroke Pines, Florida
  • 2nd Mark Pagano – Jupiter, Florida
  • 3rd Douglas Covin – Jupiter, Florida
  • 4th Myles Colley – Pensacola, Florida
  • 5th Richard Peeples – Palmetto Bay, Florida

Lady Angler

  • 1st Camila Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  • 2nd Shelby Callison – West Palm Beach, Florida
  • 3rd Dawn Samuels – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
  • 4th Leah Pratt – Theodore, Alabama

Youth Angler

  • 1st Oliver Pratt – Theodore, Alabama
  • 2nd George Pratt – Theodore, Alabama – Theodore, Alabama
  • 3rd Leah Pratt – Theodore, Alabama
  • 4th Landon Hoogs – Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Overall MATES

  • 1st Bryce McMillan – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
  • 2nd Danny Vaughan – Cutler Bay, Florida
  • 3rd Fisher Nitta
  • 4th Lawrence Aliseo
  • 5th Ande Wightman

Tagging Anglers

ATLANTIC

Blue Marlin

  • 1st Jack Eudy
  • 2nd Kanmair Kleinmoedig – Willemstad, Curacao
  • 3rd Sandra MacMillan – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • 4th Allen Krake
  • 5th Olivier Eldin – Douala, Cameroon

Sailfish

  • 1st Thomas Ripley
  • 2nd Dawn Samuels – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
  • 3rd Eric Hull – Wellington, Florida
  • 4th Shelby Callison – West Palm Beach, Florida
  • 5th Harrie Sanne

SPEARFISH

No Qualifiers

Swordfish

No Qualifiers

White Marlin

No Qualifiers

Pacific

Black Marlin

No Qualifiers

Blue Marlin

  • 1st Chad Beaudry – Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Sailfish

  • 1st John Henry David – Neptune Beach
  • 2nd Amelia Salbert
  • 3rd Bowie Salbert

Spearfish

  • 1st Chad Beaudry – Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Striped Marlin

  • 1st Kevin King – Corona Del Mar
  • 2nd Mike Kerkes – Aliso Viejo, California
  • 3rd Martha MacNab Warlaumont – Balboa Island, California
  • 4th Rick Murphy
  • 5th Kyle O'Connor – North Palm Beach, Florida

Swordfish

No Qualifiers

Indian

Black Marlin

No Qualifiers

Blue Marlin

  • 1st Malan Horak – Port Elizabeth, South Africa
  • 2nd Calvin Horner – Victoria, Seychelles

Sailfish

No Qualifiers

Spearfish

No Qualifiers

Striped Marlin

No Qualifiers

Swordfish

No Qualifiers

Tagging Captains

ATLANTIC

Blue Marlin

  • 1st Mark Pagano – Jupiter, Florida
  • 2nd Chase Lake – Gulf Breeze, Florida
  • 3rd Camilo Kuri Con – Tampico, Mexico
  • 4th Stephane Millez – Mandelieu, France
  • 5th Richard Peeples – Palmetto Bay, Florida

Sailfish

  • 1st Douglas Covin – Jupiter, Florida
  • 2nd Richard Peeples – Palmetto Bay, Florida
  • 3rd Michael Samuels – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
  • 4th Shawn Albury – Tavernier, Florida
  • 5th Colin Page

SPEARFISH

No Qualifiers

Swordfish

  • 1st Brett Bowen – Belize City, Belize

White Marlin

No Qualifiers

Pacific

Black Marlin

No Qualifiers

Blue Marlin

  • 1st Tracy Epstein – Kailua Kona, Hawaii
  • 2nd Mike Sheeder – North Palm Beach, Florida

Sailfish

  • 1st Mike Sheeder – North Palm Beach, Florida

Spearfish

  • 1st Tracy Epstein – Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Striped Marlin

  • 1st Rick Carney – Delmar, Maryland
  • 2nd David Santiago – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
  • 3rd Casey Carter – Fair Oaks, California
  • 4th Tony Araiza – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
  • 5th Kyle Sherman – Oakland, Florida

Swordfish

No Qualifiers

Indian

Black Marlin

No Qualifiers

Blue Marlin

  • 1st Darryn Du Plessis

Sailfish

No Qualifiers

Spearfish

No Qualifiers

Striped Marlin

No Qualifiers

Swordfish

No Qualifiers

Release Anglers

ATLANTIC

Blue Marlin

  • 1st Jack Eudy
  • 2nd Gray Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  • 3rd Camila Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  • 4th Miguel Santana
  • 5th Claire Wiley

Sailfish

  • 1st Larry Lottenberg – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • 2nd Robbie Buckley
  • 3rd Bruce McVay
  • 4th Shelby Callison – West Palm Beach, Florida
  • 5th Gray Ingram – Jupiter, Florida

SPEARFISH

No Qualifiers

Swordfish

No Qualifiers

White Marlin

  • 1st Mark Davis – Malibu, California

Pacific

Black Marlin

  • 1st Jeffrey Stafford – Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 2nd Chad Beaudry – Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Blue Marlin

  • 1st Chad Beaudry – Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Sailfish

  • 1st Camila Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  • 2nd Rich Cook – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • 3rd Nick Pratt – Theodore, Alabama
  • 4th Rich Cook – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • 5th George Pratt – Theodore, Alabama

Spearfish

No Qualifiers

Striped Marlin

  • 1st Camila Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  • 2nd Gray Ingram – Jupiter, Florida

Swordfish

No Qualifiers

Indian

Black Marlin

No Qualifiers

Blue Marlin

No Qualifiers

Sailfish

  • 1st Christine Jumeau – Seychelles

Spearfish

No Qualifiers

Striped Marlin

No Qualifiers

Swordfish

No Qualifiers

Release Captains

ATLANTIC

Blue Marlin

  • 1st Mark Pagano – Jupiter, Florida
  • 2nd Chase Lake – Gulf Breeze, Florida

Sailfish

  • 1st Dean Panos – Pembroke Pines, Florida
  • 2nd Douglas Covin – Jupiter, Florida
  • 3rd Richard Peeples – Palmetto Bay, Florida
  • 4th Michael Samuels – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
  • 5th Roger Rodriguez – North Miami, Florida

Spearfish

No Qualifiers

Swordfish

No Qualifiers

White Marlin

  • 1st VJ Bell – Stuart, Florida

Pacific

Black Marlin

No Qualifiers

Blue Marlin

  • 1st Tracy Epstein – Kailua Kona, Hawaii
  • 2nd Teddy Hoogs – Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Sailfish

  • 1st Myles Colley – Pensacola, Florida
  • 2nd Mike Sheeder – North Palm Beach, Florida

Spearfish

No Qualifiers

Striped Marlin

No Qualifiers

Swordfish

No Qualifiers

Indian

Black Marlin

No Qualifiers

Blue Marlin

No Qualifiers

Sailfish

  • 1st Darryn Du Plessis

Spearfish

No Qualifiers

Striped Marlin

No Qualifiers

Swordfish

No Qualifiers

Youth Anglers

Tag

8 and Under

No Qualifiers

9-10

No Qualifiers

11-12

No Qualifiers

13-15

No Qualifiers

16-17

No Qualifiers

Release

8 and Under

No Qualifiers

9-10

  • 1st Oliver Pratt – Theodore, Alabama

11-12

  • 1st Landon Hoogs – Kailua Kona, Hawaii

13-15

  • 1st George Pratt – Theodore, Alabama

16-17

  • 1st Leah Pratt – Theodore, Alabama

Regional Competitions

Gulf of Mexico Marlin Tagging Competition

Tagging Angler

  • 1st Allen Krake

Tagging Captain

  • 1st Chase Lake – Gulf Breeze, Florida
  • 2nd Camilo Kuri Con – Tampico, Mexico

Tagging Lady Angler

No Qualifiers

Tagging Youth Angler

No Qualifiers

Tagging Angler - Blue Marlin

  • 1st Allen Krake

Tagging Captain - Blue Marlin

  • 1st Chase Lake – Gulf Breeze, Florida
  • 2nd Camilo Kuri Con – Tampico, Mexico

Tagging Captain - White Marlin

No Qualifiers

South Florida Sailfish Circuit

Tagging Angler

  • 1st Thomas Ripley
  • 2nd Dawn Samuels – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
  • 3rd Shelby Callison – West Palm Beach, Florida
  • 4th Eric Hull – Wellington, Florida
  • 5th John Gambino

Tagging Lady Angler

  • 1st Dawn Samuels – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
  • 2nd Shelby Callison – West Palm Beach, Florida

Tagging Captain - Private

  • 1st Douglas Covin – Jupiter, Florida
  • 2nd Richard Peeples – Palmetto Bay, Florida
  • 3rd Michael Samuels – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Tagging Captain - Charter

  • 1st Shawn Albury – Tavernier, Florida
  • 2nd Shawn Albury – Tavernier, Florida

Tagging YOUTH

No Qualifiers

Release Angler

  • 1st Larry Lottenberg – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • 2nd Robbie Buckley
  • 3rd Bruce McVay
  • 4th Shelby Callison – West Palm Beach, Florida
  • 5th Dave Reni

Release Lady Angler

  • 1st Shelby Callison – West Palm Beach, Florida

Release Captain - Private

  • 1st Douglas Covin – Jupiter, Florida
  • 2nd Richard Peeples – Palmetto Bay, Florida
  • 3rd Michael Samuels – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
  • 4th Roger Rodriguez – North Miami, Florida

Release Captain - Charter

  • 1st Dean Panos – Pembroke Pines, Florida

Release YOUTH

No Qualifiers

Hawaii Regional Competition

Tagging Angler

  • 1st Chad Beaudry – Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Tagging Captain

  • 1st Tracy Epstein – Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Tagging Lady Angler

No Qualifiers

Tagging Youth

No Qualifiers

A special thanks to our ceremony sponsors

No sponsors found.

Interested in Learning MOre?

With more than 280,000 reports, The Billfish Foundation’s Tag & Release Program is the largest private billfish tagging database and the cornerstone of TBF’s conservation and advocacy efforts.
Our annual competition allows us to highlight anglers, captains, and mates who tag and release the most fish. This international competition encourages data collection and responsible billfishing.
TBF’s Tag & Release Database is the world’s largest private and open source billfish database in the world. Individuals can use our database on their own, uploading their tag and release entries through a browser or mobile device.

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