MORRO BAY — The fight was fierce as Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay hosted the Western Outdoor News Central Coast Lingcod Championship for the fifth annual contest.
The 2021 Central Coast Lingcod Championship, held Friday, Aug. 20 under overcast skies and otherwise perfect weather, was a battle for lingcod supremacy between the Fiesta, a 55-foot sportfisher skippered by Captain James Ottens, and the 65-foot Black Pearl, mastered by Captain Brian Walker along with owner/operator Lisa Tardif aboard.
After a four-hour run northward along the CenCal Coast, both boats went to their best private spots looking for lings, reds and hopefully more.
“We should have a good contest with these two boats,” said Virg’s landing manager Bruce Harwood at the contest’s 4:00 a.m. sign-in. “And anything is possible, we could have a breakthrough day today with lots of big lings and reds.”
Anglers remained hopeful throughout the day as the two boats worked the waters past Piedras Blancas Lighthouse for the 12-hour trip. Black Pearl found spots holding plenty of willing biters, with one huge red weighing in at nearly 10 pounds for Carson angler KJ Kevrette, as well as a few lings for the boat.
In the end, Fiesta came out on top with a number of lingcod larger than those caught aboard Black Pearl.