TWENTY YEARS OF CUSTOM SHOOTOUT HISTORY IN THE BAHAMAS
2002, CHUB CAY
FIRST PLACE: HT Hook
SECOND PLACE: Jack O’ Hearts
THIRD PLACE: Arc Strike
TOP ANGLER:
Harry Shufflebarger
TOP CAPTAIN: Robbie Moore
2003, CHUB CAY
FIRST PLACE: Salem Wolf
SECOND PLACE: Miss Allied
THIRD PLACE: China Girl
TOP ANGLER: Roger Hammond
TOP CAPTAIN: Jake Triay
2004, HARBOUR ISLAND
FIRST PLACE: Rosemary
SECOND PLACE: Miss Allied
THIRD PLACE: Double Dog
TOP ANGLER: Terry Sherman
TOP CAPTAIN: Ed Nicolace
2005, HARBOUR ISLAND
FIRST PLACE: Black Out
NuCO2
SECOND PLACE:
THIRD PLACE: Frantastic
TOP ANGLER: Jim Black
TOP CAPTAIN: Kevin Llorente
2006, HARBOUR ISLAND
FIRST PLACE: Wave Paver
SECOND PLACE: Cutnail
THIRD PLACE: Blank Check
TOP ANGLER: Jr. Davis
TOP CAPTAIN: Jeff Babuschak 2007, HARBOUR ISLAND
FIRST PLACE: Alican
SECOND PLACE: Jack O’ Hearts
THIRD PLACE: Meant 2 Be
TOP ANGLER: Scott Frohman
TOP CAPTAIN: Doug Heaton
2008, HARBOUR ISLAND
FIRST PLACE: Que Mas
SECOND PLACE: MIMI
THIRD PLACE: Reel Joy
TOP ANGLER: Paul Spencer
TOP CAPTAIN: Travis Butters
2009, HARBOUR ISLAND
FIRST PLACE: HT Hook
SECOND PLACE: Owl’s Nest
THIRD PLACE: Sandman
TOP ANGLER: Al Eldridge
TOP CAPTAIN: Stetson Turney
2010, HARBOUR ISLAND
FIRST PLACE: Sandman
SECOND PLACE: Brier Patch
THIRD PLACE: Svengali
TOP ANGLER: Lester Petracca
TOP CAPTAIN: Neil Orange
2011, HARBOUR ISLAND
FIRST PLACE: Chasin
SECOND PLACE: Double Dog
THIRD PLACE: Ravaganza
TOP ANGLER: Don McKinney
TOP CAPTAIN: Bennett Griffin 2012, BOAT HARBOUR
FIRST PLACE: Wave Paver
SECOND PLACE: Plane Simple
THIRD PLACE: Bear Trap
TOP ANGLER: Jr. Davis
TOP CAPTAIN: Russell Sinclair and Jason Parker
2013, BOAT HARBOUR
FIRST PLACE: Reel Pushy
SECOND PLACE: Jichi
THIRD PLACE: Arc Strike
TOP ANGLER: Wally Whitley
TOP CAPTAIN: Chris Workmon
2014, BOAT HARBOUR
FIRST PLACE: Plane Simple
SECOND PLACE: Escapade
THIRD PLACE: Uno Mas
TOP ANGLER: Jim Jensen
TOP CAPTAIN: Jimmy Werling
2015, BOAT HARBOUR
FIRST PLACE: Vintage
SECOND PLACE: Reel Pushy
THIRD PLACE: Sweet Thing
TOP ANGLER: Tony Huerta
TOP CAPTAIN: Kevin Paul
2016, BOAT HARBOUR
FIRST PLACE: Lo Que Sea
SECOND PLACE: Two Cats
THIRD PLACE: Bear Trap
TOP ANGLER: Tony Huerta
TOP CAPTAIN: Kevin Paul 2017, BOAT HARBOUR
FIRST PLACE: Grand Slam
SECOND PLACE: Gina Lisa
THIRD PLACE: Bear Trap
TOP ANGLER: Jr. Davis
TOP CAPTAIN: David Grubbs
2018, BOAT HARBOUR
FIRST PLACE: Plane Simple
SECOND PLACE: Builder’s Choice
THIRD PLACE: Wave Paver
TOP ANGLER: Jerry Conell
TOP CAPTAIN: Jimmy Werling
2019, BOAT HARBOUR
FIRST PLACE: Electric Bill
SECOND PLACE: Bear Trap
THIRD PLACE: Three Times L
TOP ANGLER: John Stout
TOP CAPTAIN: Jerry Owens
2021, BOAT HARBOUR
FIRST PLACE: Marlin Darlin
SECOND PLACE: El Cazador
THIRD PLACE: Wave Paver
TOP ANGLER: Frank Vilasante
TOP CAPTAIN: Chris Kaulen
2022, BOAT HARBOUR
FIRST PLACE: Electric Bill
SECOND PLACE: Pescaria
THIRD PLACE: Lunatico
TOP ANGLER: Manny Pereira
TOP CAPTAIN: Mark McDevitt
THE CUSTOM-BOAT ANGLE
With the tournament now capped at 60 boats, the Custom Shootout waiting list is outrageously long. And with the latest boat boom, that list is hardly dwindling. Deciding just who advances to competition is not only based on which team is grandfathered in, but it also, fittingly, makes the builders exempt. “They are the ones who make this tournament special,” Smith says, and with up to a dozen of the finest builders in the US attending and making themselves available to their clients— owners and crews alike—it’s what sets this event apart from all the others.
The Custom Shootout is set up as an invitationonly event, with the previous years’ participants getting the first of the coveted summonses. Should a team not be able to attend, then the waiting list is consulted. The longer the team has remained on the list, the more likely they will be invited the next time. That’s standard operating procedure for most invitationals, but it doesn’t seem to discourage new owners from seeking a place in line. Everyone who owns a custom boat wants to fish the Custom Shootout. It’s a rite of professional passage of sorts, because once the kites are put away, the talk in fishing circles usually revolves around it. It really makes no never mind if your custom ride is a month old or 50 years old; if you’re invited, you do your damnedest to be there. And if you happen to win, your name is cemented in Custom Shootout history—rivaling those who’ve won some of the most prestigious tournaments in the world.
The winning also spills over into some nice recognition for the builders. The championship team simultaneously represents the builder in the competition to acquire the Manufacturer’s Cup, an accolade that is valued not only by the builder himself, but is also a testament to the quality and craftsmanship each maker can bring home to its team of employees, affirming the fact that all of their hard work pays off in spades. It’s the only award of its kind; it’s based on tournament finishes alone; and to date, Spencer Yachts has produced the most Cup wins with eight, followed by Tribute Performance Boats with three, and Rybovich and Garlington with two wins each.
Nowhere else will you find the assembling of custom-boat builders all in one place like you would at the Custom Shootout—all ready to talk shop, listen to their clients, talk to potential clients, interact with the participants, and to go fishing, just like normal people. The impact these builders have made in the boating and fishing industry over the decades is real, but we are also reminded here that they are human—and approachable. And they have just as much fun as everyone else, even if they are special guests come tournament time.
PHILANTHROPY AND THE FUTURE
The Custom Shootout is a true 501(c)(3) charitable organization, according to Smith, that has raised over $1 million in assistance to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, the fallen heroes of 9/11, and the Hurricane Katrina Red Cross Relief Fund, as well as many others, including its own endeavor to help the residents of Marsh Harbour get back up on their feet after the Hurricane Dorian catastrophe.
“We started out with the 9/11 victims, the Red Cross, leukemia and lymphoma,” Smith says, “but we shifted focus when Steve Roy’s wife, Sheryl, passed away, and we still support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation to this day.” The BCRF is, according to its website, “dedicated to ending breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research” and “is the largest private funder of breast cancer research—and metastatic breast cancer research—worldwide and is the highest rated breast cancer organization in the [US].” With yearly cases approaching 260,000 in the US alone,
“THE IMPACT THESE BUILDERS HAVE MADE IN THE BOATING AND FISHING INDUSTRY OVER THE DECADES IS REAL, BUT WE ARE ALSO REMINDED HERE THAT THEY ARE HUMAN—AND APPROACHABLE.”
this foundation seems like the worthiest of causes.
The Custom Shootout is committed to supporting organizations in need of immediate recuperative funds and ongoing research, and leans heavily on the generosity of its participants and team members to aid in that dedication. While the funds raised by the tournament might be appropriated on a year-by-year basis depending on where the committee feels the monies might be best allocated, it still maintains that any charity that is credible and stands for the better good is deserving, especially when it comes to issues that directly affect the people of the Bahamas, hurricane victims, veterans, and loved ones.
On the 20th anniversary of the Custom Shootout, Smith is hesitant to share the inner secrets of how he plans to keep it on track for the next 20 years, but he does both credit and curse the early-summer
Bahamian weather and unpredictable fishing. So, what lies ahead for the Custom Shootout? More of the same, I suspect. Smith is in no way thinking of retiring anytime soon. His tournament has survived natural disasters, high fuel prices, a pandemic, bad weather and slow fishing, but challenges such as these just keep him moving forward.
“With all the support we get from our sponsors and the participants, this event should go on forever. We had some of the best fishing ever last year, and that alone helps immensely,” Smith says. “I’ll just keep telling old fish stories until I can’t do it any longer. I have been very blessed to be able to do what I have done, both on The Hooker and with Skip’s Tournaments, and especially the Custom Shootout. As long as you are happy with what you are doing, consider yourself a lucky person.” And lucky he is indeed.