THE CUSTOM SHOOTOUT IS HERE TO STAY

AFTER THE 9/11 TERRORIST ATTACKS ON THE UNITED STATES, Hipkneetized’s Steve Roy, HT Hook’s Harry Shufflebarger and Merritt’s Boat & Engine Works’ Roy Merritt approached Capt. Skip Smith about creating a tournament to raise money for the victims. The writing on the wall was fast-approaching, perhaps unknowingly, for the Bertram-Hatteras Shootout and the Bacardi Billfish Tournament—both tournaments dissolving in 2012—whose participation was dwindling even as the Great Recession loomed five years in the future. And, unfortunately, the Bahamas Billfish Championship wasn’t too far behind. It was as if a fissure was just beginning to open in fishing history; a niche was slowly making itself visible, one the Custom Shootout was destined to fill. Nothing would be like it, and it is probable nothing will be like it ever again. And so, the story begins.

Perhaps these four gentlemen, these experts who graced—and continue to grace—the industry for many years, could be considered the speculators of tournament fishing because what has transpired over the past two decades has been nothing short of revolutionary. In 2001, it was the need to celebrate American ingenuity, as well as an opportunity for fellowship to evolve and philanthropy