Black Book Charters marks eight seasons this year, and the first thing to say is thank you. To the owners who trusted us with their boats, to the captains and mates who have run them, and to every angler who has come aboard since 2018.
It has been eight good seasons on the water. Blue marlin in the Bahamas through the spring, kite fishing the sailfish grounds off Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale all winter, canyon runs out of Montauk and Nantucket for giant bluefin and bigeye in the summer, and the Carolinas and the Mid-Atlantic in the months between. The calendar has grown in some direction every year since the first one.
What we have heard most consistently from guests across those eight seasons is that they were looked after like family. Charters have been handled personally from the first conversation through the last line out of the water, and a great many of the anglers who fished with us in the early seasons are still fishing with us now, along with their sons, their daughters, and the friends they brought along. That has been the most rewarding part of the eight years by a wide margin.
None of it would have happened without the crews. The captains and mates who have run these programs over eight seasons are among the most accomplished in the world, with tournament records to prove it. Our guests fish with the very best.
A Different Kind of Access
The fleet has grown considerably since 2018. Black Book works with a select group of privately owned, tournament-level vessels that meet a specific standard before they are ever offered. These boats are not publicly listed for charter and are not widely available.
The difference is not only the boats. Every trip is structured with clear expectations, defined protections, and a level of detail most clients never see but always benefit from. From a single day offshore to a full tournament week, the planning is done in advance so there is no guesswork once the lines go in.
This is a curated network, built for anglers who understand the difference. It is what we mean when we say a true owner's experience.
The Builders
Over eight seasons the fleet has included boats from Bayliss, Spencer, Viking, Winter, Chadwick, Gamefisherman, Garlington, F&S, Dean Johnson, Merritt, Jim Smith, and more.
These are the most respected names in sportfish construction, custom and production alike, representing generations of craftsmanship out of the Carolinas, Florida, and the Northeast. Each vessel is privately owned and captain-maintained, kept to the standard an owner holds his own boat to rather than the standard a charter operation settles for. Advanced electronics, tournament rigging, and meticulous upkeep are the baseline across the fleet.
Highlights From Our First Eight Seasons
August 2018: Colin Page launches Black Book Charters with a single vessel, a 2018 61' Viking.
November 2018: Into the Tournament Circuit. Black Book secures its first tournament charter on the South Florida sailfish circuit.
2019: Devin Page joins Black Book, leading charter operations and business development as the company begins to expand.
2020: 68' Bayliss. A 68' Bayliss joins the fleet, marking a significant step forward in Black Book's growth and its focus on providing access to privately owned, high caliber sportfishing programs.
March 2022: A Bigger Stage. Black Book joins the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's select vendor network during Jimmy Johnson's National Billfish Championship. That same year, Colin takes the tournament win.
August 2022 : White Marlin Open. A 60' Gary Davis wins the Tuna Division at the White Marlin Open with a 247.5-pound bigeye tuna, earning $1.27 million.
2024 : The Fleet Grows. Black Book's fleet grows to more than twenty vessels, representing boats built by Bayliss, Spencer, Viking, Winter, Chadwick, Gamefisherman, Garlington, F&S, Dean Johnson, Merritt, Jim Smith, and other renowned builders.
2025: A New Look for the Next Chapter. Black Book reimagines its digital presence with a full website redesign, marking the next evolution of the brand.
August 2025: 929.5 lb Blue Marlin. The 63' Spencer wins the Blue Marlin Division at the White Marlin Open with a 929.5-pound blue marlin, earning more than $1.2 million.
March 2026: Champions in Abaco. Colin captains Big Ben to the championship at the inaugural El Jefe Invitational in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, releasing six blue marlin and one white marlin over three days. Read the recap
April 2026 : The Burgundy Jackets. The 61' Chadwick finishes first overall in the Quest for the Crest Sailfish Series with 80 points across all three legs, earning the coveted burgundy jackets. Read the recap
Eight seasons. Thirty owners. More than fifty vessels represented.
Eight Seasons on the Circuit
The fleet has fished the full tournament calendar year after year, opening with the South Florida sailfish circuit in January, moving to the Bahamas for the spring marlin events, running through the Carolinas in early summer, reaching the Mid-Atlantic in August, and finishing in New England through the fall. Over eight seasons Black Book vessels have been represented at the Quest for the Crest Sailfish Series, Jimmy Johnson's National Billfish Championship, the El Jefe Invitational, the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, the White Marlin Open, and more.
Teams fishing those events have chartered through us for eight seasons running, and the boats have been ready long before the captains' meeting every time. Entries, dockage, bait, provisioning, fuel, and lay day plans have been arranged in advance, and slips secured at the marinas that matter well ahead of each season. For the invitation-only tournaments, where the field is closed and the invitation itself is the difficult part, we have supplied the vessel and the crew for teams that already held one.
The record from those eight seasons speaks for the program. This year the 61' Chadwick finished first overall in the Quest for the Crest Sailfish Series and earned the burgundy jackets, and Colin captained Big Ben to the championship at the inaugural El Jefe Invitational in Abaco. In earlier seasons the 63' Spencer won the Blue Marlin Division at the White Marlin Open with a 929.5-pound fish worth more than $1.2 million, a 60' Gary Davis took the Tuna Division at the same event with a 247.5-pound bigeye, and Colin won Jimmy Johnson's National Billfish Championship.
Season Nine
The fleet is repositioning south for the fall and the winter calendar is filling in. The sailfish grounds off Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale come alive through the winter, and the Bahamas follow in the spring. Tell us where you want to fish and what you are after, and we will match you with the right vessel and the right crew.
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