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Featured State News

Black Female Fishing Team Earns Historic Win In First Tournament

@SpectacularMag
fishing
The Ebony Anglers (l-r) Bobbiette Palmer, Gia Peebles, Tiana Davis,  48-lb King Mackerel, Glenda Turner, Lesleigh Mausi, and their boat driver at the tournament’s weigh-in. (submitted)

Morehead City, NC – The Ebony Anglers, a black female fishing team, took first place in the King Mackerel division of Carteret Community College Foundation’s Spanish Mackerel & Dolphin Tournament in Morehead City on the weekend of July 17-18. The competitive women’s fishing team, established and based in the Triangle area, reeled in a 48 lb. King Mackerel, earning them a coveted citation from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. The award recognizes anglers for their outstanding recreational catches of fish most commonly caught in North Carolina.

The Ebony Anglers is a team of five professional Black women who embrace the sport of competitive fishing while balancing family, motherhood, and business. The team’s inception was the idea of Durham, NC salon owner and proprietor Gia Peebles when she and her husband witnessed the annual Big Rock Fishing Tournament in Beaufort, NC this past June. 

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The Ebony Anglers reeled in a 48 lb. King Mackerel, earning them a coveted citation from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. (submitted)

“When I saw women of all ages coming from their fishing boats with fish and winning prizes, I noticed that there were no women of color competing,” says Peebles. “I said to myself, ‘We can do this. I already know accomplished women who are leaders and know how to win in other aspects of their lives. We can do this.’” 

The women she had in mind, all of which are business owners from the Triangle area, were educator and festival owner Lesleigh Mausi, nail tech entrepreneur Glenda Turner, digital marketing specialist & editorial model Bobbiette Palmer, and Gourmet Catering Company owner Tiana Davis. Each woman accepted the call, and the Ebony Anglers was born.

Their mission is:

  • To impact the sport of competitive women’s fishing through the diversity and inclusion of female anglers of color;
  • To create/build an elevated lifestyle brand anchored in nautical sportsmanship and fine outdoor living;
  • To model the strength, balance, and resilience of Black women through the sport of competitive fishing, boating, and elevated outdoor living.
  • To establish a legacy of leadership, sportsmanship, and excellence for youth through education and mentoring.
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Holding the 48-lb King Mackerel are (l-r) Peebles, Mausi, tournament official, Palmer, and Turner. (submitted)

In addition to embracing the sport of fishing, the Ebony Anglers honor a deep commitment to youth and cultural engagement through their annual mentoring and leadership programs. Black Girls Fish (BGF) and Black Boys Boat (BBB) are two educational initiatives of the Ebony Anglers. 

The mission of both educational programs is to share with (and develop in) young girls and boys an appreciation and agility for fishing (and boating) as an outdoor sporting lifestyle; to educate youth in the fundamentals of fishing (and boating), both as a sport and as a lifestyle; and to empower youth with life skills that promote self-sufficiency, physical and intellectual fortitude, and sound leadership values.

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THE EBONY ANGLERS (l-r) Lesleigh Mausi, Bobbiette Palmer, Tiana Davis, team captain Gia Peebles, and Glenda Turner. (submitted)

The Ebony Anglers will now move on to compete in qualifying events throughout 2021, leading up to their ultimate goal: to compete in the Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament in June 2021.

For more information on and events featuring the Ebony Anglers, visit www.ebonyanglers.com and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.