Meet The Crew: North Carolina Flare Angling Club
Get the inside scoop on the stars of SFC's new era
With the official launch of the 14 new professional angling clubs competing in SFCs new format, get to know the names, logos and faces behind the new era of competitive offshore fishing. Introducing North Carolina Flare Angling Club
Behind the Flare name
A characteristic of all Carolina-built boats, the namesake “flare” speaks to the sharp upward and outward curve of the bow. That pronounced flare sends massive amounts of spray away from the boat, produced by the rough surf found off the state’s Outer Banks. Known commonly as “the graveyard of the Atlantic,” the treacherous waters of the Outer Banks is home to more than 5,000 shipwrecks, including Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge and the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor as two of the more famous ones.
Behind The Angling Club Logo & Colors
Many hues of the color blue have been associated with North Carolina ever since humans settled into the region. The Cherokee called the Blue Ridge Mountains Shaconage, or “land of the blue mist,” due to the haze produced by the trees. Indigo is native to the area and grows wild across the Carolinas. The boat design in the logo reflects that distinctive Carolina custom built boat, with the bottom of the team badge also sharing the same pronounced bow flare shape.
The Squad
Captain Brian Dressler and his brother David Dressler run “Sails Pitch,” a 63’ F&S (known for incorporating Carolina Flare in its hull designs) based out of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. While they may not be globetrotting for billfish like some of their competition in the Atlantic Division, the Flare like their chances to make the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs this year.
“I feel like we have the platform, we have the fuel [range] to run wherever we need to go, the boat to run in the roughest conditions and we have the technology to put us on the fish,” said North Carolina Flare Angling Club Captain Brian Dressler. “If we can capitalize on our opportunities, then we can be in the running and compete against anyone in the world.”
The excitement to compete in SFC is two-fold. Traveling the Atlantic to some all-time favorite spots (like Walker’s Cay) and the ability to bring sport fishing into a spotlight it has never had before: live to a nationally televised audience.
“[SFC] provides a platform for people to see what professional teams around the world are doing and how they’re hooking fish, marking fish on the sonar, working with other teams and anglers,” Dressler said. “A lot goes into it from the captains to the mates to the crew; it's a really dialed-in program where everyone knows their role and position and that’s what makes it professional.”
Stay tuned for more roster announcements for North Carolina Flare and the rest of the new angling clubs coming soon.