A Pivotal Moment in a Boat Dealership
A then 27-year-old mate, Arch Bracher, walked into a Rivera Beach, Florida, boat dealership to purchase an Action Craft flats boat. The young fisherman, who had spent the past eight years mating for legendary captains like Chip Shafer on the Temptress out of Oregon Inlet, North Carolina, and Fort Pierce, Florida in the winter, had a whopping wad of cash in his wallet. That wasn’t odd for mates back in the 1980s.
“The salesman, dressed like he just came out of Miami Vice, didn’t give me the time of day,” Bracher recalled. “I had enough cash to purchase a boat outright. So, I walked out and wondered to myself, ‘What just happened?’”
Bracher’s plan, up to that pivotal point, was to follow the career path of his twin brother, Capt. Pat Bracher, and become a flats guide in the Florida Keys. That dream shifted outside the dealership, where he made a life-changing decision to return to mating instead.
Tournament Win Before Age 10
Born an Air Force brat in Michigan, Bracher spent summers at his grandparent’s cottage on Wamplers Lake, southwest of Ann Arbor, fishing for bass, pike, and bluegill. His family later moved to Fort Walton Beach, Florida, where an 8-year-old Bracher learned to master his skills at the newly opened Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier.
“The water was crystal clear, and it was a great place to learn how to accurately cast at certain fish, as well as all the tools that it took to become a good fisherman.”
Bracher’s angling prowess became evident when he won a small fry kid’s bluegill tournament using live crickets as bait—something no other kid had.
After the family moved to Virginia Beach, he and his friends spent weekends surf fishing in Hatteras, a tradition that still links many of his current charter clients to those early days.
A Career in Blue Water Fishing
Bracher pursued a business degree in college while mating for Capt. Steve Richardson on the 50-foot Bob-Kat during summer breaks. But when Capt. Chip Shafer offered him a full-time mating position on the Temptress, his career took off.
“It was a year-round job, fishing out of Oregon Inlet in the summer and Fort Pierce in the winter. It was all an adventure for me.”
His first big blue marlin experience came in the Cape Henry Billfish Tournament in the late 1980s. They hooked a massive marlin midday and battled for eight hours before boating the 778-pound fish, winning the tournament.
The Pelican Takes Flight
In 1990, Bracher purchased his first charter boat, a 50-foot Sheldon Midget with Pelican painted on its transom.
“If it were today, they (the bank) would never have given a 27-year-old a loan like they gave me,” Bracher said. “But I dealt with a local bank with local people, who knew that I would get voted into the (Oregon Inlet) fishing center.”
He quickly proved himself, securing a slip at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, where he’s been a mainstay for over 30 years.
The Cancun Years
In 1990, Bracher began making the annual migration to Mexico, spending winters sailfishing in Cancun for nearly 20 years. The numbers were staggering.
“There were weeks we averaged 50 sailfish a day for ten days straight. And there were times each year you’d have a day or two where you might catch 60, 70, 80.”
Bracher played a key role in the circle hook revolution, improving fish survival rates while increasing efficiency.
Returning Home to the Outer Banks
Bracher had his current Pelican, a 56-footer custom-built by Paul Mann, delivered in 2000. After 20 years of traveling, he permanently returned to Oregon Inlet.
“I’d been traveling, trying to own, operate, and pay for the boat and make the numbers work for two decades. Then, I married at age 46 and decided to spend more time around home.”
The Outer Banks offers a unique advantage, with two distinct fishing environments accessible from Oregon Inlet.
- May to June – Yellowfin tuna, dolphin, and bigeye tuna.
- July to September – Prime billfishing season.
- October to November – Return to tuna and meat fishing.
Tournament Success and Technological Advances
Bracher’s Pelican has dominated tournaments, including wins in:
- Invitational Masters Angling Tournament (Cancun) – 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005
- Alice Kelly Ladies Memorial Billfish Tournament – 2007
- Pirates Cove Billfish Tournament – 2023, with seven billfish releases and a six-figure payday.
To stay competitive, Bracher recently invested in sonar technology, a move he sees as crucial in modern fishing.
“It cost as much as my original charter boat. But in today’s fishing, if you don’t step up with what’s happening around you, you’re going to sit at the dock and watch everybody go by.”
Legacy and Future Adventures
Bracher remains dedicated to the charter industry, upholding the high standards of Omie Tillet, Paul Spencer, John Bayliss, and Chip Shafer.
“It’s all about how you treat your people. I want them to have an experience where they can’t wait to come back next year, tell their friends, and bring their friends too.”
Each year, he embarks on bucket list trips, including striped marlin fishing in Magdalena Bay, Mexico, where he regularly catches 100+ marlin a day.
Even in his downtime, Bracher is still drawn to the water. Whether it’s redfish in Venice, Louisiana, or supporting his wife Summer in Costa Rica’s tournaments, his love for fishing never fades.
“When I’m not fishing for a living, I’m fishing for fun.”
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