About the Captain – Chris Gornell
Chris has been fishing for a living for 23 years and has held a Captain
position for 12 years. He has his 100-ton Master’s License. Before taking
on a Captain’s role, Chris mated for Brynner Parks on the Smoker and for
Ronnie Fields on the D.A. Sea.
Chris was named Captain of the Year out of Nags Head, NC in 2018. On
the Fin Planner, Chris has recently placed and won in a number of
tournaments such as Pirates Cove, Virginia Beach, Billfish Classic and
Ocean City. In addition, he has place and won in a number of tournaments
around the world. In the winter months, Chris can be found running a
charter boat in Costa Rica.
Some of Chris’s best days fishing include releasing 36 white marlin while
fishing out of Ocean City, and 74 sailfish releases while fishing out of Isla
Mujeres, Mexico. Fishing has taken Chris all over, from the Outer Banks to
Ocean City to Florida, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and throughout the
Caribbean.
When Chris isn’t on the water, he spends his time with his wife, Lauren Gornell, and their daughter, Omie, who is named after Lauren’s grandfather, the legendary Outer Banks fisherman Omie Tillet.