A white marlin finally is brought to the scales in the 52nd annual White Marlin Open
Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
A big blue marlin caught on the opening day of the 52nd annual White Marlin Open has lost a bunch of its oomph.
Not to mention several million bucks.
That’s because one of the event’s namesakes finally came to the scales Wednesday evening.
A 72-pound white that met all criteria is now the lead player in the Ocean City, Md., event. It was caught by angler Dan Gough on the Billfisher. Both are hometown players.
Billfisher is used to the WMO limelight, having taken in $1.8 million for a 76-pound white last year.
Nothing to shake a stick at, but last year’s money pales in comparison with the $4.3 million the team could pocket for Gough’s fish.
Organizers this year are dealing with somewhat nasty seas and added two extra days of fishing out of safety concerns. The 282 registered teams (although the daily fishing/not fishing count only adds up to 255) are competing for a total payout of $7.3 million. Teams can fish any three days of the tournament.
With another low pressure system forecast to ride a dwindling cold front up the coast, it’s a safe bet to say that conditions won’t get much better through Sunday’s final day of angling.
The 929.5-pound blue marlin - the fifth largest ever caught in the event - that raised all the ruckus is now worth $1.3 million. It was caught on the opening day on the Atlantic Beach, N.C.-based boat Barbara B. It could have been worth $4.4 million if no white marlin were brought to the scales.
In the meat fish divisions, a 95-pound yellowfin caught by Tommy Farella of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., on the Virginia Beach-based Mama C - captained by Rob Mahoney - still leads the tuna competition.
Because of prize money moving around because of the white marlin, Farella’s tuna now could be worth $786,955. When it was weighed in Wednesday, it could have been worth $1.8 million.
And in a bit of a bonus situation for the Barbara B, the team leads the dolphin race with a 32.5-pound mahi caught by Maryland angler Andrew Schreiber. That fish could bring an additional $51,627 to the team’s take.
Officials said that only 14 teams are fishing today, with 241 laying.
Stick around, ‘cause there’s going to be more fish, more money moving around and likely some new hype to talk about.
