Finally, white marlin have decided to bring something to the WMO table
We told ya.
It’s called the White Marlin Open for a reason and that reason finally had tired of all the tuna talk at the 53rd annual edition of the Ocean City, Md.-based tournament.
But just barely.
Despite more than 600 white marlin getting hooked over the first three days, only three made the dock. And only one of that trio met tournament minimums of 70 pounds and 70 inches long to qualify and made the leaderboard.
At a little before 5 p.m. Wednesday, Charleston, S.C.- based Bull Pen showed up at the Harbour Island Marina scales and got the crowd buzzing with talk of a possible qualifying white marlin.
As staff members began to hoist the fish caught by Charleston’s James Hood, apprehension took over.
It looked skinny, maybe not long enough.
But when the weigh master called out the weight, the crowd went into hysterics.
“70 pounds,” was the call.
Hood’s fish had made the cut, gotten the team on the leaderboard and created an air of pandemonium when potential prize money was announced.
If the fish maintains its place atop the marquee spot on the leaderboard it could bank the team $5.6-plus million.
Minus entries, expenses and taxes, it’s still a lot of money.
Hood’s fish had drummed up a crowd already on its edge after Vero Beach, Fla.’s Max Bet had weighed in a 607.5-pound blue marlin caught by Kelly Weber, also of Vero Beach.
Her blue stood to earn a ton of money until Hood changed the tone. Still, her blue - if nothing were to change - could be worth $1,261 million.
It was apparent that the tide was shifting to the namesake billfish divisions.
But tuna weren’t giving up, as John Wardlaw of Brielle, N.J., weighed in a 179-pounder to take the lead and potentially $1,069 million. He was fishing on the Gray Fox out of Mantoloking, N.J.
For good measure, Ryan Jones of Welcome, Md., brought in a 45-pound dolphin that could bring his team on the La Plata, Md.-based Today’s the Day $96,261.
And finally, a Virginia or North Carolina ported vessel got onto the board when Chincoteaque, Va.-based Bird Dog settled into third place among Dolphin catches with a 28.5-pounder worth $64,425 and caught by Ronnie McGinn of Pottstown, Pa.
As the fleet heads into today’s fourth day of fishing, 602 white marlin had been scored - all but two as releases. There have been 40 blue marlin caught, with Weber’s bring the only one brought to the scales. In addition, there have been three spearfish, 35 tuna, one wahoo and 10 dolphin registered by the 334-team fleet competing for $9.9 million in total payout.
Inconclusive of Pompano Beach, Fla., retained the lead in the top release boat division with 980 points. Ocean City’s Maverick is in second, also with 980 points, but behind Inconclusive based on time of last catch-and-release.
Teams are allowed to fish three of the event’s six days, and 156 are at sea today hoping to perform a little more surgery on the leaderboard.
So, as things really start to heat up in the second half of the event, you know the deal - there’s more to come.
