What You Don’t See is a Prestigious Part of the Tournament
The fish that are weighed bring excitement to the fans at Harbour Island, as millions can change hands in an afternoon. However, what is unseen represents the most prestigious awards of the event. It is the catch and release of the billfish that brings the highest honors.
With over $5 million riding on billfish catches, you would think that anglers would bring in more billfish in hopes that one would beat the minimum and pull in big money. Yet after four days of fishing, 285 white marlin have been caught, with only two brought in to weigh. The white marlin release rate stands at 99% and is a tribute to the quality of anglers who fish the event.
Rough Seas Make For a Slow Day Four
The leader board remains the same for the fourth fishing day of the 52nd annual White Marlin Open. With only a handful of boats fishing due to unfavorable offshore weather conditions, no fish were brought to the scales on Thursday.
Billfisher continues to take the lead in the white marlin division with their 72 pound fish caught by angler Dan Gough from Ocean City, Maryland. If his fish holds, it’s worth an estimated 4.27 million dollars. Also sitting in first place is the Barbara B with their 929.5 pound blue marlin. Caught by angler Drew Osmeyer from Timonium, Maryland, his catch is currently worth an estimated 1.2 million dollars.