Slow Start Sets Stage for Exciting Finish
Most of the 433 registered boats have played a waiting game during the 47th White Marlin Open. Hurricane Isaias has dictated the action (or lack of it) for the first 3 fishing days, but it sets up the probability for an exciting finish. While 42 boats fished Monday and 35 fished Wednesday, the tournament has not started yet for almost 400 boats that still have all 3 fishing days left during the event that ends Sunday. That works out to 300 boats per day able to fish over the next 4 days.
The bulk of the boats that have fished so far have fished for tuna and the results are not shabby. The 114.5-pound bluefin tuna brought in on Monday by the “Restless Lady,” is still holding onto $980,000. Jarrod Keely from Centerville, OH brought in a 106-pound bluefin tuna Wednesday which jumped into 2nd place. The fish was caught off the “Blue Runner” out of Manasquan, NJ and is currently winning $395,000. That tuna dropped the 92-pound tuna caught off the “Swords...
433 Boats Set For Tournament Restart
Hurricane Isaias is history. What’s left are 433 fishing boats poised to take their share of the $6.7 million dollars in prize money up for grabs in the 47th Annual White Marlin Open. The 42 boats that fished Day 1 in the Ocean City, MD tournament still have 2 fishing days left while 391 boats are eligible to fish any 3 of the 5 fishing days through the tournament’s end on Sunday. The tournament was extended by 2 days to adjust for storm conditions and the weather looks good through Sunday.
The biggest challenge for the four hundred plus tournament captains will be to find the fish. Most game fish are found in the canyon areas which are 50 to 70 miles offshore, and it is a big area. After a major storm, such as Isaias, the one certainty is that the fish will have moved. Boats who may have found pre-tournament hotspots will have to look elsewhere for pods of game fish. More specifically, most boats are looking for white and blue marlin because that is where...