Article by Larry Budd
What a week for fishing! The yellowfin tuna action is still hot and the big highlight of the week was the 7th Annual HUK Big Fish Classic held at the Talbot Street Pier. Given the pandemic, this tournament was a bright light. 106 boats registered this year representing almost double the boats from 2019. This increase of course also boosted the overall purse to almost $900,000. It was a hectic weekend with over 50 boats bringing multiple fish to the scales. Multiple swordfish and white marlins vied for the Heaviest Fish Division with a blue marlin coming in early on Sunday eventually edging them out to take the top spot.
The tuna divisions were dominated by mostly yellowfins with the number of bigeye tunas weighed being in the single digits. This made for an interesting tournament as the leaderboard changed often, and several times over 1/2 pound differences!
Of course, the billfish were a highlight in both the weighed and released categories. As the white marlin were weighed on Saturday, they grew, ending the day with a 2-way tie for heaviest at 69.5 lbs. each. At one point there was even a tie for second place. Sunday’s scale action broke into the 70 pound range up to 77.5. lbs. for “Kilo Charlie”, however, late in the day 2 boats battled it out. Mid afternoon the “Chaser” arrived with an 80.5 lb. beauty that survived only one challenger to hold the top spot for Heaviest White Marlin. Less than 45 minutes after the “Chaser” was at the scale, the “Leslie Ann” raised commotion as their white marlin was brought to the scales. As the anxious crew watched, weigh master Dave “Coconut” Hughes called out “80 pounds”! This was an example of the 1/2 pound drama. There is so much more detail in our coverage that starts on page 62 of this issue.
Outside of the tournament:
Tuna
The week that was had its ups and downs for offshore anglers. The weather held for most of the week, but we did see a dip in offshore trips mid-week as boats prepared for the 7th Annual HUK Big Fish Classic. The start of last week continued to see double digits to limit catches of yellowfin tuna for those chunking at the Hotdog mainly, however, as the week progressed that heavy tuna bite slowed significantly. This cycle seems to repeat itself as the number of boats fishing put pressure on the schools, but it is nice to see strong yellowfin catches this late in the season.
The bigeye fishing has been very limited this year, and the bluefin tuna almost nonexistent. We ‘ve included in this issue some nice bigeye catches from June and of course the tournament to remind us of what was. Capt. Demetri Diniakos on the boat “Dorodo Loco” out of Indian River shared a nice catch as well as a June catch from Capt. Eddie Zajdel on “The Zipper” when he was trolling in the Poor Man’s Canyon in June.
Dolphin
We have reports and you will see pictures in this issue of mahi catches while anglers were chunking for tuna. Most of these mahi were juveniles, but they are abundant inshore. There’s a good shot of a nice catch by the boat “Fishbone” in this issue from their trip during the Ocean City Marlin Club Kid’s Classic. For those who take the time to venture to the Washington and Norfolk Canyons, there are nice bull dolphins being boated.
Upcoming Tournaments
We are in the heat, literally, of tournament season. This weekend will be the Ocean City Marlin Club ladies “Heels & Reels” tournament where anglers can fish either Friday or Saturday.
We also have the 13th Annual Ocean Pines Chamber of Commerce Flounder Tournament with weigh-ins at the Ocean Pines Yacht Club Marina.
Of course the big one is the upcoming and legendary 47th White Marlin Open from August 3rd - 7th. A brand new event will be hosted this year at the ball field located between 3rd and 4th St. bayside in Ocean City. Beginning at 4 pm each day, families are invited to bring lawn chairs and blankets to spread out and enjoy views of the boats headed to the weigh-ins at nearby Harbour Island. Large LED screens will live stream the weigh-ins, allowing attendees to experience the excitement in real-time. Vendors will be on-site selling a variety of items including official White Marlin Open gear. Face coverings are strongly recommended and coolers are not permitted.
Until next week, I’ll see you at the docks.
