Article by Larry Budd
Last week offshore started with some tough winds and waves that certainly tested the metal of more than one crew. It was so bad that the Huk Big Fish Classic was extended by a day. Good thing it was as 68 of the 69 boats registered fished during that extended 32 hour window of July 30-31. Fortunately, the weather did settle earlier last week allowing boats to get out and scout for the several upcoming tournaments, including of course, the White Marlin Open. Tuna fishing remains hard even with the improved weather, however big allison yellowfin and bigeyes were in the mix and we even saw our first longfin of the season. The billfish bite has been improving and was strong during last weekend’s Heels & Reels and Marlins for Mason tournaments. It is as if the marlin know the WMO is coming!
You also might notice something unusual about this issue, there are two covers! Since the Big Fish pushed a day, we could not get it included in our edition last week so we included them in this one as well as the winners from the ‘Heels & Reels’. Let us know what you think on social media!
Monday of last week was the final day of the 10th Annual Huk Big Fish Classic. As mentioned, the event was extended and most took advantage of the extra window. Given 68 boats headed out, I was convinced we would be slammed at the scales based on my experience with this great event. However, the fish did not cooperate. Normally we would see some big blue marlins or hefty whites or swordfish on the scales, but this year’s event was mainly about tuna. 25 boats came to the scales on that last day, most with yellowfins in the 45-55 pound range. As it turned out, the big fish for this year was the big eye tuna. A total of 4 were weighed, but it was the 228.5 lb. one caught on the “Port-A-Bella” that ruled the day. The crew had a strategy for the tournament that they had put together earlier in the week. While the weather had most boats heading south, Capt. Kevin Coolahan kept to the plan, and they beat their way north starting in the Baltimore Canyon. They got 4 yellowfin tuna in the box and despite seeing lots more, they again stuck to the plan and beat further north to the Wilmington Canyon. This is where they hooked up with the bigeye at sunset. The hookup itself is a story, as the big fish hit on the bridge line which was a rod with a 20+ year old International II reel that had been grabbed last minute. It was also spooled with 60# test and not much of it! Still, angler Joe Ruger hopped on as the fish fought hard for the next 2 hours, despite almost being spooled and the reel’s handle falling off several times! It was the Big Fish for the tournament, and when combined with the 4 yellowfins, created a 437 lb. stringer. The “Porta-A-Bella” achieved a tournament first, winning both the Big Fish and Heavy Stringer Categories! The “Real One” took 2nd Place for Big Fish with a 171 lb. eyeball that 16 year old Peter Beall caught in the Washington Canyon. 3rd Place in that category went to the “Black Irish” for a 130 lb. swordfish they caught overnight while trolling in 1800 ft. in the Washington Canyon. The fish was on top when hooked and only took 30 minutes to get to the boat, very cooperative. In addition to 3rd Place overall, the “Black Irish” also took 1st Place in both the Small Boat Heavy and Stringer purses.
A big allison tuna dominated the Yellowfin Category. The “No Slack” only had one bite for their 32 hours on the rip. It was first thing Sunday morning in the Washington Canyon when they hooked up with a 99 lb. allison yellowfin on a dink rod taking just over 2 hours to land. The “All In” tried to challenge it with a big yellow from the Wilmington, but once on the scales it weighed 84.5 lbs. taking 2nd Place.
One of the more amusing and profitable stories from this year’s Big Fish came from the “Take Em’. They were trolling outside of the Poor Man’s in about 900 fathoms where they hooked into both a white and blue marlin, but they got off. The one bite they had that got tight was a peanut mahi! They didn’t even bring the boat to the scales, and after much debate in their slip, a couple of them decided to drive the fish to the scales. The tournament minimum for mahi is 15 lbs. This little guy weighed in at 15.5 lbs. and as the only qualifying dolphin during the event earned over $40,000! Always weigh your fish! Check out our full coverage and results starting on page 74.
The majority of reports we got last week before the weekend were from the Big Fish, however a few trickled in as most boats were prepping for the WMO. The “Boss Hogg” started the week with a bang, landing a 65 lb. mahi and two longfin tunas. The “Spring Mix II” found a 191 lb. bigeye, a yellowfin and a bunch of mahi in the Washington Canyon. The “Gypsy Danger” shared the 200 lb. bigeye they caught in the Poor Man’s on a skirted ballyhoo last Wednesday. Capt. Kurt Howell on the “Game Changer” brought in a 215 lb. swordfish from the Baltimore. Interestingly, the bigeye catches, while measured in the single digits for the week, were spread out from the Wilmington to south of the Poor Man’s. While more quantity of yellowfins were reported, they too spanned the same range.
The weekend saw two tournaments on Friday and Saturday. The 15th Annual Ocean City Marlin Club’s Ladies Tournament, ‘Heels & Reels’ and the new ‘Marlins for Mason’ Billfish Release Tournament to benefit Dravit Syndrome research were held concurrently at Atlantic Tackle in West OC. With 63 boats in ‘Heels and Reels’ and 68 in Marlins for Mason there was hope for action at the scales.
Day 1 at the scales for ‘Heels & Reels’ was miserable. While the weather during the day in the canyons was nice, as the boat were returning they had to navigate heavy rain inshore and at the scales. It was so wet that Renee from the Marlin Club could not use the tournament board to list the boat and catch as the writing just washed away! After 10 boats reported, Day 1 finished with the “Roll Groove” leading the Release Division with 3 whites and a blue. The top tuna for the day was from “Loose Knot” at 48 lbs. With the majority of boats headed out the next day, most of this leaderboard would not stand. The exception was Brianna Lynch, who took top honors in the Junior Angler Division for a white marlin she released on the “Kilo Charlie” just after 8AM.
Saturday saw sunshine and it was the “Cabana”, fresh off of their Big Fish Classic win, that was first to the scales. Like they did at the Big Fish, they put up big numbers, reporting going 6 for 6 on white marlin in the middle of the Baltimore Canyon and taking first place in Billfish Release for the tournament. They were followed by the “Lights Out” who trolled offshore of the Baltimore and hooked 3 whites and a blue!
The Meatfish Divisions were tight given the tough tuna bite. No bigeyes were caught and only two boats brought in more than 1 yellowfin to make a stringer. The “Chain Reaction” offered the first stringer with 3 tuna from the Hole in the Washington totaling 154 lbs., with the heaviest at 54.5 lbs. That earned the crew the 2nd Place Stringer title as well as 3rd Place for Heaviest Tuna. A little while later the “Slaughterhouse” returned from the Wilmington Canyon with 3 yellowfin as well. Their stringer total was 156 lbs. with the heaviest at 55.5 lbs. earning them the top spot for both Heaviest Stringer and Tuna! We have to give a shout out to the “Hall Pass” whose 55 lb. yellowfin from the Poor Man’s threaded the needle between the two and took 2nd Place for Heaviest Tuna!
Only 3 mahi met the tournament minimum of 10 lbs. The “Buckshot” Team II found 2 in the Baltimore Canyon. Their 29.5 lb. and 12 lb. fish locked them into both 1st and 3rd Place. The “Talkin’ Trash” slipped into 2nd place with a 14 pounder they caught on Friday outside of the Baltimore in 1000 fathoms.
Check out our full coverage and results starting on page 68.
In a good sign for the upcoming White Marlin Open, the Marlins for Mason tournament saw over 25 whites released and several blues. While we don’t know how big they were, the sheer volume is encouraging. As I review the reports for billfish, a clear pattern emerged for last week. The Baltimore Canyon was the place to be, mostly outside in 700 to 1200 fathoms. The Poor Man’s was a close second, also mainly outside. As I write this on Monday, 378 of 400 boats headed out for their chance at fame and fortune in the 50th White Marlin Open with a tournament and world record payout of $10.M dollars! I suspect many are headed to deep water outside of the Baltimore!
Well, that sums up a busy week, with another just ahead. §
