Posted on August 11th, 2022
Check out our tour of Atlantic Tackle!!
With 352 boats heading out for day 4 of the 49th Annual White Marlin Open we had a feeling that it would be a pretty busy day at the scales. We were right as we saw a swordfish (non qualifier), a couple more wahoo, a huge dolphin, several more yellowfin and bigeye tuna and finally a blue marlin and a white marlin. It was an exciting day at the scales and there are now millions of dollars up on the board thanks to some qualifying billfish hitting the scale. Here’s who’s leading after four days of fishing.
Dolphin
3rd Place JEB 28 Pounds $20,000
2nd Place 10-4 Joker 29 Pounds $91,000
1st Place Irene $59.5 Pounds $24,000
Wahoo
3rd Place Irish Twin 51.5 Pounds $18,000
2nd Place Water Marlin 54 Pounds $20,000
1st Place Jenny Poo 71 Pounds $20,000
Tuna
3rd Place Komotose 242.5 Pounds $320,000
2nd Place Big Stick 246.5 Pounds Bigeye $100,000
1st Place Southern C’s 247.5 Pounds Bigeye $940,000
Blue Marlin
1st Place Cabana 511 Pounds $960,000
White Marlin
1st Place C- Student 71.5 Pounds $2.8 Million
Outside of the tournament….
My friend and neighbor Curt Presnell was out with his boys today and had a great day of offshore fishing putting a stud wahoo and some nice mahi in the box.
Captain Wayne Blanks of Bayside Guide Service just won’t leave the bluefish alone and today some more paid with their lives.
Captain Chris Mizurak of the Angler stayed dry almost all day and the sea bass bit well for his crew.
Steve Tapley used a sand flea to catch this nice triggerfish from the north sea wall.
Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star had himself another extra fine day of sea conditions.
Another day of extra fine sea conditions – nothing wrong with calm. Made a brief stop at Capt. Bob Gowar’s Memorial Reef where young Ms Alexis and Capt Bob’s (sort of) great nephew, Spencer, pushed a monster block unit by the stern rail.
I sometimes wonder, given successful oyster restoration in grand scale, if Capt. Bob’s Reef will be visited by ‘Fish Watchers’ or a nature cruise of some sort in decades to come. It’s a ways out, for sure, but with water quality of 1950 and mad fisheries productions restored to our estuaries; observing fish over reefs and wrecks such as we still sometimes do in 20 feet of water at Winter Quarter can buoy wreck is very doable.
In the early mid 1980s I could watch tautog swim by my bait – swim up to it even: but if a tog ‘lit up’ – went bioluminescent as a marlin in the baits will—where the tog’s dorsal especially would brighten in a bright blueish white, that fish was going to eat..
Ahhhh, Cathy’s birthday today. The regulars even had cake and cards. (A tasty dagone cake too!) She and her parents fished with me on some of those tog trips in the early 80s. She’s quite often high hook these days – many, many times I’ve seen her bring nearby male anglers nearly to tears. (Was especially bad when Sue Foster and Cathy were both aboard. Most guys didn’t have a prayer.)
Personally I thought Cathy might ease the pressure on Hurricane Murray. She knows he’s in a slump – knows ol’man Murphy files Murray’s hooks flat as soon as he lowers a line; that, for now, cbass are more likely to jump out of his cooler than in it..
But no.
No Quarter.
It’s unmentionable really.
Sea Bass Bob was high hook. Flounder George boxed a limit of fluke. Holly, Mike & Cathy each had a nice mixed bag. Dean caught the pool fish just steps away while Dom had heaviest fluke ..and Murray?
Oyyy…
Well, he nicked a few.
The man needs a lucky charm.
That works.
Cheers All,
Monty
