Tie goes to the ungaffed!
Things were looking pretty good for Greg Giron of Virginia Beach and the crew aboard the Under Dog as they brought an 83-pound white marlin to the scales of the 45th Annual White Marlin Open last Thursday afternoon.
Florida’s Bill Haugland and the team aboard Lights Out had led most of the week with a 75-pound white, until getting knocked down to second place by the Under Dog’s big entry with just one day left in the contest.
Then on Friday, Pascual Jimenez of Puerto Aventuras, Mexico, and the team on the Morehead City, NC-based Weldor’s Ark, weighed in another 83-pounder, forcing tournament organizers to go to the rule book.
As per rules of the Ocean City, MD based White Marlin Open, “In the event of a tie in the weight of a white marlin, the fish that is not gaffed will be considered the winner of the two.”
Giron’s fish was gaffed; Jimenez’s fish was not and thus was declared the winner of the top prize of $2,584,260. Giron’s team would walk away with $129,784 for second place, while Haugland and crew would go on to earn $85,804 for third.
In the blue marlin category, Joe Rahman of Wanaque, NJ fought an 881-pound blue aboard Auspicious of West Palm Beach, FL on the first day of the weeklong event, good for a $924,936 pay day at the end of the week. Top tuna was a 75-1/2-pound yellowfin for Florida’s Gary Sansburry fishing aboard Buckshot of Ocean City, MD.
Pennsylvania anglers also scored top prize in the White Marlin Open, with Louis Genello of Scranton bagging a 50-pound mahi aboard the Indian River, DE boat Fin-Nominal good for $19,646, while Kevin Graybill of Morgantown had a 63-pound wahoo on Over-Board out of Ocean City that was good for $115,271.
This weekend coming up, many of these same big game fishing teams will gather for the 2018 MidAtlantic and indications are this year’s tournament could rank among the best ever. According to tournament organizers, pre-registration is well ahead of last year and preparations are in full swing to accommodate the crews and boats at the tournament’s home port, Canyon Club Resort Marina in Cape May, NJ and its official satellite port, Sunset Marina in Ocean City, MD.
The 2018 MidAtlantic runs from August 19-24 with crews pursuing a portion of a cash purse estimated to be well over $3 million! Various levels of calcuttas will compile the prize money to award cash prizes for white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, wahoo and dolphin which are weighed-in while additional release calcuttas are also available for white marlin and blue marlin released.
For those looking to register before the tournament you can visit the tournament’s official web site at www.themidatlantic.com and click on the registration tab in the top right corner. Here you can also reserve dockage space, enter various calcuttas and manage boat, angler and crew profiles. Participants can also enter the tournament and sign up for the various calcuttas during registration at either host marina on Sunday, August 19 from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Boats fish three out of five days available Monday through Friday during the tournament, non-fishing days, or Lay Days, give crews a chance to regroup and catch up on boat and tackle maintenance while also enjoying the local sites and attractions both venues have to offer. In Cape May, the Big Top tent is the focal point for tournament participants looking to relax with good food and entertainment. Additionally, the Mega-Marlin Raffle returns this year to benefit The Billfish Foundation. Tickets for a wide assortment of prizes including fishing and boating gear, artwork and jewelry will be available for purchase at both venues and prizes will be drawn each night.
For further information please contact Tournament Director Aaron Hoffman and for sponsorship information contact Walt Rosenberg at 609-884-0177.