Itโs the 4th day of the White Marlin Open and crowds are getting excited to see some more movement on the scales. With 196 boats fishing today, fans crossed their fingers as boats began to make their way back to the Ocean City Inlet.
The Billfisher Does It Again
It was an early day at the scales for The Billfisher. Coming in at the earliest time this week for any boat (around 4:10), they bragged about a white marlin on board. As they approached the scales, the crowd was full of anticipation. The marlin was hoisted up awaiting a number. At the time the current first place white marlin was 77.5 pounds. The scale blinked a number into place at 76 pounds- catapulting the white into 2nd place. Crowds cheered and screamed at their excitement! The Billfisher had delivered some movement!
Blue Fin Tuna Appearance
Keep โerโ Wet came to the scales a little later on bringing in a bluefin tuna, a tuna we donโt see a lot of during the White Marlin Open. Andy Motsco suspects the frigid ocean temperatures weโve been having kept them near by Ocean City.
Later in the evening, a boat very familiar with the scales- RoShamBo showed up ready to weigh in a tuna! Not placing on the leaderboard with millions, but the fish came in worth about $50,000.
Matlin Fest Last Day
Meanwhile down at Marlin Fest, spectators sipped their orange crushes and perused the tents purchasing โBob Marlinโ apparel and WMO t-shirts. Fans of the White Marlin Open relaxed in the sand as MJโs first slid in with a 187 pound tuna along with a 193.5 pound tying for second with Warden Pass. Thursday was the last day for Marlin Fest as windy weather caused the event to close on Friday.
More Tuna to the Scales
Dutch Boy brought in a tuna weighing in at 142.5 pounds around 7pm. Slab Daddy cruised into Harbour Island with a big eye tuna. And fun fact- back in 2020 the owner of Slab Daddy brought in the only swordfish in the White Marlin Open. He took the entire category winnings and bought the boat.
Mentioning the small boat category, Split Bill came barreling in with 2 tuna weighing in at just a half a pound away from each other, 118 and 118.5!
Whiskey Kilo finally makes an appearance, carrying the premiere sponsor, Pure Lure owner Brendan Hanley. The team came in with an amazing Allison tuna at 185.5 pounds. Hanley graciously decked out the dock team in WMO/ Pure Lure gear and the crowd with โShow Us Your Marlinโ foam shakas!
No Limit out of Delaware makes another trip to the dock, weighing in a fish each day of fishing this tournament with a 112.5 pound tuna and a 146.5 tuna.
Last Minute Blue Marlin Makes Waves at the Scales
Around 8pm, Andy Motsco announced that a boat had called in with a very, very large blue marlin on board. At the time, they werenโt sure if theyโd be able to get the dock by the closing time. The crowd waiting in suspense as the clock ticked closer and closer to the closing of the scales.
Because the boat, Moore Bills, had hooked the fish before closing of the scales, the fish was still weighable. They had been in contact with the White Marlin Open as they barreled their way through rough waters to make it back to Ocean City. Andy Motsco announced around 9pm that Moore Bills was only 1 mile away! Murmurs were spreading through the scales anticipating a huge catch.
Harbour Island Marina is in bay side of Ocean City and boats need to go under the route 50 bridge. The bridge tender has to stop traffic and lift the bridge in order for larger boats like Moore Bills to get through. By the time the boat reached the bridge, the tender had already lifted the bridge to help save time to get back to the anxious crowd and dock hands.
Air horns, cheers, and flashing cameras gave Moore Bills the red carpet welcome and treatment as they approached the pier with a large tail fin hanging out the back of the transom. Crew and dock hands took their time to meticulously measure the monster bill fish, the tail fin actually getting stuck due to the sheer size of the width. But dock crew carefully maneuvered the tail out, wrapped it to the scale, and the enormous fish was hoisted up for crowds to see. Higherโฆhigherโฆand higher the scale climbed into the high 800s finally flashing at 894 pounds rocketing the boat to 2nd place, just 3.5 pounds shy of tying for first place with Stone Cutter, who weighed in am 897.5 pound blue earlier this week.
Moore Bills talked to Andy Motsco about the fishing and boating experience. They told him that they hooked her early on and she took them on a 7 hour fight for the day. When finally at the boat, it took the anglers and crew an hour alone just to get her on the boat. At this time this 2nd place fish is worth roughly $400,000.
We have 2 more days of fishing. Letโs see what else they can bring us to end The White Marlin Open with a bang!
Great read ! I thought I was there
What was that thing they pulled out of the blue marlin’s mouth? Looked like a partially digested fish. And what is that ‘plug” that was on the side of the fish while on the boat…then gone when hung up on the scale, with just a puncture hole in the side remaining.
Great questions- The partially digested fish you saw was the bait. One of the dock hands showed it off to the camera. The plug and hole you saw was probably from gaffing the fish. Boats often have to gaff a fish to help hoist it on board.