84-pounder leads storm-threatened tourney

Fishing

With bad weather threatening it, the 31st White Marlin Open began yesterday in Ocean City, where Brett Jamison of Virginia Beach, Va., took an early lead by hooking an 84-pound white.

Jamison, the captain of the Canyon Express, stands to earn more than $1.3 million in the tournament's winner-take-all category.

Tropical Storm Alex, which is moving north along the Atlantic Coast, could wash out the second day of the five-day event, according to Chuck Motsko, one of its co-founders.

Yesterday, the storm stalled temporarily as 302 of the tournament's 377 registered boats took to the sea.

Motsko said the weather prevented a record-breaking number of entries. Last year, an all-time-high 398 boats took part in the open. This year marks only the third time the tournament has had a reduction in participants from the previous year.