Blue Marlin

OCEAN CITY -- The first blue marlin of the week was brought to the weigh-in of the White Marlin Open yesterday, and for the second day in a row, an angler hooked up with a blue watched the big one get away.But no one aboard the 160 boats that went out on the third day of the tournament came close to Bob Bell of Baltimore's first place 80.5-pound white marlin caught Monday.James Goode of Bowley's Quarter was the first boat to check in yesterday and brought with him a blue marlin that was 15 pounds under the tournament minimum of 250 pounds.

It has big boats, good food, cold drinks and oh yeah, it's the biggest bill fishing tournament of its kind. The 39th Annual White Marlin Open ends tomorrow and you will be beating yourself up if you don't stop by for this one. Taking place all week, with the official weigh-in scale located in Harbour Island on 14th Street and the Bay, spectators can watch the fisherman weigh-in their catch everyday between 4 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. while enjoying all...

OCEAN CITY -- Through five days of the White Marlin Open, a buzz would go through the spectators at Harbor Island marina whenever word came in of hookup with a blue marlin.Yesterday at 4:04 p.m., Willie Etheridge of Suffolk, Va., brought a 321-pound blue to the scales.On Wednesday, Etheridge was hooked up with a much bigger blue marlin for 6 1/2 hours on 50-pound test before the fish got off. Yesterday, Etheridge landed his catch in 40 minutes on 80-pound test.Asked to compare his feelings yesterday with those on Wednesday, Etheridge said, "Better, much better."

The scales have just opened for the last day of weigh-ins at the 38th annual White Marlin Open in Ocean City. ( You can watch the Marlin Cam here .) It looks like Wee Wun IV 's white marlin tipped the scales this afternoon at more than 88 pounds, bumping off Tighten Up , of Ocean City, who had held the lead since Tuesday for a prize estimated at more than $800,000. (John Schmitz, of Westminster, aboard Sea Note , was also in the running, with a catch that weighed 79.5 pounds.)

A number of marlin -- white and blue -- were released offshore last week.One of the best days was reported by the Elixir with Capt. Pat Kelly. The party -- Bill Brown, Bill Brown III and Cheryl Brown of Ocean Pines -- had three white marlin on lines at the same time. They released them and then caught and released two more the same day, while fishing northeast of the Hot Dog Lump in 30 fathoms of water.The charter boat Natural with Capt. Scott Walker from the Fishing Center had two blue marlin releases in two days.

OCEAN CITY -- The third day of the White Marlin Open brought the first blue marlin to the tournament scales at Harbor Island Marina and with it a big swing in potential winnings.Buddy Dougherty's catch of a 354-pound blue marlin means the marlin purse will be split into blue and white marlin categories. Dougherty's catch will be worth $310,000 if if holds up through the end of competition tomorrow.Before the Alexandria, Va., angler made his catch aboard the Outer Limits, Roger Viens of Crownsville stood to win more than $745,000.

OCEAN CITY -- "We've got everything but a white marlin -- wahoo, tuna, everything," said Jim Motsko, organizer of the 21st annual White Marlin Open fishing tournament.Day 2 of the five-day tournament, which began Monday, yielded a better-than-respectable catch among the 233 boats participating in the competition, including a blue marlin that weighed in at 424 1/2 pounds."It's my first marlin either way, blue or white," said Brian McNamee of Clifton Heights, Pa. "It took 1 1/2 hours to get her in -- great fight.

OCEAN CITY -- The money game continued at the White Marlin Open yesterday with good catches in the white and blue marlin competitions -- including a 599-pound blue marlin that moved its angler into second place.Diane Burley, of Ocean City, caught the blue marlin aboard the Frances K and bumped Dave Campion, of New Brunswick, N.J., to third place with his 497-pounder caught Wednesday.Tournament director Chuck Motsko said Burley's catch will be worth about $30,000 if it holds up through the end of competition today.

Clinton Macsherry of Baltimore asks: I love fresh tuna and wahoo. I thought blue marlin (but not white) was good eating. Wrong? I could swear I had a marlin steak 10 years ago in the Caribbean. Outdoors Girl replies: Grilled blue marlin steak is a treat. A little salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime is all you need. A marinade suggested by a friend of mine is as follows: Combine in a saucepan 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup salad oil, 1 teaspoon chopped garlic and the juice of one lemon. Boil to reduce mixture by half.

If you are in Ocean City this week and looking for a break from the boardwalk, trundle over to Harbour Island Marina at 14th Street and the bay and catch the weigh-ins for the White Marlin Open.Chances are that any evening between Monday and Friday could provide a surprise at the scales -- white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, dolphin, wahoo or shark.Last year, the Outer Limits from Pirates Cove, N.C., collected a record cash award of $416,890 for a 73.5-pound white marlin, and Robert Ham, the chief of police from Strasburg, Pa., weighed in a 446-pound blue marlin worth $167,000.

The fish are biting offshore in Ocean City as the resort launches the 38th Annual White Marlin Open today at Harbour Island Marina at 14th Street and the bay. The tournament draws anglers from all over the world to fish for white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, dolphin, wahoo and shark. Last year, some 2,000 entered the competition, winning more than $2 million in prize money. The catch included a 97.5-pound white marlin that took first place and won Brian Roberts, of Berlin, a check for a cool $856,506.

It doesn't necessarily take experience, or even skill, to catch the winning fish at the White Marlin Open in Ocean City. All it takes is a bit of luck, says Jim Motsko, 63, president and founder of the event, a longtime summer tradition at the resort that begins Monday. "We've had many years when the heaviest white marlin was caught by a novice," he said. "Anybody can get lucky." The White Marlin Open typically draws hundreds of boats and thousands of anglers. Motsko expects more than 2,000 to enter the tournament and nearly 5,000 to watch the anglers display their catches each night during the weeklong tournament, which will feature a variety of music and food vendors, as well as other goods.

Clinton Macsherry of Baltimore asks: I love fresh tuna and wahoo. I thought blue marlin (but not white) was good eating. Wrong? I could swear I had a marlin steak 10 years ago in the Caribbean. Outdoors Girl replies: Grilled blue marlin steak is a treat. A little salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime is all you need. A marinade suggested by a friend of mine is as follows: Combine in a saucepan 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup salad oil, 1 teaspoon chopped garlic and the juice of one lemon. Boil to reduce mixture by half.

OCEAN CITY - There are many things to admire about the recently concluded White Marlin Open, a fixture here for 36 years. The first is that it's a homegrown product - not some contrived corporate vehicle - conceived by a man who likes to fish and carried out by friends and relatives. It runs so well that founder Jim Motsko can actually motor beyond the horizon to the fish-rich underwater canyons 30 miles offshore to participate. That's like Bud Selig shagging flies before a World Series game.

Fishing Charlotte man breaks state blue marlin record Robert Farris of Charlotte, N.C., broke a 20-year-old state record Wednesday at the White Marlin Open in Ocean City by bringing in a blue marlin that weighed 1,062 pounds. The previous mark was 942 pounds. It took Farris, aboard the No Problem out of Fenwick Island, Del., more than three hours to reel the fish in. The blue marlin is worth about $555,000, with two days to go in the event, dubbed the largest billfish tournament in the world.

36th Annual White Marlin Open at Ocean City Where: : Harbour Island Marina in Ocean City When: : Aug. 3-7. Weigh-ins are nightly, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. What: : The White Marlin Open is the world's largest billfish tournament and will feature fishing contests for white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, dolphin, wahoo and shark. Anglers compete to catch the "million dollar marlin," while food, drinks, jewelry and official gear will be available for spectators. How much: : Free for spectators; $1,050 per boat for participants.

The Coast Guard reported yesterday that it has stopped searching for an Ocean City man missing since being yanked into deep Atlantic Ocean waters by a blue marlin 60 miles off Morehead City, N. C., on Thursday.Meanwhile, relatives and friends in Howard County, where Chris Bowie, 29, grew up, and in Ocean City, where he lived and worked, were planning memorial services.Petty Officer Fred Kephart of the Coast Guard station at Fort Macon, N. C., said yesterday that the last search for Mr. Bowie ended at 7:23 p.m. Friday.

OCEAN CITY -- A second-place white marlin was worth $300,000 in the 21st annual White Marlin Open that ended last night.Paul Scopinich took second place with a 68-pound white marlin, but was the top dollar winner in the tournament, in which anglers gained extra money by entering a variety of skill levels."

As recently as two years ago, tropical storm warnings deterred anglers from participating in Ocean City's White Marlin Open, with fewer than 50 boats in the ocean on one day that year. Now it's gas that could limit the field of fishermen in the $3 million competition that begins this morning. Last year, the Open attracted an event-record 449 boats, but tournament director Jim Motsko envisions a drop because of rising fuel expenses. "I'll be satisfied with 400 boats," said Motsko, who founded the Open in 1974.

Imagine a White Marlin Open without marlin, a Choptank River without yellow perch, a Chesapeake Bay without menhaden. "It's easy if you try," as John Lennon said. During the next several months, state and federal officials will make management decisions on all four species. Guaranteed, someone will be unhappy. More disturbingly, the fish might not be any better off. In a misguided effort to save white and blue marlin, the Feds appear poised to require catch-and-release for all recreational billfishing beginning next year and continuing until 2011.