The tropical storm is well beyond NY/NJ Bight. and fishing should return to high gear for all – though some never stopped.

Chuck Many was out yesterday on his Tyman from Highlands and released lots of stripers after going through 50 live bunkers and two flats of sandworms as he was joined by Aex Katyan.

Capt. Jim Freda even went offshore on Saturday with Shore Catch to go six for nine on tuna with poppers and jigs.

Catch to tuna on both poppers and jigs.

Medium to large bluefins have been trolled wuth live bunkers and bluefish close to shore off the Rockaways.

At Belmar, the Big Mohawk postponed its Monday charter, but will probably sail open for fluke. The Golden Eagle will be sailing in the morning for blues, and has room that night on the last Exotics trip of the season.

The forecast is for southwest winds at 15-20 knots, dropping to 10-15 in the afternoon, Seas will be 3-5 feet, and there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms.

Following is the wrap-up of the dramatic 30th anniversary MidAtlantic Tournament as prepared by Jeff Merrill::

Historic 30^th MidAtlantic Wraps Up in Record Fashion!

Potential State Record Blue Marlin Highlights Day Five!

It was indeed a tournament for the ages! The 30^th MidAtlantic wrapped up last night and saying it was one for the record books would be an understatement!  Records were set in several categories including two before the first day of fishing when a tournament record field of 203 were entered breaking the previous record of 183 set last year.  Additionally, the total purse of $5,929,050 eclipsed the previous tournament record purse of just over $4 million set last year as well!  While the 2020 MidAtlantic created quite a stir when two 800-pound-plus blue marlin were weighed minutes apart on the final day of the tournament, this year’s event saw the tournament record for that species broken and then broken again a day later!  The 30^th Annual MidAtlantic will be talked about for a long time!

Day Five of the tournament saw rain cover both tournament venues for most of the day and crews reported offshore conditions were pretty much the same conditions as they dodged squalls and showers for most of the day.  176 boats had Day Five left to fish and while some of the categories may have seemed out of reach, there is always that chance because it only takes one bite!  And as we all know, Day Five, known as “Moving Day” at the MidAtlantic, always seems to have its drama and this year it couldn’t have been scripted any better.  Jon Duffie’s Billfisher of Ocean City, Maryland was at the scale at 5 p.m. when the evening’s weigh-in session got underway and the crowd had already gathered as the word had spread that he had a monster blue marlin aboard however jaws dropped when they saw the size of the massive blue stretched out in the cockpit of Billfisher.  Angler Billy Gurlach battled the huge marlin for 3½ hours on an 80-pound outfit and Duffie reported they had the leader in hand over two dozen times before they were able to sink the gaff.   The marlin’s tail hung through Billfisher’s transom door as she sat at the scale and it required a skiff to assist with pulling the fish from the boat through the door so it could be hoisted to the scale.  Once on the dock Weighmaster Frank Ingram, assisted by other tournament staff, stretched the measuring tape and noted the length at 136½”, and while she was only 1½” longer than Wolverine’s 958-pounder weighed the day before, the girth of 80” had everyone thinking it may be a grander. It took eight men to heft the monster up onto the scale and it got very quiet as Ingram noted the weight before yelling out “1,135 pounds!”  Not only did it break the tournament record set the previous day, but the marlin is also a potential state record for Maryland.  Once verified, it would break the current state record of 1,062 pounds caught by Robert Farris in 2009.  As you would expect, Billfisher’s blue marlin took the top prize in the category and netted the crew $1,167,762!  Rocky Hardison of Beaufort, North Carolina aboard his Wolverine finished in second place with his 958-pounder caught on Day Four and received $198,716 while Larry Hesse’s Goin’ in Deep out of Manasquan, New Jersey finished in third place with his 681-pounder caught on Day One and won $412,237.  Worthy of note is the prize money differential is based on the level of tournament sanctioned calcuttas, also known as side bets, the participant enters.  The more they enter, the more they can win.    

The white marlin category remained unchanged on Day Five and Anthony Martina’s Sea Wolf from Middletown, Delaware took the top prize of $1,017,127 for his 82-pounder weighed on Day Three.  Art Boykin’s Berlin, Maryland-based Lucky Duck II finished in second place with an 80-pounder weighed on Day One and took home $162,604.  Andrew Dotterweich of Jupiter, Florida aboard his Fish On finished in third place with a 75-pounder and received $680,387.   

The tuna division saw nearly two dozen big eyes weighed during the tournament as well as dozens of yellowfin tuna including one of 172 pounds caught by Nicole Scotti on Gina Addeo’s Gina Lisa from Staten Island, New York.  However, it would be the big eyes dominating the leaderboard and Chip Caruso from Colts Neck, New Jersey aboard his Pipe Dreamer swept the top two places with big eyes of 235 and 227 pounds weighed on Day Three to win a total of $1,000,065.  Bob Hugin of Summit, New Jersey aboard his The Right Place finished in third place with a 188-pounder weighed on Day One and won $244,556. 

The dolphin category saw the biggest shakeup on Day Five as all three places changed.  Danny Veid’s Amarula Sun from Tarpon Springs, Florida took the top prize of $98,441 for his 45-pounder followed by Tinton Falls, New Jersey’s Ken Hager on his Taylor Jean with a 36-pounder that was worth $36,707.  Randy Gibbs of Houston, Texas aboard his Picasso Moon finished in third place and won $16,826 for his 33-pounder.     

In the wahoo division Tom Perry of Pasadena, Maryland aboard his Just One More weighed a 58-pounder on Day Five.  Perry’s wahoo was the heaviest in the category and won $63,614.  Amarula Sun’s wahoo of 57 pounds weighed on Day Three took second place and $68,614.  Kevin Moore’s Pasadena, Maryland-based Reel Moore finished in third place and received $3,055 for his 50-pounder caught on Day Four.

Some of the boats with notable billfish catches on Day Five include Matt Weber’s Max Bet with four white marlin and one blue marlin released while Daniel Burt’s Pumpin’ Hard and Charles Gagnon’s Reel Current each released three white marlin.  Nick Cortezi’s Sea Weez and Warren Halle’s Cookie Monster each released one blue marlin and one white marlin.  Dale Gurgo’s The Chaser released two blue marlin while Darren Helwig’s Roll Groove and Patrick Curry’s Top Notch each released a blue marlin on Day Five.        

Cash Prize Winners

* As noted above, cash payout differences vary by level of calcutta participation.

Heaviest White Marlin – 82 lbs. – Sea Wolf – Anthony Martina – Middletown, DE – $1,017,127

2^nd Heaviest White Marlin – 80 lbs. – Lucky duck II – Art Boykin – Berlin, MD – $162,604  

3^rd Heaviest White Marlin – 75 lbs. – Fish On – Andrew Dotterweich – Jupiter, FL – $680,387

Heaviest Blue Marlin – 1135 lbs. – Billfisher – Jon Duffie – Ocean City, MD – $1,167,762   

2^nd Heaviest Blue Marlin – 958 lbs. – Wolverine – Rocky Hardison – Beaufort, NC – $198,716 

3^rd Heaviest Blue Marlin – 681 lbs. – Goin’ in Deep – Larry Hesse – Manasquan, NJ – $412,237      

Heaviest Tuna – 235 lbs. – Pipe Dreamer – Chip Caruso – Colts Neck, NJ – $738,252

2^nd Heaviest Tuna – 227 lbs. – Pipe Dreamer – Chip Caruso – Colts Neck, NJ – $261,813

3^rd Heaviest Tuna – 188 lbs. – The Right Place – Bob Hugin – Summit, NJ – $244,556 

Heaviest Wahoo – 58 lbs. – Just One More – Tom Perry – Pasadena, MD – $63,614

2^nd Heaviest Wahoo – 57 lbs. – Amarula Sun – Danny Veid – Tarpon Springs, FL – $68,479

3^rd Heaviest Wahoo – 50 lbs. – Reel Moore – Kevin Moore – Pasadena, MD – $3,055

Heaviest Dolphin – 45 lbs. – Amarula Sun – Danny Veid – Tarpon Springs, FL – $98,441

2^nd Heaviest Dolphin – 36 lbs. – Taylor Jean – Ken Hager – Tinton Falls, NJ – $36,707

3^rd Heaviest Dolphin – 33 lbs. – Picasso Moon – Randy Gibbs – Houston, TX – $16,826  

Huk Billfish Points Calcutta – Cape May

Most Points – 1575 – Viking 80 – Pat Healey – New Gretna, NJ – $12,220

2^nd Most Points – 1050 – Krazy Salts – Dave Anderson – West Palm Beach, FL – $7,332

3^rd Most Points – 1050 – Canyon Lady – Jamie Diller – Stone Harbor, NJ – $4,888

* Point ties broken based on time of catch

Atlantic Tackle Billfish Points Calcutta – Ocean City

Most Points – 1275 – Max Bet – Matt Weber – Vero Beach, FL – $25,850

2^nd Most Points – 1275 – Blood Money – William Keller – Brielle, NJ – $15,510

3^rd Most Points – 1200 – Big Stick – David Bowen – Suwanee, GA – $10,340

* Point ties broken based on time of catch

The following participants received calcutta winnings for various positions on the leaderboard during the tournament:

White Marlin

69 lbs. – C Boys – Luke Blume – Berlin, MD – $48,598

68 lbs. – RoShamBo – Nick Shriver – Leonardtown, MD – $292,152

68 lbs. – Lunatico on Effe Mae – Lance Converse – West Palm Beach, FL – $7,896

Blue Marlin

487 lbs. – Reel Tight – Steven Pilipauskis – Riva, MD – $32,571

472 lbs. – The Zipper – Eddie Zajdel – Ocean City, MD – $36,660

Tuna

185 lbs. – Slim Shady – John Arceri – Mineola, NY – $98,104

184 lbs. – Endorfin – Jere Murdoch – Howell, NJ – $79,398

182 lbs. – Warden Pass – Val Fichera – Cape May, NJ – $8,883 

182 lbs. – Internal Fixation – Marshall Allegra – Rumson, NJ – $6,110

179 lbs. – Taylor Jean – Ken Hager – Tinton Falls, NJ – $34,639

175 lbs. – The Right Place – Bob Hugin – Summit NJ – $7,896

Dolphin

26 lbs. – Risky Business – Daniel McCarthy – Avalon, NJ – $6,298

Wahoo

32 lbs. – Mack 900 – Patrick McGovern – Somerset, NJ – $23,124

Point Winners (Trophies)

Most Points White Marlin – 1575 – Viking 80 – Pat Healey – New Gretna, NJ

2^nd Most Points White Marlin – 1200 – Big Stick – David Bowen – Suwanee, GA    

3^rd Most Points White Marlin – 1125 – Blood Money – William Keller – Brielle, NJ

Most Points Blue Marlin – 450 – Roll Groove – Darren Helwig – Owings, MD 

2^nd Most Points Blue Marlin – 418 – The Zipper – Eddie Zajdel – Ocean City, MD

3^rd Most Points Blue Marlin – 389.5 – Wolverine – Rocky Hardison – Beaufort, NC   

Most Points Tuna – 626 – The Right Place – Bob Hugin – Summit, NJ   

2^nd Most Points Tuna – 231 – Pipe Dreamer – Chip Caruso – Colts Neck, NJ 

3^rd Most Points Tuna – 122.5 – Internal Fixation – Marshall Allegra – Rumson, NJ    

Most Points Overall – 1575 – Viking 80 – Pat Healey – New Gretna, NJ 

Catch Report

White Marlin Released – 475

White Marlin Weighed – 16

Blue Marlin Released – 43

Blue Marlin Weighed – 9

Tuna Weighed – 83

Dolphin Weighed – 42

Wahoo Weighed – 7

Always a tournament that spreads the wealth to multiple winners, this year’s MidAtlantic saw record payouts for the heaviest white marlin and blue marlin as well as a combined record payout for the top two tuna as each received well over $1 million!  In addition to the three $1 million payouts, six others received checks of $100,000 or more and five more received checks of $50,000 or more. Additionally, a record for tuna points was set by Bob Hugin’s The Right Place.   

For further information contact Tournament Director Aaron Hoffman at 609-884-0177.  You can review all the information about the 2021 MidAtlantic via the South Jersey Tournaments App which is available free for IOS or Android devices from the Apple App and Google Play stores.  Be sure to check out the tournament’s official web site at www.themidatlantic.com where you’ll find all the facts, figures and information about the 2021 MidAtlantic including a complete rundown of final standings, calcutta payouts, rules, points and tournament records.  You’ll also find a link there to purchase official tournament merchandise.  On social media follow the MidAtlantic on Facebook at The MidAtlantic Tournament; on Twitter; @midatl and on Instagram; @themidatlantictournament

NOTE: I’m attending a wedding this afternoon, and there will be no evening blog. Despite the tropical storm warning and big swell, the Big Mohawk from Belmar reported fine fluking on Friday that included many in the 7-pound class. That storm warning continues and may become a hurricane watch in NY/NJ Bight if it changes course for eastern Long Island to New England.

Since the MidAtlantic Tournament didn’t put out an official press release last night during all the final festivities,I summerized the major results on a portable computer before rushing it out late at night without reviewing it as the power was going down. That’s when i saw the headline scrambled with a block of type. Hopefully the info was all correct, and I’ll send out the official results whenever they are available.

As noted in my early blog, the leader least likely to be beaten was the first to as as Billfisher was the first toweigh in with not only a tournament record 1135-pound blue marli but also a Maryland state record. The Zipper later weighed a 472-pound blue, but only finished fifth behind Billfish, Wolverine’s previous tournament record 958, Goin’ In Deeper’s early leader at 681 pounds — and a 487-pounder by Reel Tight.

The seemingly vulnerable white marlin category remained the same with Sea Wolf taking the big money at 82 pounds over an 8-pounder by Lucky Duck II and a 75-pound white by Fish On. C Boys finished fourth at 69 pounds — one pound ahead of Roshambo.

Tuna catches were exceptional, but there was still movement as Slim Shady slipped into fourth behind the two leaders by Pipe Dreamer at 235 and 227 pounds –while The Right Place hung onto third at 188 — just ahead of Endorfin at 184 and 182-pounders by Warden Pass and External Fixation.

There were lots of changes in dolphin as Amarula Sun ran away from the field with a 45-pounder tobeat a 36-pounder on Taylor Jean, a 33 on Picasso Moon — and Blood Money’s previous leader at 31 pounds.

Amarula Sun almost swept the “fin ” fish with a 57-pound wahoo, but Just One More #314 won at 58 pounds. Reel More had a 50-pounder for fourth.

Ill have much more information in the morning.

A

After setting a Maryland state record with a 958-pound blue marlin, the Wolverine had to be counting its winnings in the MidAtlantic. Yet it turned out that wasn’t nearly enough to win as Billfisher was at the scales this afternoon in Ocean City, Maryland with a1135-pound blue to blow away the competition and set a new state record. I’ll have more about this tpournament in a blog after the scales close at 9.

Despite the storm coming up the coast, there were good reports today about bluefishing by the JJamaica from Brielle and the Golden Eagle out of Belmar — while the Big Mohawk from Belmar had fluke limits despite the big swell.

The marine forecast includes a possible tropical storm warning — but only north winds at 15-20 knots with gusts to 25. Seas of 5 to 8 feet in the morning drop to 4 to 6 feet in the afternoon. Rain is possible. Check ahead to be sure your boat will be sailing.

Capt. Dave De Gennaro isn’t worried about the ocean weather as he’s having fine grass shrimp chumming in Barnegat Bay with weaks averaging 14 to 18 inches on 1/8-ouce jig heads and 6-pound spinning tackle. Call him at 732 330-5674.

Af

Jeff Merrill reports as follows:

50-Pound Wahoo is Only Change as 30^th MidAtlantic Tournament

Fleet Takes a Breather on Day Four

With all but 20 boats tied to the dock on Day Four of the 30^th Annual MidAtlantic tournament there was little change in the leaderboard today.  Lay Days give crews an opportunity to catch up on maintenance items, rig baits, plan strategy and get some much-needed rest.  Tomorrow is the final day of the tournament and well over 150 boats still having another day to give it a go on what is typically a busy day at the MidAtlantic.  In what’s become known as “Moving Day” at the MidAtlantic over the years, the leaderboard often takes a beating as changes to many, if not all, of the categories often occur.  Will that be the case again tomorrow?  Stayed tuned!  It could be another photo finish!  In the meantime, lets recap the leaders after Day Four at sportfishing’s “Main Event.”      

Anthony Martina’s Sea Wolf hailing from Middletown, Delaware continues to lead the white marlin category with his 82-pounder.  Art Boykin of Berlin, Maryland aboard Lucky Duck II has an 80-pounder in second place.  Andrew Dotterweich’s Fish On out of Jupiter, Florida remains in third place with his 75-pounder.   

In the blue marlin category, Rocky Hardison’s Beaufort, North Carolina-based Wolverine remains atop with his tournament record 958-pound blue marlin.  Larry Hesse’s Goin’ in Deep based in Manasquan, New Jersey remains in second place with his 681-pounder while Steve Pilipauskis’ Reel Tight hailing from Riva, Maryland sits in third place with his 487-pound blue marlin.              

The tuna division has been hotly contested all week as plenty of yellowfins have been weighed but big eyes continue to dominate the leaderboard.  Chip Caruso from Colts Neck, New Jersey aboard his Pipedreamer owns the top two places with big eyes of 235 and 227 pounds.  Bob Hugin of Summit, New Jersey on The Right Place is in third place with his 188-pound big eye. 

William Keller of Brielle, New Jersey aboard his Blood Money leads the dolphin division with a 31-pounder while Jeff Spencer’s Bent Tent from Easton, Maryland and Jeremy Blunt’s Wrecker’s from Ocean City, Maryland are tied for second with 26-pounders.

We have a new second place wahoo after Kevin Moore of Pasadena, Maryland aboard his Reel Moore weighed a 50-pounder today for angler Jason DeLucia.  Danny Veid’s Tarpon Springs, Florida-based Amarula Sun continues to lead the category with his 57-pounder.  Patrick McGovern’s Mack 900 from Somerset, New Jersey is now in third place with his 32-pounder.  

Matt Weber’s Max Bet released five white marlin today.    

Please note the MidAtlantic tournament is a private event.  Nightly weigh-in sessions at Canyon Club Resort Marina and Sunset Marina as well as other tournament venues are not open to the general public and require credentials for entry.  All local, state and federal procedures with regard to Covid-19 are being followed to ensure the health and safety of all tournament staff, sponsors and participants.   

There are only two days left in the 30th MidAtlantic before millions are distributed to the winners, but those last two days usually produce several changes as skippers zero in on any perceived weak link.

That certainly doesn’t apply to blue marlin as yesterday’s 958-pound tournament record on Wolverine will be hard to beat as, depending on what’s weghed in this evening, the next two spots are held by a 681-pounder on Goin’In Deep, and a 487 by Reel Tight. It was sad to watch a small boat, Pelagic Hunter II. offload a great catch- a blue marlin that was long enough to qualify, but not heavy enough at 383 pounds to make the 400-pound minimum.

Tuna trolling has been excellent, especially for Bob Hugin’s The Right Place even though his best at 188 pounds was pushed back by Pipe Dreamer’s 235 and 227 yesterday. Hugin still has a huge lead in tuna points at 626 to Pipe Dreamer’s 231. Yet, there’s room for improvement even there as Bernard and Drew Dinardi hit a blast of bigeyes on Absolut-ly from Brielle Yacht Club that included the still standing tournament record of 254 pounds in 1993.

The Dinardis were among the nicest people I’ve ever met. and ran their boat without any professional help.

The Jamaica from Brielle reported excellent bluefishing this morning, followed by limits of sea bass. they have room in the morning at 7:30, and also sail for blues at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.The forecast is for light west winds

Capt. Lou Grazioso found fine mid-range yellowfin tuna action yesterday while fishing with the Cody’s on their Hookin & Rocking from Brielle. Lou threw his cast net in the river and was surprised to come up with anchovies which the tuna jumped on. They caught six out of 16 — including a couple that hit poppers cast by Matt Cody. Most of the tuna were in the 35-50-pound class, but a couple were over 75 pounds.

I’ll be back with a late blog after the MidAtlantic scales close at 9 .

When you start a N.J. tournament with a 681-pound blue marlin. as Goin’ In Deep did in the MidAtlantic this week, you might figure that marlin should stand up. Yet, just a couple of days later it proved to be not even close as Wolverine weighed a tournament-record 958-pounder.

Following is Dave Merrill’s official tournament report from day 3.The:previous record of 847 pounds was set by Wade Lober aboard his Why Not back in 2014.  Congratulations tothe crew of the Wolverine!  Larry Hesse’s Goin’ in Deep out of Manasquan, New Jersey is now in second place with his 681-pounder followed by Steve Pilipauskis’ Reel Tight from Riva, Maryland with his 487-pounder.             

The tuna bite continued to be very good and once again on Day Three and numerous big eyes and yellowfins were weighed and a major shake-up occurred in the standings.  Captain Bryan Boyle had Chip Caruso’s Colts Neck, New Jersey-based Pipedreamer at the scale shortly after the tonight’s weigh-in session got underway at 5 pm. with a pair of barrel-sized big eye tuna in the cockpit that anglers Caruso and Andy Confortini battled.  The pair of big eyes weighed 235 and 227 pounds and moved Pipedreamer into the lead and second place in the tuna category.  Bob Hugin’s Summit, New Jersey-based The Right Place is now in third place with a 188-pound tuna. 

Anthony Martina’s Sea Wolf from Middletown, Delaware remains atop of the white marlin division with his 82-pounder followed by Art Boykin of Berlin, Maryland on his Lucky Duck II with his 80-pounder.  Andrew Dotterweich’s Fish On from Jupiter, Florida sits in third place with his white marlin of 75 pounds. 

In the dolphin category William Keller’s Blood Money from Brielle, New Jersey remains atop the board with his 31-pounder followed by Jeff Spencer’s Bent Tent from Easton, Maryland and Jeremy Blunt’s Wrecker’s out of Ocean City, Maryland who are tied at 26 pounds.     

There’s a new leader in the wahoo category after Captain Danny Veid of Tarpon Springs, Florida weighed a 57-pounder for angler Gerry Imparato aboard Amarula Sun.  Patrick McGovern’s Mack 900 based in Somerset, New Jersey was bounced to second place with his 32-pounder.  John Homick’s Salt Lick hailing from Annapolis, Maryland is now in third place with his 18-pounder.     

Some of the boats with notable billfish releases on Day Three include Jamie Diller’s Canyon Lady with seven white marlin and David Bowen’s Big Stick with five.  Dave Anderson’s Krazy Salts and Luke Blume’s C Boys each released four white marlin.  John Dougherty’s Outrage, Pat Healey’s Viking 80, Sid Gold’s Can Do Too, Andrew Kevlahan’s Dorothy Marie and Adam Youschak’s Reelin’ Feelin’ each released three white marlin today.  George Robinson’s Polarizer and Jim Walker’s Conspiracy each released a blue marlin.     

The mid-range yellowfin tuna have been off-and-on, often disapointing when there’s too much boat traffic. However, that didn’t seem to be a problem on Tuesday.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported 10 in the 85-90-pound class were boated and many lost. Two were on jigs while the rest hit chunks. Their last Exotics trip of the season will sail next Monday night.

Capt. Dave Riback said his previous Tuesday tuna trip “stank”, but some yellowfins were caught this week — up to a 130-pounder. In contrast to the Golden Eagle report, Riback noted there was a 60/40 edge in favor of jigs.

The Golden Eagle reported bluefish from 3 to 10 pounds hitting jigs close to the inlet provided quick limits before they did the same with sea bass.

Bob Matthews reports from Fisherman’s Den in Belmar Marina that while Shark River keeper fluke ratios are down the ocean fluking has been very good. Surf striper action has been primarily at night.

Vinny D’Anton thought he had a big bass running line off his light tackle yesterday morning in the Spring Lake surf before realizing the fish had to be a ray. Fortunately, it was a relatively small one of about 15 pounds which shortened the fight before release. That was the first tme we’ve heard of a cownose hitting sand fleas.

The Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands had spotty fluking today, and is taking tomorrow off to let the weather get by. Though the forecast is for only south at 5-10 knots, thunderstorms are possible.

Today is the last call for early entry into the Oct. 8-9 Barrier Island Brach Brawl and a chance in a drawing for Costa sunglasses. Visit saltwaterunderground.com/barrierislandbeachbrawl

Today’s action at the MidAtlantic started as the scales opened at 5 with Amarula Sun blowing out the wahoo category with a 57-pounder while Pipe Dreamer took over in tuna with bigeyesof 227 and 235 pounds. I’ll have a late blog after the scales close at 9.

The big money winner in last weeks Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club”s White Marlin Invitational was Kaar, but the prize catch was a last minute 182;9-pound bigeye tuna on Crazy Tuna.

Jeff Merrill’s recap of Day 2 at the MidAtlantic follows:

As noted yesterday, the 2021 MidAtlantic is indeed off to a record-setting start. In addition to a record field of 203 boats the tournament’s total cash purse is now officially set at $5,939,050!  Worthy of note is a significant portion of that cash pot this year comes from a special calcutta that was added to commemorate 30 years of MidAtlantic tournaments.  The 30^th Anniversary Mega Marlin Calcutta, with its $30,000 additional fee to participate, pays out 32% and 18% to the top two white marlin and top two blue marlin respectively.  This calcutta alone has a total payout of nearly $1.6 million!  It’s also important to mention that the MidAtlantic tournament is donating 1% of the total proceeds of that specific calcutta evenly to three worthwhile fishing organizations that benefit recreational anglers including the International Game Fish Association, Recreational Fishing Alliance and The Billfish Foundation.             

Day Two dawned partly cloudy with a light breeze for the 94 boats that gave it a go.  Yesterday’s billfish bite saw 169 white marlin and 13 blue marlin released and the hot bite continued on Day Two.  The evening’s weigh-in session saw changes to several categories but the big news of the day came in the white marlin category where we have a new leader after Captain Donnie White pulled Anthony Martina’s Sea Wolf based out of Middletown, Delaware to the scale and weighed an 82-pounder for angler Pete Roskovich.  Captain Andrew Dotterweich had his Fish On from Jupiter, Florida at the scale at exactly 5 p.m. when it opened and weighed a white marlin of 75 pounds and moved into second place bumping Luke Blume’s C-Boys from Berlin, Maryland to third place with his 69-pounder.     

In the blue marlin category, Larry Hesse’s Goin’ in Deep out of Manasquan, New Jersey remains in the lead with his 681-pounder followed by Steve Pilipauskis’ Reel Tight based out of Riva, Maryland with his blue marlin of 487 pounds.  Third place remains vacant. 

The hot tuna bite continued on Day two and once again a solid count of yellowfins and big eyes were weighed at Canyon Club Resort Marina in Cape May and Sunset Marina in Ocean City but cracking the top three proved to be difficult.  Bob Hugin of Summit, New Jersey still is atop the leaderboard with a 188 pounder on his The Right Place.  Val Fichera’s Warden Pass based in Cape May, New Jersey weighed a 182-pound big eye today and moved into second place.  Ken Hager’s Taylor Jean from Tinton Falls, New Jersey is now in third place with his 179-pound big eye.   

We have a new leader in the dolphin division after William Keller’s Blood Money from Brielle, New Jersey weighed a 31-pound mahi.  Jeff Spencer’s Bent Tent from Easton, Maryland weighed a 26-pound dolphin today and moved into a tie for second place with Jeremy Blunt’s Wrecker’s out of Ocean City, Maryland.   

No wahoo were weighed on Day Two so Somerset, New Jersey’s Patrick McGovern’s aboard his Mack 900 remains in the lead with a 32-pounder followed by John Homick’s Salt Lick from Annapolis, Maryland with an 18-pounder.  Third place remains vacant.   

Pat Healy’s New Gretna, New Jersey-based Viking 80 factory demo led the day in releases with 16 white marlin which included two triple headers and one double header.  Some of the other boats in the field with notable billfish releases on Day Two include William Keller’s Blood Money with five white marlin and one blue marlin.  James Davis’ Wave Paver released 10 white marlin on Day Two and Dave Anderson’s Krazy Salts released eight.  Anthony Martina’s Sea Wolf released six white marlin while Doug Allen’s Big Oil and Lance Converse’s Lunatico on Effe Mae each released four white marlin on Day Two.  Fletch Creamer’s Ditch Digger released two white marlin and one blue marlin and Michael Savino’s Texas Tea released two blue marlin.