Tight Lines

Jeff Merrill provided the following from this week’s MidAtlantic

The weather couldn’t have been any better for the final fishing day of the 33rd Annual MidAtlantic. The midweek breeze that created sporty sea conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday dissipated and Day Five dawned sunny with a light wind and flat ocean. On the day the entire fleet of 198 boats were eligible to fish and while the last day of the tournament didn’t produce its traditional “Moving Day” massive shake-up to the leaderboard, there was indeed plenty of excitement and a nail-biting finish.

At “Lines Out” on Day Five the word began to spread of not one, but two big blue marlin boated, but the question was how big? Text messages with length measurements and photos of both billfish began to circulate and it wasn’t long before estimates of weight were running rampant across the tournament. It was shortly after 6 PM when Captain Reid Bost pulled Tommy Hancock’s Isle of Palms, South Carolina-based DEM BOYS to the weigh station at Sunset Marina in Ocean City and it was clear the blue marlin stretched across the cockpit of DEM BOYS which Hancock had battled would be a serious challenger to GRET’S THREE J’S 638-pounder which until Day Five was the only qualifying blue marlin weighed. The weigh station crew had their hands full getting the big marlin from the cockpit to the dock where it measured out at an impressive 125-inches and had plenty of girth as well. Moments later as the crowd got quiet, Weighmaster Frank Ingram announced the weight of 760 pounds to put DEM BOYS atop the leaderboard in the category. But there was indeed that second blue marlin boated and headed to Cape May which DEM BOYS had to sweat out. As DEM BOYS were celebrating their impressive catch, Captain Bryan Boyle backed Matt Asplundh’s Mantoloking, New Jersey-based DEADICATED down the chute at Canyon Club Resort Marina in Cape May to weigh their blue marlin which angler Chris Carr fought for a little over an hour before it was boated. The size of the blue marlin quickly raised eyebrows from the crowd as it took the entire weigh station crew with some additional help to lift the huge billfish from the boat. Once on the dock it taped out at 126½-inches and it took some strategic maneuvering to hoist the massive marlin to the scale. The crowd at Canyon Club Resort Marina had grown considerably and condominium owners even lined the deck of the homes overlooking the weigh station. As the scale settled Weighmaster Chris Booth announced the weight of 795 pounds putting DEADICATED in first place in the category for which they received an impressive $1,139,248! DEM BOYS finished in second place and received $497,714 while GRET’S THREE J’S finished in third place and won $134,577.

In the white marlin category, Bill Haugland’s leading 81-pounder caught on Day Four aboard his Bishopville, Maryland-based LIGHTS OUT was not challenged on the final fishing day. Haugland was the highest money winner in the tournament and received $1,416,891, a tournament record payout for the category winner. Anthony Alves of Millstone, New Jersey finished in second place with his KAARMAA and received $346,692. Third place went to PAR FIVE and Charles Rodriguez of Camden-Wyoming, Delaware for his 75-pounder and he received $107,474.

Though numerous yellowfin tuna were weighed during the tournament big eyes were noticeably absent and tuna pros were scratching their heads trying to catch one that could challenge the two on the board. In the end the 180-pound big eye caught on Day One aboard the REEL TIGHT of Steven Pilipauskis of Harwood, Maryland was the heaviest and good for $720,442. Val Fichera Cape May, New Jersey-based WARDEN PASS held on for second place and won $299,082 for his 174-pound big eye, also caught on Day One. There was a change in third place after Rich Lucas and his TEAM SI YACHTS of Staten Island, New York weighed a yellowfin tuna of 81 pounds on Day Five for angler Eric Faust which was good enough to win $137,571.

In the dolphin category, John Gudelsky’s REEL JOY from Singer Island, Florida weighed a 32-pounder on Day Five for angler Mike Peet to move into a tie for the lead with Paul Crampton of Hagerstown, Maryland and his C-BOYS with his 32-pounder weighed on Day Four. For their efforts REEL JOY won $66,654 and C-BOYS received $57,270. Note the difference in payouts is due to calcutta level participation. Finishing in third place JC Cleare of Miami, Florida and his REMIX MAIN STAGE won $15,640 for the 28-pounder weighed on Day Four.

The 76-pound wahoo weighed on Day Two by Mary Naylor on her Jupiter, Florida-based LIL’ CRUM held on to take heaviest in the category and won $85,974. On the final day of the tournament Ed “Cookie” Murray wheeled Joe Posillico’s TORTA to the scale and weighed a 71-pound wahoo for Posillico, who was also the angler, to finish in second place and was good for $42,596. Ocean City, Maryland’s Jennifer Pastorius on her JENNY POO and Hank Draper of Milton, Delaware aboard his PRIME HOOK each weighed 54-pound wahoo on Day Four and finished tied for third heaviest. JENNY POO received $17,204 and PRIME CATCH won $7,280. Again, the difference in prize money reflects calcutta participation and days on the leaderboard.

Some of the boats with notable billfish releases on the final day of the tournament include Geno Sauers TRASH MAN with seven white marlin released. Bill Haugland’s LIGHTS OUT released five white marlin. Ed Dunn’s D.A. SEA, Paul Spencer’s SECOTAN, Matt Weber’s MAX BET and Jon Duffie’s BILLFISHER each released four white marlin on Day Five. Martin Judge’s JUDGE, Gina Addeo’s GINA LISA and Chris Kubik’s SWEET SPOT each released three white marlin. David Reeves’ PACHANGA released two blue marlin and one white marlin, George Robinson’s POLARIZER released two blue marlin, Jamie Diller’s CANYON LADY released one blue marlin and two white marlin and Chad Moss’ SANDBOB released one white marlin and one blue marlin. Ken Hager’s TAYLOR JEAN, Tommy Hancock’s DEM BOYS and Michael Tickle’s WASTE KNOT each released a blue marlin on the final day of the tournament.

At award ceremonies held simultaneously at Canyon Club Resort Marina in Cape May and Sunset Marina in Ocean City, Maryland a total cash purse of $5,752,760, third highest in the tournament’s 33-year history was distributed to over 30 different winners. Among the winners, two received checks of over $1 million while four others received payouts of over $200,000. Additionally, five other winners received checks of $100,000 or more and six winners received checks over $50,000!

CASH PRIZE WINNERS

Note that cash payouts vary by the level of calcuttas a participant enters and the number of days on the leaderboard.

Heaviest White Marlin – 81 lbs. – LIGHTS OUT – Bill Haugland – Bishopville, MD – $1,416,891*
2nd Heaviest White Marlin – 77 lbs. – KAARMAA – Anthony Alves – Millstone, NJ – $346,692
3rd Heaviest White Marlin – 75 lbs. – PAR FIVE – Charles Rodriguez – Camden-Wyoming, DE – $107,474
*Tournament record payout for white marlin winner.

Heaviest Blue Marlin – 795 lbs. – DEADICATED – Matt Asplundh – Mantoloking, NJ – $1,139,248
2nd Heaviest Blue Marlin – 760 lbs. – DEM BOYS – Tommy Hancock – Isle of Palms, SC – $497,714
3rd Heaviest Blue Marlin – 638 lbs. – GRET’S THREE J’S – John Conrad – Lititz, PA – $134,576

Heaviest Tuna – 180 lbs. – REEL TIGHT – Stephen Pilipauskis – Harwood, MD – $720,442
2nd Heaviest Tuna – 174 lbs. – WARDEN PASS – Val Fichera – Cape May, NJ – $299,082
3rd Heaviest Tuna – 81 lbs. – TEAM SI YACHTS – Rich Lucas – Staten Island, NY – $137,571

Heaviest Wahoo – 76 lbs. – LIL’ CRUM – Mary Naylor – Jupiter, FL – $85,974
2nd Heaviest Wahoo – 71 lbs. – TORTA – Joseph Posillico – Jupiter, FL – $42,596
3rd Heaviest Wahoo (tie) – 54 lbs. – JENNY POO – Jennifer Pastorious – Ocean City, Maryland – $17,204
PRIME HOOK – Hank Draper – Milton, DE – $7,820

Heaviest Dolphin (tie) – 32 lbs. – REEL JOY – John Gudelsky – Singer Island, FL – $66,654
C BOYS – Paul Crampton – Hagerstown, MD – $57,720
3rd Heaviest Dolphin – 28 lbs. – REMIX MAIN STAGE – JC Cleare – Miami, FL – $15,640

SALT LIFE BILLFISH POINTS CALCUTTA – CAPE MAY

Most Points – 900 – JUDGE – Martin Judge, Jr. – Wayne, PA – $12,420
2nd Most Points – 825 – TRASH MAN – Geno Sauers – Savannah, GA – $7,452
3rd Most Points – 750 – VIKING 82 – Pat Healey – New Gretna, NJ – $4,968

ATLANTIC TACKLE BILLFISH POINTS CALCUTTA – OCEAN CITY

Most Points – 1275 – MAX BET – Matthew Weber – Vero Beach, FL – $23,920
2nd Most Points – 1125 – PACHANGA – David Reeves – Harleysville, PA – $14,352
3rd Most Points – 1050 – D.A. SE – Edward Dunn – Grasonville, MD – $9,568

THE FOLLOWING PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED CALCUTTA WINNINGS FOR VARIOUS POSITIONS ON THE LEADERBOARD DURING THE TOURNAMENT. CASH PAYOUTS VARY BY THE LEVEL OF CALCUTTAS A PARTICIPANT ENTERS AND THE NUMBER OF DAYS ON THE LEADERBOARD.

WHITE MARLIN

74 lbs. – LESLIE ANN – Mark Murphy – Trappe, MD – $158,902
73 lbs. – JUJU – Andrew Weber – Mount Pleasant, SC – $60,996
67 lbs. – WAYNE’S WORLD – Wayne Franks – Royersford, PA – $131,670

TUNA

67 lbs. – CANYON LADY – Jamie Diller – Stone Harbor, NJ – $25,287
57 lbs. – EL JEFE – Dan Fabbri – Cape May, NJ – $51,814
57 lbs. – CATCH 23 – Michael Jordan – Jupiter, FL – $37,536
54 lbs. – NINA – Ross Hammer – Cape May, NJ – $38,456
53 lbs. – CATCH 23 – Michael Jordan – Jupiter, FL – $18,768
52 lbs. – GOT GAME – Sean O’Donnell – Cape May, NJ – $33,212
51 lbs. – RISKY BUSINESS – Daniel McCarthy – Newtown, PA – $27,968

DOLPHIN

21 lbs. – ALLISON – James Messina – Annapolis, MD – $2,622

POINT WINNERS (TROPHIES)

Note ties are broken based on time of catch.

Most Points Overall – 1275 – MAX BET – Matthew Weber – Vero Beach, FL
Most Points White Marlin – 1275 – MAX BET – Matthew Weber – Vero Beach, FL
2nd Most Points White Marlin – 900 – JUDGE – Martin Judge, Jr. – Wayne, PA
3rd Most Points White Marlin – 900 – PIPE DOWN – Jeff Crabtree – New Smyrna Beach, FL
Most Points Blue Marlin – 750 – REEL JOY – John Guldelsky – Singer Island, FL
2nd Most Points Blue Marlin – 450 – PACHANGA – David Reeves – Harleysville, PA
3rd Most Points Blue Marlin – 340 – DEM BOYS – Tommy Hancock – Isle of Palms, SC
Most Points Tuna – 90 – REEL TIGHT – Steven Pilipauskis – Harwood, MD
2nd Most Points Tuna – 87 – WARDEN PASS – Val Fichera – Cape May, NJ
3rd Most Points Tuna – 55 – CATCH 23 – Michael Jordan – Jupiter, FL

CATCH REPORT

White marlin released – 450
White marlin boated – 12
Blue marlin released – 50
Blue marlin boated – 4
Tuna weighed – 24
Wahoo weighed – 8
Dolphin weighed – 6

For more information on the 2024 MidAtlantic contact Tournament Director Aaron Hoffman at 609-884-0177 or visit the tournament’s web site at http://www.themidatlantic.com where you’ll find all the facts, figures and information about the event including a complete breakdown of calcuttas, rules, points and tournament photos.

It’

I haven’t received official results of the MidAtlantic so far, but will publish them when available,

While Gret’s Three J’s looked to be in good shape going in with a 638-pound blue, hat fish was beaten by a 760-pounder on Dem Boys — and knocked further back when Dedicated weighed a 795!

Though a few white marlin were weighed, there was no change as Lights Out won at 81 pounds — followed by Kaarma at 77 pounds and Par Five with a 75pounder.

The two bigeye tuna boated early in the week held on as Reel Tight won at 180 over Warden Pass at 174. Yellowfins fought for third place, with an 88-pounder taking third yesterday on S.I. Yachts.

C-Boys and Real Toy tied in dolphin at 32 pounds, and Lil Crum took the wahoo category at 76 pounds.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar had another good day jigging mostly small blues plus bonito.

The Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands worked hard for fluke on Friday as Dano shined with four keepers up to 6 pounds.

The Snday forecast is for west winds at 5 knots before going south in the afternoon.

With practically the entire fleet fishing, there were few significant changes in the standings except for marlin. The first qualifying blue marlin is going to be a tough one to beat as Bert’s Three J’s weighed a 638-pounder. The biggest money is in the white marlin category, which has been changing during the week. Lights Out took over first with an 81-pounder.

It took a long time this week to even get a single dolphin weighed at a 10-pound minimum. However, Remix Main Stage brought in a 28-pounder yesterday to take over first before C-Boys took over at 32 pounds.

The tuna category leaders had no competition yesterday as the previously abundant bigeyes hav been eluding even such bigeye specialists as Mj’s Sportfishing, Crisdel and The Right Place.

There were quite a few yellowfins weighed, including many that weighed exactly 52 pounds.

Small blues plus a few larger ones and lots of bonito have been providing good jigging sport most days for the Golden Eagle from Belmar and the Queen Mary out of Point Pleasant.

The inshore forecast is for west winds at 5-10 knots before changing to southwest in the afternoon.

Jeff Merrill reports on the MidAtlantic Tournament as follows:

“It’s Day Three and we’ve reached the midway point of the 2024 MidAtlantic tournament. The cool breeze of the past couple days continues and although refreshing, a more favorable offshore forecast for the remaining two days of the tournament kept much of the tournament fleet tied to the host marinas in Cape May and Ocean City today. That being said, 50 boats, including 15 from Cape May and 35 from Ocean City headed out on Day Three. Reports relayed from offshore indicated sea conditions had improved dramatically from yesterday afternoon’s rough ride home. With nearly the entire tournament fleet fishing the remaining two days of the tournament, there was plenty of work to do dockside today. A walk around the docks of the host marinas found crews rigging baits, spooling reels with fresh line, loading provisions, fueling their vessels and completing other routine boat and gear maintenance. By late afternoon, guests and other crew members were returning to their boats from a trip home, shopping or spending the day at the pool or on one of the beautiful beaches of Cape May and Ocean City.

Though both billfish and the tuna categories remained unchanged, we now have a qualifying dolphin and the wahoo category has been filled as two were weighed today. The evening’s weigh-in session got underway when Charleston, South Carolina’s William Garmany wheeled his Reel Current to the scale at Sunset Marina and weighed a 22-pound dolphin for angler James Pruitt to lead the category. Second and third place are vacant. In the wahoo division, Christopher Little of Pasadena, Maryland aboard his Talkin’ Trash weighed a 29-pounder today for angler Keith Culler and sits in second place. Shane Moore of Jarrettsville, Maryland weighed a 25-pounder today for angler Luke Reeder on the Moore Bills and currently sits in third place. Jupiter, Florida’s Mary Naylor remains atop the leaderboard in the category with the 76-pounder caught on her Lil’ Crum and weighed on Day Two. Worthy of note, no qualifying blue marlin has been weighed through three days of fishing.”

Capt. Ron Santee Jr. had good fluking with his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands on Wednesday when Sam boated an 8 7/16-pounder that was just six ounces short of the monthly pool leader.

Jeff Merrill reports from the MidAtlantic in Cape May as follows:

A taste of fall weather swept across the mid-Atlantic region overnight into Day Two of the 33rd MidAtlantic tournament bringing cool temperatures and a sustained northwest breeze that did little to flatten the sporty sea conditions the fleet found the day before. On the day, 62 boats headed offshore including 33 from Cape May and 29 from Ocean City. With a final audit of calcutta entries now completed, the total cash purse is set at $5,752,760, the third largest in the events 33-year history.

Once again, the evening’s weigh-in session got going early as Captain Steve Castellini backed Anthony Alves’ of Millstone, New Jersey and his Kaarmaa to the scale at Canyon Club Resort Marina in Cape May with a white marlin to weigh for Alves who was also the angler. The billfish taped-out at 69¼” so up the scale it went where moments later Weighmaster Chris Booth announced the weight of 77 pounds which moved Kaarmaa into the lead in the white marlin category. Trappe, Maryland’s Mark Murphy aboard his Leslie Ann remains in second place with his 74-pounder caught on Day One. Wayne Franks of Royersford, Pennsylvania is now in third place with the 67-pounder, also caught on Day One on his Wayne’s World.

In other news from Day Two, Mary Naylor of Jupiter, Florida aboard her Lil’ Crum weighed a 76-pound wahoo for angler Jack Albro to take the lead in the category. Second and third place remain vacant. Additionally, no dolphin or qualifying blue marlin has been weighed as of the close of Day Two.

The tuna category remains unchanged with Steven Pilipauskis of Harwood, Maryland at the top with his Reel Tight and the 180-pound big eye caught on Day One. Val Fichera on his Warden Pass based in Cape May, New Jersey remains in second place with his 174-pound big eye, also caught on Day One. Dan Fabri of Cape May, New Jersey is still in third place with his El Jefe and a the 57-pound yellowfin caught on Day One.

Some of the boats with notable billfish releases on Day Two include Paul Robertson’s FFMD with four white marlin while James Horning’s Hog Wild and Rob Rowe’s Double R each released three white marlin. Ken Hager’s Taylor Jean, Paul Spencer’s Secotan and Hunter Geddes’ Geddy Up each released two white marlin. Jay Mascaro’s Meraki and John Belansen’s Beast released a blue marlin”

Bluefish jigging has been holding up on the Golden Eagle from Belmar. Most of the blues are small, but a few of 5-6-pounds are included plus bonito and sea bass.

The inshore forecast is for west winds of 10 knots with seas down to 2-3 feet.

Following is Jeff Merrill’s report on the first day of fishing in the MidAtlantic out of Cape May, N.J. and Ocean City, Maryland.

“The remnants of Hurricane Ernesto had moved far north and offshore but left behind a swell that made conditions offshore a bit sporty for the 88 boats that gave it a go on Day One. MidAtlantic event staff worked late into the night tallying calcutta entries and the unofficial purse is set at over $5.7 million with a field of 198 boats. The scales at Canyon Club Resort Marina in Cape May, New Jersey and Sunset Marina in Ocean City, Maryland were busy shortly after the evening’s weigh-in session got underway at 5 PM. The white marlin category currently has a 74-pounder atop the leaderboard for Trappe, Maryland’s Mark Murphy aboard his Leslie Ann for angler Mike Bradley. Wayne Franks of Royersford, Pennsylvania aboard his Wayne’s World is currently in second place with a 67-pounder for angler Fred Tuttle. Third place remains vacant.

The other big news of the day came in the tuna division where all three places were filled today. Currently Steven Pilipauskis of Harwood, Maryland aboard his Reel Tight took the early lead in the category after weighing a 180-pound big eye for angler Nick Marcinkowski. Val Fichera’s Warden Pass is in second place with a 174-pound big eye for angler Frank Rao. Third place currently belongs to Dan Fabri and his Cape May, New Jersey-based El Jefe with a 57-pound yellowfin. No qualifying blue marlin, dolphin or wahoo were weighed on Day One.

Some of the boats with significant billfish releases today include David Reeve’s Pachanga with four white marlin and two blue marlin let go. Matthew Weber’s Max Bet released seven white marlin while Charles Moore’s Mama Who and Jeff Crabtree’s Pipe Down each released six white marlin. Martin Judge aboard his Judge and Michael Jordan’s Catch 23 each released five white marlin today. Pat Healey’s Viking 82 released three white marlin. John Gudelsky’s Reel Joy released two blue marlin and one white marlin.”

In addition, frequent tournament winner Billfisher boated a blue marlin that was long enough to be weighed, but failed to make the 400-pound minimum weight.

Millions will be on the line as fishing in the MidAtlantic Tournament gets underway today.

The biggest money is in white marlin for which there’s both a minimum length of 69 inches and 65 pounds to weigh in. Blue marlin must be at least 102 inches. Tuna start at 50 pounds, while dolphin and wahoo have to be at least 10 pounds.

Boaters can choose any three of the five days for fishing. I’ll forward Jeff Merrill’s daily updates when received.

The Queen Mary from Point Pleasant had a tuna trip last week which produced a few yellowfins plus others lost. Jigging inshore for small blues has been consistent — as has it’s been for the Golden Eagle from Belmar.

Striper pro Chuck Many reports “With the sloppy ocean, mixed it up with Cesar Carranza and decided to catch some bait (Spot & Croaker) & then feed them to some hungry Bass. Fun day!!! The great bait bite was definitely a highlight!! Got to thank Tackle Box Fishing Co. for the Lugworms!! They were fire for Spot, Croaker & and few weakfish.”

A small craft advisory is up for northwest winds at 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20 and seas up to 6 feet.

With Ernesto heading far to the northeast, the biggest and best of Atlantic coast offshore fishing tournaments looks to be in good shape for this week’s fishing.

The captains meeting for the MidAtlantic in Cape May, N.J. is ongoing as this was written, but 164 boats were already signed up before that.

This contest is very professionally summarized every night by Jeff Merrill, and I’ll pass that report along each night.

A small craft advisory is up through late Monday night, but that seems to be primarily about large seas. The forecast is for only southwest winds at 5-10 knots though seas could be up to 8 feet –which can create dangerous conditions at inlets. Try to avoid returning to inlets toward the end of the outgoing tide.

Chuck Many reports “Went out Sunday with Alex Katyan & Chrisper Fishin for a day of No Fish Shaming! Goal was to see if we could catch a dozen Species. Funny thing is once you’re trying to catch them, they suddenly become an endangered species!! Was really fun and the Excitement of a double header Skate/Sea Robin or a Whistle Fish Oyster Cracker was unmatched. Ended with 13 Species, which sets a high bar for our next outing. Species were: Striped Bass, Porgy, Dogfish, Sea Bass, Fluke, Bluefish, Chub Mackerel, Skate, Spot, Croaker, Oyster Cracker, Grunt, Sea Robin.”

+10

All reactions:

99Frank Mihalic, Gen Wong and 97 othersWent out Sunday with Alex Katyan & Chrisper Fishin for a day of No Fish Shaming! Goal was to see if we could catch a dozen Species. Funny thing is once you’re trying to catch them, they suddenly become an endangered species!! Was really fun and the Excitement of a double header Skate/Sea Robin or a Whistle Fish Oyster Cracker was unmatched. Ended with 13 Species, which sets a high bar for our next outing. Species were: Striped Bass, Porgy, Dogfish, Sea Bass, Fluke, Bluefish, Chub Mackerel, Skate, Spot, Croaker, Oyster Cracker, Grunt, Sea Robin.

+10

Striper pro Chuck Many took a day this week to see how many different species his crew could catch from His Tyman out of Highlands ,but followed that with a tuna trip that ended with an empty spinning reel. As he noted, “This is what happens when you take a knife to a gun fight.”

NYC Capt. John McMurray says there are so many school bluefins within his range that they can be counted on — though much bigger ones keep jumping on the lighter tackle which usually results in a break-off after a long fight.

Capt. Ron Santee Jr. had a new monthly fluke leader for the third time this week during Friday’s trip on his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands. Frank not only caught six keeper-size fluke, but topped his catch with an 8 13/16-pounder. Due to lack of drift, Ron had to work the throttles all day — though that worked out well by being able to work small spots.

The White Marlin Invitational ended yesterday. There’s not much info on their site, but it appears that Fishin’ Fever maintained it’s first day catch which included bigeyes of 204.5 and 175.5 pounds. Other tuna caught were under 60 pounds. Business led in White Marlin release points.

A small craft advisory is up through late Sunday night. That is primarily due to the large swell with seas of 4-8-feet. The forecast is for southeast winds at 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20 and possible showers or thunderstorms.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar had a great day jigging 2-4-[pound blues plus spme bomito.