White Marlin Open Photos

Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available for the 2012 White Marlin Open

Sponsors are now being accepted for the 2012 White Marlin Open. We offer a variety of different sponsorship levels as well as customized sponsorships. Contact Sasha Motsko at sasha@whitemarlinopen.com for more information.

T-Shirt Sale!

2011 WMO t-shirts on sale for $14 each. Quantities are limited so order today!

WMO 2011 – Video Recap

Seas to Subside on Wednesday

Seas are forecast to subside on Wednesday with good offshore conditions forecast for the final three days of fishing. Perfect for large and small boats alike!

No need to fret, Emily’s not a threat

See ya later Emily!! Tropical weather is not going to get the best of us this year! The offshore forecast for the WMO looks good. 3-5 foot seas on Monday.

Advertising Opportunities Still Available

Advertising opportunities are still available on the White Marlin Open webcast and the nightly Weigh-In Wrap up featured on the White Marlin Open homepage. For more information call Sasha Motsko at 410-960-8479 or sasha@whitemarlinopen.com.

Important: Rule Change

Tournament Directors have implemented rule changes regarding the trucking in of fish to the weigh scale.
General Tournament Rules D8 and D8a have been modified to read as follows:
Rule D8 – Once a fish is completely in the boat, an angler may use any means to make his boated fish available for weighing. This includes switching his boated fish to another boat to get to the scales, being towed by another boat, or trucking the fish to the scale.
Rule D8a - There are no exceptions as to where a fish can be trucked in from.

The intention of this rule change is to make all fish caught available for weighing regardless of the ability of the boat to navigate Harbour Island Marina or the inlet of departure.

Fishing is Red Hot!

According to reliable fishing sources in the Ocean City area, the fishing in the month of June was the most active fishing season in recent memory, with July being on pace to be great as well. Lots of white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, and gaffer dolphin. It looks like the fishing during the White Marlin Open will be epic!

Rule Change:New Departure Time to Help Conserve Fuel

In an effort to help boats conserve fuel, tournament directors have changed General Tournament Rule C10 to allow boats to pass the sea buoy of their departure inlet no earlier than 4 a.m. Allowing boats more time to reach their fishing destinations will allow them to reduce their speed and conserve fuel.

Federal & State License Guidelines Regarding Tournament Fishing

Except as provided below, all anglers 16 and over who are fishing in an off-shore tournament should either have a state license or a federal registration.
The following guidelines provide some more specifics about who needs to register:

Tournament anglers should sign up with the National Saltwater Angler Registry if they are:

- fishing in federal waters more than 3 miles from the coast OR

- targeting or catching anadromous species, AND

- do not meet one the following exemptions.

Who’s exempt from registering? Anglers who:

- are under 16;

- only fish on a state* or federally licensed charter or guide boats** as part of a paid charter;

- are named on an individual Highly Migratory Species Angling Category Permit***; OR

- or are already registered through an exempted state****

Clarifications on the exemptions:

* The state charter license in Maryland is the charterboat decal provided by Natural Resources Article 4-745(d) Annotated Code of Maryland. Having an individual MD charter captain license (TFL, FGN or FGR) does NOT exempt the anglers on your charter vessel. You must have the charter boat decal affixed to your vessel.

** This includes vessels that hold a valid federal charter/headboat vessel permit as outlined in regulation. These permits include the Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat, and charter/headboat permits for: New England Multispecies, South Atlantic Coastal Migratory Pelagic Fish, South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper, Atlantic Dolphin and Wahoo, Summer Flounder, Atlantic Mackerel, Black Sea Bass, Atlantic Bluefish, or Scup. Anglers fishing on a vessel with these permits and as a part of a paid party do not need to be registered or licensed. Persons who are guests on, or fish aboard vessels that hold other categories of federal permits (e.g. a HMS general category permit or a commercial permit) are not exempt, and must register unless they meet one of the other exemptions.

*** Only the individual HMS Angling Category permit holder – the person’s whose name is on the permit – is exempt from the registration requirement. Others fishing aboard the boat will need to register separately unless they meet one of the previously listed exemptions. Those who only possess an Atlantic HMS General Category permit, and those who fish on the vessels of HMS General Category permit holders, must register with the National Saltwater Angler Registry or meet one of the other exemptions.

**** Anglers holding a current and valid saltwater fishing license or registration from any state or territory EXCEPT Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands are automatically registered.

For more information:

NOAA National Saltwater Angler Registry Maryland Saltwater Fishing License Requirements www.CountMyFish.noaa.gov http://dnr.maryland.gov/service/fishing_license.asp

(888) MRIP-411 customerservice@dnr.state.md.us

(410-656-9526)

Please be advised that the National Saltwater Water Registry can not longer be obtained directly from NOAA. The only way to become registered is to do so by obtaining a Saltwater Fishing License from your state (this will automatically register you in the National Saltwater Registry). If your State does not offer a Satlwater Fishing License, you may purchase a Maryland Non-Resident Saltwater Fishing License. This can be done at the Maryland DNR or numerous tackle shops in the Ocean City area, including Oyster Bay Tackle and AllTackle.

Boat Slips Available!

Posted on November 24, 2010