Tuna Take Center Stage on First WMO Fishing Day
Day 1 of the 2022 White Marlin Open is in the books. The weather was good and the seas moderate as 292 of the 408 registered boats ventured out with visions of catching a marlin worth its weight in gold. But the fish had other visions. None of the 29 white marlin or 17 blue marlin that were caught today would have qualified for prize money so all were released. It was the tuna that dominated the day.
Of the various tuna species, it is the Atlantic Bigeye that trumps the others in the Mid-Atlantic area. After some smaller 50 to 70-pound yellowfin tuna were weighed, the bigeye showed up. First was a 189.5-pounder taken by Adam Maziarz from Narragansett, RI fishing aboard the “Right Bite” out of Brick, NJ. Adam’s fish is currently in 3rdplace and worth $38,000.00. The second Bigeye weighed was caught by Dante Soriente out of Beach Haven, NJ. His 198.5 fish was caught off the MJ's out of Cape May, NJ, and is currently winning $100,000. Saving the best for last was a 213.5-pounder caught by Brian Stewart from Shady Side, MD. Brian was fishing aboard the “Reel Tight” out of Ocean City, MD, and now is holding onto first place and the $1,300,000 that comes with it.
408 Boats to Compete for the $8.6 Million On the Line
With 408 boats competing in the 49th Annual White Marlin Open, the field of boats is replete with many past winners along with some newcomers hoping to snag a piece of the $8.6 million up for grabs in the 2022 event.
The five-day tournament officially starts Monday, Aug 8th at 8:00 AM. Each boat is permitted to fish any 3 of the 5 fishing days from Monday thru Friday from 8:00 AM until 3:30 PM each day. Most boats will head to the Gulf Stream some 60 miles offshore in pursuit of the gamefish that summer off Maryland’s coast. The target species are white and blue marlin, swordfish, tuna, wahoo, and dolphin. Because of conservation measures, we eliminated the shark division this year. The weigh-ins are open to the public each afternoon at Harbour Island Marina starting at 4:00 PM and lasting until the 9:15 cut-off. The weigh-ins will also be live-streamed daily on our website: whitemarlinopen.com
In addition to Harbour Island, Marlin Fest will be streaming the weigh-ins live on a Jumbo screen on the beach at the inlet. There you will find libations and vendors selling all the WMO souvenirs and T-Shirts found at Harbour Island. It’s a great place to take the family to watch the boats return through the inlet flying the flags that tell of their day’s catch.
