Most of the 408 registered boats used Tuesday for a lay day as only 15 boats fished on day two. There were no change in the leaded board. Brian Stewart’s 213.5-pound tuna caught Monday remains top dog and while holding onto $1,300,000.00 after day two. There were several good reasons to rest up and prepare for the final 3 fishing days. First, the weather offshore called for 5-to-6-foot seas while the forecast predicted better weather for Wednesday and Thursday. Second, 292 boats fished on Monday and only have two fishing days left and wanted to use them wisely. Third, the tournament boats haven’t found the billfish yet.
Since the first White Marlin Open in 1974, no two tournaments have been the same. After the second day of fishing, this year’s edition may require changes in the boats strategy. It’s no secret that the marlin fishing is poor in their usual canyon haunts, and there is $5 million dollars waiting in the billfish categories. Captains will need to alter their search patterns to find some big fish. Some will try trolling in deep water, far past the canyon drops and deeper into the Gulf Stream. Others will look for warm water eddies that have spun off inside the canyons. It’s a big ocean. Boats will still be looking for billfish from Spencer Canyon down to Norfolk canyon with covers almost 100 nautical miles.
The second decision that needs to be made is which final days should they fish. Each boat is limited to three days of fishing during the five-day event. About 300 boats have two days of fishing remaining while about 100 have three. Some boats will lay in tomorrow hoping other boats will find the fish thus using their two fishing days in more productive locations. Third, the weather must be considered for their remaining fishing days.
One qualifying billfish would net over $4.5 million dollars. However, if no billfish qualify, most of the billfish money would be paid out to the heaviest tuna making Stewart’s tuna all the prettier. The final three days will be interesting.
