Page 65 - 52nd Annual White Marlin Open

cancer research. After years of running the event, McLeskey
herself was diagnosed in 2017 with Stage 3C cancer. Now Hinkle at the Harbour Island scales.
eight years in the clear, she ministers to other women who
have been stricken with cancer. She also serves on the Foun- In 2002, Hinkle, fishing on the Fish Whistle, weighed in a
dation Board of the McLeskey Comprehensive Breast Center, white marlin that was one pound under the minimum. As dis-
part of the Sentera Brock Cancer Center in Norfolk, VA. appointed as he might have been at that outcome, he had
bigger plans that day. He asked over the loudspeaker for his
All of the good deeds and spirituality still cannot overshadow girlfriend Lisa to come up to the scales. Lisa was a waitress
the fact that McLeskey is the one and only woman to win the at the nearby Reel Inn and heard the call. Once she arrived,
WMO in it’s 51-year history. What does that mean to her? Hinkle dropped to his knee in front of thousands of spectators
“I hope it inspires more women to participate”, McLeskey ex- and proposed to Lisa. So Hinkle is a three time history maker
plains. “In sports like football, track and swimming, men have at the WMO and his greatest catch was not the two winning
the advantage, but in fishing, women can be just as persistent, white marlin. The couple was wed a year later in 2003 and
focused and resilient as the men, and share God’s great ocean welcomed their first child, Ava, a year after that in 2004.
resources equally.”
Back to the fish story. Six years after the proposal, Hinkle was
In the 10 years since her amazing feat, McLeskey has noticed back at the scales with a winning white marlin and repeated
some changes. “I have noticed more women fishing. Offshore the feat in 2019. So how did the two WMO wins compare?
fishing used to be a man’s sport and Dad’s would take their
sons, but now I see more Dad’s sharing the experience with “In 2008, we hung an 81 lb. on the first day of the tournament.
their daughters.” We had to wait all week and really didn’t want to talk about it
until it was all done on Friday”, says Hinkle. “Lisa and I moved
Tommy Two Time to Ocean City in 2008 so by 2019 we were much more a part
No story about winning the White Marlin Open would be of the community. When we caught that 79 lb. white to move
complete without Tommy Hinkle’s account. Hinkle is the into first place, locals were rooting for us. I was the ‘little guy’
only two-time winner in the event’s history. And winning the on a 38’ boat and got support from all over town.”
WMO twice may not even be the greatest thing to happen to

The World’s Largest and Richest Billfish Tournament | 65

WMO 52 Magazine.indd 65 7/15/25 8:02AM