DAY ONE WEIGH-INS
When the fishing stops at 3:30 PM each day, most boats are from 2 to 4 hours offshore, so the heaviest weigh-in activity occurs between 5:30 and 7:30 PM. The exception to that schedule can occur when a boat catches a big fish early in the fishing day that may move the leaderboard. The theory is that a dead fish will lose some weight over time and it’s best to weigh the fish as soon as possible. In those cases, the boat may decide to skip extra fishing hours to be at the scale by the 4:00 PM start of weigh-ins. Today the Auspicious was waiting for the next bridge and came under the bridge flying a blue marlin boated flag. The sleek vessel out of Palm Beach, FL glided to the HI scales to the cheers of the waiting crowd. Angler Joe Rahman said later that when the blue marlin came all the way out of the water to attack the bait, he thought it was big. Rahman’s hunch was correct as the scale...
FISHING DAY 4
During the White Marlin Open Thursday has long been known as “Moving Day,” as in there is movement in the leaderboard, and this year was no exception as $3.6 million dollars changed hands within two hours today at the Harbour Island scale to the delight of thousands of spectators, and agony of a few anglers.
The big story of Thursday’s weigh-ins may become the biggest fish story ever told! Only one white marlin had qualified after 3 fishing days, and Bill Haugland’s 75-pound white caught aboard the Lights Out from Ocean Reef FL on Tuesday was worth over $2.6 million dollars.
At 6:15 PM the Under Dog out of Virginia Beach, VA. pulled up to the scale with two white marlin to weigh. The first marlin pulled from the ice had been caught by Brandon Bartlett at 9:30 AM and met...