Article by Joey Marowski
Welcome back to another offshore report, things are finally starting to stir as this slow season begins to unwind. This week I sit watching the flag blow from a hard SW wind down here in Morehead City, NC as my team and 269 others prepare to compete in the 67th Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. By the end of the week at least one boat will be newly made millionaires and have their names etched into the wall at the landing. This Saturday was the 28th annual KWLA memorial tournament, congratulations to “Carterican” on an amazing day of fishing with 3 blues, 3 whites, and a pair of sails bringing home first place and a check for $111,563. Goodluck to everyone battling the weather and fishing this week, and everyone at home can stay tuned on both the Big Rock app and website as well as listening in live on the radio channel as captains call in to tell Mr. Randy that they’re hooked up. At home this past weekend, a congrats is owed to team “Rooster” as their 300lb thresher shark took a bite of $14,450 and top honors in the 3rd annual Battle for the Buckle tournament. Outside of the tournament, anglers were finally able to throw some fish on the docks with good catches of school sized bluefins coming from the Baltimore canyon. Ourselves, Boss Hogg, Wrecker, Talking Trash , Spring Mix, and Restless Lady to name a few were able to bring home the new charter vessel limit of two bluefins from 27”- 47” this past week as these fish gorged themselves on sand eels in the 59 degree water. Restless Lady II even managed to find a diamond in the rough with captain Chris finding a 170lb bigeye waiting for them, the first of the year in Ocean City. After tuna fishing, most boats shifted their focus to the mud and targeted golden and blueline tilefish as well as black-bellied rose fish to fill the box in the afternoon. The calm weather has also allowed several boats to make the run out to some of the warmer water that remains over 100 miles offshore but their journeys have been rewarded with catches of nice sized yellowfins. We can continue to wait eagerly for this water to push into normal range as we watch the Oregon Inlet charter fleet to continue to bring home excellent catches of yellowfin tunas, mahis, wahoos and billfish releases. As you stock up and prepare for this summer don’t forget about dad this weekend , as I heard all dads would love to receive a new fishing rod or some new additions to their tackle box. Tightlines to those fortunate to spend time on the water this week, and hopefully I can return next week to report of an Ocean City boat bringing home the gold from Morehead.
