Article by Larry Budd
We are in prime marlin fishing season and the bite has not been a disappointment! While the weather has not always cooperated, boats are getting out and reporting double digit releases and regular upper single digit ones. The yellowfin tuna have also decided to make an appearance and at the inshore lumps to boot. Big wahoo are in the mix inshore too and we saw the heaviest for 2024 so far hit the scales this week. The Ocean City Marlin Club also held the 46th Annual Charles Kratz & Scott Smith Challenge Cup Tournament over the weekend for the first time in several years, so even as we enter the second season there is a lot going offshore.
The strong marlin bite we have been seeing over the past few weeks continues. While we are seeing fewer boats heading out due to the time of year, those that are getting out are having a blast.
The week started off with some of our more notable boats returning to Sunset Marina with their outriggers adorned with flags. The “Billfisher” slid into the cut with 13 release flags flying as well as a blue marlin release. The “Boss Hogg” returned from the Poor Mans Canyon after going 9 for 15 on whites in 500 fathoms. The “Under Taker” out of the Indian River Marina reported they were fishing alone in 900 fathoms east of the Poor Mans midweek and went 10 for 14. They also just missed a blue marlin that was hooked for a moment on a pitch bait. The “Bet Sea” had a 3 day charter and released 7 whites and caught 54 mahi. They were in the Washington Canyon and 000’s working in 85-125 fathoms.
Last Thursday saw the start of the Charles Kratz and Scott Smith Challenge Cup Tournament. This event pitches two fishing clubs against each other for major bragging rights. From the north we have the Cape May Marlin & Tuna Club competing with the Ocean City Marlin Club. This is a billfish release tournament, and while the action had cooled a bit, the docks were still full of marlin release flags flapping in the wind.
After 2 days of tight competition the Ocean City Marlin Club pulled ahead and won the Challenge Cup, besting the Cape May Club with a score of 750 points to their 687.5. Two Duffie Boatwork boats, the “Billfisher” and the “Reel Joy” took the top daily slots for Ocean City. The “Polarizer” snagged both daily spot for Cape May. The over all boat winner was the “Billfisher”.
While billfishing may have gotten a lot of attention, they were not the only stars of the week. Yellowfin tuna decided to show up in numbers we have not seen in weeks, if not all season. They were close too, with most being caught at the Hot Dog, the 30 Fathom Lump or nearby. Anthony Puglisi of First State Marine shared his catch from the Hot Dog. He landed a 130 lb. bluefin and his crew mates went 9 for 10 on tuna overall with the heaviest yellowfin tipping the scales at 57 lbs. Shelby Cook from Bethesda, MD was at the Dog too and she and her crew put 6 yellowbirds in the box, including her first one.
The charter boat “Restless Lady” gave me a call on Friday to share that they were headed back to the Talbot Street Pier from an overnight trip with an impressive haul. Capt. Todd Kurtz had the crew at the 30 fathom lump where they trolled catching 10 yellowfins including a couple hooked on their green stick. That must have been fun to reel in the green stick gear and 2 tuna! Overnight they switched to chunking and put another 8 in the box to get their limit of 18.
As mentioned above, we also reported a new Heaviest of the Season Wahoo this week. Angler Randy Buttion stopped by our office in West Ocean City to share the speedster he caught at the 30 fathom lump. At 92 lbs. it set a new record, besting the old one by over 20 lbs.! He and his crew were not wahoo fishing, but were lucky to hook this one in the corner of the mouth on marlin/tuna gear.
Since this is the last issue of the Coastal Fisherman for the season, I just want to take a moment to thank a few folks.
First, thank you to all of our faithful readers. The paper continues to fly off the rack each week and we always appreciate all the nice comments we receive. It definitely makes it worthwhile knowing that readers are enjoying the paper each week. I also appreciate all of the pictures that readers submit. This year, we ran over 1,400 pictures in the Coastal Fisherman, with many of them emailed to us each week. These are the fuel for our publication, so we appreciate all of those who take the time to share what they are catching with us at [email protected].
Thank you to our advertisers. Many have been with us for many years, and we appreciate their loyalty. Since the Coastal Fisherman is still a free publication, advertisers make it possible to keep the doors open. That is why it is so important to give our advertisers as much business as possible. Nowadays, it is too easy to just sit at our desks and order online. Local businesses are the backbone of our community and especially our fishing community. Please let them know how valuable they are and how much they are appreciated by giving them your business.
Thanks also go out to our columnists. Capt. Mark Sampson, Steve Katz, Capt. BJ Pietryak, Capt. Matt Abell and my wife Chef Christine. They all did a great job this season writing entertaining and informative columns each week. Trust me, it’s not easy coming up with an interesting topic every week. It is much harder than you can imagine, but our columnists continue to do it every year and their work is appreciated.
Thanks also to the many tournament directors and staff that allow us to be part of the crew at the scales to provide such great images and stories of the events.
Finally, thanks to my staff. We are a small business with a limited staff. Tom Jock works tirelessly with our advertisers to create and update most of the ads you see every week. My man Ray Wells helps us keep the racks full so that everyone who wants a copy, gets one! Special thanks to the South Bethany Crew that works with Christine to process and mail the paper weekly to our subscribers.
Well, that’s it! Hopefully, we will have a nice fall. I wish everyone a safe and happy season and hopefully I may see you on the water. Look for the big Winter Edition the first week of January. §
