OCEAN CITY, Md. - Sunday marked the final chance for boaters to make it onto the leaderboard — and potentially take home a big cash prize — in the White Marlin Open, with 211 of the tournament’s 282 boats hitting the water under clear skies.
Participants typically select three out of five days to fish, but due to weather conditions earlier in the week, Saturday and Sunday were added as fishing days. That allowed competitors to pick three out of seven available days.
Jimmy David and his crew fished Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and were proud to make it to the scales for the first time.
“We had a good year,” David said. “My buddy Nick got a nice mahi yesterday, so it was nice to bring that to the scale. First time really we ever made it to the scale, so we were happy to go there.”
Not everyone was in favor of the additional fishing days. Michael Ajamian and his crew went out during the first three days of the tournament and said the weather should be part of the challenge.
“It’s part of tournament fisherman,” Ajamian said. “You got bad weather, you kind of got to go and can’t always have a nice day out there.”
(White Marlin Open)
Some anglers seized the extra opportunities — including NBA legend Michael Jordan and his Catch 23 crew, who fished Saturday and brought back a 71-pound white marlin.
“The biggest tournament, people come from all over,” David said. “Michael Jordan, all kinds of people. I heard they have the secretary of the Navy over there and all kinds of celebrities. And the best of the best fishing. That’s for sure — the Super Bowl.”
With more than 200 boats fishing on the last day, the leaderboard could still shift during the final weigh-ins.