White Marlin Open 2023: First day 4 boat brings in 5 qualifying tuna as touching tribute
There are only two days left in the 2023 White Marlin Open, as anglers beginning fishing on Day 4 of the 50th anniversary of the world's largest billfishing tournament. And the last two days could be exciting
Wednesday saw new boats taking the top spots in both the tuna and dolphin categories, with multiple bigeye tuna exciting the packed crowd at the Harbour Island Marina scales. And the wait is still on to see who will bring the first qualifying billfish to the scales, as there is still a lot of potential money on the table in the white and blue marlin categories.
You can follow along here for updates throughout Day 4 of the White Marlin Open, as Delmarva Now reports live from the scales at the Harbour Island Marina from the time they open at 4 p.m. until they close at 9:15.
Reel Chaos reels in two more bigeye tuna as Day 4 winds down
The bigeye tuna once again looks to be the fish of the day here at the 2023 White Marlin Open, as one boat arrived at the scales just before 8 p.m.
The Reel Chaos took two bigeyes to the scales Thursday night, with each exciting the crowd at Harbour Island Marina. Dan Harrison led the way with a 186-pound tuna, and Michael Fernandez added on a 128.5-pounder. Ultimately, they weren't enough to break into the top three in the tuna leaderboard, but it did bring some energy to the scales as the day moves along.
More bigeye tuna shake up the leaderboard on Day 4
A little over an hour after the first boat of the day left the scales, the second and third boats of the day arrived, and the Game Over and Ro Sham Bo brought along with them two fish that would shake up the tournament's current leaderboard.
John Zimmerman, an angler on the Game Over, brought in a yellowfin tuna that just missed the qualifying weight. But the bigeye tuna that Zimmerman reeled in not only made weight but rocketed right into second place in the tuna category, weighing in at 221.5-pounds. According to the tournament, the second place fish is currently worth about $160,000.
The Ro Sham Bo came to the scales immediately after Game Over, and also had a bigeye tuna of their own. A 215-pounder caught by Rusty Shriver moved into third place in the tuna category, right behind Zimmerman's catch that was weighed just before.
More tuna on the board as first boats arrive for Day 4
An hour after the scales opened, the first boat of Day 4 arrived at the marina with more tuna fish to weigh. The Living Waters boat brought in five qualifying yellowfin tuna, with the heaviest weighing 69 pounds. The members of the boat were friends and relatives of an angler, Doctor Fazil Mohamed, who had fished in the tournament for 49 years before dying in 2022. The crew fished this year in honor of him.
According to the tournament, they have received calls ahead of boats coming with more tuna, as tuna catches have already been the primary attraction through the first half of the week. And the wait for qualifying billfish continues as the final day of the tournament draws closer.
How many boats are fishing today?
After 383 boats decided to fish today, it was expected that Day 4 would have less boats out on the water due to the weather. White Marlin Open announced Thursday morning that 60 boats decided to fish on Day 4
More: White Marlin Open 2023: Tuna rule the night as wait for first billfish continues
More: White Marlin Open leaderboard: Tuna and wahoo on top for day 3
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: White Marlin Open: 5 qualifying tuna reeled in as touching tribute
