The first day of fishing in the 37th annual USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament (ABMT), nicknamed ‘the Boy Scout Tournament’ for its beneficiary, proved to be a day of catching and releasin
g as the 34-boat fleet scored 42 blue marlin for the day.
Prime Time, a Viking 52, out of Puerto Rico, took the Day One lead by releasing three blue marlin first.
Javier Berrios, a Prime Time angler, said, “The marlin were pretty spread out through the day. We released two between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., then another one in the afternoon. In total, we saw five marlin and released three, so it was a pretty good day.”
Three other boats also released three blue marlin. Their ranking on the scoreboard is based on time, or in other words, who caught their three fish first.
Lady Brianna placed second, with Reel Pushy third and Blue Bird fourth.
Robert Baker, from Jacksonville, Florida, angling aboard Reel Pushy, a Viking 64, said, “We saw fish right off the bat and ultimately saw four and released three. The (North) Drop is always good fishing and it sure was today.”
William Morrison, aboard Blue Bird, is leading as top angler with the release of two blue marlin.
Albert Castro, fishing aboard Sharky’s Revenge, a 46-foot Knicheloe Nickerson, out of Florida, only released one blue marlin. But, he took the prize for catching the first marlin of the day and of the tournament.
Rob Ruwitch, owner and angler of Sharky’s Revenge, describes Castro’s catch: “We were heading down sea and had just set out the second line when I said ‘there he is’ and saw a marlin come up on the cockpit teaser. We teased him up; pitch baited and he was released in 6 to 7 minutes. Two minutes later, another marlin came up on the same lure. We teased him up and ended up losing the pitch in a wave. So, in the first 12 minutes of fishing we saw two marlin and caught one. After that, we didn’t see anything else for the rest of the day. But, there’s a whole lot of fishing left in this tournament.”
The angling action continues Wednesday and Friday, with a lay day break for the full moon.
On Wednesday, the boy scouts invite visitors and locals alike to their cookout at Camp Wahoo, located by the tournament tent at the American Yacht Harbor Marina. It’s time for Cheese Burgers in Paradise. The Caribbean Night Show starts at 8:15 p.m.
The ABMT’s final fishing action on Friday ends with the sport fishing fleet’s swift Jim Smith ‘Race From The Edge’. The best place to watch this often photo finish is from the spit of land past the pool at the Sapphire Beach Resort. The Awards Ceremony takes place later in the evening along with the naming of the 2009 USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Top Angler, who pockets a $10,000 cash prize.
For more information, contact: Jimmy Loveland, tournament director, at 1-888-2-FISHVI (1-888-234-7484) or 340-775-9500; fax: 340-779-8605; e-mail: loveto@islands.vi; Web site: www.abmt.vi.
