It was the Friday afternoon showdown. Two teams, battling for the lead, trading releases. But in the end, Father Time was the determining factor and Sarah Jean pulled ahead with one day remaining for a possible upset finish.
Sarah Jean added to its first-day tally by releasing six sailfish Friday, including a double-header mid-morning. The team, led by Capt. Kurt Ward, taps out with 830 points/10 fish. The 58 Spencer is owned by VBBT board member Mike Atkinson.
The General made it interesting, however. The 55 Buddy Cannady, run by Capt. Max Weaver, scored four sailfish releases for the day. The General is also finished fishing for the week and ends with 690 points. Bi-Op-Sea, a 59 Spencer run by Capt. Jesse Granitzki, finished Friday in third place so far with 490 points (seven sailfish).
“We had a decent run and were lucky with the marlin,” Weaver explained. “We were happy to have a few bites and be able to hold on to the majority of them. We were down south, closer to Oregon Inlet with a few good bait marks and some meat fish mixed in. I wouldn’t say the fishing was great, though. We were lucky to get the bites we did.
“This is always a great tournament, with some of the best anglers and crews in the world. The girls do a fantastic job, the party and food is excellent and we always have fun,” Weaver added.
Capt. Kenny Sexton and his team aboard Freestyle, a locally based 61 Spencer, had a good Friday as well. Freestyle released five sails with one double-header to finish the tournament with 490 points.
“It was pretty out there,” Sexton says. “The water was clear, a pretty blue and 82 degrees. We were working the Triple Zero area. There was plenty of bait and some birds but no real weed lines. There was a lot of life. We saw a big old whale. The competition here is definitely hot, so you have to take advantage of your opportunities and we did that today.”
A total of 81 billfish were released on Friday, including five blues, 13 whites and 63 sailfish. The current leaders in the tuna and wahoo categories are Bobby Whelan fishing on Fender Bender (62 Spencer/Capt. Colin Oxnard with a 65.9-pound entry and Randy Abbitt on the 63 Ricky Scarborough Saga with Capt. Randy Abbitt with a 54.5-pound wahoo. John Roberts still has the top dolphin at 35.4 pounds (Weldor’s Ark).
Friday did end with a dramatic flare. Mr. Pete, a 60 Spencer run by Capt. Alan Neiford, hooked a blue marlin on light tackle mid-afternoon and were still fighting it when lines out were called at 3 p.m. Under the rules, reported hook-ups may continue the fight without a deadline (on the first two days of the tournament) until it is boated or released. Unfortunately, Mr. Pete’s fish broke the light line shortly before 9 p.m. and was lost.
Saturday brings the threat of thunderstorms and endless possibilities. With multiple double-headers already scored and triple or even quadruple simultaneous hook-ups possible, anything can happen in the final hours. Another showdown could still be looming.
Photos courtesy of The Buckskin Billfish and John Wright Photography