OCEAN CITY — A Virginia Beach woman’s 94-pound white marlin held on for first place and $1.18 million in the 42nd White Marlin Open, but a qualifying white weighed on the tournament’s last day stole a little of her thunder.
After two days of no qualifying white marlin weighed at the scale at host Harbour Island, angler Cheryl McLeskey on the “Backlash” rolled in Wednesday evening with a big white marlin to weigh. The big crowd, which had been waiting for two days to see a potential million dollar billfish run up the scale, gasped when the scale master and crew pulled the huge white marlin from the “Backlash” cockpit.
It clearly had the length and girth to be a qualifier, but it was uncertain just how historic the big white might be. The scale fluttered up and down briefly before settling in at an even 94 pounds. With the 94-pounder on the board, McLeskey settled into the top position on the white marlin leaderboard and the big fish held on for the rest of the week, making her the first woman to win the WMO’s signature division.
The tuna division was shook up on Friday with two leaderboard bigeyes brought to the scales, including a 200.5-pound beast, above, worth $399,209.
McLeskey’s 94-pound white weighed last Wednesday is the third largest in tourney history. In 2009, a 93.5-pounder won the tournament’s top prize, and in 1978, a 93.5-pound white also won the tournament and a 90-pounder won in 1981. Incidentally, the Maryland state record is a whopping 135-pounder caught by angler George Pierson with Captain Charlie Kratz on the “Five C’s” that has a permanent home on display at the foot of the Boardwalk.
With McLeskey and the “Backlash” on the board with a 94-pounder, most participating captains, anglers and boats were ready to concede first place in the division, but there was still a potential big prize out there for another qualifying white marlin, although stormy conditions and rough seas offshore certainly made it a challenge. For the first time this year, there was an optional white marlin winner-take-all category with a $10,000 buy-in. About a third of the tournament’s 307 participating boats ponied up for the new white marlin category, setting that purse at around $1 million.
McLeskey and the “Backlash” were not among the participants who entered the winner-take-all category and the big prize was still out there for the taking on the tournament’s last two days. On Friday, angler Bill Haugland on the “Lights Out” came into the scale with a big white to weigh and the fish topped out at 79 pounds. It was only the second qualifying white marlin weighed all week and it was an important one. The “Lights Out” was entered in the new white marlin category and claimed a little over $1 million in prize money.
Dockhand Mike Hannon measures what would be the second-place white marlin in this year’s event onboard the “Lights Out.” Photos by Hooked On OC
While the white marlin division produced its share of drama throughout the week with a couple of near misses, the blue marlin division was all but wrapped up after day one. Angler Larry Hesse Jr. on the “Goin Deep” rolled into the scale on Monday with a big blue to weigh and when it was pulled from the boat and hauled up the scale, it topped out at 551 pounds. No other qualifying blue marlin was weighed the rest of the week and Hesse and the “Goin Deep” crew took home the division’s $778,352 in prize money.
The tuna division leaderboard changed often throughout the week before a big 200.5-pound big-eye settled the issue on the tournament’s last day. On Monday, angler Logan Pusey and the crew on the “Rumor Has It” weighed a 177-pound tuna to settle into the top position on the leaderboard. On Wednesday, angler Mike Beckett and the crew on the “Pez Machine” weighed a 155-pounder that briefly took the second place spot and angler Jim Jensen at the “Plane Simple” settled into third with a 141.5-pounder also on Wednesday.
As expected, the 94-pound white marlin hooked by Cheryl McLeskey held on first place and had a $1.1 million payday. Photo by Hooked On OC
However, the tuna leaderboard was erased and re-written on Friday, the tournament’s last day. Angler Mark Donahue on the “Miss Annie” weighed a 200.5 pound big-eye on Friday to take the division’s top spot and a total of $398,834 in prize money. Pusey and the “Rumor Has It” was bumped to second and earned $174,120. Angler Dante Soriente on the “MJ’s” out of Ocean City weighed a 176 pounder on Friday, good enough for third place and $26,366 in prize money. The “Pez Machine” finished fourth and the “Plane Simple” finished fifth, with each winning $33,945 in prize money.
In the dolphin division, it was angler Andy Shelton and the “Streaker” taking first with a 46.5-pounder worth $24,847. Chris Manetta and the “Tra Sea Ann” took second with a 42-pounder and earned $23,847, while Jesse Morris on the “Turn Me Loose” took third with a 36.5-pounder worth $22,847. In the wahoo division, the one and only qualifier was a 45-pounder caught by angler Jay Mascaro on the “Warden Pass” worth $33,271. There were no qualifying sharks weighed during the tournament.
The 2015 White Marlin Open set a record with $3.9 million in total prize money.
