Ocean City Boat Featured In ‘Wicked Tuna’ Season Premiere Monday

Ocean City Boat Featured In ‘Wicked Tuna’ Season Premiere Monday
foolish pleasures file photo

OCEAN CITY — The National Geographic Channel’s “Wicked Tuna” fishing reality show returns for a new season on Monday and will feature the long-awaited debut of the popular Ocean City-based “Foolish Pleasures” and its colorful Captain Dale Lisi and his crew of characters.

Lisi and the “Foolish Pleasures” based at the Ocean City Fishing Center in West Ocean City, were chosen last fall as one of a handful to participate in and appear on the latest season of “Wicked Tuna.” The National Geographic Channel’s wildly popular show follows groups of salty fishermen as the make a living battling monster Bluefin tuna the old school way with a rod and reel. Lisi and his crew, including mates Will Hathaway and Ed Gross, certainly fit the bill.

Lisi and the “Foolish Pleasures” crew pulled out of Ocean City in January just as the rest of the resort’s fishing community was settling in for the siege with the arrival of frigid weather and rough seas. Through much of February and March, the “Foolish Pleasures” battled other crews of grisly veteran Bluefin tuna anglers off the coast of the Outer Banks in North Carolina, and although the outcome is still not known months later and Lisi and the crew were sworn to secrecy, there has been some indication the local crew acquitted themselves well during the competition.

Just before Lisi left the resort area in January, he told The Dispatch, “We’re going to win it or we’re going to die trying.” While the first half of the equation is still uncertain, the latter certainly didn’t come true. Lisi and the “Foolish Pleasures” crew came back alive and well and have been making their mark on the summer offshore fishing series this season. Just two weeks ago, the “Foolish Pleasures” captured a couple different divisions in the 29th Ocean City Tuna Tournament and earned a sizable amount of prize money.

For the first few seasons, “Wicked Tuna” followed bluefin tuna captains and crews out of historic Gloucester, Mass. where big bluefin tuna fishing has been around as long as the centuries-old town itself. The new season, which premieres on the National Geographic Channel at 9 p.m. on Monday, pits teams of anglers from the north against teams from the south, fishing out of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The “Foolish Pleasures” will represent the south team.

The “Foolish Pleasures” and its surly but good-natured Lisi and crew are well-known and well-liked in Ocean City’s recreational and commercial fishing community and have earned their stripes locally as well as up and down the east coast over the years. The “Foolish Pleasures” makes regular appearances on the leaderboards of most of the resort area’s summer sportfishing tournaments and has taken its share of money from the White Marlin Open and the Ocean City Tuna Tournament, for example.

Lisi said he learned of the latest “Wicked Tuna” auditions from a friend through a text message last fall and decided to give it a shot for the south team out of the Outer Banks. With no shortage of talented, veteran captains and crews, it seemed like a longshot, but Lisi and the “Foolish Pleasures” crew got the good news right around Christmas.

The newest season of “Wicked Tuna” premieres at 9 p.m. on Monday on the National Geographic Channel. The Ocean City Marlin Club is hosting a premiere party at its headquarters in West Ocean City beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Monday and Lisi and the crew will be on hand.

About The Author: Shawn Soper

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Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.