OCEAN CITY- Despite a slow start due to the remnants of Hurricane Arthur moving through the area last Friday, the Ocean City Marlin Club’s 32nd Annual Canyon Kickoff last weekend was a big success with the largest tuna of the year thus far and lots of billfish released.
The Canyon Kickoff, held each year on or around the Fourth of July weekend, is the first significant event for the Marlin Club each year and serves as a prelude to the more high-profile tournaments of the season including the Ocean City Tuna Tournament this weekend and the White Marlin Open in August. When Hurricane Arthur cruised up the coast late last week, the club decided to make what had been a planned three-day event with fishing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday into a two-day event with just Saturday and Sunday as official fishing days.
Nonetheless, the storm passed and the weather and conditions were near perfect the rest of the weekend and the Canyon Kickoff yielded some impressive results. Perhaps the biggest splash came from the crew on the “Jenny Poo,” which landed a 267-plus pound big eye tuna, which was the largest reported tuna caught off the coast of the resort thus far this year.
The 267-pounder netted the “Jenny Poo” crew a tournament high $9,967 in prize money. Taking second in the tuna category was a 163.8-pound big eye caught by the “No Quarter” crew worth $1,525. The “Absolut Pleasure” took third in the tuna category with a 158.4-pound big eye worth $1,017.
In the billfish release category, it was the omnipresent “Billfisher” taking the category with three white marlin releases worth 300 points and a prize of $7,920. The “Canyon Hunter” was second with two white marlin releases worth 200 points and $810 in prize money. The “First Light” was third in the billfish release category with one white marlin release, but earned $1,510 in prize money because of added entry levels. The “Last Call” also had a white marlin release, but finished behind the “First Light” based on the time of the catch. The “Last Call” earned $648 in prize money for its release. In the dolphin division, the “Billfisher” and the “Proud Papa” tied, but the “Billfisher” took the division’s top prize of $6,003. The “Dilligaf” took third in the dolphin division.