Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament 2008 Day 4: "Fish in a Barrel"

After seeing the hottest action so far on Day 3, it was no surprise that most of the boats fishing in the 50th Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament decided to push off and go chase the bite on Thursday. There were 136 boats the headed off the North Carolina coast for a shot at finding a big blue to top the 640-pound beast that had Artemis atop the leader board. I doubt at the end of the day that there was a single boat that regretted going fishing, as just being on the water for such a hot bite was historic.

The day started out tough for the boats on the water, it took almost 15 minutes to see the first hook-up which was quickly back off the line. Four more boats couldn't keep the hooks stuck and at 9:30 the fleet was 0 for 5. It was a strong comeback in the second half of the hour which started out with the Double Luv turning a sailfish loose to lock up the first successful billfish release of the fishing day. The next 7 boats that hooked up got clean releases, all on blue marlin.

The hot hand in the morning was the Trophy who had two releases before noon and added a third just after, more than any boat had done in three days of fishing. Another hot hand that managed to get back on the fish was the Tiger Runner who pulled the hook on their first bite but came back and put up a clean release on a blue marlin to pad their release point lead at 1725 points. The other boat that looked really good on Day 3, the Blue Water who had a pair of blue marlin released and the daily points second place on Wednesday, had an early hook-up and released a quick blue to add the third to their tally after laying over for the first two days of fishing.

Lunch time was another slug fest and the hook-up calls came hot and heavy. At one time there were 9 boats fighting fish and there were at least six on the line from 11:30 to 12. By the 12 o'clock hour there had been 16 blue marlin released along with 2 whites and a pair of sailfish, a good tally for three hour's fishing. The bite wasn't ready to give out however as the lines kept coming tight all over the fleet. One of the boats that was in on the action during this period was the Tiger Runner who on the fourth day was a picture of consistency, jumping off one blue while getting two releases in an hour

The next half hour was almost as hot as 11 hook-up calls came into the tournament headquarters. Boats put the screws to some more fish and soon another five blue marlin, three whites and a sail had been released. The bit tapered off from unheard of to just plain outstanding and another seven blues along with a pair each of whites and sails were released before the 2 o'clock bell sounded. The final bite of the stretch came for the Trophy who watched a blue and a sail go jumping off while releasing another sail that was 1/3 of a triple. The Trophy had arguably the best day of any boat so far in the tournament, going 4 for 6 with three blues and a sail.

The final hour of the tournament was torture for the crews fishing as with the exception of a few boats that were fighting fish from earlier hook-ups, the fleet came up empty for the longest stretch of the day after some really hot fishing. There were only seven more boats that got a shot and of them, six came in the last half hour before the 3 p.m. lines out call. It was tough going for the boats, ending the day like it began with several pulled hooks while a pair of blues and a white were released from the last minute flurry.

With three big blue marlin holding down the top positions on the board, there were several nice fish that got a pass and were released and it was left to the gamefish to give the crowd at the scales some entertainment. They weren't disappointed as the Ashley Lauren added their name to the money winners with the day's best wahoo moving into the overall lead in the category with 88.4 pounds. The Reel Deal took the top spot in the dolphin category for day 4 with a 43.25-pound fish and the Magic Moment followed up with a 39.9 for second though neither could challenge the overall standings. Only the one wahoo made it through the billfish carnage offshore and the tuna must be running scared as after 4 days of fishing, not one has come back to the scales.

There are now 4 days in the books and some boats like the Tiger Runner, release points leader with 5 blue marlin and a sailfish for 2125 points, have used all their fishing time and have to sit back and see what the other boats can bring. On the other side are boats like the Blue Water which have only used two of their fishing days and are in third place with three blue marlin for 1200 points. The second place boat is the Trophy who had the exceptional day on Thursday with 3 blue marlin and managed to add to a sailfish to the tally for a total of 1325 points.

Friday is predicted to see another beautiful day with moderate winds from the east. With the last two days coming everyone is on the downhill leg of the tournament with a few already in the clubhouse. The Artemis still holds the lead but there were some big blues and a hot bite for Day 4 so its anybody's guess what surprises the fish gods will serve up for Friday the 13th.

Consider this last thought, in a tournament where the number 5 has held a special significance with 555.5- and 553.3-pound marlin already weighed and the winning fish being the fifth one weighed, Day 5 holds the extra bonus of being Friday the 13th. I'm not sure if the moon is full too, but it's sure to be a wild one as we come to the finish of the Big Rock.