Mid-Atlantic $500,000 - Day 4 MA500 Results and Standings

It was back to fishing after back to back days when most boats layed in. The fish came fast and furious in both Ocean City and Cape May as new leaders were seen in the white marlin and wahoo categories.  The standings in almost every category had changes somewhere on the board on what was an exciting day of fishing. It's also worth noting that there were a number of boats that had numerous billfish releases and the release flags flew from almost every outrigger in the feild of boats.

Here is the official word from Tournament Publicity Coordinator Jeff Merrill:

For Immediate Release
August 21, 2008

Day Four of the 2008 Mid-Atlantic $500,000 found beautiful weather with a mild breeze the order of the day for the 109 boats that ventured offshore today. With a major portion of the tournament fleet working the canyons off the mid-Atlantic coast it's no wonder the leaderboard saw some significant changes in all categories and it was a busy night at the scales. Several boats found pods of white marlin and were able to rack up multiple releases for the day which added to the drama of the event in the release point categories.

The top story of tonight's weigh-in session came in the white marlin category where all three places were changed. Captain Bob Watson wheeled Frank Bongiorno's Dealer's Choice to the top of the category with an 88-pound white marlin. Captain Matt Rabenstine has Barry Weshnak's Miss Annie in second place with a 79-pound white marlin while Captain Dave Christman put Adam Buchman's Gina Lea on the board with a 75-pound white marlin. Gina Lea and Rich Ryon's Anthracite are now tied for third place in the category even though Anthracite's white marlin was weighed on Day One.

Adam Demeusky's Impulse V continues to lead the blue marlin category with the 719-pounder he caught on Day One. Second place is now held by Joseph Bernet's Kwik Raze as he weighed a blue marlin of 625 pounds today. Third place remains vacant.

Mike Tyson's Runaway still holds first place in the tuna category though second place now belongs to Rich Fanucci's Exile with a 78-pound yellowfin. Runaway also holds third place with a 77-pound yellowfin.

Anthracite continues to lead the dolphin (mahi-mahi) category with a43-pounder. Ron McQuaid's Sea Cure took the lead in the wahoo category after weighing a 74-pound ‘hoo today.

Some of the boats with significant billfish catches on Day Four include Pete Cherasia's Shark Byte with seven white marlin releases while Jim Foulke's Trust Me, Mack Boring's Mack Attack and Ron McQuaid's Sea Cure each released six white marlin. Dave Anderson's Krazy Salts released five white marlin today. Barry Weshnak's Miss Annie, Andy Schlotter's My Time, Rich Ryon's Anthracite and Buddy Tralla's Pumpin' Hard each released four white marlin. Boats with three white marlin releases include: Gina Addeo's Gina Lisa, Louis Morizzo's Sun Runner, Brandon Famous' Pipe Dream, George Barnard's Olivia Grace, Sydney Sussman's Certifiable, Ryan Higgins' Viking 60, Mike Brady's Viking 68 and Jim McCarthy's Covert Mission. Other boats with three white marlin released include: Tom Jones' Kingfisher, Frank Bongiorno's Dealer's Choice, Charlie Horning's Fish Whistle, Joe Aiello's Reel'n & Deal'n, Mark and Amy Granville-Smith's Phat Man and Tim Irons' Smokin' Again. Tom Tucci's Alyson Rose and Nick and Trish Rodriquez' Par Five each released a blue marlin and two white marlin today.

Tonight is Captain Morgan Night under the tent with a visit by none other than Captain Morgan himself plus a pig roast buffet and entertainment provided by Hot Rocks performing a Rolling Stones tribute. Please note the Mid-Atlantic $500,000 is a private event and is not open to the general public. Tournament credentials are required for access to any tournament-related facilities, activities or social event.

Friday is the final day of fishing for the tournament and 129 boats still have the last day of the event to fish. The 2008 Mid-Atlantic $500,000 concludes tomorrow night with a gala awards ceremony including cocktails, lobster buffet dinner and awards presentation. We will provide a complete tournament wrap-up by 11 a.m. Saturday morning including highlights of the final day of fishing, all the final results and cash payouts.

The Mid-Atlantic $500,000 is proudly sponsored by Baitmasters of South Florida; Bernie Robbins Jewelers; Big Game Fishing Journal; Canyon Club Resort Marina; Canyon Runner; Christi Marine Insurance; Costa Marine; CWR Electronics; Engines Incorporated; Enterprise Rental Car; EZ2CY; FLIR Systems, Inc.; Fraser-Volpe; Garmin; Grace Energy; Guy Harvey; Homestead Realty; Johnson and Towers; Lucky Bones Backwater Grille; Mack Boring and Parts; MAN Engines and Components; Midlantic Gold Rush; OceanLED; Ocean Yachts; Offshore Financial; Pacific Fins Resort and Pelagic Offshore Gear. Additional sponsors include Penn Reels; Pettit Paint; PipeTowers; Pompanette; Premier Detailing and Boat Cleaning; PropSpeed; Ransome Engines; Raymarine; Saltwater Sportsman; South Jersey Marina; South Jersey Yacht Sales; Sperry Top Sider; Sturdy Bank; Sunset Marina; The Fisherman; Twin Disc; Underwater Lights USA; Washington Inn; Win-Tron Electronics; WKR Construction; World Billfish Series; WXWORX XM Satellite Weather and ZF Marine.

For more information visit the tournament web site at www.ma500.com where you can also view the weigh-in live courtesy of www.sportfishermen.com.

For the blow by blow recap and photos from the day's action check out: 2008 Mid-Atlantic $500,000 - MA500 Day 4 Coverage