WMO update - New Departure Inlets for 2010!

[Squidnation]

I also agree that this is a horrible idea. But thinking about the wmo has never been about the dinners, the giveaways or the parties that are provided by the WMO. Thats because there are none except for the awards. the atmosphere was provided by the town, the weigh in and in the last 10 years, sunset. The WMO has always been about the million dollar fish and being the biggest tournament in the world. Well its not anymore and I guess the directors want that title back.

[whitey]

I think you will be able to count on both hands the amount of boats fishing the WMO north of Cape May. Any boat out of Barnegat will be at huge disadvantage due to the distance they have to run to reach the fishing grounds they won't be able to fish much below the Wilmington.

[marlin magnet]

On another side which could benefit me is that this represents a huge cost discount by not having to rent a slip, burn fuel back and forth to OCMD, a young family crew who cant burn a week in OCMD, but still likes the competition and if I do catch a leaderboard fish, I wont mind running down to weigh it in if the cash is in reach. I used to fish with others years ago and am anxious to get back in. For me, this is an entrance point.

[C-Duck]

I, like many of you have become obsessed with this sport and much of it is because of the WMO, and tournament fishing in general. I have been a spectator or a participant in virtually every WMO tournament during my 40 years on this earth. I live for "THE" tournament. It's the "Masters", the "Stanley Cup", the "Superbowl" of our sport per say. (Yes, the Big Rock and Bisbees could lay similar claim), but you get my drift here...and its right in my back yard!!! But tournaments have rules and they change from time-to-time...sometimes the changes are good, and sometimes bad...and sometimes they change the bad rules back or fix them.

Remember last years Big Rock, what a shit show with all the big money re-entries. Was it within the rules? YEP! Was it good for the the perception of the tournament and its directors? Hell no! Well guess what...they changed the rule, and you can't do it this year.

So now the WMO asks themselves..."how do we get our boats back and our record payout back, with the economy so bad?" Answer - Open it up to as many places as possible. It makes sense. Is it good for the tournament and its organizers...probably. Is it good for the town of OCMD...probably no, but it is not necessarily bad either. Likely, a few marginal boats, that would not have come to one of the previously acceptable inlets (OCMD, Indian River, Cape May), might join now just because they can with little hassle and less cost. I am sure a few boats that usually did make the trip from one of the new inlets may just stay where they are now and fish too...a net loss to the town. Regardless, OCMD is still going to get a huge influx of boats and crews and visitors. Case in point...I'll go back to my Big Rock example. You can fish the BR out of any one of a number of Carolina inlets, but ALL the weigh-ins are in Morehead, as is all the good partying and the good tournament "scene". My point is, if I ever get my act and boat together enough to fish the BR (and I pray I do soon) I'm headed to Morehead, even though I can fish it out of Hatteras, and I would have to pass Hatteras on the way there. In other words, if you are really into fishing the WMO or the BR, your going to do it out of OCMD and Morehead respectively. The lazier guys, the cheaper guys, the less committed guys, might stay where they are (no disrespect to anyone inclined to doing this necessarily, just making a point) but the die hards are going to put themselves at the center of the fire, WMO or BR. The MA500 is a study in the alternative, wherein you can fish out of either CMNJ or OCMD, and weigh at either place. The party at the MA500 is split, and it seems each year more and more boats are fishing from OCMD, because there is no rules prohibiting this.

Further adding the additional inlets does not alter the playing feild since it is 100 miles from the OCMD sea buoy. As long as that rule doesn't change, and it never should, it shouldn't matter where anyone leaves from.

One last point. The rules in the WMO used to say that no one could leave the INLET before 5:am. Talk about exciting as a spectator when I was a kid. WOW!!!! I remember going down to watch my dad as crew on a little Bertram named the "Sally J". There would be 100+ boats all stacked up in the inlet, riggers knocking, drifting, crashing...it was a shit show, but it was exciting and awesome as a spectator. But it was dangerous, and a lot of guys vowed never to fish the WMO again if the rules weren't changed. So they did. Now the start line is the sea buoy, and boats can leave earlier if they are slower and think they need to, while the new fast rigs can sleep in and blow through the inlet at full speed when they want to leave. My point here is that while it was exciting, the rule needed to change, and it was a good rule change even though I wasn't for it.

Peronally, if it were up to me, I think everyone should have to fish out of OCMD, but I also understand the economics here and it is probably a good idea, even though most of us don't like the concept as participants.

In the end, we all get to vote with our wallets. If it is truly a bad rule and messes up the WMO, we can decide not to fish it. I'll admit, that I am not sure this rule change would prompt me not to participate. I say, bring it on...but that is easy for me to say since I tie up at Harbour Island...lol.

Curtis Campbell
Reel Estate Sportfishing
Ocean City, MD

[LuckyLady]

This move is a real slap in the face to all of the families and businesses who have supported the WMO for all of the years in ocean city. People in the town rely on the tournament. I think this was a hasty decision which was not well thought out. Next year you will be able to fish Nova Scotia to West Palm Beach. Just be back to the scales by 12:00 on friday!!!

I have no intentions of moving our slip, just adds more $$$$$$$$$$$$$ to the pot for me. What ever orange crushes the out of towners dont drink others will. NO ONE can ever take away what the WMO and the businesses have built at Harbour Island and abroad.

All of the same regulars will be in town.

Would you rather have smaller pots and less boats because of the down turn of the economy or widen the playing field..

I don't see why it matters WHAT INLET you depart out of.

Alot of factors play in does your boat have the range to run the fence and many others

I think it will be good for all. Plus the out of towners will have to come to collect thier winnings so thats added revnue for the town

Think its what is best for 2010 at least

[Mike15]

$4,000-$10,000 dollar a week slips. If slips were priced more reasonable, I think more boats would not have a problem coming down to dock in OC. Its really quite simple - bring the slip prices down and more boats will come to OC.

In my opinion slip prices have gotten way out of hand especially considering the state of the boating market.

[SeaMent]

$4,000-$10,000 dollar a week slips. If slips were priced more reasonable, I think more boats would not have a problem coming down to dock in OC. Its really quite simple - bring the slip prices down and more boats will come to OC.

In my opinion slip prices have gotten way out of hand especially considering the state of the boating market.

Who gets 10k for a slip in OC for the week, Hell for 10k you can get a slip with 4 bedroom house and BJ's for the entire crew every night of the week !! This is a direct result of not hittin the 400 boat mark for the last few years !!

[Fast Forward]

One reason in my opinion.... Money and status for Jim M
Most of the guys who win these tournaments don't need that money at all, they do it for all of the other positive reasons previously mentioned. They want to be surrounded by the action not get a check for million, not that it doesn't help but they would do it for less.