Olivia Grace Wins Stone Harbor Yatch Club Marlin Tourney

[Olivia Grace]

Due to the indesiciveness of the weather gods, we decided not to go to Beach Haven and stay on our home court. After a day of tuner huntin and slayin them pretty good, as in Hooligans post, we decided to fish the Stone Harbor Yacht Club Tourney after talking to Chuck while gettin our bait at Hinches. Figuring it was going to be a one day tournament, we were going to tuner fish saturday. Again the weather gods threw a wrench into our plans, and the Stone Harbor Tourney became 2 days again. While preppin the boat and gettin our baits rigged, we decided it would be a good idea to get fuel at 9pm. When we returned to the dock, we wrapped one of the spring lines in the wheel. Matt drew the short straw and had to dive, he got us free in an hour.

Saturday fishing, we went to the Hambone looking for fish while waiting for our 7:30am start time. At 7:39am we hooked into our tuner. Being it was a trolling tournament, we were trolling mann intimidators that looked like bunker. We boated our fish at 8am, a 90+lb tuner, called the committee boat, and we were then advised that the start time was 8:30, not 7:30. So our tuner didn't count. We tucked our tail between our legs and headed to the Baltimore to troll for some marlin. 8:40am we had our teasers out and the first long rigger, which was hit immediately as it was sent back, but didn't come tight. Worked the east and west wall of the Baltimore, down to the 500, and ended our day going 2 for 4 on white marlin, and 5 mahi up to 8lbs.

Sunday we headed to the Wilmington with the same agenda working the high flyers along the east and west wall. We could have sunk the boat with 5-8lb mahis and went 2 for 3 on whites, loosing one of a double. We were very pleased catching 4 white marlin in a tourney loaded with excellent billfisherman. To our surprise, we ended up coming out on top.

The Yacht Club of Stone Harbor openly welcomed newcomers to their home for a great event. The tournament was smoothly coordinated and was accompanied by hospitable people and top notch food. Special thanks to Tom Byrne and Timmay for sharing their knowledge on billfishing to a slopper like myself.

We ended the evening taking top boat award, top angler award, George, top female angler award, Deanna, top team award, with two other boats we still haven't figured out who they were since we entered late, and top captain award for myself. Not a bad weekend fishing for a bunch of blind squirrels looking for nuts in a pine tree. Honorable mentions go out to the two people that were sick for two days.

[John Rogers]

Congrats. pretty work

mann intimidators are they like a strectch? And what type of hooks did you put on them. Thanks

[Olivia Grace]

They have treble hooks on them and I will have Stain try to post a picture. They have some serious action and we can get them down deep without a problem.

[Admin]

Congrates , on the win George it was nice to meet you down at hinches awhile ago.

What happined to chumstain he used to give us a luagh every once and awhile you working him to much >? Or did i piss him off lol

[Admin]

Oh ya forgot something ,

You all fishing OLN this weekend then rushing to the wmo ?

[Olivia Grace]

I been keeping him busy running my boat. We are heading North tomorrow but don't think were fishing the WMO. We planned on staying up north and fish for a week. We want to hunt for some big bluefin up north and relax for a little bit. We are running every day we can to get tuned up for the MA500. They had some pointy friends come and visit today. John said the blue that came up was around 600+. I told him he needed to cut the line becuase I need to be the first to land a blue on my boat.