A question for you's about the legendary Billy Verbanis?

[DEEP DEFIANCE]

I was talking to A guy at the capts meeting the other day about something and he said Billy Verbanis was no longer aloud in the SJ shark tourney or any tourney that SJ marina had involvent in.Was that the case or was this guy pulling my chain and if so does anyone know why?I have been doing them tourney's for quite some time by the time he passed away and couldent figure out why I never seen him there.

[whitey]

Im not sure about the South Jersey Shark Tournament but they supposedly did away with the shark division in the Mid Atlantic 500,000 because he was walking away with the prize every year.

[Deep C]

Billy was blocked for being so good from a few events. Can't say if it was all or just some. Might just as well hand him the money if they had a shark division. The Ma500 was a trolling event and once upon a time had a division for shark. He'd win but it being a trolling tourney there was speculation that he wasn't trolling and was in fact sharkin. I think something like that may have been the case for the wmo too...

[esangler]

Didn't he die back in 2002 of a heart attack after being pulled overboard by a big mako?

[whitey]

Didn't he die back in 2002 of a heart attack after being pulled overboard by a big mako?

Yes he did.

[Deep C]

I think more recently than that. Three or four years I think... He got a hard swim behind a mako when that damnable cable he used cut and hung a glove. He blew out his lungs with forced water. Was alive when they put him back in the boat but was on his way out. Left behind a bunch of kids and a missus...

[esangler]

Yes he did.

you think that is why he is not "aloud" to fish in the tournament?!!!

[whitey]

you think that is why he is not "aloud" to fish in the tournament?!!!

I never said he was banned from a tournament and the shark division was eliminated from the Mid Atlantic before his death.

[DEEP DEFIANCE]

I figured that would most likely be the case because that man new his sharks.And how to catch them!JUST hand the money over to him. RIP legendary billy!

[dman25]

The man knew sharks like few ever did or will. I fished with him a few times and learned more than I could even compute back then. MY friends from Delware talked about him like he was a legend before he died. Now if you mention his name around them you better damn well have respect in your voice. Oh and he fished DEEP, VERY VERY VERY DEEP. I believe his matye Chris ran the boat for awhile after he died. Nikki who also ran the boat I believe shes in FLa. or somewhere south now fishing atleast she was lookin for a ride earlier this year.