I started fishing then and now I just can’t quit. I mated on a charter boat. I worked a Florida longliner and I’ve sailed on a Key West shrimper. Recently, I boarded a 63-foot Scarborough fishing machine named the “Big OH” out of Jupiter, FL on my first assignment as a certified observer with the International Game Fish Tournament Observers (IGFTO) in the 47th Annual July Open Billfish Tournament, hosted by the Virgin Islands Game Fishing Club in St. Thomas.
At 6:30 a.m. July 23, boat owner Grey Ingram welcomed me aboard and introduced me to mates Ben Horning and Bob Sowell, who were busily readying the boat for a day of competitive fishing. Once Capt. Ronnie Fields came aboard, we quickly got underway to the north drop on the Atlantic side of this mountainous Island paradise. During the trip, I watched a precision ballet between the two mates, who mirror-imaged each other on the port and starboard side of the cockpit, rigging baits and lures for the day’s performance of angler versus fish. The equipment and techniques they used, in my mind, were confidential and not for disclosure to the other contestants. Everything they did complied with regulations specified by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA), including lengths of leaders, types of tackle, hooks and baits.
At 8:30 a.m., the radio call came from the committee boat: “Lines In.” The first day of competition in the three-day tournament among 23 boats was underway. I stood in the cockpit watching white water and skipping baits behind this majestic boat with its professional crew. Over the committee boat’s radio, we heard reports of other boats having “fish on” and eventually their times of release.
Almost three hours passed before a large dark shadow appeared in the spread of baits and teasers behind the Big OH. Capt. Fields immediately shouted instructions to the crew. He reeled in the teaser line as angler Rodney Ingram dropped a pitch bait back toward the dark form in the water. The fish quickly hit the bait and mate Ben Horning calmly looked at me and asked, “Did you see it?” I saw the broad shoulders and the pointed dorsal fin of a marlin as it broke water. “It’s a blue!” I answered as the choreography of the catch began. I marked the time 11:20 a.m.
My main job as an observer was to positively identify the fish and ensure that IGFA rules are followed during the catch. This guarantees fair competition among the boats and assures that the fish will be released alive. All IGFTO observers have many years of experience on the water and must pass an IGFA course to qualify for the job.
Once Rodney Ingram set the hook, the marlin made its run. I stood to the right of the mate observing both he and the angler and I could hear the other mate clearing lines and pulling in teasers. The captain and the mate kept each other informed on the marlin’s location and the angler’s progress of getting line on the reel. The next 15 or 20 minutes, in my mind, seemed to pass in slow motion as the angler and the fish were locked in a give-and-take struggle. As Rodney pumped the fish up from the deep, Capt.. Fields backed the Big OH toward the marlin, sending a wave of seawater over the transom that hit all of us. I was ankle deep, then knee deep and what felt like waste deep in water as the boat continued to back down hard.
I felt a rush of adrenalin as I watched Rodney cranking more and more line on the reel while the water continued rushing into the cockpit. Suddenly, the “blue” with its sharp bill and broad back was lying immediately alongside the transom close enough to touch and looking at me eye to eye. He was lit up. All his stripes were bright and golden. Ben grabbed the leader and took a wrap. I shouted “Release,” and looked at my watch. It read 11:40. The leader was cut and the “blue” was gone. Rodney opened the tuna door and the water rushed back into the ocean.
The captain reported the release to the committee boat as the mates began re-rigging lines, setting out baits and adjusting outriggers in hopes of finding another marlin. At the end of the day, the Big OH was in second place in the tournament. I was assigned to different boats on the next two days. I had great experiences with Capt. Rob Richards and the crew of the charter boat Mixed Bag. On day three, I sailed with legendary fisherman Sam Jennings aboard his boat Revenge, captained by Mike Lemon.
But my most memorable experience of this tournament will be the sight of the first blue marlin I saw as an IGFTO observer. The crew of the Big OH eventually stepped up to the podium at the awards banquet to receive the first-place trophy for six blue marlin released – not caught and killed.
I’m proud to be part of an organization dedicated to the preservation of these magnificent fish. One day, I hope my grandson – the newest fisherman in our family – will be able to observe a blue water ballet.
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