Big fish hooked, just 1 white marlin on Day 2 at Open
Five boats with white marlin's aboard pulled into the scales at Harbour Island Marina in Ocean City on Tuesday, Aug. 9, but only one catch made the qualifying weight for the 43rd annual White Marlin Open.
The Kallianassa pulled in with Phil Heasley's catch onboard just a few minutes past 4 p.m.
Anglers aboard the vessel hooked four white marlins in the first two days of the tournament, but were only able to bring one aboard. Heasley reeled in his catch around 9:05 a.m. on Tuesday morning, and about seven hours later it would put him at No. 1 on the white marlin leaderboard.
Heasley's fish clocked in at 76.5 pounds, which is well short of 2015's high and the tournament record, but good enough to be the first qualifying white marlin of the tournament.
If Heasley's catch stands as the only white marlin to qualify over the next three days, he'll take home an estimated $2.4 million.
Tuna board shakeup
While Heasley's catch was being weighed, another boat that looked to shake up a leaderboard waited to pull in to the marina.
Magic Moment's Mark Hutchinson had a big tuna onboard and was hoping that it would tip the scales. Hutchinson boated the fish a little after noon on Tuesday.
REALTED: Check out who was topping the leaderboard on Tuesday
When the tuna was strung up, it weighed in at 233 pounds, which topped a pair of Monday catches by a wide margin. If the board stands, Hutchinson will take home an estimated $400,000.
Two boats brought in tunas that clocked in at 64 pounds, which tie for fifth place. Another boat came in with a tuna that weighed 61.5 pounds.
Just before 7 p.m., Robert Rodelsberger brought in a 69-pound tuna that places him at third on the leaderboard.
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New dolphin leader
Several boats brought in dolphins on Tuesday, but Reel Joy out of Florida brought in two dolphins around 5:40 p.m.
John Gudelsky's 36-pounder went to the top of the dolphin leaderboard while the other, a 25-pounder, settled in near the bottom of the board.
A 26-pound dolphin came in a little after 6 p.m., too.
While other boats were docking and weighing their fish, the crew aboard Lights Out docked elsewhere in Harbour Island Marina and threw their dolphin in a wheelbarrow. It checked in at 34 pounds, good enough for third place.
Bill Haugland, 57, of New York, was the angler who pulled the dolphin aboard the vessel out of Ocean Reef, Florida. Haugland donated the dolphin to the Maryland Food Bank.
Haugland hit the scales last year with a 78-pound white marlin that was good enough for second place and a prize of more than $1 million.
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Two wahoos qualify
Just before 6 p.m., a boat that hit the scales twice in 2015 pulled in with a wahoo on board.
Richard Hammond's 79-pound haul was the first wahoo to qualify in the 2016 tournament. He was aboard the Two-Timing Connie out of Edgewater, Maryland.
Hammond's catch would've won the last eight wahoo competitions in the White Marlin Open. If his fish stands, the Centreville resident will take home an estimated $17,000.
The 79-pounder is the heaviest wahoo to be pulled in since the 2007 tournament. Kevin Wayson still has the wahoo tournament record, set in 1995.
One more wahoo checked in as the skies began to turn gray around 6:40 p.m. in Ocean City.
Second Chance pulled in with Brian Leader's catch aboard: a 54-pound fish that will sit at second place, at through Tuesday.
At print time on Tuesday, no blue marlins had hit the scales, but tournament officials said that one boat was fighting a blue marlin around 3:30 p.m.
Writer's note: Some names may be spelled wrong as DelmarvaNow reporters and photographers were barred from being on the dock on Tuesday by White Marlin Open officials and therefore could not directly speak with anglers, captains and tournament staff.