Heasley wins $2.8M as 2016 White Marlin Open closes
As closing ceremonies of the 2016 White Marlin Open wrap up on Sunday afternoon at the Clarion Hotel in Ocean City, one angler in particular will be grinning wide as he receives his check for catching the lone qualifying white marlin in this year's tournament.
Phil Heasley's 76.5-pound white marlin caught aboard the Kallianassa of Naples, Florida, is the smallest white since William Woody's in 2012, and the second-smallest since 2000. However, multiple tournament rules came together to benefit Heasley's modest-sized catch, giving him a massive purse of $2,818,660. The prize money that would have gone to the second and third place finishers in the white marlin category all went to Heasley, as well as other rulings that increased the sum to almost $3 million.
Jim Conway's blue marlin was the largest boated in five years, despite losing its tail while being towed into the docks (it was too large to boat on Conway's boat Get Reel). He'll take home $258,995 after no other blue marlin made weight.
Richard Hammond's whopping 79-pound wahoo caught on Tuesday stayed all the way atop the leaderboard, netting the angler aboard the Two Timing Connie from Edge Water, Maryland $24,862.50 for the biggest wahoo since 2007.
The 236.5-pound tuna caught on Wednesday by Rich Kosztyu brought in $767,091, after it eclipsed Mark Hutchison's 233-pound fish caught on Tuesday. It was the biggest tuna caught in three years.
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Josh Sharp aboard the Bethany Beach vessel Sea Flame played spoiler on Friday night, coming in around 6 p.m. with a 39-pound dolphin and dethroning Brian Russell's Wednesday catch by three pounds. Sharp ($17,717.50) and the four other top-five finishers will take home between $13,000 and $18,000 for their dolphins.
J.D. Messler's heavy hammerhead shark caught Wednesday earned the 24-year-old from New Jersey $4,500, while a 223-pound mako shark caught on the last day of the competition by Hunter Pusey of the Chincoteague-based boat Rumor Has It netted $3,500.
The Bullwinkle out of Dover, Del. was the top boat at the end of the tournament with 1,890 points and 27 unboated billfish catches. Marc Verzaleno takes home the coveted "Top Angler" prize aboard Reel Steel after catching 11 white marlin and one blue marlin. Verzaleno caught three more white marlin than second-place angler Kelli Roof, who caught seven white marlin and one blue marlin.
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A record 1,366 white marlin were caught and released over the five days of the tournament, with just 23 boated in the tournament that promotes billfish conservation. The vast majority of those white marlins were caught on the first two days of the tournament, with 897 (64 percent) of the 1389 hooked on Monday and Tuesday.
30 blue marlin were caught overall, two were boated, and only Jim Conway's 790-pounder qualified.
Of the 17 tunas, 12 dolphin, four wahoo, and two sharks caught over the five days, all were boated.
However, all 26 spearfish (15) and sailfish (11) were caught and released over the five days.
Here's the final leaderboard for the 2016 White Marlin Open:
Date, boat, angler, weight, prize money
White Marlin
8/9/16, Kallianassa, Phil Heasley, 76.5, $2,818,660
Blue Marlin
8/8/16, Get Reel, Jim Conway, 790, $258,995
Tuna
8/10/16, Hubris, Rich Kosztyu, 236.5, $767,091
8/9/16, Magic Moment, Mark Hutchison, 233, $131,968
8/11/16, American Lady, Dave Arnold, 71.5, $52,126.80
8/8/16, Fish Whistle, Pat Horning, 71.5, $5,626.75
8/8/16, Reel Direct, John Hoffman, 67, $30,504
Dolphin
8/12/16, SEA FLAME, Josh Sharp, 39, $17,717.50
8/10/16, SEA WOLF, Brian Russell, 36, $14,967.50
8/9/16, Reel Joy, John Gudelsky, 36, $16,217.50
8/11/16, Sea Breeze, Shannon Mills, 35.5, $13,717.50
8/8/16, Delta Dawn, Thomas Bennett, 34.5, $13,717.50
Wahoo
8/9/16, Two Timing Connie, Richard Hammond, 79, $24,862.50
8/9/16, Second Chance, Brian Leader, 54, $3,000
8/11/16, Got Fish Too, Daniel Stuart, 41, $24,862.50
8/10/16, NO SERVICE, Steve Figiel, 40.5, $22,862.50
Shark
8/10/16, MJ's, JD Messler, 260.5, $4,500
8/12/16, Rumor Has It, Hunter Pusey, 223, $3,500