iStockphoto / Kelly Dalling
The MidAtlantic fishing tournament in Cape May, New Jersey saw a massive 889-pound blue marlin brought to the scales on Day 3 of fishing.
As things stand, the total prize pool for the Mega Marlin category in The MidAtlantic Tournament is $1,678,080. If the tournament were to end as it currently stands, the Pipe Dreamer who weighed the 889-pound blue marlin on Wednesday would take home $536,985.6 for winning that category.
They would also earn $66,240 for the Heaviest Blue Marlin in the overall calcutta and $369,840 for the Blue Marlin Pro Jackpot, according to the current payouts listed on The MidAtlantic’s website.
Here is the 889-pound blue marlin weighed by the fishing team aboard the Pipe Dreamer:
889-Pound Blue Marlin Leads MidAtlantic Fishing Tournament
A Day 3 write up on the tournament’s website breaks down how the Pipe Dreamer crew landed the biggest fish caught in The MidAtlantic so far this year:
“Captain Rich Fernandez pulled Chip Caruso’s Pipe Dreamer out of Ocean, New Jersey into position with a massive blue marlin stretched across the cockpit. Andy Confortini fought the big blue on a 130-pound class outfit and had the fish to the boat in just 20 minutes. When stretched out on the huge marlin measured 133½” and when weighed pulled the scale down to 889 pounds and moved Pipe Dreamer to the top of the leaderboard! Worthy of note at 889 pounds that’s the third heaviest blue marlin in the tournament’s history.”
The Blue Marlin and White Marlin categories are currently pretty stacked. In addition to the 889-pounder caught on Wednesday, a 548-pound blue and a 528-pounder were weighed:
The White Marlin Fishing Is Hot
Over in the White Marlin Category, the current leading fish is a 70-pounder caught and weighed by the Viking 80C team. That 70-pound white marlin is currently in line to win $79,000.77 for the heaviest white marlin in the Overall Calcutta and a whopping $536,985.6 in the Mega Marlin category and $570,400 for the White Marlin Pro Jackpot. There’s also smaller payouts for the individual days.
Other white marlin that have been caught and weighed include a 69-pounder by the Big Oil and a 66 pounder caught by the Max Bet:
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Thursday and Friday are the final 2 days of the 2023 MidAtlantic fishing tournament. That means there’s still plenty of time for a large blue marlin to make it to the scales or a white marlin weighing over 70 pounds to show up. The Tuna, Wahoo, and Mahi-Mahi categories are all pretty stacked this year.