Ocean City Leads the Way in Tournament Techniques and Tactics

Sure, there may be the well-earned status of being the “White Marlin Capital of the World,” internet hosting the world’s largest, highest-paying billfish match, and having a sport-fishing infrastructure nearly as good as any you’ll discover on the East Coast. However greater than that, Ocean Metropolis, Maryland, has mystique. What occurs in Ocean Metropolis—the crews that fish right here, the methods perfected on these waters—influences match fishing the world over. 

There may be maybe no individual extra certified to supply perspective on this almost century-old resort city than Capt. Jon Duffie. Duffie grew up fishing in Ocean Metropolis together with his brother, Jeremy, and their mother and father. The Duffie brothers reduce their enamel within the Ocean Metropolis Fishing Heart within the early ’90s within the cockpits of a few of OC’s greatest captains. 

Duffie got here of age operating the household’s boat, Billfisher. The operation is the stuff of fishing lore: setting white marlin launch data in Ocean Metropolis, successful tournaments all around the world, catching a 1,135-pound blue marlin on the 2021 MidAtlantic. The subsequent yr, Duffie and his crew gained the White Marlin Open after 20 years of competing. 

As of late, along with match fishing, Duffie interprets his ardour and information for operating sport-fishers into constructing them. He’s the principal behind Duffie Boatworks, which is reworking Ocean Metropolis into an emergent hub of customized boatbuilding. 

“We’ve maybe probably the most aggressive match fishing on this planet. The White Marlin Open and the MidAtlantic are out of Ocean Metropolis and Cape Might, New Jersey. There are only a few locations the place you may fish in opposition to 400 boats and probably win $6 million,” Duffie says. “For me, there’s nothing higher than while you flip on the sea buoy and see the Ferris wheel, boardwalk, and all the individuals watching the boats are available. I don’t assume there’s one other inlet on this planet with the draw of Ocean Metropolis.

“Many take what they study right here to different locations, and so Ocean Metropolis has influenced sport fishing world wide.”    

With the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in 1952, and the inflow of highway trippers from Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Ocean Metropolis grew to become a summer season getaway. Over the previous 30 years, Ocean Metropolis has advanced from quiet shoulder seasons to one thing of a year-round attraction for vacationers of all ilks. Scott Lennox owns Fish In OC, a media hub that serves all issues fishing tourism. Lennox and Fish In OC have loved a front-row seat to the transformation. 

“I began in Ocean Metropolis within the early ’90s. We had busy summers, but it surely was gradual sufficient after October that all the stoplights blinked,” Lennox recollects. “Within the early 2000s, Sundown Marina was constructed. That added 200 slips or so, plus a dry stack. That basically elevated the variety of slips and fishing entry. Ocean Metropolis has grown exponentially since then.”

Residence to the White Marlin Open, the full-service Sundown Marina has grow to be a vacation spot in and of itself. The Ocean Metropolis Marlin Membership—an establishment that’s been holding catch data because the Thirties—is true throughout the road. 

Capt. Austin Ensor owns and operates Major Search Sportfishing. His 54-foot Taylor Made is predicated out of Sundown Marina. Ensor places constitution shoppers on the unimaginable array of offshore targets. 

“There’s variety on any finances. Whether or not you could have $40 or $4,000, there’s some fishing for you,” Ensor explains. His typical yr follows the fishing calendar. “In Might and June, we’re trolling for tuna. Journeys run 12 to 16 hours, concentrating on yellowfin. There’s all the time an opportunity for a bigeye too.” Most constitution boats restrict themselves to 12 tuna per boat per day. Twelve yellowfins with a mean of 30 to 50 kilos is about nearly as good because it will get. 

“In July, the mahi present up, and the bigeye come to the canyons in higher numbers. By mid-July, the billfish come to the canyons,” Ensor says. Ocean Metropolis is blessed by proximity to a number of the best backside on the East Coast. From Sundown Marina, Poor Man’s Canyon is round 54 nautical miles. Baltimore Canyon is about 56, and Norfolk Canyon is within the neighborhood of 76 nautical miles. Washington Canyon can also be productive and accessible. 

“Most years, the primary billfish—a white or blue marlin—is caught in June by somebody who’s fishing for tuna,” Ensor explains. “In July, the whites present up, then the blues. In August, 80 p.c of Ocean Metropolis is marlin fishing.” 

A extremely good day white marlin fishing is catching 10. “The Major Search’s greatest day in 2024 was 14 whites and a blue marlin,” Ensor explains. “The common Ocean Metropolis blue marlin runs between 250 and 300 kilos. The highest boat in a yr may catch 10 blue marlin in a season. When it comes to billfish launch numbers in a season, 25 is sweet for somebody beginning out, 50 is de facto nice, and 100 is elite.” The Ocean Metropolis Marlin Membership has awards for boats that launch these numbers.

Just one boat has launched 200 billfish in a season. “That was the Billfisher,” Ensor says. “I consider they’ve executed it six instances.” 

Not solely does Ocean Metropolis host the perfect white marlin fishing on this planet, it’s traditionally good proper now. 

The fishing has modified significantly since Duffie’s early days on the Ocean Metropolis Fishing Heart. These adjustments are measured not merely in catch charges, but additionally in ways and the talent of these concerned. “Within the early ’90s, catching one white marlin was a very good day. Catching three in a day was nice. I keep in mind the primary day we caught double digits,” Duffie says. 

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The white marlin catch numbers at this time relate to most of the identical components which have made Ocean Metropolis’s affect so distinguished. Boats are greater, sooner and have better ranges, permitting anglers to fish the canyons longer. Deal with and applied sciences are drastically improved. The interconnectedness of fishing information has improved how groups method and catch white marlin. 

“In comparison with at this time, we used to make use of such rudimentary sort out—130-pound chief, 9/0 hooks on 30-wides. The dredges we used had been six mullet hung off the cleat on a rope with a cigar lead. And that was cutting-edge,” Duffie says with fun. 

“It was such a unique method of fishing. We had been white marlin fishing at 5.5 knots. The fish would paddle up and take a look at all of the baits. You understand how finicky white marlin could be—they’re much more finicky if you find yourself going gradual.” 

Now they’ve gone lighter and smaller on hooks and leaders. “Circle hooks have executed wonders for the fishery,” Duffie says. The dredges of at this time are a bit completely different too. Duffie provides that these technical and tactical adjustments occurred as a result of “fishermen have branched out. We’ve traveled to Isla Mujeres, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic. We’ve realized the way to fish for numbers and utilized that information to Ocean Metropolis. It has revolutionized the fishing.” 

As of late, reasonably than catching three white marlin on a very good day, crews hope to hook three in a single flip. And with captains and anglers having that sort of hope, you may perceive how Ocean Metropolis’s mystique continues to develop.