Angler Loses $1.4 Million by 9 Minutes!

It took only one day -- including nine minutes of sheer angst -- for the world's richest marlin-fishing competition to produce Hollywood-style drama and extreme disappointment. Eight large marlin were weighed last Wednesday, for considerable riches, during the first day of the three-day Bisbee's Black & Blue jackpot tournament off Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The big one didn't get away, but the prize money did.

That's an 800 lb. (363 kg.) marlin hanging up at the Cabo San Lucas weigh-in. Look closely and you'll see a couple of people are not smiling. Angler Carl Riley is in back at left in a black shirt.

by Capt. Dave Lear and Pete Thomas, GrindTV.com--

103 boats took part in the tournament out of Cabo San Lucas.

It was a day for the record books and a night to remember. Following the most marlin ever weighed during a single day in its 30-year history, the real drama of Day One of the 2010 Bisbee's Black & Blue came shortly after the scales closed at 9 p.m. local time.

That's when Carl Riley and his team aboard Great Escape, a 40-foot Cabo, weighed the largest fish of the day, an 800-pound blue marlin. The fish was finally landed 5 1/2 hours after it became tail-wrapped and died. Because Great Escape did not make it to the weigh station in time, the fish does not count in the standings.

"I'm not in shape for this and I'm absolutely exhausted right now," Riley said with a tired grin afterwards. "This is the biggest fish I've ever caught and this is my first Bisbee's. It was a total team effort to get this fish in. I just wish I'd spent a few more days in the gym beforehand so we could have landed it sooner." The huge crowd at the Puerto Paraiso Mall cheered when the weight was announced by Tournament Director Wayne Bisbee.

The losing fish -- an 800 lb. blue marlin arriving at the weigh-in station 9 minutes late.

Being late to the weigh-in - the big marlin was brought to the scale nine minutes past the 9 p.m. deadline - disqualifed a catch that would have netted the team from Texas more than $430,000.

What's more disappointing for Team Great Escape is that if no other team beats that weight during the remainder of the competition -- and marlin that large are rarely caught off Cabo San Lucas -- the catch would have been worth $1 million or more.

Carl Riley, the angler who fought the blue marlin, told a Pisces Sportfishing representative during the late weigh-in, "I just want a massage and to go to bed."

The fishermen, who comprise one of 103 teams vying for more than $2 million in prize money, were aware that a 599-pound marlin, caught earlier Wednesday aboard the vessel Reelaxe, was the fish to beat when the 800-pounder struck a large lure being trolled behind the boat.

It was about 3 p.m. and the team was more than 20 miles north of Cabo in the Sea of Cortez. Time should not have been a factor but Riley and the crew did not count on the marlin dying at great depth during the fight.

IGFA Rules

Because the person fighting the fish cannot accept assistance from teammates, Riley was saddled with the task of reeling in 800 pounds of dead weight against an opposing current, and many times felt like giving up.

When the marlin was finally aboard, the team had only an hour to get back in the darkness. Word had spread of the giant marlin coming ashore and about 1,000 people gathered around the dock-side scale.

"I spoke to the crew on the phone and was told, 'It's a really big fish -- 700 or 800 pounds,' " Tracy Ehrenberg, general manager of the Pisces fleet, said on the landing's blog.

Tournament director Wayne Bisbee was among those on the dock, official timepiece in hand.

"We willed them to go faster and imagined we would see their lights at any second," wrote Ehrenberg, whose business charters the Great Escape. "But it was not to be. The 9 p.m. deadline came and the fish was disqualified. The boat came into view nine minutes after 9 to everybody's dismay... well, except the team that was now in first place."

That was the team aboard Reelaxe, who through late-morning Thursday was still in the overall lead. However, Team Great Escape at mid-morning Thursday boated a 430-pound marlin, which it hoped would hold as the largest of Day 2 and ensure it at least earns a slice of the Black & Blue pie.

30th Year for Tournament

The Bisbee's competition, which attracts anglers from around the world, is in its 30th year and famous for producing drama and controversy.

Epic battles between man and fish have raged long into the darkness. Accusations of cheating have flown, and because of the amount of money involved, winning teams must pass lie-detector tests to determine if all rules were followed. One of many classic stories involved an angler who failed the test, became belligerent and smashed the windows of the hotel that served as tournament headquarters.

First-place prize money varies from year to year, depending on the number of entries and how many side jackpots a winning team has entered. A record check of $2,162,035 was written to the winners in 2008.

Spreading the Wealth

October 24, 2010 — by Capt. Dave Lear

With the boom of fireworks still echoing off the nearby mountains, people slowly began leaving the stage and banquet tables for the trek to nearby hotels and bars. As the 30th edition of the Bisbee's Black & Blue Marlin Jackpot Tournament came to a close late last night, one thing was apparent by the large number of giant plastic checks being toted away--nearly $2 million goes a long way when it's split among multiple teams.

"Please bear with us, as we've got a lot of checks to give away tonight," Tournament Director Wayne Bisbee told the crowd dining on the Puerto Pariaso Mall boardwalk overlooking the harbor. "It's been a good week and we're spreading the wealth around."

Michael "Buzz" Colton and his crew aboard C-Bandit were the top winners, money-wise. They pocketed $614,613 and claimed the third place tournament award and several daily jackpot categories after weighing a black marlin that tipped the scales at 549 pounds.

The 10 Brothers Fishing Team from Chicago also scored a nice payout with angler John Boratto's 484-pound black marlin. Competing aboard Dream Weaver, the siblings and brothers-in-law came in fourth in the overall tournament awards category, along with dailies. The team's total winnings equaled $440,238.

A 427-pound black marlin earned Team Tiger Spirit $255,000 after the $10,000 Daily Jackpot rolled over. Luis Alberto Liera Cesena reeled in the fish aboard the 72-foot Donzi.

John Stonecipher and Team Rehab took home a bunch of trophies after landing two blacks (560 and 347 pounds) during the three fishing days. Those two fish and daily jackpots earned first place tournament honors and $254,905 in prize money. The team will represent the B&B in the IGFA Offshore World Championship next year in Cabo.

Based on several categories, including second place tournament and daily jackpots, the multi-national team aboard Reelaxe won $176,530 after weighing the largest qualifying fish of the week, a 599-pound black marlin.

Chuck Grieger and his SoCal/Cabo team aboard Sporty Game took the Day 2 $10,000 jackpot prize after landing a 426-pound blue marlin. Sporty Game's winnings totaled $127,500.

El Lobo, skippered by Capt. F. McGrew Rice, claimed first place and $37,846 in the release division after catching two blue marlin based on time. El Lobo also released a pair of ineligible striped marlin. Auriga also scored two blue marlin releases, good for second place, while Mobius won the third place trophy.

A total of 103 boats with more than 450 anglers aboard competed in this year's event. Contestants caught 78 billfish, including 33 blue marlin and 13 blacks. It was sponsored by Cabo Riviera, Baja Cantina, Hotel Buena Vista Resort and the Bahia Hotel. The Black & Blue is the last leg of the Bisbee's Baja series. The East Cape Offshore and Los Cabos Offshore tournaments comprise the balance.

The Black & Blue has come a long way from its humble beginning. Since the first event in 1980 (with six boats and $10,000), $51 million in total prize money has been awarded, earning the title of the richest fishing tournament in the world.

"We had no idea it would ever turn out like this," said founder Bob Bisbee. "It started as a fun thing to do and just grew. When it became a full-time job, Wayne and Tricia took over and it really took off. It's always been a family affair, plus I've made a lot of great friends over the years. It's really been a lot of fun."