Weighing Blues on a Friday

After choppy seas hampered the Thursday morning start, boats reached the fishing grounds a little later than anticipated. With a dozen billfish released by sundown, the first boated blue marlin was reported by eventual tournament champions Wynsong and Capt. Allen Staples.

Angler Reese Johnson and the Destin, FL.-based crew tackled the big blue, estimated at 114”, and put her on the deck of their 80-foot Viking around 9:40 p.m. Thursday night. In just one-half day of fishing, Bay Point proved once again the tournament brings top-level competition to the Panhandle of Florida and the beautiful Emerald Coast. Early the following morning, with release reports already indicating a hot bite, Jolene, a 60-foot Viking out of Sandestin, FL. with Capt. Drew Rhonehouse reported another boated blue marlin by angler Clay Adams with an estimated length of 113”.  After continuing to fish for a few more hours Friday morning, both Wynsong and Jolene reported they were heading back to the scales at Point South Marina at Bay Point to weigh their catches.

Word travels fast in the Bay Point area when it involves billfish and the crowd quickly swelled in anticipation.  When the weigh scales opened at 4:00 p.m., Jolene was in the harbor and ready. 

Angler Clay Adams and crew took the early lead and celebrated their 514.6-pound blue marlin.  Jolene would eventually walk away with the second-place blue marlin trophy and $167,280 in prize money. Moments later, Wynsong turned at the scales, and weighmaster Jack Teschel called out the winning weight for their blue marlin, which was 567.4 pounds. Wynsong eventually took home the first-place trophy and a whopping $289,320, but they had to dodge one more marlin caught Saturday morning.  The last blue marlin was brought to the scales Saturday evening on the Wainwright’s 68’ Viking, Done Pickin’, with Capt. Jordan Hutchison and angler Kyle Smith. Done Pickin’s blue weighed 463.3 pounds, good for the third-place trophy in the blue marlin division. 

The prestigious Catch and Release division was won this year by Destin, FL.-based Team Supreme, a 72 Viking with Capt. Chase Lake. Angler Alex Krake had a phenomenal weekend of reeling in billfish, including five blue marlins, a white marlin, and a sailfish.  Team Supreme ended up with 3,350 release points to take home the first-place release trophy and $153,675 in prize money.  

Next, the Orange Beach, AL. crew of Southern Charm/All-In, with defending release champion and angler/owner Gregg Trenor onboard, led by Capt. Landon Bell released four blues for a total of 2,400 release points and took home the second-place release trophy and a check for $65,205. Southern Charm/All-In is a 63 Hatteras GT owned in partnership by Ron Davis and Gregg Trenor. 

Third-place honors in the release division went to Home Made, a 64 Winter custom out of Orange Beach, AL. with Capt. Adam McGugin at the helm.  Angler Adam Davidson had a weekend of his own, releasing three blue marlins and a white marlin for a total of 2,000 release points. In a dramatic finish, Davidson released a blue marlin very late on the last day to jump over five teams to get to the third position and garnered them a check for $27,270 and the third-place release trophy. 

Angler West Rushton, fishing aboard Hot Rod with Capt. Stewart Fickel, boated a 64.3-pound wahoo. That second-place overall wahoo, plus an overall third-place dolphin (30.0 pounds) and nicely placed optional entries, resulted in a sizable paycheck of $129,375. Hot Rod is a Sasser, Georgia-based team fishing a 56 Viking. 

Rising Sons, riding along with Capt. Cricket Crochet bagged a hefty 181.8-pound yellowfin tuna to take first-place honors in the tuna division and a check for $128,025.  Louisiana-based lady angler Jaselyn Berthelot, onboard her dad Toby Berthelot’s 58 Viking, also released a blue marlin to go with her giant tuna. 

A couple of teams scored fat checks without placing in the tournament awards. Sylacauga, Alabama-based team, on their 66 Viking, Fat Chick, had some well-placed optional entries to earn $81,270. Angler William Gaston, with Capt. Pip Al-Jazra, at the helm, boated two very nice tuna (111.0 pounds and 157.8 pounds) to take down some large tuna pots. Last to the scales, Relentless Pursuit, a 95 Jim Smith, with angler Tim Peltela, weighed a 45.7-pound tuna and 39.9-pound wahoo to take optional entry dollars totaling $59,490.

Capt. Patrick Ivie on Orange Beach-based Breathe Easy, a 72 Viking, put angler Craig Smith on the tournament’s heaviest dolphin at 41.8 pounds. That catch and 1,950 release points hit third in division 2 release to earn the team a payout of $45,000. Barefoot Drive, with angler William Thomas, weighed a 45.0-pound wahoo to take third place in overall wahoo. That catch brought the team $42,300.  Hey Jack, won the first-place overall wahoo trophy and $28,800 with angler Strother Allen’s 69.9 wahoo. Fall Line, with Pelagic-sponsored junior angler Jonah Smith, is fishing aboard their 60 Jim Smith with Capt. Brennan Moore, landed another big tuna at 158.9 pounds. Jonah’s tuna took third-place overall tuna and a check for $22,050. Devotion and Capt. Jason Hallmark put angler Josh Tice onto the second-place overall tuna weighing 162.9 pounds. Lori McDowell fishing aboard Lifeline with Capt. Blake Bridges won second-place overall dolphin with her 37.6-pound fish. 

In other optional categories, the non-sonar, winner-take-all release prize went to Ellie B and Capt. Jeremy Mullis. Team Ellie B released two blue marlins for a total of 1,200 points. 

The non-sonar heaviest fish category went to Intense, with their 51.4-pound tuna. Led by Capt./Owner Neal Foster, fishing on a 44 Contender, angler Josh Collier reeled in the tuna to pick up $10,755. 

Jaselyn Berthelot, fishing on Rising Sons, was named the Top Lady Angler for the tournament.  Jaselyn released a blue marlin for 600 points and had the tournament-winning tuna at 181.8 pounds. Liam O’Brien was named the Top Junior Angler. Competing onboard Panhandler, a 63 Hatteras GT based in Pensacola, with Capt. Nick Millsap, Liam released a blue marlin worth 600 points to take the junior honors. Congratulations to Jaselyn and Liam!

In another special moment for the Bay Point Billfish Open, Capt. Allen Staples of team Wynsong was presented with the annual Tommy Browning Top Captain Trophy. 

An all-time Bay Point tournament record 80 boats competed in the 2024 edition of the Bay Point Billfish Open, angling for a share of $1,539,150 in prize money, also a tournament record.  Sixteen bronze trophies were presented to the winners for their first, second, or third-place finishes, along with the three special categories of Junior Angler, Lady Angler, and Top Captain. The fleet released 73 billfish for a 96% release rate, including 45 blues, 16 white, and 12 sailfish. In the gamefish tallies, 17 wahoos were weighed, along with 16 tuna and 10 dolphins.

The 3rd edition of the Bay Point Billfish Open is slated for June 25-29, 2025.