OCEAN CITY, Md.-Tuesday kicked off the second day of The World's Largest Billfish Tournament the White Marlin Open.
On the line this year is over $3 million in prize money. On Monday no white marlin qualified for the leader board. A 551lb blue marlin topped the leaderboard.
On Monday 294 of 307 boats hit the water, but Tuesday was a much different story only five boats went out due to the weather and choppy water.
Jim Lledo has been fishing in the White Marlin Open for years. He was once a part of the winning tuna division.
"Once you get a taste of $270,000 it pays for a lot of entry fees for the next 10 years. I've been known to wager once in a while, so combining fishing and a little bit of gambling, friends, and family, I have a blast. I've been doing it for over 10 years, and God willing I'll be doing it for another 10 years," said Lledo.
Mary Joe Beach was waiting for hours prior to the docks opening on Tuesday. She said she was hoping to see some big fish.
"Where else can you see such big fish come in? Yesterday was opening day, and we saw every type of fish wahoo, white Marlin, blue Marlin, and we didn't see a shark, and that why we're here. Parking is at a premium so we come and lay our blanket out and just enjoy the afternoon," said Beach.
It isn't all about the fish at the White Marlin Open. It's also a great week for many local businesses who set up pop up shops around the docks.
Barbara McGinley has helped run the t shirt stand for over 30 years and it's her favorite week of the year.
"It's just the camaraderie of us working together and it's festive attitude. Everyone enjoys themselves. You can see the families enjoying themselves with their children. Maybe it's their first time here, but seeing how much they enjoy it, and they get a lot out of it, and we enjoy them," said McGinley.
The scales are open untill Friday at the White Marlin Open in Ocean City.
