The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1954-08-20
ANGLERS CATCH
HUGE FISH SAT.
IN DARE WATERS
Four Blue Marlin and Other
Billfishes Are Landed

the largest sail, being seven foot
and 10 inches long, were landed
in Dare coast waters off Oregon
Inlet and Hatteras during the
past week. The two largest of
the billfishes taken were blue
marlin, 425-pounder off Oregon
Inlet and a 391 FOUNDER off Hat
teras. During the week end three
blue marlin were brought in to
Oregon Inlet fishing Center by
anglers trolling in waters east
southeast of the Inlet. One, 39l-
FOUNDER was caught by DR.. j. c.
Overbey, Norfolk dentist, fishing
from his private cruiser the
Snapper II" of Hatteras.
Largest blue of the week was
425-pounder, landed by DR.. E. w.
Strickland of Zuni, Va. He was
trolling with skipped bait "a soft
rubber west coast flying fish in
the vicinity of Wimble Shoals,
when the big fish hit and after
setting the hook, he played the
big fish for three hours and fifty
one minutes before it was boated
by his shippers, Captains Les and
Girls Evans of the cruiser Ranger.
The big blue measuring IL foot
and six inches from tip to tip,
had a girth of 4815 inches and
tailspread of 431s inches. This
catch was made on Saturday.
Also on Saturday, Dick Broad
of Newport News hooked and
brought to gaff a 100 pound blue
marlin in almost the same waters
where the bigger fish was taken.
Broad was trollin with skipped
bait from the cruiser Chez Chez
of Wanchese, skippered by Capt.
Willie Etheridge, Jr. 1t was the
second blue marlin of the week
to be landed by anglers on the
Chez Chez.
On Thursday, Charlest T. Pat
ten of Warwick, Va, trolling
from the Chez Chez, hooked and
landed a 1872 pound blue marlin.
This fish made history. 1t was the
first blue marlin ever landed
with rod and reel by an agler
aboard fishing boat operating
out of Oregon Inlet.
The three fish landed off Ore
gon Inlet in the vicinity of VIM
BILE Shoals during the past week
was by no means the first to
ever be landed off the Dare
Coast. Already this year three
blue marlin, a 180-pounder, one
that scaled at 442 pounds and
another, a 391 pounde blue mar
lin landed on Friday August Is,
have been taken. Last year two
of the national prize winning
blue martins were taken off Hat
teras, the largest in the world
to be taken by an angler with
rod and reel during 1888, being
the 57O1a FOUNDER hooked and
boated by DIR. Overbey.
DR.. Overbey's big blue taken
on Friday Second he has landed
off Hatteras this season. weighed
only 391 pounds, despite the fact
that it measured IL feet and
three inches from tip to tip. A
peculiar fact that it was beakless.
How it lost its beak which had
started growing back again was
mystery. The fact that its beak,
(Which should have measured
about 18 to 20 inches) was miss
ing was probably responsible for
the fish scaling so little. 1t was
thin, underfed looking marlin
and the general concensus was
that since through some mari
time accident, the big fish had
been unable to kill the food nee
essary to keep its weight up to
normal.
Sailfishes and White Marlin
Fact that four blue marlin
were taken during the week and
two on one day which is record
| for north of Bimini waters, nc
accurate count was kept of the
white marlin and sailfishes, also
classed as billfishes, which were
landed.
At least six white marlin anc
a dozen or more sails have beer
landed off the Dare Coast in Gull
Stream waters near Oregon In
| let and Hatteras Inlet since Au
gust /. The largest sail was
seven foot, eight inch specimar
brought into Dykes Fishing Cen
ter by L M Ship of the Wash
ington, D. c. area. He was troll
ing from Dan Lewark's boat the
Rita, which later in the week
accounted for at least one white
marlin.
Several boats operating from
Oregon Inlet Fishing Center
brought in sails or blue marlin
during the week and it was the
same story in the Hatteras area,
where cruisers base at Blue
Marlin Fishing Center, or Fos-