Evening star., 1961-08-13
DOR SEASON so FAR
POOR SEASON SO FAR
When Marlin Won't Take the Bait,
It's Coptoin Who May Get Hooked
By CHARLES COVELL
Star outdoor Editor

OSSA4N NAA Il MQ., aug. IL.
Sure, marlin fishing is ex-
pensive. Charters out of this
so-called white marlin capital
Of the world run 500 a day
plus.
Divided among the maxi
mum of five persons, that's
$40 each. The plus represents
at least a 50 tip per person
for the mate and such essen
tials as food and drink Gun
less, of course, you figure on
getting so seaSick you won't
want to eat or drink.
Practically speaking, though,
five are too many. Only four
can fish at any one time, so
the fifth has to take turns.
Therefore, most of the parties
are made up of four persons
or sometimes less.
That's fine for an occasional
trip because even the average
fisherman usually can afford
it. But the joker lies in the
stubbornness of Mr.. Average
Fisherman and the perversity
Of white marlin.
Often Takes Many Trips
Someone with an especially
potent rabbits foot might get
a marlin on the first time
out. More often it takes sew
eral trips and sometimes many.
Once Mr.. Average Fisherman
sees a marlin tail-walking on
the end Of someone else's line,
he himself is hooked. He's got
to have one.
With charter rates like that,
you think the captains are get
ting rich? Not by any means.
This season the charter busi-
ness is riskier than trying to
guess what Khrushchev will
say next.
If it hadn't been for a good
run of tuna and some pretty
fair bluefishing, the whole
charter fleet would have been
growing barnacles since spring.
The marlin usually arrive in
late June. BY mid-July the
fishing is really hot. This sea-
son they arrived late "a tardy
spring and cold water, the cap
.tains think and up to now
the fishing has been spotty.
One day the boats may have
a big day. landing up to four
marlin each along with some
dolphin and perhaps a wahoo,
and the next draw a blank.
Rates Set by Club
The catch by this time in
other seasons would have to-
tailed several hundred. This
year it's not much past the
hundred mark.
Ocean City's charter boat
rates are set by the Marlin
Club, an organization set up
by the captains to forestall
haggling over prices and to
see that none takes unfair ad-
vantage of the other. They all
start for the Jack Spot or
wherever they are going at the
same time each morning and
return at the same time each
evening.
Rates of offshore boats out
of other ports run $40 to $50
per day. Many Of these, though,
are Single-engined and repre-
sent not nearly the investment
made in Ocean City's modern,
dual-engined fleet.
Tournaments help. One of
these, the annual derby of the
Ocean City Light Tackle Club,
mostly made up of Washing
ton anglers. took place re-
Gently. Thirty anglers, divided
among 10 boats, participated.
1t was won by Ed Joy of Wash
ington, a comparative new
conner who caught his first
marlin early in July.
Wins on Bonus Points
Joy took two marlin but de-
feated Bill Lane, who also
caught two, on a bonus point
basis. Jim O'Donnell was third
but also won a prize for a
32-pound dolphin. All fish, as
is the clubs practice, were re-
leased to fight another day.
But tournaments do not al
ways help fellows like Dee
-Harpham, skipper of Sea
Queen II. Ocean City's fleet is
large and chartering of 10
boats for the derby only puts
dent in it.
MANY WdSHlngCOnlanS prop
ably have seen Dee. although
they might not recognize him.
He is a former slide trom-'
bonist in the Marine Band who
retired as a master sergeant
in 1949. His home is in Dillon
Park, near Suitland. and his
brother, Dale L. Harpham, now
is second leader of the Marine
Band.
I'D had my fill of from
boning," Dee says, land I'd
learned about Chesapeake Bay
fishing while I was with the