Mid-Atlantic $500,000 fishing tournament begins today in Cape May and Maryland

www.pressofatlanticcity.com --The Mid-Atlantic $500,000 big-game fishing tournament begins a five-day run today at the Canyon Club in Cape May and Sunset Marina in Ocean City, Md.

It is the premier ocean competition of the summer each year with phenomenal payoffs and top captains and anglers entered.

Jeff Merrill, a tournament official, said a fleet of at least 130 boats was announced at the captain's meeting Sunday night at the Canyon Club, but Merrill expected the number to be greater after the Sunset Marina entries are totaled up.

This tournament is all about numbers.

Calcutta pool money can bump the prizes way up. The listed purse has $100,000 for first, $50,000 for second and $25,000 for third in blue marlin and white marlin divisions. The tuna prizes are $75,000, $35,000 and $25,000 for bigeye, yellowfin and albcacore only. First-place prizes in wahoo and mahi (dolphin fish) are $10,000 each.

The Island Girl with Andy Polash swept blue marlin last year with 536 and 524 pound fish worth $327,000. The Island Girl is back for this year's tournament, according to Merrill. Fish must be weighed by 9 p.m. daily. The weigh-ins are not open to the public.