Wet-N-Wild gets 460-pounder in Big Rock on Friday

Chris Miller
The Daily News

MOREHEAD CITY — This meant a lot to Joseph Engleby.
Though the angler aboard the Atlantic Beach-based Wet-N-Wild didn’t reel in the biggest blue marlin of the 52nd annual Big Rock Blue Marlin, his catch of 460 pounds Friday was good enough for Engleby for a couple of reasons.

First, the 460-pounder put Wet-N-Wild in third place behind Citation’s tournament-record 883 and second-place Carnivore (528 pounds) from Morehead City. That doesn’t sound like much, but consider this: the Wet-N-Wild is in position to claim $144,380 of the tournament’s $1.66 million purse.

But there was another thing Engleby took great pride while he, Captain Tony Ross and the crew celebrated their catch.
“I grew up in Beaufort dreaming of fishing in this tournament,” said Engleby, who now lives in Nazareth, Pa. “And then all of the sudden I meet a great group of guys and they embrace me like brothers. This has been a great experience and, oh, my gosh it’s such a great feeling.”
This marked the first time Ross, of Beaufort, captained a crew that reeled in a big blue, despite having participated in the Big Rock the last nine years. Yet, the spotlight was clearly on Engleby, who embraced his roots and seemed thrilled to have made the Carteret County locals proud of his catch.

“You dream about it and now it’s something that’s hard to describe,” Engleby said. “You hear that your friends and your family are waiting for us. That’s means everything.”
Wet-N-Wild boated the marlin at 2:03 p.m. and reached the scales nearly 2 1/2 hours later. The fish measured 107 inches in length, unofficially, which is 3 inches under the length required by the tournament. But it was well over the 400 pounds needed to qualify.
“I knew it would be a nice fish,” Ross said. “We figure it was around 450 pounds when we measured it.”
Prior to the marlin, Wet-N-Wild had just reeled in a 62.8-pound tuna, which took over first place in that category. The catch will be worth an extra $6,077 for the crew if it holds.
“We had just gotten off the tuna and had a bit of a lull, then he came,” Engleby said. “It was 100 yards starboard when it danced back around. I thought he would take every bit of the reel off the line.”

Ross elaborated on where his crew actually went.
“We made a long run today, and we made the decision last night to go to the Eastern wall,” he said. “And that’s where we went.”
Then it was game on for Engleby and the marlin.
“It was a fight to bring it in,” he said. “I flip a lot of tires … and carry heavy logs and that helps me a lot.”
But while Engleby took the spotlight Friday, the angler of the week remains Citation’s Andy Thomossan, who reeled in Hatteras-based boat’s 883-pounder Monday. Citation fished Friday and will again today and is in position to win $912,825. Carnivore is in position to win $217,570.
Fishing on the last day is not unusual for the leading boat because it gives the first-place crew a chance to take their minds off the chance of winning. However, Thomossan said he hasn’t been on edge and he won’t be today.

“It’s not nerve-racking. What it is, is what it is,” said Thomossan in a telephone interview Friday. “You go out and catch a fish like that, that’s a once in a lifetime deal and the thrill of the catch is the significant factor. We will fish (today).”
And while Thomossan hasn’t been nervous, he said he and his mates have checked for updates when other boats bring in a marlin.
“We were out in the boat (Tuesday) and there was no way to follow other than the captain (Eric Holmes) knowing someone had boated (a) fish,” Thomossan said. “When we got to the harbor we went on the Big Rock Web site and said ‘OK’ they didn’t beat us and we are still on top.

“Today the same thing happened. I saw on the computer (Wet-N-Wild’s catch).”
Captain Lacy Henry of Atlantic Beach and the Miss Judy leads in the billfish released category with two blue marlin. Defending tournament champion Sea Creature, captained by Steve Coulter of Hatteras, has led in the winner-take-all dolphin division (52.4) since Monday



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