Hold on folks. Citation’s 883 Blue and $950K prize may be at jeopardy. Rumors are swirling, but it is officially under review.
Anything from out of bounds to no fishing license. This could be VERY costly.
ouch! no fishing license for one of the crew… They get stripped of evrything and no money…
http://www.jdnews.com/sports/rock-79581-city-rules.html
I’ve spent about 85% of my life’s wages on fishing, the rest I just wasted…
I was home in Hatteras Village this weekend for our family reunion and that was the buzz on the docks yesterday- sucks big for Citation but the rules is the rules! That’s a lot of money to leave on the table over a $30 fishing license.
Mike Austin
“HATTERASER”
That one crew member has to feel like a dumb ass. Here’s the story: http://www.enctoday.com/sports/class-88401-nbsj-bodycopyrag-big.html
JACKSONVILLE - The lack of a $15 fishing license cost the Citation $912,825, not to mention first place and a spot in the record books in the 52nd annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament.
Ouch? You bet so.
“It hurts,” said angler Andy Thomossan, who caught a record 883-pound blue marlin Monday that he and everyone else bet would win the $1.66 million tournament. “No record. No money. No fish. No nothing. Yep, it’s a nice ending to the story, isn’t it?”
Not for Thomossan and Co.
The Citation’s victory was initially put on hold Saturday night during the awards banquet and a day later erased by Big Rock officials because of a rule violation. Big Rock officials didn’t return numerous messages Sunday from the Jacksonville Daily News.
But Thomossan, 63, who lives in Richmond, Va., confirmed the Hatteras-based Citation had been stripped of the victory, the prize money and the record because a crew member didn’t have a fishing license.
“We didn’t do anything wrong. But one of our people did. He failed to get a fishing license, but we didn’t know it. He told us he had it. He didn’t. So you take a man for his word, you know? I can’t do anything. They made their decision,” Thomossan said, referring to the Big Rock board of directors.
“They’re taking it away, everything. The fish is disqualified. We’re disqualified. So that’s the end of it. Yeah, wow. That hurts. To have it done it like that…, to have somebody beat me because they caught the caught (a bigger) fish is not so bad, but…,” he said, his voice trailing off without completing his thought.
A North Carolina Coastal Recreational Fishing License costs $15 annually for state residents 16 and older or $30 for nonresidents, according to the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Web site. A 10-day license can also be purchased for $5 for state residents 16 and older or $10 for nonresid
Mate Identified:
http://www.jdnews.com/news/news-79639-fishing-alexandria.html
Meg Watson
Charter Coordinator
Bohicket Marina
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http://www.thebigrock.com/news/2010/06/press-release-june-22-2010
June 22, 2010
PRESS RELEASE
After interviewing members of the crew of the fishing vessel “Citation”, review of the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament rules, consulting the division of Marine Fisheries as well as the North Carolina Attorney General’s office, it is apparent that there has been a substantial violation of Tournament rules. The Board of Directors has unanimously determined that they have no choice but to disqualify the 883 pound blue marlin caught on June 14, 2010. The rule violation did not involve “dishonesty” or “cheating” on the part of the owners or angler of the “Citation”.
The rule violation involves the “mate” not having a Coastal Recreational Fishing License. This license is required by North Carolina law. It is required by the Tournament as written in our rules. Participants and crew were reminded of the license requirement at the Captains meeting prior to the Tournament. The mate engaged in fishing activities without a valid license and later obtained a license at 5:51 pm while heading to the weigh station. The fish was boated at 3:16 pm.
This is an unfortunate situation for the crew of “Citation” as well as the Tournament itself. For the integrity of the Tournament, Big Rock has no choice but to enforce the rules and disqualify the fish.
Because of this disqualification, The Big Rock Board of Directors declare Carnivore in 1st Place with their 528.3 pound blue marlin and in 2nd Place Wet-N-Wild with their 460 pound blue marlin.
Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament Board of Directors-
I don’t know any of these people and have only fished a few gov cup tournys but I feel bad for that mate. seems like such a waste to DQ over a trivial rule like that. come on it’s fishing…i could understand if it was too long a double line or leader or assisting angler in fight etc… but over a $15 fishing license. guess rules are rules but it seems like too many useless ones.