OCEAN CITY, Md. -- Monday marked the first day of fishing for the 52nd Annual White Marlin Open. There is more than $7 million worth of prize money on the line this year, but if fishermen are hoping to crack the leaderboard and walk away richer than they came in, they'll likely have to endure some rough waters.
282 boats registered for the tournament, and a little less than half went out fishing on Monday.
128 boats opted for an early start to the week, leaving 154 teams to hang back at the docks. Among them is the crew onboard the White Lightning.
"Tuesday, Wednesday looks like they're both doable," said Phil Knapp. "Wednesday is going to be a little bumpier, going into Thursday, Friday, not looking so good."
Knapp and his fellow crewmembers are monitoring a tropical depression that they expect will hit miles and miles off Ocean City's coast later in the week.
Typically, by hanging back on Monday, with Thursday and Friday likely off the table, the White Lightning crew would have risked missing out on a third, potentially crucial day of fishing.
This year, however, they can be patient.
"They extended the tournament for the weekend, which is the first year they've ever gave us a full weekend. I think they've done a day before, but never the whole weekend," said Knapp. "As of late last night, it looks like that tropical depression is going to be by us by the weekend, and Saturday, Sunday definitely look doable, there's going to be a lot of traffic, but, you know, it is what it is."
Fishermen aren't the only ones keeping tabs on the weather.
The Ocean City Fire Department has to be prepared for rough seas and heavy boat traffic, which means the department's rescue boats will need to be handy should anything happen.
"We see a lot more boating traffic during this time of year, we see a lot of spectators along the jetty rocks, along the Route 50 Bridge, so by having our boat prepared and staffed and ready to go, it allows us to respond much quicker," said Ryan Whittington, OCFD's Community and Department Engagement Officer.
The White Marlin Open festivities are just starting. Still, the projected forecast could make things interesting as we stretch into the week.