# MBGFC Million Dollar Marlin



## Bryan Bennett (Dec 29, 2007)

Good morning, all...well, it's the middle of May and the thoughts of many of our customers have turned to bluewater fishing. A brief report: I talked with my buddy Angelo DePaola yesterday here at the store. He related that he and a couple of buddies had fished a large wreck off Dauphin Island that was loaded with little bullet bonitos. They live-baited and trolled and caught a 57-pound king mackerel, several big wahoo, and a smattering of amberjack. Nice trip! Congratulations are in order to my friend Dana Foster, who owns the 45' Cabo "Born2Run" out of Gulf Breeze, Florida. They tagged a real pretty blue marlin at the Ram Powell the other day. They estimated the fish at 300 pounds...I saw pictures of the fish and it was really lit up and healthy-looking. Good going! On another note, I wanted to pass along that we here at Sam's, in conjunction with Shimano, have joined up with the Mobile Big Game Fishing Club (www.mbgfc.org) as the *presenting sponsor of the Million Dollar Marlin* in this year's Memorial Day and Labor Day tournaments. The way this works is that if the State Record blue marlin is brought to the dock at either of these tournaments, the angler wins a cash prize of one million dollars. Not a bad deal. If you think about it, this is really an attainable feat, considering the fact that Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana all have state records of over 1000 pounds...Alabama's is just shy of 800 and we're all fishing the same areas of the Gulf, really. Another thing about the million dollar marlin is that this prize allows ordinary bluewater anglers the opportunity to fish the MBGFC tourneys with only the entry fee...you don't have to put big money in the Calcutta to have a shot at hitting the jackpot! I don't believe you've got to go far, either, to be in grander marlin territory. Just about every year I hear stories of giant fish being seen, hooked, caught and released, etc. right here close at the Nipple, 131 Hole, Elbow and Spur areas. Shoot, a few years ago I was fishing with Rookie just north of the Spur and we had a big blue eat a wahoo we had hooked. We weren't more than 50 miles from the pass. Of course, we didn't get a good hook in the fish, but we all saw it, called her 600 plus, but who can say how big they are in the water when they're that big? Anyway, weather permitting, it should be a fun bluewater season and we're hoping that tournament turnouts will be good...we're stocked to the gills here at Sam's in Orange Beach for all your offshore fishing needs. If we can help, email us or give us a call at (251) 981-4245. Good luck!


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## Xanadu (Oct 1, 2007)

The MBGFC tournaments are a class act. You are correct that the structure allows great payoffs without having to invest $10k in entry fees and another $30k or more in Calcuttas. By having a low entry and variety of calcuttas it allows small and big boats - rich and small - to compete.



Congratulations on the Million Dollar Marlin sponsorship. Perhaps you'd take the time to give us a rules summary.


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## Bryan Bennett (Dec 29, 2007)

Xanadu, the million dollar marlin prize is actually guaranteed by an insurance policy that the Club purchases annually. If someone is lucky enough to win, the million dollars is paid out over 20 years as an annuity...still a great deal...I'd love to have a $50,000 head start every year for twenty. Anyway, all the rules can be found on the MBGFC's web site www.mbgfc.org The two big factors are complying with IGFA rules and Alabama's rules for establishing a new state record. If you tournament fish, it is imperative to know IGFA rules for angling, which can be found in PDF format on their site www.igfa.org The state record requirements can be found here http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/saltwater/I will say this: typically all regional tournaments base their rules on an IGFA format, but most do not go to quizzing entrants about leader lengths, line test, hook rigs, etc. However, it is my belief that since the million dollar prize is backed by an insurance policy, if a claim is placed when somone breaks the state record, I am fairly certain that the underwriters will want to make sure all the I's were dotted and T's crossed...in other words, I'd have everything rigged in compliance to the letter of the IGFA rulebook if I were competing for the million bucks...be ready to show the equipment you landed her on, everything from rod, reel, line, leader, lure, hook, fly gaff, etc. *Just be in the know*...anyway, good luck to all. Bryan Bennett, Sam's (251) 981-4245


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## dpewitt (Oct 26, 2007)

Well I guess I needto go buymillion dollar boat to catch a million dollar marlin! :letsdrink:reallycrying It's quite the Paradox. Good luck to all and this sounds like a heck of a deal!


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## Boardfeet (Sep 27, 2007)

We will be fishing that tournament aboard the "Game On"

Got a full crew now, hope we can put a mil. in the bank!!


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## Bryan Bennett (Dec 29, 2007)

Boardfeet, that surely is a beautiful vessel in the photo...forgive my ignorance, but what is the make?


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## Xanadu (Oct 1, 2007)

Thanks, Bryan. I was hoping you'd explain the facts as you did. 



Anybody can win 1 million if they follow the rules and catch a big one and the biggest fish I've ever seen in the Gulf was about 5 miles east of the 131. Dataman got one they guessed at close to 1000 at the nipple a couple of years ago and there is no reason to expect that a lucky crew can't get an 800 and $1,000,000 if they understand and follow the rules.


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## Boardfeet (Sep 27, 2007)

Custom boat built in Key West.. same builder as Hog Wild and Mother load...He also built Ray Rosiers boat.


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## Feeding Frenzy (Feb 26, 2008)

Bryan,

Do you still have to leave from an Alabama port to be eligible?


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## Bryan Bennett (Dec 29, 2007)

I have not read the Alabama State Record Rules as shown on the outdooralabama.com site in a while, however, I do believe that you must leave from an Alabama port and return to an Alabama port without making landfall in another state...that would include fueling in the River, to my understanding. Check the aforementioned sites so that you can see the rules for yourself, though. As Xanadu and I have been discussing, the rules can make all the difference...it would surprise you some of the things I see that are not in compliance with IGFA regs, things that some folks just take for granted, such as hook rigs and leader lengths, especially. Kind of tedious to sift through the IGFA literature, but certainly worth it if you expect to contend for the big payoff. Good luck and stay dry today.


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