October 16, 2011 | Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico | Capt. Dave Lear

What a difference three pounds makes. The local boat Fisherman missed the qualifying weight by that amount late yesterday afternoon when their black marlin registered 297 pounds, just shy of the 300-pound minimum. That discrepancy cost the team nearly $170,000 in prize money as the 10th annual Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore tournament concluded. No eligible marlin were brought in during the two-day event.

“It was close, very close,” said Tournament Director Wayne Bisbee afterwards. “I thought that fish was going to make the cut.” Angler Hugo Pino was left wondering what might have been.

Like the first day of fishing, tuna were the big story again Sunday as the daily lead changed several times throughout the day. Paul Christman, fishing aboard EZ-Duz-It, got the tuna roll going when he weighed in a 133-pounder Sunday morning. The team immediately went back out in search of a bigger prize. They would later weigh in a blue marlin that came up short.

Local tuna expert Donald Whittier was next up as he recorded a 181-pound tuna aboard Zhao. Jesus Smith on Tiger Spirit added a nice 172-pounder. But Chris Vincent, fishing on his Boston Whaler Go Deeper, had the final say. Vincent’s yellowfin tipped the scales at 187 pounds, good for the day’s top fish.

The dorado category stay unfilled until late as well. As the fish was hoisted aloft, it appeared small, but at 37 pounds it easily beat the 30-pound minimum. Mike Reiner, fishing aboard Angelina I, took sole possession of the dorado division as a result.

The action was steady throughout the fleet of 69 boats during the day, even though no big marlin were boated. Smaller blue and black marlin, along with striped marlin and sailfish, count for points in the release division.

The Los Cabos Offshore is the second leg of the Bisbee’s Baja series, sponsored by Cabo Riviera Marina and Golf Resort. The East Cape Offshore was held in July at the Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort & Spa. The big event, the Bisbee’s Black & Blue Tournament, starts Tuesday with registration at the Puerto Paraiso Entertainment Plaza in downtown Cabo San Lucas. The Black & Blue is the richest billfishing tournament in the world, with millions in prize money at stake.