October 24, 2009 — by Dave Lear
It looks like it’ll come down to a one-day shootout after all. With Hurricane Rick looming last week, tournament officials of the 29th Annual Bisbee’s Black & Blue Marlin  Tournament were faced with a difficult decision. If conditions were too bad to fish, the prospect of a single day with nearly $2 million on the line was a distinct possibility. But the overwhelming majority of anglers wanted multiple chances at the big prizes. Fortunately the storm cooperated, albeit with Wednesday serving as a lay day.
After no qualifying marlin were weighed in today, however, the largest blue or black marlin could earn one lucky team an eye-popping purse of $1,344,360 once the scales close on Saturday. Still, in the Black & Blue, even a cool mil is not unusual. It’s been awarded before to a single team. In fact, it’s happened every year since Brady Bunte raised the bar in 2003. In 2008, Hang ‘Em High, a 60-foot Miller custom yacht, pocketed $2 million in prize money.
There was plenty of action today, regardless. A total of 17 blue marlin were released, along with eight stripers and four sailfish. One blue marlin was weighed but did not meet the minimum weight requirement. Surprisingly, no blacks were caught despite a flurry of bites mid-afternoon around Gordo Bank. Black marlin typically prefer the nearshore rocks and ledges like this well-known structure in the Sea of Cortez.
So what will it take to become a millionaire, skill or luck? With the talented crews assembled here, skill is certainly a determining factor. But it also never hurts to have a little luck on your side, either.
It all starts with a shotgun flare at 8 a.m. local time off the famous Los Arcos rocks. How it ends will be decided once lines come out at 2 p.m. Just remember this: The Black & Blue always has a flare for the dramatic, and for 2009, the cast is ready for the stars to appear.
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