Fish story lands in NC's high court, $1M on line
By | Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — About four hours after the fishing charter boat Citation
left dock on the Outer Banks to compete in one of the country's richest
deep-sea fishing tournaments, crewmembers were in the fight of their
lives. Something huge was hooked, but it was invisible to human sight as
it dove for the ocean bottom about 27 miles off the North Carolina
coast.
Five hours later they hauled up a monster, an 883-pound, 14-foot-long
blue marlin. They knew the silvery-blue torpedo of muscle bigger than a
bear would mean a huge payday in the June 2010 Big Rock Blue Marlin
Tournament when they recorded their catch in coastal Morehead City."When we finally saw it we couldn't believe it," the Citation's captain, Eric Holmes of Buxton, said at the time. "To catch a fish this big ... it's something. It really is. We got lucky and it's good to be lucky."
But their luck soured. The boat's owners landed in a fight for the $910,000 in prize money that continued Tuesday with arguments to North Carolina's Supreme Court.
Tournament officials disqualified
the Citation's crew because the 22-year-old first mate, Peter Wann of
Alexandria, Va., did not have a $15 North Carolina fishing license when
the fish was hooked. His license was purchased while the Citation was
still two hours out to sea and chugging toward a landing.
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