Ocean City grabs the record. Will Beach captain stand for it?

Capt. Steve Richardson on the Backlash a year ago set the East Coast record for white marlin caught and released in a single day.

His crew set free 41 whites. They did the same for one blue marlin, just for good measure.

September in the mid-Atlantic is a great time for white marlin fishing, especially after the passing of a tropical system like Earl.

So you can probably bet that Richardson, who operates out of Rudee Inlet's Virginia Beach Fishing Center, will be on the waters this week trying to get back his record.

Last week, as Earl was heading up the coast, Capt. John Duffy on the Billfisher out of Ocean City, Md., broke Richardson's record by releasing 57 white marlin. Another boat on Monday had set the Ocean City record with 32.

This means white marlin are starting their fall ritual of ganging up around bait pods as they begin their migration down the coast.

Richardson and the rest of the Rudee Inlet fleet no doubt will be waiting for them. If conditions are right and captains are in the right place at the right time, my money is on the boys from the Beach getting back the record.

And if I had to bet on anybody, it would be the good captain on the Backlash.

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