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Is this the $10,000 rockfish?
Annual summer-long fishing challenge began on Friday
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by MICHAEL REID
Amy Batdorf, a biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' fisheries department, releases a tagged rockfish aboard the Canvasback charter boat Thursday to signal the start of the 2009 Maryland Fishing Challenge.
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Biologist Amy Batdorf expertly inserted the bright green tag into the wiggling rockfish and then gently released it into the blue waters of the Chesapeake Bay.
And just like that the 19-inch fish swam for the depths, hoping to elude capture in the 2009 Maryland Fishing Challenge: The Search for "Diamond Jim."
"[Maryland's fishing opportunities] are diverse, they're affordable, they're high-quality [and] they're accessible," said Marty Gary, a fisheries ecologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. "From the white marlin capital in Ocean City to the trout streams in Western Maryland, we've got it all. We've got a lot here and it's high quality. The product that came to bear last year … at the awards ceremony I think was probably as close to what folks say getting it right can be. Is it perfect? Probably not, but it's pretty darn good."
"Oh, it's great, I've looked forward to [the challenge] every year," said Brian Keehn, the captain of the Canvasback, one of six boats to participate in Thursday's tagging process. "You tag these fish and you're thinking about a bunch of fishermen out there that are all looking for ‘Diamond Jim.' I think last year a little girl caught it and it just makes you feel good to be a part of something like that."
The fish, which potentially could be worth as much as $10,000 if it is deemed to be the actual "Diamond Jim," was one of almost 50 the Maryland Department of Natural Resources tagged and released Thursday in the bay and its tributaries to kick off the annual summer-long event.
"Whether experienced anglers or first-timers, our annual fishing challenge offers Maryland families and visitors the chance to win prizes while enjoying our exceptional waterways and recreational fishing opportunities," Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) said in a press release. "We are especially pleased that this great Maryland tradition this year celebrates another of our state's great resources, Bill Burton."
O'Malley was referring to Maryland outdoor writing icon Bill Burton, who was inducted into the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association Hall of Fame in April.
"He had a profound impact on me and I know he did on many, many, many people," Gary said. "So part of what we want to do [with this event] is to honor Bill."
The real "Diamond Jim" is worth $10,000 cash if caught by midnight June 30. The 49 imposters are worth $500 each for the duration of the contest.
July and August will see more tagged fish released into Maryland waters, at which point any previously released and uncaught "Diamond Jim" becomes an imposter. The newly-released "Diamond Jim's" value will increase, to $20,000 in July and $25,000 in August, if the preceding fish remain on the loose.
The "Diamond Jim" portion of the tournament is a reincarnation of a popular tournament that ran in Maryland from 1956 to 1958. Sports Illustrated even did a piece on it in its July 14, 1956 issue. The tournament faded over time until Burton helped resurrect it in 2005.
"A lot of people don't like to see money going into fishing but we're in a situation today where we have to market [the sport], we really do because we're losing fishermen," Burton said at Thursday's gathering. "You just can't sit down and say we have such a great sport and just watch it die. We have to market fishing and nobody ever thought of this. We didn't have to do this years ago, but we do now."
But the challenge has a bit of everything for the Maryland angler, whether it be salt or freshwater. And one does not have to catch one the specially-tagged fish in order to have a chance to win some great prizes.
The Challenge, which runs through Sept. 7, also includes a citation category, in which any angler who catches a citation-qualifying fish and enters the challenge becomes eligible for more than $7,000 in cash and prizes. The grand prize is a boat and trailer package courtesy of Bass Pro Shops.
More than 60 species of fish, from both fresh and salt water, are eligible for the grand prizes. Winners will be randomly selected at a closing ceremony in mid-September.
"Whether they catch a citation crappie from Triadelphia Reservoir or a citation trout from the north branch of the Potomac," Gary said, "they know that they'll have the chance to win a boat and motor come September. It's become more than a contest, it's become an event."
The contest almost became a non-event as it hit a major snag when one of its leading sponsors was unable to participate.
"We went into this year thinking everything was good and then the worst economic slump since the Great Depression hits us," Gary said. "This economy really hurt those private sponsors and we lost one of them [Boater's World] to bankruptcy and we were really just fighting to keep the contest alive this year. Frankly, a month ago I wasn't sure we were going to have this; this thing was on life support. In the toughest of years, if we can make it through this year, we can make it through any year."
"This [Challenge] is one of those things that is tried and true to what Bass Pro Shops is [all about]," said Aaron Frazier, the general manager of the Bass Pro Shops in Hanover. "Really this is all about the families of Maryland getting out on the water. Whether it's from shore or from a boat, we're just pleased to be able to do this and we thank Marty and everyone for giving us this opportunity."
Gary said the contest is to get both anglers and non-anglers participating.
"We're competing to get their attention to get them out on the water," he said. "The contest is a great opportunity to give that much more inspiration to go fishing and to get out and participate in the contest."
"Trust me, I'm looking for [the "Diamond Jims"] and my clients are always wanting to look for them," Keehn said. "That's the first thing they ask me when they get on the boat."
When catching a ‘Diamond Jim'
It's a beautiful warm afternoon and you're spending the day fishing on the Chesapeake Bay. You get a bite and you reel in a rockfish with a bright green tag affixed to its lower body. Now what?
Call 410-693-7706 to register the fish but do not remove the green tag. This could result in your catch being disqualified.
