Salty Girl for February 2010 - Marcine Thomas
The photo above features Marcine fishing aboard the Tuna Breath with Capt. Gary Huffman. A lifelong fisherwoman, Marcine is experienced with fishing in the Chesapeake Bay for Rockfish and Bluefish and off the East Coast for Marlin, Dolphin and Tuna but this blowfish was one of ten species she caught while fishing in and around the Tampa Bay area this past October.
Marcine is a special education teacher from Annapolis, Maryland. She has been widowed for almost 4 years now but she is currently dating a very nice guy. She has two children, Chelsea who is 26 and Kevin who is 23. She grew up in a fishing family. Her dad fished in the pot holes of Washington State before she moved to Maryland when she was a teenager. She fished in the bay with her four brothers. Her brother, Dale Dirks has been the MSSA Fisherman of the year 3 times. She was married for 27 years to Bobby Thomas who was passionate about fishing. He introduced her to offshore fishing. She loves to be out on the ocean and to feel the sun and the salt as you watch for the fish to bite.
To meet Marcine you would not think of her as a rough tough fisherman. In fact the Capt. on the Tuna Breath was concerned when she boarded his boat the morning of their fishing day. He saw her painted fingernails, jewelry and designer bag and was sure she was going to be a whining pain. She surprised him before the day was out by her excitement and skill at bringing in the 10 different species of fish. She had a blast! Marcine’s best picture of the day was this photograph above of her blowing at the blowfish.
Marcine loves a midsized sport fishing boat because they are big enough to have a head but small enough to maneuver and access some of the smaller coves. Her favorite rod and reel is one that has been baited and ready to catch fish. She loves the thrill of a billfish but she much happier when she can take home tuna, dolphin, grouper and/or redfish for dinner. Her most unusual catch was when she caught a two foot shark the same day as the blow fish. Her favorite thing to have on the boat is lip balm with sunscreen. She likes to have salty snacks with lots of carbs on board. She has found them to be the best cure for rough seas.
Marcine has a great tip to share: As a single woman she has found that men may not think to invite you on a fishing trip so it is important to let people know you like to fish and would be willing to go even if no other crew are women. It is also good to let others know you like to cook and offer to cook the catch of the day. Her favorite recipe is fresh tuna that has been dipped in butter then a mixture of brown sugar, Old Bay Seasoning and Canadian Spice then seared just for a minute.
Marcine’s best memory fishing took place in Harness Creek on the South River in Annapolis. A school of Bluefish showed up one morning and made the water boil around them. They scrambled to get out fishing rods and cast into them catching a dozen in about 5 minutes before the fish figured out how to exit the creek.
If you are ever in Ocean City for the White Marlin Open, you may run into Marcine. She has a front row seat every year and she has gotten to know some of the players and boats. Marcine loves to see the fish come in to Harbour Island.
