Diamond Jim lives to swim another day.
Two Eastern Shore anglers who caught tagged striped bass in the first month of the state's summer-long Search for Diamond Jim fishing tournament won $500 gift certificates instead of the top prize of $10,000.
Standing on the grounds of Fort McHenry with the Patapsco River as a backdrop, Trish Hayden and Rob Johnson wore tight smiles and fidgeted as they waited for the opening of a strongbox containing the prize envelopes.
Johnson, a Preston resident, took a deep breath and opened his white envelope with tag No. 03503 written on it: Gift certificate to Boater's World.
Hayden, a junior at Cambridge-South Dorchester High School, opened her envelope, marked No. 03523, and her face brightened as she appeared to have the winning slip of paper in hand. But a split-second later, she realized that she, too, had won a gift certificate to the boating store.
The authentic Diamond Jim fish for June carried tag No. 3507.
The two anglers were not aware of the tournament, which is in its third year, when they caught their fish with neon-yellow tags.
"My brother realized it was something when he saw the fish. He said if I lost the fish before we got it into the boat he was going to push me overboard," Hayden with a smile.
The names of both anglers will be entered in the Sept. 15 drawing for the two grand prizes, a Toyota pickup truck and a Nitro boat and motor combination.
Helped by Hayden and Johnson, Department of Natural Resources biologists released two of this month's 21 tagged striped bass just offshore. The other 19 were released in Maryland's portion of the Chesapeake Bay. If caught, the July fish designated Diamond Jim will be worth $20,000.
The contest, intended to promote fishing in Maryland, will end Labor Day.
candy.thomson@baltsun.com