• Tara Bozick •
• Originally published July 18, 2008 at 12:07 a.m., updated July 18, 2008 at 12:07 a.m.

PORT O’CONNOR – Bringing a 700-pound big blue to the dock won’t be easy.

Capt. Ben Heilker knows. He brought a 700-and-a-half-pound blue marlin to the Poco Bueno fishing tournament weigh-in in 2005, giving the Victoria native the win.

“That’s a big fish,” he said, pointing to the replica he had made in front of his Port O’Connor weekend home.

Ninety boats in the tournament chase these elusive fish, giving one team even worse odds. Statistics say fishing 100 hours gives you one bite. But the anglers in the Poco Bueno average better than this, Heilker adds.

When anglers on the Mechanical Man –named for the Victoria Air Conditioning business – catch their weight in fish, they call down family and friends, who come dockside to watch the weigh-in at the Fishing Center.

The influx of sportsmen and spectators during the four days gives the economy of Port O’Connor a boost.

“Everybody all around gets business,” Teresa Gonzales said, who owns Sisters Gift Shop with her sister Kathy Hoskins.

The sightseers buy Poco Bueno merchandise and Port O’Connor souvenirs from the gift shop, she said.

July – a key vacation month – serves as Gonzales’ biggest sales month and the tournament’s influx of people just adds more, she said. Out-of-towners fuel up at Speedy Stop and buy items they may have forgotten like an extra swimsuit, Gonzales said. The boaters buy last-minute tools from the hardware store.

Real estate broker Bill Tigrett sees as much as a 25 percent increase in house and condo rentals, he said. Because Poco Bueno has been a town staple for more than 30 years, businesses come to expect that boost as part of summer profit, he said.

He calls this time Poco Bueno week, as he can expect renters to stay for a longer period and for more money per rental.

“It boosts the economy a little bit,” Henry Anderson said. “I wouldn’t say it’s earth-shattering.”

Clark’s Marina and Restaurant on Seventh Street sees a bit of a trade-off, the manager said. The crowd keeps some of the regular fishermen and locals away, but brings in spectators.

Clark’s rents out more boat slips to fishermen during the week, he said.

Jess Richards from Sugar Land spent Wednesday cleaning up the Hydrocarbon – his family’s 40-foot Cabo. The Richards keep a home and boat slip in Port O’Connor.

He and his brothers Jon and Ramsey go to Speedy Stop to stock up two days worth of snacks. They buy all their ice and fuel in town.

“This is our home port, so to speak,” he said.

During the tournament, the Hydrocarbon burns about 600 gallons of fuel at $4.50 a gallon, Richards estimated. Although fuel costs don’t come cheap, the Richards brothers and their longtime friends all come back to Poco Bueno every year to catch up.

They kick around memories about growing up in Bay City while spending the night out in the boat. The glow of the lights in the hull bring in more listeners for the storytellers.

“It’s like spending the night in an aquarium,” Richards said.

Tara Bozick is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6504 or tbozick@vicad.com, or comment on this story at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.

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