Citation's Peter Wann talks about his "Million Dollar Mistake"

Peter Waan, a mate on board the boat Citation, was cited for fishing without a license.

Should the "Citation" crew be denied the prize because of a fishing permit violation?

Yes, they have to follow the rules like anyone else!

No, they still caught the biggest fish out there!

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By: Chris Brown | WNCT-On Your Side
Published: June 23, 2010

JACKSONVILLE --

It was a big mistake, at Big Rock, that caused big problems for Peter Wann.

“I went from the highest to highest, to 'Oh God I was wrong,'” said Wann, speaking on the phone from Hatteras Island.

Wann was hired as a mate on board Citation, the boat that would have won last weeks Big Rock fishing tournament.

“I throught the whole time, that I had a license to begin with, because I couldn’t find anything that said I didn’t, said Wann.”

Wann says he told the captain and the boats owner that he thought he had a license. And they never checked.

“It was a bad mistake on my part, a bad mistake on the captain’s part for not making sure I had one and a bad mistake on the owner’s part for not making sure we all had one,” said Wann.

He understands the weight this mistake carries.

“It was just a mistake, it was a million dollar mistake,” he said.

However, he says he’s frustrated with the way things have been handled.

“My whole issue with all of this thing, is I feel like my name has been, my honor has been kind of trampled on,” he said.

He says crew on board treated him poorly, when the win looked good, he was excluded, when loss was inevitable, Wann felt like he was hung out to dry.

“I do this cause I want to be able to fish and I want to be able to fish my way,” Wann said, “and I want to be the mate and run the cockpit but they didn’t give me that responsibility.”

He knows folks are angry with him.

“You know I’ve read the newspaper articles, and the Facebook stuff, and its not hurting my feelings,” said the 22 year old.

If there is a silver lining.

“I mean I still did catch an 883 pound blue marlin,” he said.

One that the history books will never know.