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Mister Pete Takes White Marlin Lead and $3.6 Million while Gray Fox Doubles Up
Thursday’s biggest money fish was already waiting at Harbour Island Marina when the scales opened at 4 p.m. Mister Pete of Charleston, South Carolina, arrived flying a boated white marlin flag. As the fish was lifted onto the scale, the crowd erupted when the Jumbo Screen flashed 80 pounds.
The white marlin was caught by Bill Sharpe of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. It displaced Bull Pen from first place and shifted approximately $3.6 million in projected prize money. Mister Pete now leads the division with projected winnings of $3,598,443.40.
Wednesday’s leader, Bull Pen, also of Charleston, began the day with approximately $5.6 million in projected winnings for James Hood’s 70-pound white marlin. The fish dropped to second place Thursday, reducing the boat’s projected payout to $2,038,872.60. Despite losing the lead, Bull Pen remains in position for a substantial payday because each Added Entry Level operates as a separate competition.
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53 Years and Over $121,000,000 in Prize Money
The White Marlin Open is a 53-year-old deep-sea fishing tournament held annually in Ocean City, Maryland. Long known as the “World’s Largest Billfishing Tournament,” the Open has awarded over $121 million for catches of the gamefish that migrate up the Gulf Stream each summer. The first tournament was held in 1974 and drew 57 boats, 150 anglers, and paid $20,000 in prize money. The 2025 event drew 282 boats, over 3,000 contestants, and awarded over $7.24 million dollars in prize money, including the top individual prize of $3.9 million dollars.