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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.
2026 Summary
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Mister Pete Wins Tournament’s Top Prize of $3.5 Million as Gray Fox Wins Two Divisions
The 53rd Annual White Marlin Open came to a close Saturday with Mister Pete holding the tournament’s richest catch—an 80-pound white marlin projected to earn approximately $3,500,000—while Gray Foxcompleted the rare feat of winning both the tuna and wahoo divisions. None of the overall leaders were displaced during Saturday’s final weigh-in, leaving four boats atop the tournament’s five filled species divisions. Bill Sharpe of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, caught the winning white marlin aboard Mister Pete of Charleston. The boat was already waiting at Harbour Island Marina when the scales opened Thursday at 4 p.m. The crowd erupted when the Jumbo Screen flashed the official weight of 80 pounds. Reel Hunter of St. Michaels, Maryland, took second place with a 71.5-pound white marlin caught Friday by Kevin Howell of Queenstown, Maryland. The fish is projected to earn approximately $355,000.
