White Marlin Open | World's Largest Billfish Tournament

48 Years and Over 71 Million in Prize Money

The White Marlin Open is a 47-year-old deep-sea fishing tournament held annually in Ocean City, Maryland. The tournament awards prize money for catches of white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, wahoo, dolphin and shark. The first tournament, held in 1974, drew 57 boats, 150 anglers and paid $20,000 in prize money with the top award of $5,000. The 2019 event drew 404 boats, over 3,500 contestants, and paid out $6.1 million dollars in prize money including the top individual award of $1.5 million dollars.

2021 Summary

444

Boats

9.2 MIL

Prize Money

3.5K

Anglers

3.2 MIL

Top Prize

2021 Winners

First Place White Marlin

Butch Wright

Sushi / Ocean City

85.5 lbs. | $3,238,155

group of men holding big check for second place winner for white marlin open

Second Place White Marlin

Mike Atkinson

Fender Bender / Virginia Beach

82.5 lbs. | $1,980,914

Third Place White Marlin

Billy Gerlach

Billfisher / Ocean City

78.5 lbs. | $106,216

group of men holding big check for winning first place in the blue marlin category

First Place Blue Marlin

David Cash

Seven / Jupiter

775 lbs. | $1,107,255

group of men holding check for winning third place in the blue marlin category

Third Place Blue Marlin

Scott Zurawski

Canyon Lady / Cape May

511 lbs. | $105,216

First Place Tuna

Lawrence Morejon

Seven / Jupiter

137 lbs. | $1,251,230

Furious Friday Finds Big Flux in Fishermen’s Fortunes

In the most dramatic finish in the 48- year history of the White Marlin Open, over
$6 million dollars changed hands in the final hour of weigh-ins at Harbour Island
Marina on Friday.
Mike Atkinson off the “Fender Bender” (both from Virginia Beach, VA), weighed
the first fish of the tournament. Until the last 30-minutes, his 82.5-pound white
marlin was winning $5,000,000! As the line of boats with fish to weigh dwindled
to the final three, there was one boat flying a white marlin flag. It was the “Sushi”
out of Ocean...