More than 350 boats are fishing today seeking to land a white marlin or blue marlin worth $7 million as the White Marlin Open finishes in Ocean City, Maryland.
No qualifying marlin have been brought to the scales during the lucrative tournament’s first four days. If no qualifying billfish are landed today, the prize money will still be doled out to other categories. The estimated $7 million reserved for billfish categories could default to the biggest tuna catches, according to the tournament’s web site.
During the tournament’s first four days, 431 white marlin and 34 blue marlin have been caught, but none were deemed large enough to bring to the scales.
The White Marlin Open has never gone an entire tournament without weighing a billfish. In 1984, ‘85 and ‘86, no white marlin were landed, but blue marlin filled the winning categories.
Boats are permitted to fish three of the tournament’s five days, and 357 boats hit the water today. Scales open at 4 p.m. and close at 9:30 p.m.
The most lucrative catch before Friday was a 247.5-pound tuna landed by Maryland resident Chris Mentlik on the Chincoteague-based boat Fishlik. That fish is on track to win $1.2 million in the tuna category – unless no billfish are caught today.
More than half of the anticipated $10.3 million purse was expected to go to white marlin anglers. The top three white marlin winner-take-all categories are worth an estimated $5.5 million, and other categories could push white marlin catches close to $7 million.
The tournament awarded $8.6 million in prize money last year, including the top prize of $4.53 million to The Billfisher, an Ocean City boat that landed a white marlin weighing 77½ pounds.
