Aug 9, 2023 by Kevin Maher
The 50th annual edition of the White Marlin Open began on Monday morning, with “lines in” at 8 a.m.
400 registered boats are competing for an all-time tournament record of $10.3 million in prize money in this year’s White Marlin Open. The event takes place in Ocean City, Maryland.
The tournament allows each boat to fish any three of five days from Aug. 7 to Aug. 11. The event added a $50,000 white marlin category for its 50th anniversary, with the top three white marlin winner take all categories alone holding over $5.5 million.
This year’s event has 30 different entry levels for boats to choose from, which include small boat divisions, boats that target tuna, or other gamefish like wahoo and dolphin. This year’s White Marlin Open is expected to top $100,000,000 in prize money since the inaugural event in 1974.

Harbour Island hosts weigh-ins every evening which are free for the public to view. Weigh-ins can also be viewed on the jumbo screen at Marlin Fest or on the White Marlin Open’s livestream.
Michael Jordan’s sportfishing yacht “Catch 23” is pictured, which is captained by Stetson Turney of Jupiter, Florida.
Triton covered the biggest billfish tournaments in our sportfishing issue. Read it online here and pick up a copy at Sunset Marina!
Tagged billfish, tournament, white marlin open
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