OCEAN CITY, Md. — The 53rd White Marlin Open ended Saturday with the biggest prize of the tournament going to the Mister Pete, whose 80-pound white marlin held on through the final weigh-in to earn an estimated $3.5 million.
Bill Sharpe from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, caught the winning fish aboard the Charleston-based Mister Pete. Organizers say the boat was waiting at Harbour Island Marina when the scales opened Thursday, and the crowd erupted when the official weight of 80 pounds appeared on the tournament's Jumbo Screen.
No boat displaced an overall leader during Saturday's final weigh-in, leaving four boats atop the tournament's five filled species divisions.
The Reel Hunter of St. Michaels, Maryland, finished second in the white marlin division with a 71.5-pound fish caught Friday by Kevin Howell from Queenstown, Maryland. The catch is projected to pay about $355,000.
The Reel Hunter finished second in the white marlin division with a 71.5-pound fish caught Friday by Kevin Howell from Queenstown, Maryland.
The Bull Pen, of Charleston, finished third with a 70-pound white marlin caught Wednesday by James Hood from Charleston. Despite finishing third by weight, the boat is projected to earn about $1.8 million because of the Added Entry Levels it purchased.
The Bull Pen finished third with a 70-pound white marlin caught Wednesday by James Hood from Charleston. (White Marlin Open Facebook)
The blue marlin division went to MaxBet after Kelly Weber from Vero Beach, Florida, caught the tournament's only qualifying blue marlin, a 116-inch fish weighing 607.5 pounds. The catch is projected to pay about $1.2 million.
The blue marlin division went to MaxBet after Kelly Weber caught the tournament's only qualifying blue marlin, a 116-inch fish weighing 607.5 pounds.
Gray Fox, of Mantoloking, New Jersey, was the only boat to win two species divisions. John Wardlaw from Brielle, New Jersey, won the tuna division with a 179-pound bigeye tuna projected to earn about $1.02 million.
Gray Fox won the tuna division with a 179-pound bigeye tuna. (White Marlin Open Facebook)
Wardlaw and Gray Fox also won the wahoo division with a 69.5-pound fish worth an estimated $72,000.
Gray Fox won the wahoo division with a 69.5-pound fish worth an estimated $72,000. (White Marlin Open Facebook)
Today's The Day, of La Plata, Maryland, won the dolphin division with a 45-pound fish caught by Ryan Jones from Welcome, Maryland. The catch is projected to earn about $22,000.
Today's The Day won the dolphin division with a 45-pound fish caught by Ryan Jones from Welcome, Maryland. (White Marlin Open Facebook)
No qualifying swordfish was weighed during the six-day tournament.
Saturday's final day still produced several sizable payouts, even though the major leaderboards did not change.
Samuel "Sam" Cassell weighed the day's heaviest tuna, an 85.5-pound fish aboard Spring Mix II of Ocean City at 4:36 p.m. The catch won the Daily Tuna competition and is projected to earn about $40,000.
Denny Howell from Malvern, Pennsylvania, caught a 77-pound tuna aboard Big Dog of Cape May. The fish was the heaviest eligible entry in the Daily Big Fish Level and is projected to pay nearly $22,000.
At 6:35 p.m., Dylan Treff from Pasadena, Maryland, weighed a 78-pound tuna aboard Reel Moore, also of Pasadena, winning the Daily Small Boat Tuna prize of about $12,000.
The final money-moving catch came at 6:50 p.m., when Brian Conway from Warrington, Pennsylvania, brought a 31.5-pound dolphin to the scales aboard Wish You Were Here. The fish won the Daily Dolphin competition and is projected to earn about $18,000.
The tournament began with 334 boats competing for an estimated $9.9 million in prize money. This year's event used a six-day format that allowed crews to fish any three days, a change designed to give anglers more flexibility amid unpredictable offshore weather.
The tournament produced repeated leaderboard changes throughout the week, including the first qualifying white marlin arriving Wednesday and Gray Fox moving into the tuna lead with its 179-pound bigeye. By Saturday, however, the biggest catches had held their positions.
All standings and projected payouts remain unofficial and are subject to change.
