White Marlin Open Produces Another World Record Payout - The Fisherman

White Marlin Open Produces Another World Record Payout

For the second year in a row, the last white marlin weighed netted a world record purse at the 2022 White Marlin Open.

In 2021, the tournament crew of Sushi out of Ocean City, MD took the top white marlin at the last minute, and at the time collected (a then world record payout) of $3.2 million.  That record payout lasted just 10 months when angler Matthew Brown fishing aboard the Mercenaria in the 2022 Big Rock tournament out of Morehead City, NC weighed a 572.6-pound blue marlin and won $3,489,813.

During this year’s White Marlin Open, the billfishing was lousy. A total of just 155 white marlin were caught with 151 released, while 58 of the 59 blue marlin caught were also released.  And no marlin was even weighed until Thursday.

On day four, the Cabana out of Fenwick Island, DE, arrived at the scales with a 511-pound blue marlin taken by Bill Britt from Sandy Spring, MD, to take first place as the only qualifier in that division.  That fish held on to the end and Britt was awarded $1,208,420 for his efforts.

Thursday also saw the C- Student out of Southside Place, TX, weigh a 71.5-pound white marlin good for first place and a temporary grasp of $2.8 million for angler Keeley Megarity from Houston, TX.

On the White Marlin Open’s final day at 6:20 p.m., the Billfisher out of Ocean City, MD pulled up to the scale and Jeremy Duffie from Bethesda, MD turned the leaderboard upside down by weighing a 77.5-pound white marlin moving him into first place.   Team Billfisher was across the board with all the added entry skill levels and reclaimed the title for the largest price ever paid for catching a fish: a staggering $4,536,000.  Duffie’s fish took almost $2 million from the C- Student, still leaving them with a still respectable $197,000 for their 2nd place white.

There was a lot of money shared in the tuna divisions lead by 247.5-pound bigeye taken by Jason Hersh from Maple Glen, PA. Hersh was fishing aboard the Southern C’s out of Ocean City, MD, and received a check for $1,278,197.  Another Ocean City boat, Big Stick, took 2nd place tuna with Anderson Bowen from Suwanee, GA weighing a 246.5-pound bigeye good for $152,405.00. Because they were in more of the added skill levels, the 242.5-pound bigeye taken off the Komotose out of Manteo, NC netted $437,918 to Richard Hawse from Pasadena, MD.

The wahoo division saw approximately $74,000 split among the Jenny Poo out of Palm Beach, FL which took $24,566.00 for a 71-pounder caught by Chris Thompson from Mount Airy, MD, while $23,566 was awarded to Hans Mulford from Seaford, DE fishing on the Water Marlin out of Seaford, DE for a 54-pound ‘hoo. Third place wahoo was a 51-pounder taken by Patrick Brown from Miami, FL aboard the Irish Twin winning $22,566 for his effort.

The Irene out of Stuart, FL took first place in the dolphin division with a huge 59.5-pound fish caught by Frank Sinito Jr from Cleveland, OH who earned $31,297. It was the 29-pounder taken aboard the 10-4 Joker out of Chincoteague, VA that earned the biggest dolphin payday; because they were also in the small boat heavy dolphin added entry, Vernon Merritt Jr. also from Chincoteague, VA netted $104,447 for his efforts. A 28-pound dolphin caught off the JEB out of Ocean City, MD earned $28,297 for Lutherville, MD native Vince Piccinini.

For a list of all the winning categories, visit whitemarlinopen.com.

Related