Your Fun Guide to the White Marlin Open in Ocean City, MD

If you’re headed to Ocean City, Maryland, the first week of August, buckle up — you’re about to witness the world’s largest and richest billfish tournament. The White Marlin Open (WMO) takes over our town every summer, and 2026 is an extra-special year because the tournament just got a brand-new format. Whether you’re a die-hard angler or just a beach-chair spectator who wants to see some seriously big fish, here’s everything you need to know to enjoy Tournament Week like a local.

Planning a whole trip around it? Start with our guide to the best things to do in Ocean City, Maryland.

What Exactly Is the White Marlin Open?

Picture this: it’s 1974, and 57 boats with 150 anglers show up in Ocean City to fish for a $20,000 prize pool. Fast forward 50+ years, and that little local tournament has grown into a full-blown offshore fishing spectacle that has paid out over $121 million to anglers chasing white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, wahoo, dolphin (mahi-mahi), and swordfish as they migrate up the Gulf Stream every summer.

Ocean City has earned the nickname “The White Marlin Capital of the World” — a title that goes all the way back to 1939, when President Franklin Roosevelt himself had a great day of marlin fishing out of our newly built inlet. Nearly 90 years later, anglers are still proving him right.

Last year’s tournament (2025) drew 282 boats and over 3,000 competitors, paying out more than $7.24 million in prize money — including a jaw-dropping $3.9 million to a single top angler. For 2026, the tournament is projecting a payout north of $10 million, so expect the excitement (and the crowds!) to be even bigger this year.

New for 2026: A Bigger, Longer Tournament

Here’s the big news: for the first time in tournament history, the White Marlin Open is expanding to a six-day format. Anglers still only fish three out of the available days (so boats can pick their best weather windows), but instead of a five-day window, they now have six days to work with — Monday, August 3rd through Saturday, August 8th. That extra fishing day was added specifically to give captains more flexibility around unpredictable offshore weather, so more competitors get a fair shot at landing that big check.

This is the 53rd Annual White Marlin Open, and it’s being held August 3–8, 2026, right here in Ocean City.

Tournament Week Schedule

Here’s your at-a-glance rundown so you know exactly what’s happening and when:

Saturday, August 1 — Registration opens! Boats can register from 11 AM to 5 PM at Harbour Island Marina, or from 11 AM to 3 PM at South Jersey Marina in Cape May, NJ, for anglers coming from the north.

Sunday, August 2 — Final registration window, 11 AM to 7 PM at Harbour Island Marina. That evening, the Captain’s Meeting kicks off at 7 PM, streamed live on WMO’s Facebook page and website — this is where the week’s ground rules are laid out.

Monday, August 3 through Saturday, August 8 — This is it, tournament week! Boats fish daily from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM, and each boat gets to choose any 3 of these 6 days to compete. Every single evening, the action moves to the docks for the weigh-ins, running 4:00 PM to 9:15 PM at Harbour Island Marina.

Sunday, August 9 — Polygraph testing for top finishers (times and locations announced closer to the date), followed by the Awards Ceremony at 4 PM at the Ocean City Marlin Club in West Ocean City.

Weigh-Ins: The Best Free Show in Town

If you only do one White Marlin Open activity, make it a weigh-in. Every day of the tournament, boats come cruising back into Harbour Island Marina (14th Street and the bay) with their catches, and the crowd goes wild when a potential winner comes off the boat. Best part? It’s completely free and open to the public.

Here’s the daily rundown: Weigh-ins run 4:00 PM to 9:15 PM at Harbour Island Marina, 14th Street and the bay, every single day of tournament week (August 3–8). Get there early for a good spot along the rail, especially in the evening hours when the biggest boats tend to roll in.

Can’t snag a dockside spot, or want food and drinks with your fish-watching? Head to Marlin Fest at the beach on the OC Inlet, running 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily August 3–8. It’s a free, family-friendly beach party with live music, food and drink vendors, and a big screen live-streaming the weigh-ins in real time, so you never miss a moment even if you can’t get right up to the scale. Just a heads up — no pets allowed, and you’ll need your ID handy if you’re grabbing a drink.

Visitor Tips for Tournament Week

Book your stay early. Tournament week is one of the busiest of the entire OC summer, and hotels and condos near Harbour Island and the Inlet fill up fast. If you’re coming down for it, lock in your accommodations now rather than later.

Plan around traffic and parking. With thousands of extra visitors in town for the week, Coastal Highway and the areas near 14th Street get busy, especially in the late afternoon as everyone heads toward the weigh-ins. Give yourself extra time, and consider parking a little farther out and walking or biking in.

Bring sun protection and comfortable shoes. You’ll likely be standing on the docks or the beach for a while waiting on boats to come in — sunscreen, a hat, and good shoes go a long way.

Watch the MarlinCam and social feeds. The WMO livestreams and posts updates throughout the day, so if you’re relaxing at the beach or the pool, you can still keep tabs on who’s leading the pack before you head to the docks that evening.

Eat local while you wait. West Ocean City and the Harbour Island area have plenty of dockside seafood spots perfect for grabbing dinner before or after the weigh-in crowds arrive. Pair your fish-watching with dinner at one of the best restaurants in Ocean City, Maryland for the full OC experience.

Come back all week. Since boats now choose any 3 of the 6 fishing days, the biggest catches could come in on any evening from Monday through Saturday — there’s no single “best day” to guarantee you’ll see a monster fish, so if you’re in town for multiple days, swing by the weigh-in more than once.

Why It Matters to Ocean City

The White Marlin Open isn’t just a fishing tournament — it’s a week-long celebration of everything that makes Ocean City special: our watermen’s heritage, our world-class offshore fishing grounds, and a community that comes together to cheer on anglers chasing the catch of a lifetime. Whether you’re here to fish, to watch, or just to soak up the electric energy along the docks, Tournament Week is Ocean City at its most exciting.

See you at the docks!

For official rules, entry info, and the live leaderboard, visit whitemarlinopen.com. Marlin Fest details are at marlinfest.com.

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