White Marlin Open 2026 Recap: The Numbers, the Names, and the $3.5 Million Fish
Well, OC — the scales have officially closed on the 53rd Annual White Marlin Open, and if you spent the week dodging Harbour Island Marina traffic or just following along from your couch, you already know: this one was a doozy. 334 boats. $9.9 million in prize money. Six days of white-knuckle fishing, jumbo-screen drama, and a crowd that packed 14th Street every single afternoon. Here’s your full rundown of who took home the big checks.
New to the tournament? Start with our fun guide to the White Marlin Open for how the whole week works.
The $3.5 Million Marlin
Let’s start with the fish everyone’s still talking about. Bill Sharpe of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, boated an 80-pound white marlin aboard Mister Pete on Thursday — and the boat was smart enough to already be waiting at the scales when they opened at 4pm. When that number flashed on the Jumbo Screen, Harbour Island absolutely lost it. Projected payout: a jaw-dropping $3.5 million.
He wasn’t the only one who cashed in on a white marlin, either — it was a rare year when three boats in the division earned real money:
- Bill Sharpe, “Mister Pete” — 80 lbs, ~$3.5 million
- Kevin Howell, “Reel Hunter” (Queenstown, MD — a local!) — 71.5 lbs, ~$360,721
- James Hood, “Bull Pen” (Charleston, SC) — 70 lbs, ~$1.8 million (bonus-level entries pushed this one sky-high)
Blue Marlin: One and Done
Only one blue marlin qualified all week, but it was a monster. Kelly Weber on MaxBet reeled in a 607.5-pound blue marlin, worth roughly $1.2 million. Sometimes you only need one.
The Double Winner: Gray Fox Sweeps Tuna & Wahoo
Shoutout to John Wardlaw on Gray Fox, who pulled off the rare feat of topping two divisions in the same tournament:
- Tuna: 179 lbs, over $1 million
- Wahoo: 69.5 lbs, about $72,000
Dolphin (Mahi) Champ
Ryan Jones aboard Today’s the Day took first in the dolphin division with a 45-pound mahi, worth over $22,000.
No swordfish qualified this year — happens sometimes!
More Than a Tournament
Numbers aside, this week is really about OC coming together. Tens of thousands of us packed the docks at Harbour Island Marina for the daily weigh-ins, wandered Marlin Fest at the Inlet, and crowded into watch parties at bars and restaurants across town. Mayor Rick Meehan said it best when he called it “the most exciting week in Ocean City” — and honestly? Hard to argue.
A quick note on the numbers: all payouts above are projected totals pending the standard post-tournament polygraph exams and final certification, which is normal procedure for a tournament this size — so keep an eye out for official confirmation.
Congrats to every angler, captain, and crew who fished this year’s WMO — and congrats to Ocean City for hosting the world’s largest and richest billfish tournament once again. See y’all at the docks next August!
Tournament week may be over, but OC isn’t slowing down — here’s everything else to do in Ocean City, plus where to catch live music and the best of OC nightlife for the rest of the summer.
Don’t Miss Next Year’s Tournament Week
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