White Marlin Open

The White Marlin Open is a 50-year-old deep-sea fishing tournament held annually in Ocean City, Maryland.  The tournament awards prize money for catches of white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, wahoo, dolphin and swordfish.  The first tournament, held in 1974, drew 57 boats, 150 anglers and paid $20,000 in prize money with the top award of $5,000.  The 2022 event drew 408 boats, over 3,500 contestants, and paid out over $8.6 million dollars in prize money including the world record top individual. 

Long known as “World’s Largest Billfishing Tournament,” the White Marlin Open has awarded over $95 million dollars since 1974 to the lucky winners among more than 114,000 anglers aboard over 15,500 registered boats.  Along the way, the WMO became not just the largest billfish tournament, but also holds the world record for prize money payouts for any type of fishing tournament.

The 2023 White Marlin Open will be held from August 7-11 in Ocean City, Maryland.

Schedule Of Events:

Saturday, August 5th 

Registration - 11 AM - 5 PM - Harbour Island Marina

Registration - 11 AM -3 PM - South Jersey Marina - Cape May, NJ

Sunday, August 6th

Registration - 11 AM -7 PM - Harbour Island Marina

Captain's Meeting - 7 PM - Streamed Live on WMO Facebook 

Monday-Friday, August 7th -11th 

Fishing 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM - Fish Any 3 Days

Weigh-in 4:00 PM – 9:15 PM - Harbour Island Marina

Marlin Fest 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM - Ocean City Inlet

Saturday, August 12th 

Polygraph Testing - Times & Locations TBA

Sunday, August 13th 

Awards Ceremony 4 PM - 6 PM - Ocean City Convention Center - 40th Street, Ocean City