White Marlin Open to Host 45th Annual Deep-Sea Fishing Tournament this August

OCEAN CITY, Md., March 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The White Marlin Open, an offshore billfish tournament held in Ocean City, today announces plans for its upcoming 45th annual tournament to be held August 6th through August 10th. The tournament, which has awarded more than $63 million in prizes to date, expects to give out more than $5 million to this year's tournament winners. Prizes are awarded for catches of white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, wahoo, dolphin, and shark, as well as most release points by boat and daily catches of wahoo, tuna and dolphin.

New Tuna Entry Level
A new addition to the 2018 tournament is an added level to the tuna category (level T4). "Our tuna division has grown consistently every year, with last year's prize totaling just under $1 million," stated Jim Motsko, Founder of the White Marlin Open. This year, the new tuna entry category will be available for a $3,000 fee, with the winner taking all. "This basically sets up the tournament to have a $1 million tuna winner."

An Appeal to Novices and Small Boats
"Many people believe you need to be an experienced offshore angler with a large boat and deep pockets to participate and win in the White Marlin Open. That's simply not the case," said Motsko. "Many of our participants have little to no experience. They also fish in groups where each person contributes to the entry fee and takes turns fishing each day. Anyone can win."

On top of a group entry, participating boats can depart from anywhere within the 100 nautical mile limit fishing boundary. As a result, smaller boats do not have to launch from the Ocean City Inlet in order to participate, and can depart from as north as Barnegat, NJ and Cape May Inlet, all the way south to Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach at the Virginia Beach Fishing Center. Additionally, smaller boats may compete against the whole fleet or enter categories limited to boats under 40 feet.

"We're excited to make our 45th year one for the record books," said Madelyne Rowan, Tournament Director at the White Marlin Open. "With more prize money than ever before, new fishing categories and options for both large and small vessels, we're expecting this year's payout to be our biggest ever."

In addition to tournament participants, the White Marlin Open draws thousands of families who schedule their vacations around "Tournament Week" in Ocean City. Spectators are welcome to view the weigh-ins free of charge at the official scale at Harbour Island each day from 4:00 pm to 9:15 pm.

The White Marlin Open 2018 tournament is presented by Quiet Storm. Platinum sponsors include Rick Bogert Marine Art and Park Place Jewelers. Diamond sponsors include Pelagic, Salt Life and Casino at Ocean Downs. Gold sponsors are Miller Lite, Okiaya, Sunset Marina, Casa Vieja Lodge, HUK, Chantilly Air, Viking, Clarion Resort, Garmin, Bertram, Mid Shore Electronics, Costa, Los Cabos Billfish Tournament, and Jersey Marine.

Silver sponsors include Atlantic Tackle, Travelers Insurance, Christi Insurance, Big Game Fishing Journal, Bayliss Boatworks, Contender Boats, and Fish Unlimited. Bronze sponsors are AtlasTrax, Buoyweather/Fish Track, Release Marine, Phillips Seafood Restaurants, Atlantic Smith Cropper & Deeley, Action Island, Johnson & Towers, Baitmasters of South Florida, Harborside Bar and Grill, Cummins Power Systems, Papa's Pilar and Seacrets. Tournament partners include D3 Corporation, Maryland Food Bank and Recreational Fishing Alliance.

About White Marlin Open
The White Marlin Open is a 45-year-old offshore fishing tournament held annually in Ocean City, Maryland. The tournament awards prize money for catches of white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, wahoo, dolphin, and shark. Long known as "World's Largest Billfishing Tournament," the White Marlin Open (WMO) has awarded over $63 million dollars since 1974 to the lucky winners among more than 100,000 anglers aboard over 13,000 registered boats.  Along the way, the WMO became the largest billfish tournament and holds the world record for prize money payouts for any type of fishing tournament. To learn more, please visit https://whitemarlinopen.com.

Media Contact:
Caitlin Wolf (on behalf of White Marlin Open)
Caitlin Wolf Consulting LLC
phone: 410.935.2363
email: [email protected]  

SOURCE White Marlin Open