The 53rd Annual White Marlin Open came to a close Saturday with Mister Pete holding the tournament’s richest catch—an 80-pound white marlin projected to earn approximately $3,500,000—while Gray Foxcompleted the rare feat of winning both the tuna and wahoo divisions.
None of the overall leaders were displaced during Saturday’s final weigh-in, leaving four boats atop the tournament’s five filled species divisions.
Bill Sharpe of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, caught the winning white marlin aboard Mister Pete of Charleston. The boat was already waiting at Harbour Island Marina when the scales opened Thursday at 4 p.m. The crowd erupted when the Jumbo Screen flashed the official weight of 80 pounds.
Reel Hunter of St. Michaels, Maryland, took second place with a 71.5-pound white marlin caught Friday by Kevin Howell of Queenstown, Maryland. The fish is projected to earn approximately $355,000.
Bull Pen of Charleston finished third with the 70-pound white marlin caught Wednesday by James Hood, also of Charleston. Although third by weight, Bull Pen is projected to earn approximately $1.8 millionbecause of the Added Entry Levels purchased by the boat.
The blue marlin division belonged to MaxBet. Kelly Weber of Vero Beach, Florida, caught the tournament’s only qualifying blue marlin—a 116-inch fish weighing 607.5 pounds. It is projected to earn approximately $1.2 million.
Gray Fox of Mantoloking, New Jersey, finished the week with two division championships. John Wardlaw of Brielle, New Jersey, won the tuna division with a 179-pound bigeye projected to earn approximately $1.02 million. Rob Leerink of Boston, Massachusetts, placed second with a 146.5-pound tuna aboard Speculatorof Palm Beach, Florida, worth approximately $175,000. Anthony Rubino of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, finished third with the 110.5-pound bigeye aboard See Legs, projected to earn approximately $111,965.
Wardlaw and Gray Fox also won the wahoo division with a 69.5-pound fish projected to earn approximately $72,000. BAR South of Key Largo, Florida, finished second with a 64-pound wahoo caught by Rob Gothier of Ocean City, Maryland, worth approximately $49,443. No third qualifying wahoo was weighed.
The dolphin division was won by Today’s The Day of La Plata, Maryland. Ryan Jones of Welcome, Maryland, caught the 45-pound winner, projected to earn approximately $22,000.
Meraki of Cape May, New Jersey, finished second with a 40.5-pound dolphin caught by Shane Schneidinger of Harleysville, Pennsylvania. The fish is projected to earn approximately $21,000.
Bill Collector of Crownsville, Maryland, placed third with Andrew Somerville IV’s 37-pound dolphin and is projected to earn approximately $20,000.
No qualifying swordfish was weighed during the tournament.
Saturday began with a familiar scene. For the sixth consecutive day, a boat was waiting when the Harbour Island scales opened at 4 p.m. Bohlieve of Ocean City started the evening with a 76.5-pound tuna caught by James Wright of Arnold, Maryland.
The final day did not change the overall tuna leaderboard, but several catches produced substantial Added Entry winnings.
At 4:36 p.m., Samuel “Sam” Cassell weighed Saturday’s heaviest tuna—an 85.5-pounder aboard Spring Mix II of Ocean City. The fish won Saturday’s Daily Tuna competition and is projected to earn approximately $40,000.
Denny Howell of Malvern, Pennsylvania, weighed a 77-pound tuna aboard Big Dog of Cape May. Although several heavier tuna reached the scales, Big Dog was the heaviest eligible boat entered in the Daily Big Fish Level and is projected to earn nearly $22,000.
At 6:35 p.m., Dylan Treff of Pasadena, Maryland, weighed a 78-pound tuna aboard Reel Moore, also of Pasadena. The fish won Saturday’s Daily Small Boat Tuna prize of approximately $12,000.
The final money-moving catch was a 31.5-pound dolphin weighed aboard Wish You Were Here at 6:50 p.m. The fish, caught by Brian Conway of Warrington, Pennsylvania, won Saturday’s Daily Dolphin competition and is projected to earn approximately $18,000.
The six-day tournament began with 334 boats competing for an estimated $9.9 million in prize money. After a week of repeated leaderboard changes and millions of dollars moving between boats, Saturday’s final fish left the major leaders intact.
