InTheBite

Last Day Marlin Wins World Record Payout … Again

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The crew of the Billfisher posing with their white marlin.

The crew of the Billfisher posing with their white marlin. (Photos/White Marlin Open)

For the second year in a row, the last white marlin weighed netted a world record purse. In 2021, Sushi out of Ocean City, MD, took the top white marlin at the last minute and at the time collected (a then world record payout) of $3,200,000 for catching a fish. That record payout lasted just 10 months when angler Matthew Brown fishing aboard the Mercenaria in the 2022 Big Rock tournament out of Morehead City, NC weighed a 572.6-pound blue marlin and won $3,489,813.

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New White Marlin Leader After Day Two of 30th MidAtlantic

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MidAtlantic Tournament, August 18, 2021—The 2021 MidAtlantic is indeed off to a record-setting start. In addition to a record field of 203 boats the tournament’s total cash purse is now officially set at $5,939,050! Worthy of note is a significant portion of that cash pot this year comes from a special calcutta that was added to commemorate 30 years of MidAtlantic tournaments. The 30th Anniversary Mega Marlin Calcutta, with its $30,000 additional fee to participate, pays out 32 percent and 18 percent to the top two white marlin and top two blue marlin respectively. This calcutta alone has a total payout of nearly $1.6 million! It’s also important to mention that the MidAtlantic tournament is donating 1% of the total proceeds of that specific calcutta evenly to three worthwhile fishing organizations that benefit recreational anglers including the International Game Fish Association, Recreational Fishing Alliance and The Billfish Foundation.

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Team Sushi’s 2021 White Marlin Open Win

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A big win and a handshake with Jimmy Motsko. Photo courtesy Charley Pereira

By Nichole Osinski

You would be hard pressed to find two tournament wins that happened the exact same way. Between crew dynamic, trusted tackle, coveted fishing grounds and everything in between, the team that wrangles in that sweet prize-winning fish has their own unique story. This rings true for the team aboard the Sushi, a 57’ Island Boat Works, after angler Butch Wright reeled in an 85.5-pound white marlin earning them a first place spot and $3.2 million at the 48th White Marlin Open at the beginning of August. 

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82.5-pound White Marlin Worth $4.9 Million Caught at White Marlin Open

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White Marlin Open, Aug. 3, 2021—The $9.2 million purse has already started to be divided up after only one day of fishing. The purse is, as expected, weighed more heavily to billfish categories and two Virginia Beach boats are holding onto $5,700,000 of that purse after day 1 of 2021 the White Marlin Open.  

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The Right Bite—Catching Up With Canyon Blues

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fishing team with marlin

By Steve Dougherty

For much of the year, Ocean City, Maryland is relatively quiet, home to roughly 10,000 permanent residents. However, when winter fades to spring and the summer season materializes traffic increases and the population swells to nearly 300,000 as the annual tourist invasion comes to town. Walking the promenade is popular with out-of-towners, but Ocean City proudly carries the nickname as The White Marlin Capital of the World made famous by one of the world’s largest and richest billfish tournaments—The White Marlin Open.

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Team Reel Steel Wins 2019 Bermuda Triple Crown

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team Reel Steel holding winning tournament check

HAMILTON, Bermuda (July 30, 2019) – The 2019 Bermuda Triple Crown Billfish Championship saw 47 boats fish at least one leg of the series for a total purse of more than $1.2 million, plus trophies and prizes. Anglers caught 165 billfish, including 143 blues and 22 whites. The Bermuda Triple Crown has a strong following from elite billfish teams, with crews traveling from the Caribbean and United States to compete each year. In 2019, the Sea Horse Anglers Club Billfish Tournament had a record 38 teams participating.Team Reel Steel, this year’s Bermuda Triple Crown winner, was dominating throughout the three Bermuda Triple Crown tournaments, scoring 6,600 points from 12 blue marlin and three white marlin releases during nine days of fishing. The 66-foot Hines Farley was consistent in raising fish during all three events.

Utilizing a team effort, Reel Steel won two of the three legs of the Bermuda Triple Crown, including the Bermuda Billfish Blast and Sea Horse Anglers Club Billfish Tournament. They finished second place in the team division of the Bermuda Big Game Classic. The team consisted of owner Mike Verzaleno, Captain Jason Parker, mate Drake Cropper, John Cantiverii, Charles Coats, Kayla Verzaleno and Marc Verzaleno.

Runner-up Team Flyer, an 86-foot Merritt, scored 6,000 points in the Bermuda Triple Crown from 12 blue marlin releases. Team Flyer won the 2019 Bermuda Big Game Classic and was neck and neck with Reel Steel going into the third leg of the Bermuda Triple Crown. The team consisted of owners Kevin and Teresa Jaffe, Captain Bryce Garvey, mate Mike Overton, mate Mike Tarmey, Greg Axton, Dylan Jaffe, Gotzon Otxoa and Mark Woodbury.

Third place went to Team Big Deal, a 75-foot Spencer, scoring 3,700 points from seven blue marlin and one white marlin release. Big Deal had two top-10 finishes in the Bermuda Triple Crown to jump ahead of Team Pescador with 3,600 points. Team Big Deal consisted of owner Ed Russo, Captain Brian Rabbit, mate Ben Zafir, mate Sergio Vargas, Matthew Russo, Bill Pembroke, Kim Pembroke and Mike Pembroke.

All three teams entered the new Bermuda Triple Crown Jackpot at the beginning of the series, so each team received a check for their performances.

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