STAGE SET FOR THE 49th WHITE MARLIN OPEN 

Ocean City, MD (July 5, 2022) – As with the past 48 White Marlin Open (WMO) tournaments, as soon as one tournament ends, work begins on making the following year’s event even better. The 2021 WMO had 444 boats competing for a world-record $9.2 million dollar payout. Little is changed to the format for this year’s event, to be held August 8-12, allowing boats the freedom to enter the added entry levels of their choice based on their wallet, target species, boat size, and perceived abilities.

Last year, that format provided a payout that included individual awards of $3.2 million, $1.9 million, $1.3 million, and $1.1 million dollars. While that’s a tough act to follow, if past trends hold, projections show that the 2022 purse will exceed $10 million dollars.

New for 2022

After listening to the suggestions of anglers, new changes have been made to improve the tournament this year:

  • There will be no shark division this year. Because of the new federal regulations on sharks, this category is eliminated for 2022.

  • A swordfish category has been added to replace the shark category, and due to increased interest in swordfishing.
  • A new heaviest swordfish winner-take-all added entry level has also been added to up the ante.
  • A new daily billfish points added entry level will be added for small boats. As many small boat (under 40 ft, LOA) anglers have requested, a daily billfish points category will reward smaller boats for catches and releases of billfish.
  • This year, there will be an extra 30 minutes of fishing time each day. Lines and teasers can be put in the water at 8:00 AM, allowing an extra half hour for boats to fish.

The fishing days for the 2022 WMO are August 8-12 with late registration held at Harbour  Island Marina in Ocean City, MD, and South Jersey Marina in Cape May, NJ on Saturday, Aug 6th, and at Harbour Island Marina on August 7th. The awards ceremony will be held at the Ocean City Fountainebleau Resort on Saturday, August 13th.

Marlin Fest at the Inlet

Marlin Fest, a free event, will stream the weigh-ins live each day on the beach at the Ocean City Inlet. The fans and followers of the White Marlin Open have always been a big part of the event. From the early risers who watch the boats pass through the inlet, to

the crowds that flock to Harbour Island to watch the nightly weigh-ins, the spectators add an element of excitement found in no other fishing tournament in the world.

To accommodate the overflow of fans at Harbour Island, Marlin Fest will offer live streaming of the nightly weigh-ins on a Jumbo-Tron screen on the beach at the inlet along with daily live entertainment, food and adult beverages, a wide variety of vendors, beach tennis, cornhole tournaments and official WMO and Marlin Fest merchandise. The Marlin Fest beach party will be held daily from 1 PM-9 PM.