Sportfisher Mister Pete of Charleston, South Carolina, claimed the 53rd White Marlin Open’s top prize on Saturday. Angler Bill Sharpe of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, caught an 80-pound white marlin aboard Mister Pete, earning the boat $3,503,891.54 and the top spot in the tournament’s premier division. The tournament drew 334 boats competing for nearly $10 million in prize money from Aug. 3-8 in Ocean City, Maryland.
“Every year, the White Marlin Open seems to find a new way to surprise us, and this year was no exception,” said Madelyne Wainglass, tournament director of the White Marlin Open. “We saw incredible fish, dramatic changes on the leaderboard and some truly unforgettable moments at the scales. Most importantly, we saw our anglers, crews and spectators come together to make this another incredible week in Ocean City. We couldn’t be more proud of the 53rd White Marlin Open.”
The 80-pound white marlin wasn’t the only multimillion-dollar catch of the tournament…