The White Marlin Open has just announced the dates for its 45th annual offshore billfish tournament. The event will run August 6th – August 10th in Ocean City, MD and will feature a newly added level to the tuna category – level T4.

The $3000 fee for level T4 will likely yield a $1 million tuna winner, bringing the expected total prizes this year to over $5 million. Prizes are awarded for white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, wahoo, dolphin, and shark.

Smaller boats are encouraged to enter, with founder Jim Motsko explaining “Many people believe you need to be an experienced offshore angler with a large boat and deep pockets to participate and win… That’s simply not the case… Many of our participants have little to no experience.”

Smaller boats benefit from the ability to launch anywhere within the 100 nautical mile fishing boundary, spanning from Barnegat, NJ and Cape May Inlet down to Rudee Inlet at Virginia Beach.

The event is family-friendly and welcomes spectators to the free-of-charge weigh-ins at Harbour Island between 4:00pm and 9:15pm each day.

Johnson & Towers is a proud sponsor of the 2018 White Marlin Open. Visit our website and see why we’ve been a leader in the commercial and pleasure craft marine market in the North Eastern United States for over 90 years!