The fish to beat at Ocean City's White Marlin Open
36 years later, Steve Bass' record catch still stands.
In 1980, Bass reeled in a 99-pound white marlin and it is still the tournament record for the White Marlin Open — the world's largest and richest billfish tournament, based in Ocean City.
On Monday, Aug. 8, more than 2,000 anglers will try to top the 36-year-old record. Cheryl McLeskey came within five pounds of it last year.
But there is more than just the white marlin prize in the White Marlin Open. Competitors can win prize money by catching blue marlin, tuna, wahoo, dolphin and shark.
Larry Heese’s 551-pound blue marlin catch in 2015 netted him more than $500,000.
For spectators and competitors, here's a guide to the prize fish of the White Marlin Open, where they can be found and what the tournament records are for biggest catch.
White Marlin
The white marlin has blue back, silver sides, a white underbelly and a round dorsal fin with black spots. In the summer, it can be seen in various areas of the Atlantic Ocean from Venezuela to New England. The world record was set in 1979 when a 181-pound White Marlin was caught off the coast of Brazil.
WMO Record: Steve Bass reeled in a 99-pounder in 1980. He was aboard the boat “Top Hat,” whose captain was Bob Moye.
Blue Marlin
Much larger than the white marlin, the blue marlin has a blue back, silver sides, a white belly and a pointed purple dorsal fin with a dark blue tail. The average size for these big fish ranges from 250 to 450 pounds. In the summer, they can be seen in waters stretching from Brazil to Massachusetts. The world record was set in 1992 when a 1,402-pound blue marlin was captured near Brazil.
WMO Record: Robert Farris hooked a Blue Marlin in 2009 that tipped the scales at 1,062 pounds. This is also the Maryland state record. It was the first 1,000-pound fish ever caught at the tournament. Farris fished off the boat “No Problem” and the fish measured at 15 feet, 9 inches.
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Tuna
Tuna tend to have a blue back with silver sides and a silver belly. Their fins are bright yellow. The average size for tuna is hard to pin. Some weigh around 50 pounds, others can clock in at 350 pounds. Tuna can be caught from Brazil to Long Island, New York, but the heaviest concentration of tuna is in waters stretching from Maryland to Florida. The world record for tuna was set in 1996, when an angler pulled in a Bigeye off the coast of Spain that weighed 392 pounds.
WMO Record: Jim Freitas hauled in a 326-pounder in 1992. The same day, his boat the “Moderation” also brought in a 271-pound tuna.
Dolphin
The blue and green fish with yellow tails are most commonly found in waters from Virginia to Florida. The average weight for them is between 10 and 20 pounds, but they can get really big. The world record for a caught dolphin was set in 1976 when an angler reeled in a 87-pounder near Costa Rica.
WMO Record: Jeff Rice captured a 71-pound bull dolphin in 1986.
Wahoo
These fish, which range from 20-40 pounds in average size, have a blue and gray top, silver sides and a white belly. They are most commonly found in Atlantic waters stretching from Florida to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The world record is 184 pounds and was set in 2005 by an angler who was fishing near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
WMO Record: Kevin Wayson hooked a 110-pound Wahoo in 1994.
Shark
From movies and TV, many know what sharks look like. They can be blue, gray or white and have sharp, menacing fins. Sharks can vastly differ in size, depending on their age, but most often weigh in between 130 and 450 pounds. Sharks are all over the world, but most commonly seen in Atlantic waters stretching from Brazil to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The world record for a mako was set in 2001 when a 1,221-pounder was caught off the coast of Massachusetts, while the world record for a tiger shark was set in 2004, when an angler near Australia hauled in a shark that tipped the scales at 1,785 pounds.
WMO Record: In 1995, Jerry Fish caught a tiger shark that weighed 931 pounds.
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