“Canyon Blues” out of Ocean City, Maryland named top-prize winner with 97-pound white marlin, $1.85 million payout
MIAMI, August 11, 2020 – YachtWorld was a proud, gold-level sponsor of last week’s 47th annual White Marlin Open – the world’s largest and richest billfish tournament – that took place in Ocean City, Maryland. This year, boats competed for a record-breaking fishing purse and the 433 registered boats pulled in fish that were altogether worth $6.8 million dollars – which represents the most tournament money ever awarded in fishing. YachtWorld congratulates all of the boats and anglers, and especially applauds the boat “Canyon Blues” out of Ocean City, Maryland, that received $1.85 million in prize money for their huge, 97-pound white marlin caught by Brandon Golueke from Chester, Maryland.
“With a world-record purse, two tournament-record catches, and unprecedented conditions, this year’s White Marlin Open was definitely one for the books,” said Ryan McVinney, head of content for YachtWorld. “The incredible fishing that took place last week despite the stress of the pandemic and the dangerous hurricane passing through was inspiring, and the thrill of the looming lucrative payouts had us all glued to the online leaderboard. It was an honor to be a sponsor of the historic 2020 event and we look forward to another monumental competition in 2021. However, hopefully, it is one without the need for required face masks or foul weather gear!”
Due to COVID-19, no spectators were permitted to watch the dramatic weigh-ins at Harbour Island. Instead, onsite enthusiasts were reeled-in to view the results via a live-stream setup at “Marlin Village” at the nearby 3rd Street Bayside Ballpark. The pandemic health crisis was not the only situation to affect the planning of this year’s competition either. Deadly Hurricane Isaias churned up the entire eastern seaboard and officials made the call to extend the five-day fishing schedule by three days to ultimately last through Sunday, August 9th.
In total, there were three White Marlin Open contenders to take home million-dollar-plus prizes. Landing in second place, “Drillin & Billin” out of Hatteras, North Carolina produced a 77-pound white marlin that was good for a whopping $1.76 million in prize money. In third place, Ocean City’s “Restless Lady” from the tuna division was the third, and perhaps luckiest, million-dollar winner. The rules stated if no blue marlin was caught, the allocated prize money went to white marlin winners. The lack of a qualifying blue marlin added $500,000 to those winnings, but seeing the biggest benefit of the absent blue marlin was “Restless Lady.” Already victorious for hauling a 114.5-pound bluefin tuna, fetching a $900,000 payout, the boat also received the $417,000 in the blue marlin winner-take-all division that defaulted to the biggest tuna entered in that level, bringing their overall winnings to over $1.3 million.
The 2020 event had two White Marlin Open record catches and many other top awards recognized. A complete list of all the tournament winners can be found on the White Marlin Open website at www.whitemarlinopen.com.
For further information: Jenny Burkett, Boats Group, jennifer.burkett@boats.com