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The 52nd Annual White Marlin Open (WMO) once again transformed Ocean City, Maryland, into the epicenter of big-game sport fishing, with 282 boats vying for a massive $7.2 million purse. Known as the world’s largest and richest billfishing tournament, the WMO delivered a week of jaw-dropping catches, tense leaderboard changes, and an electric dockside atmosphere for which this event is known.
Mother Nature, however, made her presence felt. Tropical systems churning offshore created heavy seas throughout the week, challenging crews and limiting smaller boats from fishing all available days, even with fishing days extended by the tournament.
Yet despite the weather challenges, the tournament started off with a bang when Barbara B’s Drew Osmeyer weighed an incredible 929.5-pound blue marlin on the first day of fishing. That catch locked up the Blue Marlin Division and earned the team over $1.27 million.
However, the week ultimately belonged to Billfisher, led by Capt. Jon Duffie. The team’s 72-pound white marlin, caught by angler Dan Gough, topped the fleet and secured them a staggering $3,928,120 payday. Already riding high after winning performances in the Los Sueños Triple Crown earlier this year, Billfisher continues to cement its reputation as one of the sport’s most formidable crews.
Other notable performances included Sea Hab’s 188-pound tuna—good for $764,326 and the Tuna Division win—and Shooting Star’s 49.5-pound wahoo, worth $74,145. The Dolphin Division went to Barbara B once again, with Andrew Schreiber’s 32.5-pound fish adding another trophy to their week.
In the overall points division, Taylor Jean topped the leaderboard with 1,085 points, followed by Lights Out 62 (945 points) and Catch 23 (806 points), the latter also earning second in the White Marlin Division with Trey “Cricket” McMillan’s 71-pound fish aboard Michael Jordan’s Bayliss.
From the high-stakes drama at the scales to the camaraderie forged in the teeth of challenging weather, the 2025 White Marlin Open was a testament to the enduring thrill of offshore competition—proving once again that in Ocean City, legends are made every August.
