The Best of Big-Game 2026: Top Tournaments That Define Big-Game Fishing

What began decades ago as loose gatherings of passionate club members vying for bragging rights has evolved into a global industry worth millions—if not billions—of dollars. Today, competitive big-game fishing stands as one of the sport’s greatest spectacles. Just scroll through Marlin’s annual tournament calendar online and you’ll quickly realize there’s rarely a weekend without an event happening somewhere in the world. And good luck finding an open weekend at all during peak tournaments months.

With no shortage of opportunities to compete, the real question becomes: Which tournaments truly stand above the rest? Because while there’s no shortage of events to choose from, not all tournaments are created equal. To answer that, we took a closer look at the qualities that define what we consider the very best big-game tournaments in today’s world.

First, the competition: The premier events consistently draw the sport’s top teams—the best captains, crews and anglers—creating a high-stakes environment that pushes performance to new heights. Then there’s the return on investment. Sure, life-changing payouts grab attention and fill marinas, but pride, prestige and legacy are powerful motivators too. Many of the sport’s most storied tournaments are built not on purse size alone, but on the honor of earning a trophy, jacket or ring. Yes, it could certainly be argued that the ROI drives the level of competition, but we’ll leave that for now. And finally, the host venue: a healthy fishery, a vibrant dockside atmosphere, community support, and that undeniable sense of camaraderie that keeps anglers coming back year after year.

The tournaments that follow embody these ideals and then some. They represent the zenith of ­big-game angling competition—the events where skill, spirit and spectacle converge to celebrate everything that makes this sport great.