Marlin’s Photo of the Year contest brings together both seasoned professionals and passionate amateurs from across the globe, all united by their love for big-game fishing, the ocean and its inhabitants, and the art of capturing them with a lens. From explosive fights to powerful boat shots, the contest showcases the unforgettable moments that define our sport and the people who live it.
This year’s competition once again delivered an incredible showcase of talent, with hundreds of breathtaking entries submitted from every corner of the world. After two rounds of frenzied public voting and thousands of votes cast, one remarkable image rose to the top, earning its photographer the title of 2025 Marlin Photo of the Year and an all-expense-paid fishing adventure to Crocodile Bay Resort in Costa Rica.
What follows are the winning image and the seven finalists, each representing the passion, creativity and global reach of the sport-fishing community. And while the next contest may still be months away, the ocean and this sport never stop delivering magic—so keep those cameras ready.
Overall Winner: Capt. Patrick Wilson
This boat is probably one of the best-looking sport-fishers around. The lines of a Bayliss are intricate. Lucky Dog has been very well maintained and repowered with MAN 1550s. It’s really the perfect-size boat at 57 feet. I get brokers calling me every time I post it on Instagram, asking if it’s coming on the market. On the day I got this shot, Lucky Dog had been out fishing offshore. I hiked out to a lifeguard stand by the jetties in Destin that wasn’t in use to get out of the sunny glare. I flew out and met the crew in sport mode. They were doing 40 knots, and I got some amazing video and about 10 pictures, one of which I sent in to the Marlin photo contest and won. I am super excited to have a pic in Marlin that isn’t in the brokerage section.
Marlin Category Finalists
John Austin Gallardo
The photo I’ve titled “The Marlin” was taken on August 17, 2025, with the Thomas crew—Donald Thomas, Donald Thomas Jr., Christopher Foust and Scott Radar—on a boys trip to Tropic Star Lodge. The boys were fishing aboard Beatriz, a 47-foot Viking with Capt. Jose and mates Verde and Anthony, during the heat of the legendary 2025 billfish season in Panama. The boat hooked into this black marlin on a live bonita early in the morning in sunny, calm conditions. The goal was to get Donnie Sr. onto a marlin, and the day provided a bountiful catch with memories that are sure to last. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to capture what is truly the fish of a lifetime for them during their stay at Tropic Star Lodge.
Shaun Ruge
This photo is of a white marlin released from a Latitude LTB 25 about 50 miles south of Cape Cod this past summer. Fishing buddy John Burns and I were running home from a tuna trip in calm conditions in the midafternoon, so we decided to detour a few miles and swing through a mixing area with some pronounced midday temperature breaks. The diversion was a Hail Mary, with one lonely pitch bait in the livewell. After about an hour of hunting in the area and running short on time, John spotted a single splash in the distance. We investigated and found this lone white, its dorsal high and all lit up, corralling half-beaks. The lone bluefish pitch bait went out in short order, and the white pounced. After about a 10-minute bout on a Hogy 30-pound-class spinning rod, we had the fish boatside, with the bill in hand. One splash, one cast, one marlin.
Other Billfish Category Finalists
Adair Bates
This photo was taken on July 21, 2025, off San José del Cabo, Mexico, during a three-day trip aboard Magnifico Sportfishing, a boat originally from Port Aransas, Texas. I’ve always loved wildlife and sport-fishing photography, so I brought my camera to capture moments like this of my younger sister, Scout Bates, admiring her first sailfish as it was wired boatside. Our family has long been close with owner Garret Frazier, Capt. Drake Sawyer, and his wife, Katie, who taught me much of what I know about billfishing. That day I landed my first personal grand slam, and our crew released three blue marlin, five striped marlin and three sailfish—an unforgettable start to what became a record-setting trip, as we caught five grand slams the very next day.
James Strange
This shot, titled “Sidewinder,” was taken aboard the 54-foot Sportsman Redemption out of Charleston, South Carolina. I shot it with a Canon 90D and a 100-400mm telephoto lens as we fished through a day that began rough but gradually settled into calmer seas. By lines out, we’d tallied 16 bites and successfully leadered 13 fish. My goal in photographing billfish is to capture the blend of beauty, speed and raw power they display on the surface—often visible in the explosive water they leave behind. “Sidewinder” reflects that moment perfectly and the energy that makes these fish so captivating.
Boats Category Finalists
Evan Thomas
Running north toward the C&D Canal on September 6, 2025, I captured this shot from the cockpit of Fowl Play, the 41-foot Custom that I mate on. As the 52-foot Viking Alternating Currents came into frame with the Salem Nuclear Power Plant in the background, it created the perfect opportunity to capture this powerhouse of a boat against a backdrop that generates its own kind of power. Under overcast skies, two boats made their run home to the Chesapeake Bay after a season fishing out of Ocean City.
Lifestyle Category Finalists
Taylor Bakke
I’m so stoked my photo made the cut. I’m more of an angler and content creator than a photographer—we fish out of Sunset Marina and film YouTube videos while fishing tournaments up and down the coast. On our lay day, I walked the docks and tried to capture the energy of the White Marlin Open, which has become the biggest and busiest week of the summer in Ocean City. It’s pure organized chaos, and I’m glad I was able to freeze a small piece of it. Huge thanks to everyone who voted, and to Marlin magazine for the feature.
Evan Thomas
On July 13, the final day of the 2025 Ocean City Tuna Tournament, the 2012 65-foot Terry Guthrie Lit Up, captained by Nick Neary and powered by twin C18 engines, passed us in the inlet after putting 11 yellowfin tuna on the deck throughout the tournament. Captured from the cockpit of Fowl Play, a 41-foot Custom that I mate on, the photo showcases the energy of tournament fishing as Lit Up charges through the inlet in late-afternoon light. Crew on deck, spectators and fishermen crowding the shore, and the Ferris wheel towering in the background make a classic scene of Ocean City, Maryland, sport fishing.
