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It takes a special blue marlin to win a year-long tournament that spans the world’s oceans. It takes an even more remarkable fish to get there in June and remain untouched the rest of the season. For Capt. Marty Bates and The Release Man, a 1,013-pound giant caught in Cape Verde proved to be just that fish.
The Release Man is the 2026 Marlin Global Challenge champion, claiming the second annual title and its $100,000 winner-take-all prize. Angler Mike Peet caught the fish June 23 during the Cape Verde Cup, putting Bates and the team more than 176 pounds ahead of their nearest challenger. Nobody would close the gap.
Bates knew they had encountered something special before the fish ever took the bait. “We marked the fish on the sonar, and I knew it was a good one,” he recalls. “I told Mike to be ready. The fish came up, and I didn’t even see the whole thing. I just saw the bill come out of the water and told Mike to pitch the big bait. He did, and we caught it in about 45 minutes. We took it slow and steady with plenty of drag. We knew what we had on.”
Their grander blue measured 138 inches in lower-jaw fork length with a 70-inch girth. For Bates, a New Zealand native with an extensive résumé in the world’s premier marlin destinations, it marked another milestone in an already distinguished career.
The victory also belongs to Sam “Sammy” Peters, founder of Release Marine and the driving force behind The Release Man program. Peters purchased a 48-foot G&S, extensively rebuilt it and shipped it across the Atlantic to establish a Cape Verde charter operation. Bates and mate Elton Fortes Lopez have run the boat from the outset, building a formidable reputation in one of the world’s most productive fisheries.
“Sammy deserves a lot of credit for what we’ve accomplished,” Bates says. “Keeping a boat operating at this level in Cape Verde isn’t easy. There are challenges that come with being so far removed from everything, but Sammy makes sure the boat is always in top shape and that we have what we need to fish hard every day. That’s a huge part of our success.”
Bates is equally quick to recognize the work behind the scenes. “It’s a big team effort,” he says. “Hats off to my guy Elton, who’s a magician in the engine room and does all the things I don’t want to do or don’t know how to do.”
Cape Verde’s Remarkable Run
The setting for this year’s champion was fitting. Cape Verde’s 2026 season had been exceptional since late March, producing outstanding fishing through spring and summer. Bates and his crew certainly made the most of the fishing. “We had a great season,” he says. “We started fishing in late March and fished hard through July. In total, we released 306 fish.”
Working the waters surrounding São Vicente, Santo Antão and São Nicolau, crews follow the bite along steep drop-offs and offshore structure. Cape Verde’s appeal isn’t simply the chance at a grander, but the remarkable consistency of the fishing along the way. In other words, you get both quality and quantity.
And The Release Man wasn’t the only boat to find a quality fish. On April 25, Wave Paver, captained by Russell Sinclair, landed a grander blue marlin for angler/owner Junior Davis, providing another spectacular highlight in a season already overflowing with them.
The Global Challenge results offered more proof. Before The Release Man took the lead, Dogs Bollocks had established the mark with an 836.5-pound blue caught May 1 by Giuseppe Omegna. Both qualifying fish in the competition were caught in Cape Verde. And on July 4, Bad Company weighed a 653-pound blue there to win the Blue Marlin World Cup on a historic tiebreaker against Bermuda’s Swish.
Different tournaments, same message: Cape Verde had quite a year.
A Big Lead and a Promise Kept
The 2026 Marlin Global Challenge drew 18 teams and recorded two qualifying weigh-ins. The Release Man finished first at 1,013 pounds, followed by Dogs Bollocks at 836.5. Participation was modest for a competition designed to span the world’s great blue marlin fisheries, and we won’t pretend otherwise.
Still, context matters. Once that grander hit the scales in June, prospective entrants faced a daunting task. With much of the summer tournament season still ahead, including the Bermuda Triple Crown, several Gulf Coast events, Kona’s summer circuit, the White Marlin Open and the MidAtlantic, teams knew they would need a fish exceeding 1,013 pounds just to take the lead. So it’s no surprise registrations dwindled after that. And yes, with only 18 teams, I realize the entry-fee math isn’t exactly making our accounting department dance. But Marlin guaranteed the winner $100,000, and Marlin has paid the winner $100,000. A promise is a promise, and this crew earned every penny.
Looking Ahead
The Global Challenge returns in 2027 with significant changes designed to broaden participation. The biggest: Qualifying catches will no longer have to come during recognized tournaments. From March 1 through Nov. 30, registered boats can fish whenever and wherever they choose, including recreational and charter trips. Blue marlin must be caught in accordance with local regulations and weigh at least 500 pounds on a certified scale, with photographs, affidavits and supporting documentation required. Re-entries will be permitted, and the three heaviest qualifying fish will share the payout, with no guaranteed minimum.
For Bates, the verdict on the competition is already in. “What a cool contest,” he says. “We’ll definitely be a part of it next year.”
More details are coming. For now, the spotlight belongs to a spectacular Cape Verde grander and the crew that caught it. Congratulations to The Release Man, the 2026 Marlin Global Challenge champion.
