Subscribe to Marlin magazine and get a year of highly collectible, keepsake editions – plus access to the digital edition and archives. Sign up for the free Marlin email newsletter.
The 22nd Annual Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament (VBBT) concluded with 39 boats competing for hundreds of thousands in prize money after a delayed start due to weather. Despite the shortened schedule, the fleet delivered impressive results, tallying 420 billfish overall, including 409 white marlin, eight blue marlin, two sailfish, and one spearfish.
Waterman, a 70-foot Ricky Scarborough owned by Mike Standing and captained by Ben Horning, claimed first place after releasing 33 white marlin, good for 2,310 points. The performance earned the team $298,500 in prize money, along with an additional $9,750 for the top tuna, a 74.1-pound fish landed by Tony Huerta.
Don’t Panic, a 64-foot Viking owned by Andrew Norris and led by Capt. Bryan Peele, secured second place with 26 white marlin releases totaling 1,820 points. The team collected $55,575 in winnings for their efforts. Fender Bender, a 62-foot Spencer captained by Colin Oxnard, finished in third place with 22 releases and 1,540 points, taking home $66,525, including jackpot earnings.
Rounding out the top standings, Outnumbered, a 65-foot Viking captained by James Breen, also released 22 billfish for 1,540 points, placing fourth overall based on time and earning the Wayne Sawyer Victory Lap Hard Charger Award valued at $5,000. Griffin, a 65-foot Rybovich captained by John Adams, secured fifth place with 19 releases totaling 1,330 points, along with a $8,775 payout from a second-place daily jackpot.
Individual awards included William (Wayne) Enroughty Jr., who claimed the top dolphin prize with a 25.6-pound fish aboard Sniper, a 58-foot Paul Mann captained by Chris Raiford, for $9,750. Whitney Simmons, fishing aboard Sea Toy, a 59-foot Spencer with Capt. Bull Tolson at the helm, was named the Top Lady Angler after releasing 10 marlin. Fifteen-year-old Sutton Paul earned the Bryan “Pick” Dalheim Memorial Trophy as the Top Junior Angler with a white marlin release while fishing on Sea Escape, a 53-foot RG Boatworks captained by Kevin Paul.
The 23rd Annual Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament is scheduled to return August 19–22, 2026.
