OCEAN CITY, Md. — The stage is set for the 49th White Marlin Open (WMO) in Ocean City this year.
Extended fishing time, new categories, massive payout and Marlin Fest are all in the lineup for this year's tournament.
Little has changed to the format for this year's event which will be held Aug. 8-12. The 2021 WMO had 444 boats competing for a world-record $9.2 million payout.
This year's tournament will allow boats the freedom to enter the added entry levels of their choice based on their wallet, target species, boat size and perceived abilities.
Last year's format included a payout that included individual awards of $3.2 million, $1.9 million, $1.3 million and $1.1 million.
Projections show that the 2022 payout will exceed $10 million.
Here are some of the improvements to the tournament this year:
- The shark division category is eliminated for 2022. This is due to new federal regulations on sharks.
- A swordfish category has been added to replace the shark category.
- A daily billfish points category has been added to reward smaller boats for catches and releases of billfish.
- This year, there will be an extra 30 minutes of fishing tome each day.
Late registration will be held at Harbour Island Marina in Ocean City and South Jersey Marina in Cape May, NJ on Saturday, Aug 6, and at Harbour Island Marina on August 7.
The awards ceremony will be held at the Ocean City Fountainebleau Resort on Saturday, Aug.13.
