Posted on August 9, 2021 WMO wraps up distribution of riches The White Marlin Open at Ocean City, Maryland sent along this explanation of how that contest concluded Friday with dramatic last minute changes that saw millions of dollars changing hands as fish were being weighed. AUGUST 9, 2021 In the most dramatic finish in the 48- year history of the White Marlin Open, over$6 million dollars changed hands in the final hour of weigh-ins at Harbour IslandMarina on Friday.Mike Atkinson off the “Fender Bender” (both from Virginia Beach, VA), weighedthe first fish of the tournament. Until the last 30-minutes, his 82.5-pound whitemarlin was winning $5,000,000! As the line of boats with fish to weigh dwindledto the final three, there was one boat flying a white marlin flag. It was the “Sushi”out of Ocean City, MD with angler Butch Wright from Arnold, MD aboard. Wight’swhite marlin tipped the scales at 85.5 pounds, taking $3,200,000 from the“Fender Bender,” leaving them a very respectable $1,800,000. Rounding out thewhite marlin division the “Billfisher”, also out of Ocean City, MD weighed a 78.5-pound white caught by Billy Gerlach from Jupiter, FL worth to take third and$105,000.00.The blue marlin division saw the same change of fortunes. The second fishweighed on Monday was a 559-pound blue marlin taken by Chris Perry aboard“Mama C”, both also from Virginia Beach, VA. Like the “Fender Bender”, Perry’sfish was winning $1,000,000 until the last hour. Late Friday, Scott Zurawski fromAvalon, NJ fishing aboard the “Canyon Lady” out of Cape May, NJ weighed a 511-pound blue marlin that shaved $250,000 from the “Mama C” winnings but leftPerry in first place, for a while. Then things got crazy. The “SEVEN” out of Jupiter,FL had made a successful trip to the scales earlier in the week. Angler LawrenceMorejon from Stuart, FL had weighed a 137-pound tuna on Monday that took firstplace and the $1,200,000 that came with it. On Friday, they showed up to thescales again flying a boated white marlin and blue marlin flags. Their white marlinweighed in at 72-pounds and took over third place. It was their blue marlin thatelectrified the crowds. The fish caught by David Cash from Palm Beach Gardens,FL strained the scales at 775-pounds, vaulting into first place to add another$1,100,000 to their winnings! No boat in 48 years had ever won two divisions.Their white marlin was pushed out of the top three when the “Sushi” showed upat the last minute, but the boat still ended up with $2,220,000 and the respect ofall the other teams. The final blue marlin winnings were the “SEVEN” with $1,100,000, the “Mama C” netting $240,000, and the “Canyon Lady” taking$95,000.There were some big winners in the tuna division. In addition to the $1,100,000taken by the “SEVEN”, “A Few G’s” out of Furnace Creek, MD took $270,000, the“Cookie Monster” from Dover, DE earned $100,000, and three boats tied with$80,000: “Kilo Charlie” from Ocean City, MD, the “Real Chaos 62”, and the “ReelyChaotic” out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL.In the wahoo category a monster 84-pounder off the "El Azul" took first, the“Island Hopper” took second with a 48.5-pound fish, but the big winner was thethird-place fish. The “Oysta Gangsta” out of Seaford, DE was also in the smallboat division and their total prize money of $90,000 was earned by TimRichardson from Easton, MD for his 46.5-pounder.There were five $18,000 plus winners in the dolphin division lead by 31.5-poundertaken aboard the “Kilo Charlie” from Ocean City, MD. The other $20,000included: “Point Runner”, the “Due Course”, the “Boy’s Toy”, and the “Catch 23”Rounding out the gamefish leaderboard was the shark division were the “Go Fish”out of Middle River, MD weighed a 132.5 and a 131-pound to take $4,500 for thetwo catches.For a full list of all winners visit our website: whitemarlinopen.com Chuck Many normally has no desire to fish for fluke when he could be catching stripers, but he put together a crew on Tyman from Highlands in Saturday’s Fluke Masters Tournament out of Leonardo and ended up in third place with five fluke totaling 27.52 pounds — including a 10.62-pound doormat that he hooked. The forecast is for south winds at 5-10 knots plus gusts to 20 before increasing to 20 knots in the afternoon.