Attention All Fishermen: Over $50 Million in Prize Money Up for Grabs!
OutdoorHub Reporters 06.15.17
When you think of big-money tournaments, what comes to mind: The Super Bowl – The World Series – NBA Playoffs – The Masters – The World Series of Poker – The US Open – The Stanley Cup? You better include saltwater sport fishing in that list! Offshore fishing tournaments have been racking up larger and larger payouts. Last year, the White Marlin Open alone had a $4.4M purse. Tournaments with more than $1M up for grabs have become common. All told, there is well over $50M up for grabs in offshore fishing tournaments worldwide.
But what really sets tournament fishing apart from other big-money events is that anyone can throw their hat in the ring. You don’t need to get drafted by a team, spend years training, and be the best in your sport. Anyone who can pay the entry fee can compete, and the entry fee may not be as prohibitive as you think . .. . especially considering that you’ll typically need about six anglers on your team and can split the costs.
Prize money aside, these fishing tournaments are exceptionally fun events. Anglers enjoy kick-off parties, captains meetings, bar crawls, and awards ceremonies. Of course, for most anglers the fishing is still the highlight! Each event has great food, drinks, entertainment, camaraderie, and sponsors with swag.
Beyond the entry fee, you will need to have a boat, or hire a charter boat and captain. Again, chartering a boat is easier than you think. Fin & Field has many tournament winning captains and makes it easy to search, compare, and book a charter for any of our favorite tournaments listed below (see the complete tournament calendar here). All you have to do is pick your crew, pick your tournament, hire a boat, and enjoy competing for life-changing amounts of money!
White Marlin Open
Website – 2016 Recap – Find A Boat
2016: $4.4M
2017 Dates: August 7-11
Location: Ocean City, MD
Teams: 329
Target Species: White Marlin
Gamefish Division: Yes
Format: Modified Release
Basic Entry: $1,000
Bisbee’s Black and Blue
Website – 2016 Recap – Find A Boat
2016: $3.5M
2017 Dates: October 24-28
Location: Los Cabos, Mexico
Teams: 121
Target Species: Blue Marlin, Black Marlin
Gamefish Division: Yes
Format: Modified Release
Basic Entry: $5,000
The MidAtlantic
Website – 2016 Recap – Find A Boat
2016: $3.1M
2017 Dates: August 20-25
Location: Cape May, NJ and Ocean City, MD
Teams: 157
Target Species: Blue Marlin, White Marlin, Tuna
Gamefish Division: Yes
Format: Modified Release
Basic Entry: $2,500
Bluewater Movements Quest for the Crest
Website – 2016 Recap – Find A Boat
2016-2017: $2.5M (Across all 4 legs of the tournament)
2017-2018 Dates:
Operation Sailfish – December 6-10
Sailfish 400 – January 17-21
The Sailfish Challenge – February 21-25
Final Sail – April 17-22
Location: Southern Florida
Teams: 45-65 teams in each leg
Target Species: Sailfish
Gamefish Division: Yes
Format: Release
Basic Entry: $12,767 for all 4 tournaments, or tournaments can be entered individually!
Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic
Website – 2016 Recap – Find A Boat
2016: $1.75M
2017 Dates: June 5-11
Location: Biloxi, MS
Teams: 81
Target Species: Blue Marlin, White Marlin, Sailfish, Spearfish, Swordfish
Gamefish Division: Yes
Format: Modified Release
Basic Entry: $5,000
Jimmy Johnson’s Quest for the Ring
Website – 2016 Recap – Find A Boat
2016: $1M (Guaranteed $1.5M in 2017!)
2017 Dates: March 7-10
Location: Key Largo
Teams: 71
Target Species: Sailfish
Gamefish Division: Yes
Format: Release
Basic Entry: $3,900
Pirates Cove Billfish Tournament
Website – 2016 Recap – Find A Boat
2016: $600k
2017 Dates: August 12-18
Location: Outer Banks, NC
Teams: 72
Target Species: Blue Marlin, White Marlin, Sailfish, Swordfish, Spearfish
Gamefish Division: Yes
Format: Modified Release
Basic Entry: $5,000
Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament
Website – 2016 Recap – Find A Boat
2016: $550k
2017 Dates: August 23-26
Location: Virginia Beach, VA
Teams: 75
Target Species: Blue Marlin, White Marlin, Sailfish, Spearfish
Gamefish Division: Yes
Format: Modified Release
Basic Entry: $2,400
Pompano Beach Saltwater Classic
Website – 2016 Recap – Find A Boat
2016: $450k (Across all 3 legs of the tournament)
2017 Dates:
Saltwater Shootout – May 11-14
Saltwater Slam – June 8-11
Saltwater Showdown – August 3-6
Location: Pompano Beach, FL
Teams: 70-130 teams in each leg
Target Species: Dolphin, Kingfish, Wahoo, Blackfin Tuna, and Cobia
Gamefish Division: NA
Format: Weigh-In
Basic Entry: $1,170 for all 3 legs, or each leg can be entered individually. The Saltwater Showdown is invitation only!
Huk Big Fish Classic
Website – 2016 Recap – Find A Boat
2016: $350k
2017 Dates: July 28-30
Location: Ocean City, MD
Teams: 67
Target Species: Sailfish
Gamefish Division: Yes
Format: Heaviest fish wins
Basic Entry: $600
Texas Billfish Classic
Website – 2016 Recap – Find A Boat
2016: $250k
2017 Dates: August 16-19
Location: Freeport, TX
Teams: 30
Target Species: Blue Marlin, White Marlin, Sailfish, Spearfish
Gamefish Division: Yes
Format: Modified Release
Basic Entry: $1,550
Los Cabos Billfish Tournament
Website – 2016 Recap – Find A Boat
2016: $450k
2017 Dates: October 15-19
Location: Los Cabos, Mexico
Teams: 37
Target Species: Blue Marlin, Black Marlin, Striped Marlin, Sailfish, Spearfish
Gamefish Division: Yes
Format: Modified Release
Basic Entry: $1,550 Gamefish Only, $5,000 Base Entry
Giving Back:
Most of the tournaments take some of the proceeds and make donations to local and national charities. If you are primarily interested in the fun events, enjoying some fishing, and giving back to a great cause, then maybe a charity tournament is the best choice. Anglers For The Cure is a great option for a charity tournament:
Anglers For The Cure
Website – About the Tournament – Find A Boat
Cause: Prostate Cancer Awareness
2016 Donations: over $25k
2017 Dates: August 17-19
Location: West Palm Beach, FL
Teams: 67
Target Species: Kingfish, Dolphin (Mahi Mahi), Wahoo
Format: Heaviest Fish Wins
Basic Entry: $200 for the KDW, $350 for the King of Kings
