A Maryland resident, Michael Jordan, a 640.5 pound fish, a world record $6.2 million prize, and a 50-year-old fishing competition. How are they connected?
Not only was it the biggest Marlin ever caught this weekend, but the winner’s share was also the biggest ever awarded to an angler in the competition’s history.
A Maryland man went home happy this weekend after landing the biggest catch and prize in the history of one of the state’s most prestigious fishing competitions. Of course, he wasn’t the only headliner, with a certain NBA legend participating in the action as well.
John Ols wins the 2023 White Marlin Open
If you missed it, the 50th annual White Marlin Open was a huge hit this weekend. Held in Ocean City, Maryland, the tournament boasted a $10.5 million purse of which $6.2 million was the grand prize, and that’s exactly what Maryland resident and eventual winner, John Ols, took home. Indeed, Ols got his hands on the world record winnings for catching a fish after he hooked a 640.5-pound blue marlin over the weekend.
Ols was fishing off the Ocean City boat ‘Floor Reel’, which makes it a boost for the state as this is the third year in a row that a local boat has won the competition. Ols’ catch was one of 46 blue marlins caught during the five-day event. As for who else came close, there was an unofficial catch of a white Marlin at 551, however, the competition’s website states that of the three billfish that were brought in, only two were weighed. “The blue marlin from the Floor Real left no doubt when it was measured at 118′ in the boat before electrifying the crowd while tipping the scales at 640.5 pounds,” read an official statement from the White Marlin Open. “It proved to be the only qualifying billfish and wins most of the money for both white and blue marlin.”
If you’re wondering, the White Marlin Open was first held in 1974, and is today regarded as the “World’s Largest and Richest Billfish Tournament.” The previous world record for the catching of a fish was $4.45 million, which occurred just last year, when Jeremy Duffie, fishing off of ‘Billfisher’, caught a 77.5-pound white marlin. Needless to say, Ols’ fish is quite a jump.
‘His Airness’ also participated
Though Ols was the star of the show with his $6.2 million grand prize, he wasn’t the only star on show. Indeed, former Chicago Bulls icon and the man many believe to be the greatest player in NBA history, Michael Jordan, was also one of the participants in this year’s contest. Aboard his impressive $8 million custom 84-foot Viking, ‘Catch 23′, Jordan was in the thick of the action though he wasn’t able to get his hands on any of the purse. Believe it or not, this isn’t the six-time NBA champion’s first dance either as it has actually become an annual tradition for him. In 2021, angler Trey McMillan caught a 23.5 pound Mahi Mahi from Jordan’s boat which was good enough for $20,000 of the purse.