Maryland angler, boat wins record prize at White Marlin Open

OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) — An angler from suburban Washington, D.C., got a record prize at the annual White Marlin Open on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, who with the boat on which he landed the winning fish earned more than $4.5 million.

Jeremy Duffie of Bethesda, Maryland, reeled in a 77.5-pound (35.2-kilogram) white marlin on Friday’s final day of the open while fishing on the Ocean City boat Billfisher. That exceeded Thursday’s 71.5-pound (32.4-kilogram) white marlin caught by Keeley Megarity of Houston while on the “C- Student” boat from Southside Place, Texas. They received $197,000 for second place, open officials said Sunday.

There were several other contest categories, including the blue marlin and tuna divisions, where the winners each won over $1.2 million, according to an open news release.

The winning 511-pound (231.8-kilogram) blue marlin was landed by Bill Britt from Sandy Spring, Maryland, who was on board the “Cabana” out of Fenwick Island, Delaware. The tuna winners were Jason Hersh of Maple Glen, Pennsylvania, who fished aboard the “Southern C’s” out of Ocean City to reel in a bigeye of 247.5 pounds (112.3 kilograms) .