Posted on August 3rd, 2026
Scales are closed for day 1 of the 53rd Annual White Marlin Open and tunas were the tale of the day. With a forecast of s to sw winds of 20-25 knots with higher gusts and seas of 7-9 feet, I had a feeling not many of the 334 boats registered for this year’s White Marlin Open would be taking their first of three days of fishing. I also had a feeling that if anyone did venture out today it would be in search of a tuna or two to grab a piece of the daily prizes that can total into the many thousands of dollars. Both feelings were pretty good as we saw just 17 boats fishing day 1 and though there were a few marlin releases, tuna were the main event today. There is A LOT of fishing left to do this week with 6 total fishing days available for teams and there are many more big fish to come to the scales this week. Here is who’s leading after the first day of fishing in the World’s Largest Billfish Tournament. Many thanks to the White Marlin Open for the pics! Payouts are estimates from www.whitemarlinopen.com
1st Place Tuna
Full Service 84 Lb Bluefin $1,227,895
2nd Place Tuna
Talkin’ Trash 81.5 Lb Bluefin $3,917,217
3rd Place Tuna
Game On 80 Lb Bluefin $331,309
Join me starting tomorrow for some LIVE updates from the canyons while teams are fishing this year’s White Marlin Open!! Updates Tuesday, August 4 with Captain Nick Sampson of MobSquad Fishing at 11 AM and 3 PM. And watch the live weigh-ins at www.WhiteMarlinOpen.com
