Massive Fish Reeled In By Anne Arundel County Man In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY, MD — Fishers from around the world convene on Ocean City every August for the White Marlin Open. Professional anglers and novice enthusiasts alike take to the Atlantic to try to reel in some of the $6.8 million in prize money.

Anne Arundel County man Adam Fye went to the beach with his eyes set on one thing: the biggest white marlin possible. That dream became a reality on Thursday.

Aboard the boat "Hook & Settle," Fye reeled in a 74-pound marlin. The catch was the largest through the first four days of the tournament.

The marlin was worth $1.1 million at the time, but other anglers hauled in larger fishes before the tournament closed. A 97-pound marlin captured the $1.85 million, first-place prize. Fye's team finished tied for fourth place in the white marlin division.

Fye is from Annapolis, but he lives in Arnold. He went to Broadneck High School before studying at the University of Alabama.

His boat was one of 433 to compete in the 47th annual White Marlin Open. The tournament is considered one of the largest billfish competition's in the world.

Altogether, participants caught 896 billfish, or fish with long and pointed snouts, over the seven-day event. Fishers released 837 of those catches, however, as the tournament's point system prioritizes releasing fish up to a certain weight in each category.

The competition ran from Aug. 3 to Aug. 9 and awarded three prizes worth more than $1 million. This year's open had the largest payout in the competition's history. Anglers also reeled in a 273.5-pound swordfish and a 73.5-pound dolphin, both setting tournament records.

"We aren’t going to lie, this one was a doozy," the White Marlin Open said on its Facebook page. "A pandemic and a hurricane tried to stop us but thanks to our amazing participants, the 2020 White Marlin Open was the biggest yet!"

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