The biggest money and the heaviest fish in offshore tournament fishing, each with its year and its source.
Record Payouts
Total prize money at one event, exactly as its source published it.
$11,651,300
Bisbee's Black & Blue
Prize money offered, which the organizer called the most ever offered in a sportfishing tournament
$10,509,679.01
White Marlin Open
Total of the organizer’s money list
$9,824,300
Bisbee's Black & Blue
$9.2 million
White Marlin Open
Purse as the organizer announced it
$9,038,225
Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament
$8.59 million
White Marlin Open
$7,562,700
Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament
$7,452,775
Bisbee's Black & Blue
$6,756,020
The MidAtlantic
$5,929,050
The MidAtlantic
$5,858,875
Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament
$5.45 million
White Marlin Open
$4,165,960
Bisbee's Black & Blue
$1,593,050
Orange Beach Billfish Classic
$1,311,475
Bermuda Big-Game Classic
The biggest checks paid to one team at one tournament. Some are the payout for a single fish, as noted.
$6,513,188
Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament · Marlin Fever
$6,235,436
White Marlin Open · Floor Reel
Team total from the organizer’s money list
$5,629,300
Bisbee's Black & Blue · Contango's Spartan's Revenge
Largest payout for one fish in the tournament’s history
$3,914,197.60
White Marlin Open · Billfisher
Payout for one fish
$3,902,997
Bisbee's Black & Blue · Bad Company
$3,699,630.67
White Marlin Open · Waste Knot
Payout for one fish
$3,503,891.54
White Marlin Open · Mister Pete
Payout for one fish
$3,489,813
Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament · Mercenaria
$3,263,700
Bisbee's Black & Blue · El Mexicano
$3,004,900
Bisbee's Black & Blue · Chinito Bonito
$2,588,675
Bisbee's Black & Blue · Rising Sons/Magnifico
$2,440,850
Bisbee's Black & Blue · Magic Touch
$2,215,325
Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament · Release
$1,477,980
The MidAtlantic · Taylor Jean
Tournament record payout for the heaviest blue marlin
$482,240
Bermuda Big-Game Classic · UnWined
Largest single-team payout in the tournament’s history
Record Catches
The heaviest fish ever weighed at each tournament, from its own record book or published results.
Blue marlin
1,268 lb
Bermuda Big-Game Classic · UnWined
Bluefin tuna
837.1 lb
Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic · Dreamin On
Tuna
326 lb
White Marlin Open
Swordfish
309.9 lb
Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic · Tails Up - Sea Cruiser
Yellowfin tuna
222.4 lb
Orange Beach Billfish Classic · Panhandler
Bigeye tuna
203.9 lb
Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic · Jasper Time
Wahoo
110.5 lb
White Marlin Open
White marlin
99 lb
White Marlin Open
Dolphin
57.2 lb
Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic · Alma-Ann
The heaviest fish of each species ever certified by the International Game Fish Association.
1,560 lb
Cabo Blanco, Peru
1,496 lb
Aulds Cove, Nova Scotia
Atlantic bluefin tuna
1,402 lb 2 oz
Vitoria, Brazil
Atlantic blue marlin. IGFA weight, as listed by Marlin magazine
1,376 lb
Kona, Hawaii
Pacific blue marlin. IGFA weight, as listed by Marlin magazine
1,182 lb
Iquique, Chile
494 lb
Tutukaka, New Zealand
IGFA weight, as listed by Marlin magazine
184 lb
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
181 lb 14 oz
Vitoria, Brazil
IGFA weight, as listed by Marlin magazine
Every figure is copied exactly as the organizer, the IGFA or Marlin magazine published it, never rounded or estimated, and every row links to that source. Rankings cover only the records confirmed at a source; a figure the sources disagree on, or one published as an estimate, stays off the page until it is settled. A category appears only once it has at least five sourced records. Records were last checked on October 30, 2026.
Spot a newer record or a mistake? Send a correction. Looking ahead instead? See the tournament schedule.
