MICHAEL JORDAN has been eyeing a stunning £2.9million prize for winning a fishing competition.
Dubbed the “Super Bowl of fishing”, the White Marlin Open is a competition that has been running for more than half a century.
Michael Jordan has been involved in the worlds richest fishing competition[/caption]
MJ went out on his 82-foot Bayliss Catch 23 for the White Marlin Open[/caption]
Jordan is often seen in Harbour Island puffing on cigars[/caption]
He has also competed in other fishing contests[/caption]
It has earned its name thanks to the high stakes involved, which can rival the US Masters with well over $100m (£74m) paid out to winners of the competition since it was founded by Jim Motsko in 1974.
This year, the top prize will land a cool $3.9m, with basketball icon Jordan among those hoping to catch a place in history, according to The Times.
However, sailing in his £11m 82-foot Bayliss named Catch 23 off the coast of Maryland last week, he was not the only billionaire competing among the 200 plus boats in the water.
The world’s richest fishing contest is not without its dangers, with spray from the waves of the sea hitting his boat’s 40-foot tower as he and nine anglers tried to wrestle a white marlin to shore – and a 71lbs fish proving to be a particular challenge.
The minimum participation fee is around £1,250 ($1,700) – though that means the top prize you can take home is £37,000 ($50,000) – but some pay more than £74,000 ($100,000) to buy in.
And it is also laid out by strict rules, with fishermen needing to get their catch alone.
Indeed, other than to prevent an angler from falling into the big blue, any touching of them during the fierce battle with the fish would result in the catch no longer being eligible for weighing at the scales.
Boats are also under curfew, only being able to fish in three out of the five days – seven in 2025 due to adverse weather – and can only start to fish after 8am.
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Furthermore, any fish brought to the scales on Harbour Island must be hooked before 3.30pm, with the scales closing at 9.15pm.
And finally, the crews of the winning boats must also face a polygraph – lie detector test – to try and ensure fair competition.
The tests are run by former professionals, including some ex-police officers, and is a rule everyone signs up for before heading out to ocean.
However, the rule came under a fierce legal challenge in 2016 when Phil Heasley was disqualified for a failed test after reeling in a 76.5lb white marlin that was set to earn him £2m ($2.8m).
The challenge went to the US District Court, with Judge Richard Bennett ruling in favour of the White Marlin Open after upholding the tournament’s right to use a polygraph.
Madelyne Motsko, daughter of the competitions founder, said of the test: “We introduced it well over 20 years ago.
“It just got to the point where, with the number of boats, it became a hard thing to police. So we thought it was a way to ensure a baseline level of integrity, and we use it for our big-money winners.”
On Heasley’s case, she added: “That ended up being a whole two-year process.
“But these are the rules that you need to follow and they are important because everyone who comes here needs to know that everything’s above board; we pay out what we’re supposed to pay out and there are no integrity issues.
“They know if they’re putting their money up, that it’s going to go to the rightful winner. In the history of fishing tournaments, that’s not always been the case.
“So we fought very hard in court, spending a ton of money, to protect that reputation.”
The biggest blue marlin at the contest, caught by the crew of the Barbara B, tipped the scales at a whopping 929.5lb and fetched just shy of £914,000 ($1.24m).
Jordan himself – seemingly more in the contest for the thrill than the cash – saw his Catch 23 net $389,000 in what was the second-biggest white marlin – said to have a steak-like texture with a stronger taste – by a difference of a single pound.
He had landed in his private jet on Tuesday and joined the rest of the Catch 23 crew at the dock alongside the Sunset Grille, where he is often seen smoking a cigar.
He has been a frequent visitor of Ocean City in recent years, though Saturday was his first time he had made it to the scales, with Harbour Island said to have gone wild as he waved to the crowd as his boat came in to dock.
Tuna is also on the menu for anglers, with the winning 188lb tuna being worth $764,000 to Sea Hab and second-place 186lb tuna only being caught after a 5 and a half hour struggle.
Many of the fish caught in the competition are released back to sea, due to having to be of a certain size to even qualify for the scales.
Prize-winning fish are typically cut up and shared across local shelters, providing meals for the less fortunate.
