The scales were open in Ocean City, Maryland, Friday, July 10, 2026, as the Ocean City Tuna Tournament — billed as Ocean City’s Original Tuna Tournament — got its 2026 run underway. The event runs July 10th through July 12th, with crews fishing two of the three days, and this year’s edition is a heavyweight even by OC standards.
This year marks the tournament’s 39th anniversary, and it has grown into the world’s largest tuna tournament, with a record payout that has topped $1,000,000 in each of the last two years. In 2026 the field and the money both got bigger: 111 boats are entered, chasing a total payout of $1,422,270.
Boats of all sizes run in from ports up and down the East Coast for this one, and the format keeps everybody honest — anglers weigh in across multiple divisions including Tuna (Single), Tuna (Stringer), Dolphin, Wahoo, Ladies, and Juniors. Host duties fall to the Ocean City Fishing Center, one of OC’s marquee marinas, where spectators pack the docks each evening to watch the scales while the crews settle up.
And boats are already on the board. Through the early results, Christine Marie has set the pace in a big way — sitting first in the Tuna (Single) division with an 83-pounder and topping the Tuna (Stringer) board with a 359-lb Day 1 haul. The Dock Father is right in the mix, running second in both tuna categories with a 68.5-lb single and a 188-lb stringer. In the Dolphin division, Invialo holds down the top two spots with fish of 24.5 and 22 pounds.
With more fishing still to come and over $1.4 million in the pot, there’s plenty of time for the board to shuffle — but right now, Christine Marie is the boat to beat.
We’ll be tracking this one as real results hit the scales. Stay tuned to Saltwater Insider for verified standings and the boats that put fish on the dock.
*And with the White Marlin Open — the biggest of them all — right around the corner in August, OC’s summer of big-money saltwater is just getting started.*
See you on the water.
