OCEAN CITY, Md. - It's not just the anglers out of the boats having a good time at the White Marlin Open.
The excitement is palpable all over the town of Ocean City, including at "Marlinfest" in the Inlet parking lot.
Allen Reynolds and his friends came down from Hagerstown to celebrate his bachelor party at the White Marlin Open.
"It's changed a lot since I was here the last time. It's electric. There's a lot of folks out here having a great time and vendors and excited to get more drinks during the day," he said.
Niki Pino has been coming to the White Marlin Open with her business for a decade.
While she's on land in the vendor's area, Niki's heart is out at sea. Her son Anthony is competing in this year's tournament.
"There's so much work that goes into the preparation and development, you know planning for the tournament, preparation for the tournament. I wish people understood more of how much work and these guys... the passion that goes into this," she said.
The White Marlin Open is the brain child of Jim Motsko. He and his family have grown the tournament exponentially in the last 50 years. He's looking forward to the next 50.
"If we keep doing what we've been doing and listening to the captains and mates and boat owners and getting input from them over the years we should be able to do another 50 years no problem," he said.
It's even a family friendly event. We found young brothers Michael and Jordan, and their equally important brother Andrew standing watch at the water's edge, hoping to catch a glimpse of NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan's boat "Catch 23."
Marlinfest is open in the Inlet parking lot each day of the tournament until 9 p.m.