Sports & outdoors
Marlins for Mason Tournament
Nonprofit marlin-release tournament at the Ocean City Marlin Club and Sunset Marina benefiting the Dravet Syndrome Foundation—$650 entry goes 100% to research in honor of Mighty Mason Prather.
Status (Eastern US date): Loading…
Dates and prices change—confirm with official sources before you book travel. Status uses US Eastern calendar dates for “today.”
Plan your trip
Tickets, parking, lodging pacing, tips, and official links for this event window.
FAQs
Practical visitor questions—kids, weather, parking, tickets, and local logistics.
About this event
Marlins for Mason is a 501(c)(3) marlin-release tournament and fundraising effort hosted with the Ocean City Marlin Club and Sunset Marina. The 4th annual fishing days are July 30, July 31, and August 1, 2026, with registration Wednesday, July 29, 6:00–8:00 p.m. at the Marlin Club.
The event honors Mighty Mason Prather, a young member of the Ocean City fishing community living with Dravet Syndrome—a rare, catastrophic, lifelong form of epilepsy with limited treatments and no cure. Organizers launched the tournament to fund research through the Dravet Syndrome Foundation and to raise awareness beyond the offshore fleet.
Impact numbers published by organizers: more than $1.5 million donated to DSF across the tournament’s short history, including $682,550 in 2025 alone (described as the Foundation’s largest single gift). Funds have independently supported multiple major research projects, including gene-therapy work aimed at the root of the disease.
Mandatory entry (donation) is $650 per boat and is stated to go 100% to the Dravet Syndrome Foundation—that fee makes teams eligible for trophies and prizes. Optional Calcuttas include a $1,000 ladies marlin-release Calcutta (50/30/20) and a $2,000 open marlin-release Calcutta (50/30/20). Registration materials note that ladies-only teams pursuing some trophy/Calcutta paths must also be entered in the Marlin Club Heels & Reels Tournament—verify the live 2026 registration matrix before you pay two events.
Format is release-focused: teams fish one of the three tournament days (angler day-count notes appear on the registration page). There is no kill-scale festival like White Marlin Open—success is measured in releases, reporting, and fundraising. Overlaps Heels & Reels and leads directly into WMO registration weekend, so West Ocean City slips and lodging are already under pressure.
Donate, register, or share Mason’s story at marlinsformason.com. Local planning: Heels & Reels, White Marlin Open, lodging, and marinas. Calendar contact line often listed: 609-377-0706.
For angler format notes, target species, and related tournament weekends, open the fishing events & tournaments card.
Full fishing tournament card All fishing tournaments
Quick planning tips
- Pad marina and Route 50 minutes—tournament weeks compress West Ocean City and inlet corridors.
- Book lodging early; billfish and tuna weeks stack with summer beach demand.
- Confirm weigh-in windows and public viewing rules with the host marina before you promise kids a “scale night.”
Full plan guide Official tickets
Map (approximate)
Top FAQs
- Does OCEANCITY.MD sell entries for Marlins for Mason?
- No—register only through the official tournament or host marina channels linked on this page. We publish planning context, not entry desks.
- Will this tournament affect my recreational charter day?
- Often yes near host docks—weigh-in crowds, trailer traffic, and reserved slips can slow staging. Ask your captain, and keep a non-tournament backup window. See charter trip picker and marinas.
- Where does the entry money go?
- Organizers state the $650 entry fee is donated 100% to the Dravet Syndrome Foundation. Optional Calcuttas pay out to competing teams per published splits—confirm on marlinsformason.com.
Sources we used
OCEANCITY.MD does not operate these events. Organizer websites, OceanCity.com, the Town of Ocean City (OC Ocean), OC Visitor, and regional tourism calendars are starting points—verify every time-sensitive detail directly.
Related guide on this site: older editorial page (may overlap topics).
