Kiwis Win Blue Marlin World Cup

A New Zealand boat and skipper combo based in French Polynesia has secured victory in one of the most hotly-contested global sportfishing events – the World Cup Blue Marlin Championship. 

Owner of the New Zealand-built Ultimate Lady, Fred Lewis, was on board with skipper Tom Francis when the crew caught the winning 312.6kg blue marlin, defeating over 160 other entrants from around the globe.

The World Cup Blue Marlin Championship is a unique event, allowing teams to fish anywhere in the world for 8 hours in their time zones. The World Cup is for one day only, for one species only, and with one winner only.

With an entry fee of US$5,000, and an additional US$8,000 to enter the jackpot, the Kiwi team took home some serious prize money – more than $2m in NZ currency!  

Francis and Lewis knew they had a contender marlin on deck but faced a nervous wait as there was still fishing time in Kona, a location that has seen more World Cup winners than any other. The closest rival to their fish weighed in the Gulf of Mexico fell only 36kg short of Ultimate Lady’s winning blue marlin. 

It was the 12th World Cup attempt for Francis and his team, and the first time they had boated a blue marlin for the competition, with most fish caught on Ultimate Lady tagged and released for research purposes. The winning fish was donated to a local church and distributed to families in need.

First contested in 1895, the tournament is held every year on July 4. The other Kiwi skippers to have won the event are Marty Bates and Mark Noakes.

July 2025 - Nick Jones
New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.
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