Fender Bender, a Virginia Beach boat, last year landed the White Marlin Open’s first fish and sat atop the leaderboard of its most lucrative division until the final day. (Coastal Fisherman Magazine/Coastal Fisherman Magazine)

More than 400 boats will hit the water this week to compete for $8.6 million in the 49th annual White Marlin Open in Ocean City, Maryland.

The field includes a host of boats and anglers from Hampton Roads and northeastern North Carolina, and among them is Fender Bender, a Virginia Beach-based boat hoping for a happier ending this year.

Fender Bender last year landed the White Marlin Open’s first fish and sat atop the leaderboard of its most lucrative division for four days. But just minutes before the tournament ended, Sushi, an Ocean City boat, brought in a white marlin that weighed 85½ pounds. That fish — the last white marlin weighed in the tournament — topped Fender Bender’s 82½-pound catch.

Sushi won just over $3.2 million, and Fender Bender settled for second place and $1.98 million.

Sushi also is among this year’s White Marlin Open’s 408 boats, according to the tournament’s website.

The five-day tournament began at 8 a.m. Monday, and each boat is permitted to fish any three of the five days until 3:30 p.m. Most boats head to the Gulf Stream about 60 miles offshore, according to a release on the tournament’s website.

The tournament announced that 292 boats were fishing Monday.

Targeted species include white and blue marlin, swordfish, tuna, wahoo and dolphin.

Jami Frankenberry, 757-446-2376, jami.frankenberry@pilotonline.com