Eight hundred thousand dollars in prize money. The biggest billfish tournament in Port Aransas. One of three legs of the Texas Triple Crown Billfish Series — with Lone Star Shootout in Port O'Connor and the Texas International Fishing Tournament (TIFT) in South Padre Island — that crowns the Grand Champion of the Texas Gulf Coast at the end of August. Boats can depart from any Texas port, but every weigh-in and every video-verified billfish release runs through Fisherman's Wharf in Port Aransas. Dee Wallace, who showed up as an eight-year-old Woody's dock boy in 1963 and was a licensed captain by twenty, runs it as co-tournament director. He also wrote the billfish release verification protocol that most tournaments on this coast now use.
Read the full history
Texas's Oldest Fishing Tournament
The Heritage piece on the 1932 Tarpon Rodeo through today's Deep Sea Roundup. Wallace's twenty-one years inside DSR are part of why the modern release-verification protocol exists at all. Eight minutes, sourced.
The Day
What to expect
The Texas Legends format is offshore-only, billfish-focused, and pool-driven. Boats fish for blue marlin (weighed or released), white marlin (release), and sailfish (release) across three full days. Mandatory $1,000 billfish pool plus optional $2K / $4K / $6K billfish pools and matching $2K / $4K / $6K blue marlin pools — anglers stack their own jackpot exposure to whatever level they want.
Wednesday is the registration evening at Fisherman's Wharf — the captain's meeting plus a kickoff reception. Thursday morning is lines-in for the first fishing day. Friday and Saturday are the long days on the water; weigh-ins happen at the wharf each evening as boats return to verify their videos and put any blue marlin on the scale. Sunday is awards.
What you watch from shore: the Wharf in late afternoon as the offshore fleet pulls back into the channel, the live leaderboard ticking over as releases get logged via the official app, and the cleanest billfish-release verification operation on the Texas coast — Wallace's protocol, in motion. Every billfish caught requires video proof, frame-by-frame, before the points hit the board.
Run of show
Schedule
Updated as we hear from the host. Check back the day before for any wind-driven changes.
Wed Aug 5 · evening
Registration + captain's meeting + kickoff reception
Fisherman's Wharf headquarters. Boats register, pools are paid, captains review the year's rules with the tournament committee. Public welcome to the reception.
Thu Aug 6 · pre-dawn
Day 1 — lines in the water
Boats may depart from any Texas port. Lines-in is set per the official rules — typically before sunrise. Long offshore day in pursuit of billfish.
Thu Aug 6 · evening
Day 1 weigh-in / video review
Boats return to Fisherman's Wharf. Any blue marlin weighed; releases verified by video against the Wallace protocol. Leaderboard goes live on the app.
Fri Aug 7 + Sat Aug 8
Day 2 + Day 3 fishing + weigh-ins
Same rhythm. Some boats run further offshore each day; others work the same proven grounds. Saturday evening is the most-watched weigh-in — final chance to climb the leaderboard before the cutoff.
Sun Aug 9 · 1 PM
Awards ceremony at Fisherman's Wharf
Top boat, top angler, individual species champions, pool payouts, Triple Crown points awarded. Public welcome.
Plan ahead
Good to know
- Watching is free
- Fisherman's Wharf weigh-ins each evening are open to the public. Saturday evening is peak — most points scored, most boats returning. Bring a chair, walk the dock.
- How the pools work
- Mandatory billfish pool ($1,000) is required for all entries. Optional billfish pools at $2K / $4K / $6K and optional blue marlin pools at $2K / $4K / $6K stack on top — anglers pick their exposure level. The bigger pools pay the bigger checks.
- Triple Crown points carry forward
- Texas Legends is one of three legs (Lone Star Shootout in Port O'Connor + TIFT in South Padre Island). Cumulative points across all three crown the Grand Champion of the Texas Gulf Coast at the end of the season.
- Where to watch
- Fisherman's Wharf, 900 Tarpon St. Plan to be there by 5 PM Saturday for the most action. Roberts Point Park is right next door — easy parking and a short walk to the dock.
- Tournament app
- Live leaderboard runs through the Reel Time Apps platform — Texas Legends Billfish app on iOS + Android. Same backbone as TWAT and several other major billfish tournaments.
- Video verification
- Every billfish released must be verified by video — that's the Wallace protocol. No video, no points. The protocol is the standard most coastal tournaments now use.
Send us a photo
Got a Texas Legends photo? Send it.
Past tournaments, your boat at Fisherman's Wharf, a billfish video frame, the awards-night crowd, captain spotlights, anything that shows what tournament week actually looks like on the dock. We'll feature them leading up to August 6.
Day-of, the same inbox loads release videos and weigh-in photos in real time. Tag the boat, the species, the day.
We won't publish your email or full name unless you ask us to. Anonymous is the default.
Live · 2026 edition
Leaderboards
One panel per division. Empty until weigh-ins start; updates in real time during weigh-in windows. We cite the official board at the pavilion as the source of truth and flag any pre-official entry as unofficial.
Blue Marlin (Weighed or Released)
The marquee species. Can be weighed at the dock OR released and verified by video.
Scored by
Releases
Live leaderboard fills in as fish hit the scale. Check back during weigh-in windows or refresh the page.
White Marlin (Release Only)
Catch-and-release only. Points by count.
Scored by
Releases
Live leaderboard fills in as fish hit the scale. Check back during weigh-in windows or refresh the page.
Sailfish (Release Only)
Catch-and-release only. Points by count.
Scored by
Releases
Live leaderboard fills in as fish hit the scale. Check back during weigh-in windows or refresh the page.
Special award
Top Boat (Overall Points)
Highest total points across blue marlin (weighed or released), white marlin (release), and sailfish (release). The marquee trophy.
All registered boats.
Special award
Top Angler
Highest individual angler points across the field.
All registered anglers.
Special award
Triple Crown Points
Cumulative points from Texas Legends + Lone Star Shootout (Port O'Connor) + TIFT (South Padre Island) crown the Grand Champion of the Texas Gulf Coast at the end of the season.
Boats fishing all three Triple Crown legs.
Special award
Mandatory + Optional Pools
Mandatory billfish pool ($1,000). Optional billfish pools ($2K / $4K / $6K) and optional blue marlin pools ($2K / $4K / $6K) stack on top — anglers pick their exposure level. The bigger the pool, the bigger the check.
Per-pool opt-in.
The divisions
Six categories. One tournament.
Adult and Junior brackets in Bay-Surf and Offshore; everyone-eligible elsewhere. Tap any division for its rules.
Blue Marlin (Weighed or Released)
Most ReleasedThe marquee species. Can be weighed at the dock OR released and verified by video.
Rules
Blue marlin caught and released score points; blue marlin brought to the scale also score and qualify for the optional blue marlin pools. Released fish require frame-by-frame video verification per the Wallace protocol — angler in frame, leader visible, hook position confirmed.
White Marlin (Release Only)
Most ReleasedCatch-and-release only. Points by count.
Rules
Release-only. Video verification required. Each verified white marlin release scores per the official points matrix.
Sailfish (Release Only)
Most ReleasedCatch-and-release only. Points by count.
Rules
Release-only. Video verification required. Each verified sailfish release scores per the official points matrix.
Read before fishing
Rules & regulations
The full rules live on the official site. Our summary covers the universal rules + per-division specifics so you can read in 90 seconds. Always verify against the official rules before registering.
Tournament rules
Editorial summary · 2026 edition · official rules linked below are the source of truth.
Across every division
- ▸All boats may depart from any Texas port; all weigh-ins and releases must be verified at Fisherman's Wharf, Port Aransas.
- ▸Fish must be caught on IGFA conventional rod, reel, and leader, and boated by hand or gaff.
- ▸All billfish releases must be verified by video device — no exceptions. The 'Wallace protocol' (frame-by-frame angler / leader / hook verification) is the standard.
- ▸No frozen fish accepted at the scale.
- ▸Mandatory billfish pool ($1,000) is required for all entries; optional billfish + blue marlin pools at $2K / $4K / $6K stack on top per angler/boat election.
- ▸Live leaderboards run through the official Texas Legends Billfish app (Reel Time Apps).
- ▸Triple Crown points are awarded automatically based on Texas Legends finish and roll into the Series total.
By division
Blue Marlin (Weighed or Released)
- ·Blue marlin can be weighed OR released. Weighed fish qualify for blue marlin pools and score per weight matrix.
- ·Released blue marlin score per the points matrix and require video verification.
White Marlin (Release Only)
- ·Release only. Each verified release scores per the points matrix.
Sailfish (Release Only)
- ·Release only. Each verified release scores per the points matrix.
Have an older rules edition? Boatmen Inc. records, scanned PDFs, photos of historic posters — send to hello@theportalocal.com and we'll add it to the archive with credit.
The perpetual trophy
Past champions
Highlights from the lineage. The full archive is being assembled — if you have a winner from a missing year, send us the record and we'll add it with credit.
Past champions
Selected winners from the perpetual trophy lineage. Sources cited per entry where verified.
2024
Aug 7–11, 2024Overall
Top BoatCrew of Freebird (Owner: David Blackbird)
Freebird
3,000 points overall. Crew released 4 blue marlin, 2 white marlin, and 7 sailfish across the tournament. Dominant performance.
SourceOverall
4th PlaceCrew of Sigsbee Deep (Owner / Captain: Terrell Miller)
Sigsbee Deep
Released 7 sailfish in the 2024 Texas Legends. Same crew was overall champ at the Pachanga that year (1,700 pts).
SourceBuilding this archive. Have results, photos, or family records from past Roundups? Send them to hello@theportalocal.com — credit goes back to whoever sourced the win.
The record book
Milestones & records
Verified milestones from the tournament's run. Records we can't verify (biggest fish ever, longest streak) stay out — send us provenance and they go in.
Texas Triple Crown formed
20203 tournaments
Texas Legends + Lone Star Shootout (Port O'Connor) + TIFT (South Padre) banded together to crown a Grand Champion of the Texas Gulf Coast.
Prize purse
Recent$800,000+
Total prize money across the mandatory and optional pools. Among the largest single-tournament purses on the Texas coast.
Wallace release protocol
StandardIndustry standard
Dee Wallace's frame-by-frame billfish release verification is now used by most Texas (and Gulf-wide) tournaments. Originated in his 21 years with the Deep Sea Roundup.
HQ at Fisherman's Wharf
TodayPort Aransas
Boats can depart from any Texas port — every catch returns to Fisherman's Wharf in Port A for video verification or the scale.
Day-of coverage
Live from the wharf
This page goes live as the first boats return to Fisherman's Wharf Thursday evening. Real-time leaderboard updates, billfish-release video stills as they're verified, top boat / top angler ticking over, and the Triple Crown points-implications all land here as they happen. If you're on the dock with a phone, send shots to hello@theportalocal.com — they go straight into the feed with credit.
Questions
Frequently asked
Can I just show up to watch?+
Yes. Weigh-ins at Fisherman's Wharf are public Wednesday evening through Saturday evening, and the Sunday awards ceremony is open to anyone who shows up. Bring a chair, a hat, and time.
Do all boats fish out of Port Aransas?+
No. Boats may depart from any Texas port. Some run from Port O'Connor, Galveston, or even South Padre. But every catch — weighed or released — has to make it to Fisherman's Wharf in Port A for video verification or the scale. That's where points get scored.
What's the Wallace protocol?+
Dee Wallace, the tournament's co-director, wrote the billfish release verification protocol that most Gulf Coast tournaments now use. Frame-by-frame video review of every billfish release — angler, fish, leader, hook position — before points are awarded. Fish swims away; the points get earned honestly.
What's the prize purse?+
$800,000+ in recent editions, split across mandatory and optional pools. The pools stack — anglers pay into whichever pools they want exposure to, and the payouts grow with participation.
How does Triple Crown work?+
Three Texas tournaments — Lone Star Shootout (Port O'Connor, July), Texas Legends (Port Aransas, early August), and TIFT (South Padre Island, late August) — joined forces in 2020. Cumulative points across all three name the Grand Champion of the Texas Gulf Coast at season's end.
How do I register to fish?+
Through the official site at txlegends.com. Registration typically opens in spring; spots fill on a rolling basis.