There is a new heaviest fish in the 68-year story of North Carolina's Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, and it tipped the scales at 919.9 pounds.
The blue marlin was boated on day two off Morehead City by the crew of Marlin Fever - angler Connor Daniel, captain Cameron Guthrie and mate Justin Petrilli. Stretching past 135 inches, it pushed aside the 914-pound mark set by Top Dog back in 2019.
It was Petrilli who first saw the size of the animal, and his reaction was less excitement than alarm. "I knew it was big, but when we actually saw it jumping, I was like, 'No, that's too big. I don't want that one. Next one please,'" he said.
The fight ran about two hours after a late-morning hook-up. By the end, Daniel could barely recall it. "It's like a blur went by. I don't really remember any of it right now," he said.
Guthrie, for one, was struggling with the maths. "It's hard to even think about that much money. It's a good year to do it, I guess," he said.
Daniel's mind was on something smaller. "My dad said he'd get us a hot tub if we win. So that'll be nice," he said.
The scale of the catch shows on the leaderboard. Among 261 boats chasing a purse above $9 million, second-placed Hit N Run weighed 549.2 pounds and third-placed Savanna Leigh 439.2 - respectable fish that look modest beside the leader.
Because the marlin came so early in the week, with several days left to fish, neither the record nor the payday is settled. The event runs through Saturday, and only when the last boat reports will Marlin Fever know whether its place at the top survives.
