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On just the second day of 2026 Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournamenthistory was written. The crew is fishing on board Marlin fever landed and weighed one 919.9 pound blue marlinthe largest ever caught in the historic fishing tournament.
Already, the fish earned the crew $871,250 after they won the Level V Fabulous Fisherman’s award for their record-setting fish. But 2026 Big Rock Blue Marlin The tournament has a total prize pool of $9,038,225 this year with a record setting $6.2 million for the biggest marlin, so they are almost certainly headed for a truly massive payday.
919.9-pound Blue Marlin Makes Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament History
Captain Cameron White was on the throttle for the battle and angler Connor Daniel reeled in the fish of his life. Deep water fishing is an incredibly expensive sport! Boats, tackle, crew, gas, ports, tournament entry fees, the list goes on and on.
But fishing on board MARLIN FEVER they’ve already won $871,250 in just Day 2 of the 2026 Big Rock Blue Marlin fishing tournament and are now in line to earn the $6.2 million top prize. The only thing between them and the $6.2 million is another boat that somehow catches the biggest fish in the history of the 69-year-old fishing tournament in Morehead City, North Carolina.
See the pictures of this absolutely gigantic fish:
WNCT evening news anchor Ken Watlington snapped this video of the 919.9-pound blue marlin weighed in Morehead City on Day 2 of Big Rock fishing. It really is a fish of prehistoric size. Longer than most SUVs. It has wider shoulders than any O-Lineman in the NFL.
#BREAKING: There is a new record at The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament: 919.9 pounds from Marlin Fever. pic.twitter.com/xQE3OutoSd
— Ken Watlington (@KWOnAir) 9 June 2026
Who gets paid at Big Rock?
Saturday, June 16 is the last day of fishing in the 2026 Big Rock Tournament. In total the boats fish 6 days with ‘2 lay days required’ at the captain’s choice. As things stand, the total is Big Rock prize pool this year is $9,038,225, and of that $6.2M goes to the top blue marlin, which in this case is the largest fish ever caught in tournament history.
Additional prizes are awarded for the heaviest Yellowfin Tuna, Mahi Mahi, Wahoo and of course Blue Marlin. The boats are paid for the first daily release of blue marlin on each fishing day as well as the total number of releases of bag. Like any fishing tournament, the prizes are complicated. Both “buy into” different categories. There are often side actions as well.
Anglers and captains are required to undergo lie detector tests upon request to receive the massive prizes. This ensures that there is no funny business in fishing and whoever caught the fish did not get help that went against the rules.
By Saturday, we should know for sure that this 919.9 pound blue marlin is officially a $6.2 million + $871,250 fish for a total of $7,071,250. Absolutely unreal!
North Carolina state fishing record for bigger The Blue Marlin is a 1,228 lb. 8 oz. fish caught in 2008 by angler Trey Irvine out of Oregon Inlet. The only other North Carolina saltwater fishery near that is the 1,150-pound Tiger Shark. Virtually every other species is hundreds of pounds lighter.
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