Big Rock Day 2: 'Marlin Fever' rewrites the leaderboard with a 919.9-pound blue marlin

Day 2 of the 68th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament delivered the heaviest blue marlin of the year — and one of the biggest fish to hit the scales at Big Rock Landing in recent memory. The Wilson-County-based Marlin Fever dropped a 919.9-pound blue marlin on the boards Tuesday afternoon, vaulting from outside the leaderboard straight to the top.

The hookup came at roughly 12:50 p.m., and the team fought the fish for close to two hours before backing into the dock. At 919.9 pounds, the catch clears the Fabulous Fisherman threshold of 500 pounds, locking in $871,250 for the boat — and, if the weight holds through the rest of the week, it puts Marlin Fever in line for an estimated $6.2 million across the tournament's prize categories.

About ninety minutes later, Hit N Run added the second 500-plus-pound fish of the tournament, weighing a 549.2-pound blue marlin to slide into second place. Day 1 leader Savanna Leigh (439.2 lb) and runner-up Free Ranger (436.2 lb) — each just over the 400-pound minimum required to qualify for the scales — get bumped to third and fourth.

Provisional standings — Heaviest Blue Marlin (as of Tuesday evening)

1. Marlin Fever — 919.9 lb
2. Hit N Run — 549.2 lb
3. Savanna Leigh — 439.2 lb
4. Free Ranger — 436.2 lb

The release picture remains tight. After Day 1's 73 billfish released — 31 blue marlin, 27 white marlin, 15 sailfish — Wall Hanger, Floor Reel, and Wolverine were sitting tied atop the release leaderboard with two blue marlin releases and 800 points apiece.

Two hundred eleven boats fished today, the deepest fleet the tournament has seen. Lines stay open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Saturday, with the scales open until 7 p.m. Each boat fishes four of the six available days, so the late-week picture can still move sharply — last year's tournament-record 420 billfish releases came out of an aggressive back half.

Numbers above are provisional and pulled from the live tournament feed; final standings may shift as catches are certified and as more boats return to the dock. We'll update tomorrow.

Sources

• Big Rock Live Leaderboard — Reeltime
• WITN — Big Rock Day 2 coverage
• WCTI — Day 2 underway at Big Rock Tournament
• WNCT — Day 2 of the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament

— Science of Fishing Editorial