DAY 2 RECAP — Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament: Marlin Fever Drops a Record 919.9-Pound Blue Marlin on the Boards
Editorial note: No separate Day 1 recap article was published for the 2026 Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament — the per-tournament daily-recap routine kicked off on Day 2. Day 1 (Monday, June 8) fished as scheduled: 219 boats out, 73 billfish releases (31 blue marlin, 27 white marlin, 15 sailfish), with Savanna Leigh's 439.2-pound blue marlin leading the heaviest-fish category overnight ahead of Free Ranger at 436.2. Day 1 totals are referenced inline below.
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)
- Marlin Fever — 919.9 lb
- Hit N Run — 549.2 lb
- Savanna Leigh — 439.2 lb
- 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
- Carolina Coast Online — Marlin Fever's 919.9-pound giant shatters Big Rock record
- Carolina Sportsman — 919.9-pound blue marlin wins $871,250 at Big Rock
- Marlin Magazine — Big Rock 2026 results
— Science of Fishing Editorial
