ATLANTIC

DAY 3 RECAP — Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament: Free Ranger Vaults to Second After Fender Bender Weigh-In

June 10, 2026

Atlantic

Science of Fishing Editorial

Free Ranger's 597-pound blue marlin at Big Rock Landing on Day 3 of the 2026 Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament — photo by Carolina Sportsman.

Day 3 of the 68th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament shook the leaderboard for the first time since Marlin Fever's record-setting 919.9-pound blue marlin hit the scales Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday's fleet — 259 of the 278 registered boats — went fishing and produced multiple qualifying weigh-ins through the afternoon, with the heaviest of the day, a 597.4-pound blue marlin aboard Free Ranger, vaulting the boat from outside the top three straight to second place.

Fender Bender's 644.1-pound blue marlin at Big Rock Landing — weighed Day 3 of the 2026 Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament — *Fender Bender*'s 644.1-pound blue marlin hit the Big Rock Landing scale Day 3 evening, sliding the boat into second on the heaviest-fish board behind *Marlin Fever*. Photo: Marlin Magazine via marlinmag.com.

It was the second qualifying fish of the week for Free Ranger. The boat already had a 436.2-pound blue marlin on the boards from Day 1; the heavier 597.4 supersedes it under the Heaviest Blue Marlin standings. If Free Ranger holds second through Saturday, the boat is in line for an estimated $467,963 prize purse.

Builder's Choice followed with a 530-pound blue marlin, sliding into fourth on the overall leaderboard behind Tuesday's Hit N Run entry (549.2 pounds). A third boat, Fender Bender, hooked up around 2:48 p.m. and boated their fish near 4:30 p.m., with an evening weigh-in expected at Big Rock Landing.

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

Marlin Fever — 919.9 lb (Day 2)
Free Ranger — 597.4 lb (Day 3)
Hit N Run — 549.2 lb (Day 2)
Builder's Choice — 530.0 lb (Day 3)
Savanna Leigh — 439.2 lb (Day 1)

Doc Fees 66.1-pound dolphin at Big Rock Landing — gamefish category leader, 2026 Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. Photo: Marlin Magazine. — *Doc Fees* with a 66.1-pound dolphin at Big Rock Landing — meat-fish leaders kept the scale active through Day 3 even as the heaviest-blue-marlin standings began to settle. Photo: Marlin Magazine.

On the release side, Marsh Madness leads the Outstanding Release Division with one blue marlin, four white marlin, and one sailfish release credited. Day 1's tournament-wide total was 73 billfish releases (31 blue marlin, 27 white marlin, 15 sailfish) across the 219 boats that fished Monday. Tournament-record release counts from prior years (420 in 2025) came out of strong back halves, so the release picture can still move dramatically through Friday and Saturday.

Lines stay open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Saturday, with the scales running at Big Rock Landing until 7 p.m. Each boat fishes four of the six available days, so a deep fleet remains in rotation. Marlin Fever — captained by Cameron Guthrie with angler Connor Daniel aboard the 63-foot Jarrett Bay — still controls the Fabulous Fisherman Award ($871,250) for the first blue marlin over 500 pounds, and the projected top-prize purse if the 919.9 holds remains in the multimillion-dollar range.

Numbers above are provisional and pulled from the live tournament feed; final standings may shift as catches are certified and as the back half of the week unfolds. We'll update tomorrow.