FINAL RECAP — Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic: Metal Masher Takes the Crown with 780.4-lb Blue Marlin
Sandestin, FL — June 22, 2026. Team Metal Masher closed out the 24th Annual Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic with a 780.4-pound blue marlin on the official scale at Baytowne Marina, locking in the heaviest blue marlin title and the marquee paychecks across three jackpot categories. The Orange Beach, Alabama–based program — a 72-foot Viking under Capt. Landon Bell — surpassed the 654.6-pound 2025 winning weight by more than 125 pounds and helped a weather-compressed field push the tournament total payout to $1,464,342.48.
The Winning Catch — Metal Masher / Teddy Tinney / 780.4 lbs
Metal Masher iced the fish Sunday night and brought it to the scale Monday afternoon. Scales opened at 4 p.m. and by 4:20 p.m. the 119-inch blue marlin was hanging at Baytowne with longtime emcee Scott Rossman calling out 780.4 pounds to a packed dock crowd.
The angler in the chair was 17-year-old Teddy Tinney of Alabama, who fought the fish for roughly two-and-a-half hours.
"It never jumped … so we couldn't get a good read on him. … It's a surreal feeling."
— Teddy Tinney, angler, Metal Masher
Tinney told The Destin Log he and his brother usually take turns in the rod, but this was the first bite of the day — so he stayed in the chair. The fish came in just under 24 hours after the rebooted shotgun start, and once it hit the scale the question for the rest of the field became simple: nobody on this two-day window was going to beat 780.
Heaviest Blue Marlin — Top 2
| Place | Boat / Angler | Weight | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Metal Masher / Teddy Tinney | 780.40 lbs | $100,167.84 |
| 2nd | Quick Time / Robert Burroughs | 494.30 lbs | $66,778.56 |
Quick Time — out of Pensacola — followed Metal Masher to the scale with a 494.3-pound blue marlin from angler Robert Burroughs, banking $66,778.56 in the heaviest-blue-marlin category alone and an article-cited $190,258.56 in combined prize money across the program.
Across the three blue-marlin pools, Metal Masher swept first place:
- Heaviest Blue Marlin: $100,167.84
- $500 Blue Marlin Jackpot: $12,577.50
- $750 Blue Marlin Jackpot: $17,550.00
Gamefish Division Winners
Heaviest Dolphin (Mahi)
| Place | Boat / Angler | Weight | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | American Made / Donnie McMahon | 49.00 lbs | $18,544.97 |
| 2nd | Never Settle / Jack Murdica (Capt. Stan Blackman, Destin) | 43.20 lbs | $11,126.98 |
| 3rd | Squid Row / Adam Helms (Capt. Travis Marlin Chunn, Destin) | 41.40 lbs | $7,417.99 |
Heaviest Tuna
| Place | Boat / Angler | Weight | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Relentless Pursuit / Mike Akiu | 179.50 lbs | $18,544.97 |
| 2nd | Panhandler / Mike Morette | 174.80 lbs | $11,126.98 |
| 3rd | Walk West / Justin Waight | 155.80 lbs | $7,417.99 |
Heaviest Wahoo
| Place | Boat / Angler | Weight | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Lady Em / Jeff Jackson (Capt. Travis Ream, Destin) | 63.80 lbs | $18,544.97 |
| 2nd | Squid Row / Buck Gosnay | 46.80 lbs | $11,126.98 |
| 3rd | Dixieland Delight / Austin Massingill (Destin) | 42.20 lbs | $7,417.99 |
Release Division
With weights compressed into a two-day window after Tropical Storm Arthur pushed the shotgun start to Saturday June 20, A Work of Art turned in a clinic on the release line — and Wes Mincin took Top Release Angler with 2,375 points on the boat side, while the team accumulated 4,375 across the field to win the Release Division.
| Place | Boat | Points | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | A Work of Art | 4,375.00 | $40,925.63 |
| 2nd | It Just Takes Time | 4,275.00 | $24,555.38 |
| 3rd | Raise 'Em Up | 2,600.00 | $16,370.25 |
Top Anglers
- Top Angler — Heaviest Blue Marlin: Teddy Tinney, Metal Masher (780.40 lbs)
- Top Release Angler: Wes Mincin, A Work of Art (2,375.00 pts)
- Top Lady Angler: Leah Pratt, It Just Takes Time (1,900.00 pts)
- Top Junior Angler — Billfish: George Pratt, It Just Takes Time (2,375.00 pts)
- Top Junior Angler — Gamefish: Liam Schotkoski, Perra Mala (30.70 lbs)
Crew Division
| Place | Boat | Points | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | It Just Takes Time | 4,275.00 | $5,500.00 |
| 2nd | Kristan Michele | 2,050.00 | $3,300.00 |
| 3rd | Breathe Easy | 1,645.80 | $2,200.00 |
Tournament at a Glance
- Event: 24th Annual Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic
- Host: Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort — Baytowne Marina, Sandestin, FL
- Originally scheduled: June 17–21, 2026; shotgun start delayed to Saturday June 20 by Tropical Storm Arthur. Final weigh-in held Monday June 22.
- Fleet: 59 teams
- Total payout: $1,464,342.48
- Heaviest blue marlin: Metal Masher — 780.4 lbs (Teddy Tinney, angler; Capt. Landon Bell)
Sources & data: official tournament standings via CatchStat — 2026 ECBC Awards & Payouts. Reporting and quotes adapted from Tina Harbuck, "Teen lands massive 780-pound marlin at fishing event," The Destin Log (Jun 23, 2026). Photos by Tina Harbuck / The Destin Log, used under the Science of Fishing tournament photographer galleries policy (SCI-156 credited fair-use) with link-back; yank-on-complaint. Additional context: WJHG (Hayden Smith) — Crew of "Metal Masher" takes home the heaviest blue marlin in 2026 ECBC.
