OCEAN CITY- The 3rd Annual Big Fish Classic last weekend certainly lived up to the hype with several huge fish in nearly every category weighed at the historic docks on Talbot Street.
Produced by Huk Performance Fishing and hosted by M.R. Ducks and the Angler, the Big Fish Classic is a unique tournament that features boats and teams of anglers fishing in two different 32-hour windows with the goal of bringing the heaviest single fish to the scale during the two-day event.
The tournament got off to a rather slow start as just six of the 67 boats participating fished in the first 32-hour window from 7 a.m. on Friday to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Everything changed quickly on Sunday afternoon, however, with the majority of the participating boats fishing the second window from 7 a.m. Saturday to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
When the dust settled after a wild Sunday afternoon at the scale at Talbot Street, it was the crew on the “Marli” taking the 3rd Annual Big Fish Classic’s biggest prize with a 407-pound blue marlin that ended up being worth $105,270 with added entry levels. The “Foolish Pleasures” crew finished second in the single heaviest fish category with a 193-pound mako worth $24,470.
The “Fish Whistle” brought in the third heaviest single fish, a 190-pound big-eye tuna. The “Fish Whistle” also brought in the heaviest stringer of tuna and earned $71,169. The “Katherine Anne” practically swept the white marlin category with a 78.5-pound white for first place. The “Katherine Anne” also released 12 white marlin and earned a total of $68,580 in prize money.
There was also significant prize money awarded in several other categories. The “Burn N Bills” brought in two yellowfin tuna weighing 62.5 pounds and 51.5 pounds and earned $20,250 in that category. The “MJs Inspiration” brought in a 121-pound big-eye tuna worth $13,275, while the “Miss Annie” weighed a 166.5-pound big-eye worth $9,180.