OCEAN CITY- The 8th Annual Huk Big Fish Classic was a huge success last weekend with a potential state record swordfish taking to tournament’s top prize.
The Big Fish Classic was held last weekend on the pier at Talbot Street, which is essentially the epicenter for Ocean City’s rich fishing history. The Big Fish Classic is a two-day, 32-hour tournament where the largest fish caught of any species is rewarded. Boats and teams of anglers had to decide to fish in one of two 32-hour slots, either Friday and Saturday, or Saturday and Sunday. There were several categories for which anglers and boats were rewarded, but the essence of the event is bringing the biggest fish to the historic Talbot Street docks.
To that end, the biggest single fish brought to the scale during the two-day event was a 301-pound swordfish caught by Real One, which should soon be officially recognized as a new state record for the species. The 301-pounder weighed by the Real One was worth a tournament record $542,648.
The crew on the FFMD took second in the single heaviest fish category with a 239-pound swordfish worth $72,125, while the Restless Lady II took third in the category with a 184-pound sword worth $65,670 The crew on the Chaser also had a big weekend, taking first in the heaviest stringer category with 339 pounds, and also first in the heaviest tuna category for a total of $203,232 in prize money. A total of 110 boats competed in the Huk Big Fish Classic with a record $1.2 million in prize money doled out to the winners in several categories.
