Category: News

Another action-packed day! Tuesday started off right away with a boated blue marlin from DANCIN’ OUTLAW! Lines were in the water less than an hour & Captain Wood and crew had already BOATED a blue! Their 470.4-pound catch landed them in 3rd place for now. Shortly after, HAMMER TIME boated a blue & brought in a 450.2-pound marlin that just missed the leaderboard.

Excitement was in the AIR when Michael Jordan’s CATCH 23 backed in with a 442.3-pound blue marlin! REEL STEEL wrapped up the afternoon with a 450-pound blue marlin caught by Marc Berzaleno. SEA FIX finally released their blue after a 6 hour fight.

The Fabulous Fisherman’s prize money, worth a whopping $552,500, is still FAIR GAME for the first fish over 500 lbs!

198 of the 205 total boats were offshore today & went to TOWN on the blue marlin releases! A total of 50 (unverified) blues were released today and more than 100 billfish have been released this week! LO QUE SEA, KWLA Winner, was on a ROLL! After taking home the Gregory Poole 1st Release of the Day with a blue marlin release worth $5,000, they went on to release TWO MORE  blues- giving them a total of 1600 points going in to day 3! CHUNDA, ZEUS, and SEA I SEA also each scored 2 blue marlin releases for the day! Unofficially, MICABE’s blue marlin release at 9:48 was the 62nd release of the tournament, earning them an easy $6,200!

C-ESCAPE’s 75.2-pound wahoo, caught by Randy Britt, stole 1st place and took home $2,000 in daily prize money. SINGULARIS shook up the leaderboard with a 55.2-pound dolphin and is in the running for $395,250 in the WTA Dolphin division.

Catch up on all the coverage via our Facebook page- follow us & be the first to see all the upcoming action this week! Lines in at 9AM, TIGHT LINES!

The 62nd Annual Big Rock Tournament sets RECORD-BREAKING $3,352,475 PURSE for a fleet of 205 participating boats!

HATTER-DONE’s blue marlin came in weighing 488-pounds, just 12 lbs. short of winning $552,500 for the Fabulous Fisherman’s Level!

The fourth and final blue marlin was another close call! PREDATOR’s catch was less than 5-POUNDS from cashing in the Fabulous Fisherman’s prize money, 494.2-pounds! That leaves PREDATOR in 1st & HATTER-DONE in second for now. The race continues tomorrow with lines in at 9AM!

HOT is an understatement for the bite & the releases were on repeat today! Day 1 racked up a total of 57 billfish releases- of those 57, 46 were blue marlin releases (unofficially), 8 whites & 3 sailfish! PEGGY won $5,000 for Monday’s Gregory Poole First Release of the Day! ORRSMAN had the best day with 3 blue marlin releases. MISS PEGGY SUE II, ANN WARRICK, OUTNUMBERED and HORSE PLAY all ended with 800 points each.

TAIL GUNNER and REEL COUNTRY weighed blue marlin that did not meet the minimum tournament requirements.

GAMEFISH RECAP:
PERSISTENCE took home today’s daily dolphin prize worth $2,000 for their 47.5lb. catch. A junior angler aboard SALT LICK took the 2nd Place daily prize of $1,000 after landing a 46.2lb. dolphin.

Today brought TWO wahoo winners! A 47.2 pound wahoo earned HAMMER TIME a $2,000 payday for their 1st Place catch. Another junior angler hit the scales with 16.8 pounder earning them $1,000 in daily prize money from SECOND CHANCE.

Visit here for a complete list of standings & current leaderboard! 

 

⏤Unofficial Results⏤
LO QUE SEA is the WINNER of the 23rd Annual KWLA Tournament, presented by BB&T | Now Truist! An early blue marlin release by Mindy Fitzpatrick earned the team 400 pts, but it was Michelle Keeney’s 27.9-pound dolphin that sealed the deal! LO QUE SEA’s 1st Place win earned them $31,663 in total prize money for Level I & Level III Release WTA, sponsored by Eastern Turf Maintenance!

THE GENERAL & WELDOR’S ARK land 2nd & 3rd, respectively. THE GENERAL ended with one blue marlin release & a 19.2-pound dolphin from Katie Salter good enough for $5,483. WELDOR’S ARK fished on Saturday & collected $3,655 for one blue marlin release and 10.4-pound dolphin by Junior Angler, Gillian Ricks!

SENSATION crew caught the second TUNA of the tournament & took 1st Place with their 39.3-pound catch, worth a whopping $19,106 with rollover money! BILL COLLECTOR’s 29.7-pound tuna may have taken 2nd place, but it still landed the team a $2,436 payout.

One wahoo was brought to Big Rock Landing & it was caught by Abby Jones, aka superwoman. Abby is not only the owner of OFF SEASON, but the boat captain AND angler of their 18.3-pound catch. 1st Place wahoo paid out $3,655! 

CARTERICAN held onto 1st Place dolphin AND Level II Dolphin WTA with their 30.9-pound mahi cashing in a total $28,730! TACKLE BOX finished 2nd with a 28.3-pound dolphin and $2,436 pay day. 

12 billfish were released over the course of the weekend- 5 (unverified) blue marlin, 2 white marlin, and 5 sailfish. Gamefish were HOT with 20 dolphin, 2 tuna & 1 wahoo!

Official tournament results will be announced once all fish have been verified.

 

Below is the recap of the 2020 virtual Big Rock Captain’s Meeting hosted Saturday, June 6th at 7pm via Facebook. Questions? Please contact Crystal Hesmer (252) 241-1515

• Weigh station area will be blocked off with signage stating for people not to enter. Spectators will not be allowed to gather.
   
• The area inside of the blocked off area will be limited to weigh station staff and designated tournament staff; no more than 9 people will be allowed in the designated weigh-in area at one time (9 combined staff plus one angler = 10)
   
• Only one angler/team representative, with their fish to be weighed, will be allowed in the weigh station area at a time; the angler/team representative must remain in a marked designated angler area at least six feet away.
   
• When vessel is in weigh-slip, crew must remain on the vessel until the Weigh Master directs the angler/team representative to the marked designated angler area.
   
• Only one angler/team representative at a time will be allowed on the chase boat with their fish to be weighed.
   
• After the fish has been weighed & data recorded, the angler may be photographed beside the fish at the direction of the Weigh Master and only after weigh station and designated tournament staff have left the area.
   
• Tournament staff is required to wear face coverings, and we ask you to as well. Weigh station staff and designated tournament staff will provide their own face coverings, necessary PPE, disinfectant, and hand sanitizers; scales, tables and other frequently touched surfaces will be disinfected frequently.

Due to the forecast for Saturday, June 6th, the tournament has made the decision to offer lady angler participants the option to fish on ONE of two days. The KWLA tournament will remain a one-day only event, with the choice of fishing either Saturday OR Sunday from 8AM to 2PM.

KWLA participants must register before lines-in on Saturday morning to be eligible to fish either day. If you plan to fish on Sunday, your registration must be submitted with payment prior to 8AM on Saturday, June 6th.

Questions? Contact Crystal Hesmer, (252) 241-1515 – Madison Maxwell, (252) 725-1568.

WIN A DAVID YURMAN PIECE, OR TWO!! Now available: $20 Raffle Tickets to be entered to WIN any of these 5 David Yurman pieces, valued at $5,000, donated by Bailey’s Fine Jewelry! There will be FIVE SEPARATE drawings on Saturday, June 13 at 6:00PM broadcasted LIVE from Big Rock Landing on Facebook + Big Rock TV. Proceeds generated will benefit Big Rock charities.

Purchase online here, or in-store at tournament headquarters. For online purchases, please select “no shipping method” during checkout. $20 per ticket. You don’t need to be present to win. Prizes must be claimed by 6-26-2020.


– White Gold Diamond By the Yard Necklace: This Diamonds by the Yard necklace is a MUST have! It is 14 karat white gold with 8 bezel set round brilliant cut diamonds (0.50ct total). This necklace is 17” so it layers perfectly with almost anything, but it can also make a statement worn on its own. Retail is $1,395.

– David Yurman Cable Collection Bracelet with Blue Topaz: The David Yurman Cable Collection is the most classic and iconic of them all. This sterling silver and 18 karat yellow gold 7mm bracelet with blue topaz end caps is a great addition to your jewelry wardrobe. Add it to your stack or simply wear it by itself! Retail is $825.

– David Yurman Crossover Medium Hoop Earrings: No jewelry wardrobe is complete without a pair of hoop earrings! These sterling silver and 18 karat yellow gold medium crossover hoop earrings are from David Yurman’s Crossover Collection. Retail is $650.

– David Yurman Initial Charm Necklace with Diamonds: Personalize your jewelry wardrobe with this David Yurman Initial Charm necklace. Choose from any letter in the alphabet to represent yourself or a loved one. This necklace is sterling silver and is adjustable from 16-18”. The initials are completed in pavé diamonds and vary in carat weight by letter. Retail is $595.

– David Yurman Sterling Silver and 18 Karat Yellow Gold Large Oval Link Bracelet: Tie together your sterling silver and gold jewelry with this David Yurman large oval link bracelet. This bracelet has alternating sterling silver and 18 karat yellow gold links. It is part of the Chain Collection and is 7.5” in length with a lobster clasp. It adds the perfect amount of texture to your existing stack or is a great starter style! Retail is $1,500.

JOIN US for the first ever KWLA Virtual Best Dressed Contest, may the six best dressed teams WIN! The annual BDC is the highlight of the tournament for KWLA participants & although it may look a tad different this year, we’re still encouraging teams to dress up & GET CREATIVE!

 

CONTEST INFORMATION:
Contest OPENS on Friday, May 22 and will CLOSE on Sunday, June 7. To enter, upload a photo of your team in their best-dressed attire to the KWLA Best Dressed Contest Facebook Event page (HERE). Your post MUST INCLUDE: (1) Team Name and (2) Boat Name in the caption to qualify. Teams are encouraged to take advantage of props, scenery and locations to enhance their theme and overall impression! One entry per registered team. Photo must be submitted by 11:59 PM on Sunday, June 7th.

JUDGING:
A panel of (3) volunteers from Carteret Health Care will judge submitted photos from contestants on Monday, June 8th. There will be (1) winner for each of the following categories: Creativity, Originality, Presentation, Spirit, Fishiest, and Effort.

Winners will be announced Monday, June 8th at 10:00 AM via Facebook LIVE on The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament page. Results will be posted on all social platforms. Once the contest has ended, all team photos will be available to view collectively on thebigrock.com.

PRIZES:
The winning team for each of the six categories will receive a prize pack filled with items from The Posh Pelican Atlantic Beach!

QUESTIONS? Contact KWLA Tournament Director, madison@thebigrock.com or (252) 725-1568

Big Rock. BIG CHANGES. We are excited to announce that online tournament registration is NOW OPEN for the Big Rock & KWLA tournament(s)!

With the health and safety of our participants, sponsors, staff, and spectators at the forefront, we’re working as fast as we can to innovate for you. Through our new online registration platform, we’re as committed as ever to serve our participants in order to keep you safe and healthy.

To get started:
1. Visit thebigrock.com/tournament/register-online/.com
2. Sign In or Create an Account
3. Complete Entry Form(s) & Submit
4. Select Payment Method (credit card, bank transfer, or check)

Although registration is available at Big Rock HQ, we encourage you to register online & maintain social distancing. If you prefer to print tournament entry form and mail back, please do so before May 25, 2020 or register in-person.

Seabags & Captin’s handbooks will be ready for pickup June 1st at tournament headquarters. 

Watch NOW! Latest Q&A session with members of our COVID19 Committee about this year’s tournament!