RELEASE, a 53-foot Sullivan sportfishing boat based out of Hatteras Harbor and captained by Capt. Rom Whitaker, has won the Fabulous Fisherman’s prize of $1,729,750 for a 504-pound blue marlin.
Angler Kirk Pugh reeled the big billfish in, and because they were the first crew to weigh a blue marlin that exceeded the minimum requirement of 400 pounds, they pocketed the big check on the first day of the tournament.
That’s a great payday, and the crew stands to win even more money if no other boat brings a heavier blue marlin to the scales during the 2024 Big Rock.
At 10:44 a.m., RELEASE boated the blue marlin and headed to the scales, arriving to an excited crowd at around 2:45 p.m.
Minutes before the marlin was weighed, GAME TIME reported they boated a blue marlin and were headed to the scales. Even though GAME TIME missed out on the Fabulous Fisherman’s prize, they still stand to gain a lot in other prize money if their marlin unseats RELEASE’s as the top spot.
For updates, check out thebigrock.com