Cape Charles boat reels in $777,000 on opening day of Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament
Mercenaria, a 72-foot boat owned by a Cape Charles business and with anglers from Virginia Beach, holds the early lead — and already pocketed more than $777,000 — in the lucrative 64th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament.
Boat owner Chad Ballard is the president of Cherrystone Aqua-Farms in Cape Charles, while the boat is captained by Virginia Beach’s Neil Sykes and is docked at the Virginia Beach Fishing Center in Rudee Inlet.
The Big Rock, a Morehead City, North Carolina, tournament, annually draws hundreds of boats from along the East Coast to fish for millions of dollars in prize money. The tournament opened Monday and is held daily until Saturday at Big Rock Landing.
On Monday, the Mercenaria landed the tournament’s first qualifying blue marlin over 500 pounds — a 572.6-pounder — to earn the $777,750 Fabulous Fisherman’s prize. Matt Brown, of Cape Charles, caught the big-money fish on a boat named after the species of clams grown by Cherrystone Aqua-Farms in Cape Charles.
The Wall Hanger, a North Carolina boat, landed in second place with a 556.4-pound marlin, followed by High Yield (Charleston, South Carolina) with a 526.7-pound marlin.
More than 250 boats are participating in the tournament, and the field again includes former NBA star Michael Jordan. His boat, Catch-23, landed a 24-pound dolphin on Monday, according to the Jacksonville (North Carolina) Daily News.
The 2021 tournament featured 270 boats and a $4.7 million purse. This year’s purse is estimated at more than $5.8 million.
Jami Frankenberry, 757-446-2376, jami.frankenberry@pilotonline.com. Twitter @JamiVP\
