An angler from Clinton, North Carolina, won the 2016 Cape Fear Blue Marlin Tournament after bringing in a 637.3-pound blue marlin on Friday afternoon.
John Williams and the crew of the Pig Rig needed about 45 minutes to reel in the big fish.
“It’s the biggest fish I’ve ever caught,” Williams said.
The crew from the Pig Rig won with 955 points, all from the blue marlin they reeled in. The Sea Striker tallied 800 points on two blue marlins that were released, while Old Blue earned third place after catching and releasing one blue marlin.
Tournament organizer John Riggs said that blue marlins won’t be brought in unless they meet a certain weight threshold.
After the big catch on Friday, there were fewer results on the tournament’s final round Saturday, with Reel Quick winning the day by bringing in one sailfish.
Overall, the tournament’s 43rd year had another strong field with 25 boats entered. Though the tournament has been bigger in the past, Riggs said a string of weighed catches over the past few years has improved participation and interest in the event.
Tournament organizers said the 821-pound blue marlin caught in 2014 is the record, but this fish is the biggest to come in in the past two years.
Williams said it required the efforts of all of the crew to bring in the fish, which included his father-in-law Tommy Herring, the boat’s captain; and his brother-in-law William Herring, the boat’s mate.
“It takes a lot of work,” he said. “It’s multiple jobs.”
At first, they weren’t sure of the fish’s size.
“We thought we were going to release it to start with,” Williams said.
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