A Wilmington boat that took a top early prize finished the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in second place Saturday, capitalizing on its strong start and edging a late challenge to earn more than $500,000 during the course of the tournament.
The Marlin Gull, owned by Michael Feasel and captained by Kenny Midgett of Wanchese, North Carolina, finished second after it was the tournament’s first boat to bring in a blue marlin when it weighed a 564.8-pound catch less than three hours after the tournament started Monday, June 13. By Saturday, their catch was still good enough to net the $238,480 second prize, which added to the $433,500 prize the boat won for the Fabulous Fisherman’s prize, given to the first catch of more than 500 pounds.
There was little change in the leaderboard over the tournament’s last few days until a New Gretna, New Jersey, boat hooked a blue marlin for weight on Friday. The 564.1-pound catch was less than one pound shy of the Marlin Gull’s Monday catch, earning the boat $158,320 for the third-place finish.
The Ashley Lauren, captained by Mark Annis out of Clayton, North Carolina, won the overall top prize with a 621.4-pound blue marlin catch it reeled in on Tuesday, June 14. The boat won $662,925 for first place, part of the overall $1.9 million in prize money that makes the Morehead City fishing tournament one of the highest-paying sporting events in all of North America.
The victory had special meaning for the owners of the Ashley Lauren. The boat is named in memory of the Ashley Lauren Annis, the daughter of Mark and Kim Annis, who died of a rare blood disorder in 2005.
“It’s just so special with how everybody has supported us throughout this thing,” Mark Annis stated in a June 16 press release. “The boat was named after my daughter so we always feel she’s fishing with us when we’re (offshore).”
The crew of the Ashley Lauren also won the Keli Wagner Lady Angler tournament, a one-day event that precedes the Big Rock tournament. It is the first time the same boat has ever won both tournaments. Kim Annis, along with Clayton angler Jackie Miller, both caught and released blue marlins to secure the victory for the Ashley Lauren.
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