Overview The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament is a week of offshore fishing out of Morehead City, North Carolina, and in 2026 a 919.9-pound blue marlin set the tournament record and won $6.5 million. That 68th edition drew 278 boats fishing for a purse of more than $9 million. Boats bring their fish to the scales at Big Rock Landing on the Morehead City waterfront, and the week also carries the Keli Wagner Lady Angler Tournament and the Big Rock Kids Tournament; all three together make up the Big Rock Triple Crown. On site The week opens with the Keli Wagner Lady Angler Tournament and registration, then fills up ashore: a prayer breakfast, a sponsor reception, the captains' meeting in the Big Rock event tent, Mahjong Monday, a Kids Night, the Captain's Party and a pig pickin'. Six fishing days follow, with a Tuesday tasting, a Wednesday dinner, a tie-dye event and a Friday concert in the evenings, and an awards brunch closes it out. Weather decides who fishes: in 2026 rough seas kept all but 59 boats in on the Friday, and 255 went back out on Saturday. Audience When a big fish comes in, spectators pack the waterfront at Big Rock Landing to watch it hoisted onto the scales. The fishing reaches past the main fleet: the Keli Wagner tournament is for women anglers, and the Kids Tournament put 200 junior anglers on 50 boats in 2026. Track record Marlin Fever, a 63-foot Jarrett Bay run by Captain Cameron Guthrie, won 2026 with angler Connor Daniel's fish, breaking the 914-pound record Top Dog set in 2019. In 2025, 272 boats fished for a $6.3 million purse, and the tournament reports Marlin Magazine named it Tournament of the Year. The Big Rock Foundation began giving in 1986; its $2 million in 2025 was a record, brought its total to nearly $14 million and included $666,000 for 14 of Carteret County's 19 public schools. Brand presence Sponsors come in by level. A gold sponsor gets a listing in the Big Rock program, a full-page ad in that annual publication, digital media exposure including a featured post, and product in the participant seabags, 325 of them in 2026. The sponsor reception opens the week for partners, and the tournament says sponsor support helps the foundation fund its giving.