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The 24th anniversary running of the Bermuda Big-Game Classic eclipsed all expectations in 2024 as it set new tournament records for total payout, individual payout and largest fish weighed – a truly magnificent 1,268-pound blue marlin that captured headlines around the world.
The 47-boat fleet and its 358 anglers and crew caught a total of 125 blue marlin, seven white marlin, two spearfish and a sailfish during three days of fishing. The total cash purse of $1,311,475 – which included two individual payouts that exceeded $400,000 – was the largest in tournament history and more than double the amount paid out the year prior.
The team aboard 61-foot Jarrett Bay Sea Striker, led by Capt. Pete Zook and based in Morehead City, North Carolina, landed in first place based on total team points. Anglers Christian Bedsworth, Curtis Struyk and Cameron Conklin released eight blue marlin during the three days of fishing to earn a cash purse of $422,177.50 and an invitation to compete in the 2025 Costa Offshore World Championship.
The biggest headlines, though, were captured by the crew of the UnWined.
Just past 6 p.m. on Day Two, after being hooked up since 4:12 p.m., local Bermudian team UnWined called in a boated blue marlin for angler Edward “E.J” Carreiro. The boat’s captain, Chris Osborne, explained to tournament control that the fish was too large to fit in their 36-foot Luhrs, so they would have no choice but to secure it to the transom and slowly drag it to the weigh station. The crowd and anticipation reached new heights at Barr’s Bay Park as the UnWined crew made it back safely with a massive sea monster in tow. At 8:55 p.m., as tournament director Jennifer Dudas announced the staggering weight of 1,268 pounds, an explosion of pent-up energy erupted from the crowd, clearly recognizing that history was being made.
Not only was this team UnWined’s first grander, but this is the third-heaviest blue marlin ever recorded in Bermuda, and the largest blue marlin weighed anywhere in the world so far in 2024. The fish measured 145 inches in length (lower jaw fork length), with an astonishing girth of 79.5 inches. Adding to the impressiveness of the catch, UnWined is one of the smallest boats in the fleet and one of the few participating boats that does not have omni-sonar technology.
Team UnWined secured all three Daily Blue Marlin Jackpots, the Winner-Take-All Blue Marlin Jackpot, and the Winner-Take-All Non-Sonar Jackpot for a substantial combined check of $482,240, the largest single team payout in the tournament’s history.
Fishing was strong from the start.
On Day One, the fleet released a total of 41 blue marlin, six white marlin and one sailfish. The team on Keep Dreaming, a 72-foot Viking led by Capt. Robert Reed, took the lead with three blue marlin releases, earning the Daily Billfish Release Jackpot of $93,280. Sea Striker followed in second place, by time, with three blue marlin releases, and Juben ended the day in third with two blues and one white marlin release. Bree, an 86-foot Merritt captained by Kyle Liane, weighed a 145.6-pound tuna for angler Dalton Edwards, which ended up earning their team the Largest Gamefish Jackpot of $30,800.
Day Two of fishing produced 47 blue marlin and two spearfish releases. Since no blue marlin were weighed on the first day of fishing, this doubled the stakes on the Day Two Daily Blue Marlin Jackpot by rolling over the unclaimed $95,333.33 from Day One. This meant that whomever weighed the largest blue marlin on Day Two alone would receive a minimum of $190,666. The morning presented a contender when Capt. Adam Mckeon called in a boated blue marlin at 10:50 a.m. for angler Kyle McReady aboard 80-foot Viking Bailey’s Ark. The team’s blue marlin weighed in at a worthy 538 pounds, only to be eclipsed later that night by the UnWined’s grander.
The third day of fishing produced 35 blue marlin and one white marlin, and a shakeup in the final standings. Viking 82 finished in second place overall in this year’s event, along with jackpots for Overall Billfish Release and Day Three Daily Billfish Release for a total of $211,898.50. The team of Capt. Sean Dooley, mates Thomas Garmany, Ben Horning, and West Rivers, and anglers Pat Healey, Justin Healey, Sean Healey, Ryan Higgins, and Don Gemell released a total of eight blue marlin.
Waste Knot, a 68-foot Jarrett Bay, led by Capt. Michael Tickle and his team of mates Brian Angel and Zach Grantham, as well as anglers Ven Poole, Everett Daniels, and Todd Saieed from Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, released seven blue marlin to take home third place overall and $79,079.
Top Angler was earned by Braxton Rigsbee of the 75-foot Scarborough Game Time, while the title for Top Lady Angler went to Taylor Lambert of the 88-foot Merritt Reel Tight. Top Junior Angler honors went to Billy Haseotes Jr of the 72-foot Viking Keep Dreaming.
Sea Striker also won this year’s Manufacturer’s Cup for Jarrett Bay Boatworks. The 2024 sponsors of the Marlin Magazine Manufacturer’s Cup include Jarrett Bay Boatworks, Merritt’s Boat & Engine Works, Spencer Yachts and Viking Yachts. All teams fishing aboard boats built by these manufacturers were automatically entered in the division, with the winner receiving a cash prize of $8,000 and a congratulatory two-page spread in the November/December edition of Marlin.
The Bermuda Big Game Classic is the second leg of the Bermuda Triple Crown Billfish Championship. As the third and final leg, the Sea Horse Anglers Club Billfish Tournament, kicks off on July 19, Sea Striker is in first place with 5,600 points, with Fender Bender in second with 5,600 points, and Viking 82 in third with 5,222 points.
For more information about the Bermuda Big Game Classic or the Bermuda Triple Crown, contact tournament director Jennifer Dudas at [email protected].
