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HATS . VISORS . APPAREL . TACKLE BAGS BRAIDED LINE . FLURO-LEADERS . SUNGLASSES DIVE GEAR . KNIVES . TOOLS
photo by JASON STEMPLE
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“Best day ever.” Getting out with our family and friends can mean so much more than just a welcome break. These are the days we remember forever. Little by little we can do a lot. Small is Huge
We’re proud to salute the 57th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. Scott L. Eckholdt, Market President and Morehead City Business Banking 800 Arendell Street • 252-240-6320 • scott.eckholdt@wellsfargo.com
Visit wellsfargo.com/stories to see how big small can be. © 2015 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. (1237354_14297)
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The Parker Automotive Group Fishing, Families and Fun BIG ROCK 2015 LEGEND SPONSOR Dick Parker made his way to the Crystal Coast from Mount Olive selling candy and watermelons out of the back of a pickup truck when the depression years sent him out looking for work. In 1947, he opened up his first car dealership in downtown Morehead City near the present day yacht basin. Embracing his new hometown and its passion for fishing, Dick and four other local businessmen, which would soon be known as the Fabulous Fisherman’s Club, started the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. The Parker Dick Parker | Big Rock Legend Automotive group is proud to continue his legacy and tradition of supporting the charitable efforts of the tournament and the excitement surrounding reeling in the big one!
ParkerGM.com 8 | BIG ROCK
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(252) 726-5103
Continues Its Tradition of on the Crystal Coast! Fishing Since 1957
Fish caught by J. Seaman, Dick Parker, Rufus Butner on Hubert Fulcher’s Blue Water. Reg. Lewis, Photographer
Parker Auto Group
ParkerHonda.com (252) 247-2488
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EVERY WOMAN WANTS A BAILEY BOX
R a l e ig h | Ro ck y M o unt | G r eenv i l l e | F a y ettev i l l e b a i l ey b o x . co m
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NOTHIN’ BUT L
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Jarrett Bay boats are hand-built with care to uncompromising standards so that they can endure the Carolina conditions day in and day out. This is what attracts the world’s most experienced offshore anglers to our boats – many of which, like us – were born right here on the Crystal Coast. We are proud to call Carteret County our home, thankful for all the opportunities it has afforded us and excited to continue to give back to our community. Doing things the right way, family values, peak performance and honoring tradition – these are just a few of the many reasons why Jarrett Bay boats are backing down into Big Rock Landing more frequently than any other boat brand.
Congrats & Thank You TO OUR FAMILY FOR OVER 25 YEARS OF BIG ROCK SUCCESS!
ABR RACA ADABR RA • BENC CH MARK • BIG NEW EWT • BLANK CHEC ECK • BL LUE U MAX • BILL
CO OLLE ECTO OR
BUIL LDE ER’S CHO OI OICE • CA ALCUT TTA • CAROLINA A GI G RL • CHA AINLIN NK • CHICKKEN SHIPP N’ OUTL LAW W • DIIAMOND GIRL RL • IN NSP PIRAT TION • FINISSH LINNE 1ST CONT TANG GO • DANCIN FIS SHING G PAR RTNER • FLOAR PLA AN • FREQ QUENT FLYER • HELLLCAT • LADY SA ARAH • LOO OKIN N’ BAC CK N FEV VER • MICABE • NEVER R EASY SY • OILS WELL L • POLE PO OSITIION GIC MOMENT • MARLIN MAG RAM MESEA AS • RAVAGAN NZA • RAZO ORBA ACK C EX XPRESS • REEL L QUIC CK • SA SALTY FAR RE •
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FEATURES
Table of
CONTENTS
24
Sponsors
70
Charities
60
Big Rock A-Z
78
Winners
86
Particpants
100 KWLA 117 Events
86
78
125 Rules/Entry DEPARTMENTS 160 Advertiser’s Index 45
Big Rock Foundation
52
Big Rock Landing Charters
34
Board of Directors
140 Calendar of Events 130 Crystal Coast Directory
Participants
96
Glossary
22
Governor’s Letter
116 Headquarters & Hours 92
100
History of Big Rock
145 In Memory of 53
Loran Coordinates
156 Map 144 Previous Winners 38
Winners
Program Production
136 Species Identification 118 T-Shirt Sales Outlets 137 The Elusive Blue Marlin 116 Tournament Details
Lady Angler
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT INFO 44
Auction Items
84
NC Governer’s Cup
40
Sponsor’s Reception
48
Captain’s Party
58
Pig Pickin’
66
Wednesday Dinner
108 KWLA
Charities
70
120 Weigh Station 134 Awards Banquet
Events
117
146 Volunteers
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s &ISH lGHTING POWER FROM HIGH EFlCIENCY GEARING s 3MALLER LIGHTER REEL PLATFORM WITH 3HIMANO S CONCEPT BODY DESIGN s 3HIMANO S % ) #ORROSION TREATMENT FOR SEASON AFTER SEASON OF lSHING PERFORMANCE
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“Let’s do this again tomorrow!” The best days of our lives are the ones we spend having fun with our family and friends. Community events give us a chance to enjoy ourselves together. Little by little we can do a lot. Small is Huge
We’re proud to salute the 57th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. Scott L. Eckholdt, Market President and Morehead City Business Banking 800 Arendell StreetɄɄƌɄɄ252-240-6320ɄɄƌɄɄscott.eckholdt@wellsfargo.com
Visit wellsfargo.com/stories to see how big small can be. © 2015 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. (1239207_14331)
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GOVERNOR’S
WELCOME STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR 20301 MAIL SERVICE CENTER RALEIGH, NC 27699-0301
PAT MCCRORY GOVERNOR Dear Anglers, The State of North Carolina is proud to welcome you to Morehead City and our beautiful coast for the 57th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. This is an exciting opportunity for you to compete with anglers from across our nation and the world, and to enjoy the beauty and southern hospitality of our Crystal Coast. North Carolina is home to diverse wildlife and stunning scenery that attracts visitors and fishing enthusiasts year after year. What a wonderful way to spend the day in North Carolina, amongst the natural beauty of clear waters and sparkling sand.
Welcome to the Crystal Coast for the 57th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament
The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament is part of the North Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Conservation Series. The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament is one of America’s most well-known billfishing tournaments. Proceeds benefit universities, aquariums, the arts and nonprofits throughout North Carolina. Thank you for being a part of this fun-filled event. Your conservationist spirit is what makes this event a success. Kindest regards,
Pat McCrory 22 | BIG ROCK
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Since 1946, Western Branch Diesel and MTU have powered the best performing boats on the Mid-Atlantic. Contact Western Branch Diesel and see what it’s like to be serviced by the industry leaders.
Portsmouth, VA | 757-673-7000 Beaufort, NC | 252-504-2185
wbdiesel.com
Major Sponsor
M A J O R S P O N S O R
Calcutta is one of the most widely recognized brands in the recreational fishing industry with product categories that include fishing tools, tackle bags, sunglasses, rainwear and technical fishing apparel. Calcutta uses information from recreational anglers as well as captains to help improve and bring to market new products that feature the latest industry advancements. Anglers across North America rely on Calcutta gear to withstand the harshest saltwater fishing environments. www.calcuttafishing.com
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DIAMOND SPONSOR
DIAMOND SPONSOR
D I A M O N D
&
WELLS FARGO (800) 869-3557 www.wellsfargo.com Wells Fargo is a provider of banking, mortgage, investing, credit card, insurance, and consumer and commercial financial services. Official Bank
L E N G E N D
S P O N S O R S
LINDA RIKE REAL ESTATE (252) 247-6922 www.lindarike.com Bringing you the largest selection of waterfront properties in Carteret County. JUST ADD WATER TO YOUR LIFESTYLE Official Real Estate Company
LEGEND SPONSOR Parker Honda 252.247.2488 www.parkerhonda.com 5327 Hwy 70 Parker Buick-GMC 252.726.5103 www.parkergm.com 4813 Arendell St Carteret County’s most comfortable car buying for over 68 years thebigrock.com
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P L A T I N U M S P O N S O R S
www.baileysfinejewelry.com 800-849-7676 Three generations of our family serving your family.... One Bailey box at at time. Celebrating over 60 years.
www.bojangles.com Bojangles’® serves breakfast all day, beginning at 5:30 am. Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits, our Famous Cajun Fried Chicken and Legendary Iced Tea are sure to give you the strength to reel in a winner. Stop by one of our locations today! It’s Bo Time!TM
www.columbia.com 800-622-6953 www.belk.com 252-726-0150 WELCOME TO THE GREATER OUTDOORS A full line of Columbia apparel located at Belk Department Store, Cypress Bay Shopping Center in Morehead City, NC
crownroyal.com 866-752-1345 Together we celebrate life responsibly Official Liquor Sponsor
www.jarrettbay.com 252-728-2690 Jarrett Bay Boatworks, builder and broker of fine sportfishing boats, is located directly on NC’s Intracoastal Waterway and offers the most comprehensive service yard on the East Coast.
www.liquidvid.net 252-725-3961 Specializing in quality Outdoor Videography, Television Shows, Commercials, Corporate Video, Event Coverage, Product Promotion Videos, Internet and Live Streaming Video
www.LosSuenos.com info@lsrm.com 866-865-9759 Los Sueños Resort and Marina is Costa Rica’s premier resort community and widely regarded as the billfish capital of the world. 316 slip marina, 18-hole championship golf course, and private beach club. New luxurious condominiums and single family villas for sale. .
www.nationwide.com Nationwide works hard to safeguard your investments and help you plan for the future protecting what matters most to you and your family.
www.napaonline.com 877-805-6272
NAPA is America’s first choice for automotive parts and accessories and the leading supplier of specialty parts and marine parts, equipment for the collision repair, heavy duty and industrial markets. Visit us today. 26 | BIG ROCK
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www.wasteindustries.com 252-223-4176 Solid waste and recycling solutions for residential and commercial customers, providing environmentally friendly solutions to garbage collection.
R MENDED METALS www.rmendedmetals.com 910-231-7711 A Decorative Metal Fabrication Business including costal decor with repurposed products such as shells and driftwood. Display Sponsor
GARMIN www.garmin.com/marine Conquer the high seas or your local fishing spot with Garmin’s marine line-up. From fishfinders to an entire plug-and-play marine network with sonar, radar and XM weather, they can outfit your rig. Display Sponsor
RELEASE MARINE releasemarine.com (912) 351-2013 For more than three decades, Release Marine has designed all of the components in each of their fighting chairs and accessories. Weigh Station Sponsor
GREGORY POOLE www.gregorypoole.com 800-760-7278 High performance marine engines with local professional service teams. Daily Release Sponsor
REX-GOLIATH www.rexgoliath.com Our wines are a tribute to Rex’s larger than life personality, with big, fruit-forward flavors that are sure to please and work well with all foods. Big Wines, Big Times. Official Wine
HAMPTON INN www.hamptoninn1.hilton.com 252-240-2300 You’ll find plenty of water around our hotel in Morehead City - in fact, our hotel itself overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway. Official Hotel
SUPERIOR DIESEL, INC. www.superiordieselengines.com 843-553-8331 Superior Diesel, Inc. is a full-service sales and overhaul center featuring the new Volvo Penta IPS- The future in boating. Display Sponsor
KOURY AVIATION www.kouryprivatejetcharter.com 866-947-6564 Koury Aviation’s focus on safety, promptness and courtesy is unmatched in the industry of personal travel.
SHIMANO fish.shimano.com 877-577-0600 Quality rods, reels and combos. Release Sponsor
LUMINOX Bailey’s Fine Jewelry is proud to donate (four) Luminox watches to the new Contender/Starling Marine Outboard Level winning team for 2015. Luminox Watch Donor
MTU Western Branch Diesel
www.WBDiesel.com 252-504-2185 Whether the need is for new, remanufactured or rebuilt engines and transmissions or just belts and hoses, Western Branch Diesel now covers all engine room needs in NC.
Display Sponsor thebigrock.com
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S P O N S O R S
COSTA DEL MAR www.costadelmar.com 386-677-3700 Dedicated to producing the highest quality sun lens in the world. Official Sunglass Sponsor Display Sponsor
D I S P L A Y
MURPHY-BROWN www.murphybrownllc.com 910-293-3434 Providing affordable, high-quality pork products for your family. Pork Chop Provider for Wednesday Dinner
&
contenderoffshore.com 1-800-645-2906 starlingmarine.com 252-247-6667 From the original hull design of the classic 25’ to the sophisticated power and performance of today’s tournament proven winners, Contender’s boat building philosophy uses the most advanced materials and quality components available. Outboard Level Sponsor
P R O D U C T
CONTENDER/STARLING MARINE
E V E N T S P O N S O R S
ALEXSEAL YACHT COATINGS 314-783-2110 Alexseal.com Alexseal Yacht Coatings offers a complete system of premium paint products. KWLA Major Sponsor
CUMMINS ATLANTIC, INC. 910-686-9036 Quality performance engines for recreational, intermittent sportfishing & light-duty commercial applications providing after sales support world-wide. Wednesday Event Sponsor
BAILEY’S FINE JEWELRY www.baileysfinejewelry.com 800-849-7676 Three generations of our family serving your family....One Bailey box at at time. Celebrating over 60 years. KWLA Ladie’s Trunk Show Sponsor
GREGORY POOLE 800-760-7278 www.gregorypoole.com High performance marine engines with local professional service teams. Sunday Pig Pickin’ Co-Sponsor
BLUEWATER YACHT SALES www.bluewateryachtsales.com 252-728-2690 Your dealer for Viking Yachts, Jarrett Bay, Jupiter, Regulator and world wide leader in service and brokerage sales. Sunday Pig Pickin’ Co-Sponsors
SPENCER YACHTS 252-473-6567 www.spenceryachtsinc.com We’ve taken the Carolina style and tradition of boat building with a unique look and transformed it into a World Class and high performance Sport Fishing Yacht. Awards Banquet Sponsor
THE BOATHOUSE 252-838-1524 www.frontstreetvillage.com Located in historic Beaufort, NC - Front Street Village offers a unique east coast nautical community like no other. Sunday Pig Pickin’ Location
G O L D S P O N S O R S 28 | BIG ROCK
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Every Woman Wants a Bailey Box Raleigh . Rocky Mount . Greenville . Fayetteville baileybox.com
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Every Minute. Valuable. TM
Cummins ReCon® Engines. There’s too much money on the line to have your vessel tied up for weeks with an engine down. Many engine rebuilders fix only what is broken – they may not replace worn parts that are borderline or hidden from view. Cummins offers a wide range of ReCon engines for the marine market, from the 6B to the QSK19. Each ReCon engine is completely disassembled, inspected, remanufactured to factory specifications, performance-tested and backed by a full 2-year Cummins warranty. For a genuine Cummins solution you can count on, contact your Cummins distributor. With a ReCon engine, you get reliability. Every time. ©2015 Cummins Inc., Box 3005, Columbus, IN 47202-3005 U.S.A.
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BILLY KORNEGAY
B I G R O C K B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S
It is February, it is cold and it is snowing, so today is a good as any day to write the President’s Message. The 57th Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament will bring many changes. The first is a new category (Outboard Level). The entry fee for the new category is $1000.00 plus the Level One Entry fee of $2500.00. Since announcing this new Level there has been a lot of “excitement” in the fishing community. This new Level will bring additional Participants and entries to the Tournament. The next change is the “New Weigh Station” at Big Rock Plaza. It was constructed in Partnership with the City of Morehead. The weigh station will be state of the art and the facilities will accommodate hundreds more spectators for our daily weigh-ins. Parking will also be greatly improved. Big Rock Plaza is located at the “JIB” in Morehead City where our fountain with the Kent Ulberg Bronze Blue Marlin sculpture is located. The next big change is our new building. The Big Rock Office building is located directly across from the fountain at Big Rock Plaza. We have substantially increased our retail store. Please come in and check out our new merchandise and products. Our offices will also be located at the building and the new facility should make registration much easier. The upstairs portion of the building will house the “Fabulous Fisherman’s Club” room. This brings to the waterfront a facility with kitchen and other accommodations that can be rented to groups and individuals for meetings and other functions. This will greatly enhance the downtown area of Morehead. The final change for the 57th Tournament will be a concert and a week long music video production by Nashville recording artist James Wesley. The concert will be held at Big Rock Plaza on Saturday, May 30, 2015. Wesley will be here during the week of the Tournament, fishing, attending weigh-ins and shooting the video. The new song and music video will feature the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. The total purse for the 56th Annual Tournament was $1,395,825. The winner was “Inspiration” Captained by Casey Wagner with a 754.3 pound Blue Marlin. Second place went to “Eye Catcher” Captained by Burrows Smith with a 606.9 pound Blue Marlin. Third place went to “Ava D” Captained by Jerry Jackson with a 491.4 pound Blue and “Chain Link” Captained by Ralph Griffin with a 412.7 Blue. The winner of the Release Category was “Dancin Outlaw” Captained by Thomas Wood with two Blues and two Whites. Second place went to “Crack of Dawn” Captained by Geoff Flynt with two Blue and two White Marlins. During the week 41 Blue Marlin 80 White Marlin and 4 Sailfish were released. The Keli Wagner Lady Angler Tournament continues to grow. A record 81 boats fished the Tournament. The Winner of the Tournament was “Bill Collector” Captained by Stephen Draughon with a Blue Marlin released by Linda Rice and a Sailfish release by Jill Wilson. The Tournament raised $23,250 for the Carteret General Hospital Cancer Center. Also, new this year is our new logo “Charity First”. Our primary purpose is raising money for local charities. Since 1988 The Big Rock has given over 3.3 million to our local charities. For some of these charities, it would be difficult to survive without our donation. A special thank you to our staff, Crystal, Rowanne, Teresa and Donna, without their energy, hard work and devotion to the Tournament, it would not be such a great event. Roger Crowe, President President Past President 1999-2001 Secretary, Big Rock Foundation Roger Crowe, Attorney at Law, provides legal support and sound advice to the Big Rock Board during the tournament and throughout the year.
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Vice President Past President 2001-2003 Billy supports the board in many areas including having run the committee boat from 1986 to 1998. Billy fished the Big Rock aboard the Sugar Bear beginning in 1972 and has served on the board of directors since 1982.
RICHARD CROWE Secretary Richard, an avid fisherman, has served on the board of directors since 1999. He has fished the Big Rock since 1976 and maintains a residence in 8-1/2 Marina Village here in Carteret County. Richard is President of Delta Equipment Enterprises, Inc.
MIKE THOMPSON
Treasurer Vice-President, Big Rock Foundation Mike, a former charter boat captain and avid waterman, first began his association with the Big Rock tissue sampling for mercury/ selenium content at Duke Marine Lab in 1974. Mike owns and manages Multi-Services Inc., a telecommunication and financial services firm. Mike and his wife Connie live on Harkers Island.
JIM BAILEY Past President 1997-1999 Jim is the owner of the Anchorage Marina in Atlantic Beach and has been involved in several waterfront developments in the area.
HOWARD BASNIGHT Former charter and private boat captain, and Rules Committee member, Howard brings good advice to the table. His historical catch of a 1002 lb. “Grander” blue marlin August 12, 1989 will keep him in the record books for years to come. Howard is a broker for Bluewater Yacht Sales.
JOY BELL
Past President Randy is the Founder and President of Jarrett Bay Boatworks. He has been involved in almost every aspect of the boating and fishing industries throughout his life including running a charter fishing operation, marine surveying, building boats and now running one of the worlds leading custom boat manufacturing and service facilities. Randy has served on the Big Rock Board for more than 24 years and is a long-time asset to the board. He lives in Carteret County with his wife, Tiffany, and has one son, Alan.
DALE BRITT
DEW FORBES Past President 1993-1995 As a previous charter boat captain, Dew provides valuable input as Rules Committee chairman during the tournament week and throughout the year. He and his wife Valorie live in Beaufort.
CURTIS STRANGE Curtis brings extensive knowledge, experience and depth of insight in marketing, promotion and event management. Curtis has been a member of the board since the fall of 2003 and makes Morehead City his full-time residence with his wife Sarah. His extensive accomplishments include being a two-time US Open Champion, three-time Player of the Year and in 2007 Curtis was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
CASEY WAGNER Past President 1988-1992, 2013 A Morehead City native and avid sportfisherman, Casey Wagner has fished in every Big Rock Tournament since 1973 and has served on the board of directors since 1986. Casey will be fishing the 57th Annual Big Rock on his boat Inspiration. He is owner of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Company in Atlantic Beach.
JACK JORDAN Past President 2005-2007 Executive Vice President of Jordan Lumber & Supply, Inc. in Mt Gilead, North Carolina maintaining a local residence at 8-1/2 Marina Village for over 20 years, Jack has served on the Big Rock board since 1998.
CAROL LOHR Carol serves on many tourism related boards in North Carolina. She enjoys sport fishing, birding, and horseback riding. She is Executive Director of the Crystal Coast Tourism Authority and is married to Kenny Lohr.
CRYSTAL HESMER Tournament Director
DONNA HARDY KWLA Tournament Director
CHUCK RHODES Director Emeritus
ROWANNE ROBERTSON, Tournament Assistant TERESA HOLCOMBE, Retail & Events Manager thebigrock.com
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O F
Although Dale has plenty to keep him busy onshore, his most enjoyable work is at the helm of Jarrett Bay Hull #1, the charter fishing boat Sensation. Dale is proud to give back to his Crystal Coast community and is honored to be a part of the Big Rock Board.
D I E C T O R S
RANDY RAMSEY
B O A R D
Past President 2007-2009 Treasurer, Big Rock Foundation A native of Morehead City and member of the board since 1987, Tommy serves the Big Rock with his over 25 years of experience in the tourism industry and community leadership. Having held all the elected positions in the tournament gives Tom an added level of understanding of all that the Big Rock does throughout the year. An avid fisherman, Tommy particuarly enjoys flyfishing for everything from tailing red drum to sailfish.
President, Big Rock Foundation A board member since 1985, and Major Sponsor of the Tournament for 19 years, Ben brings his valuable business acumen to the board. He is the retired founder and President of Outer Banks Outfitters and Past President of the East Carolina Boy Scout Council. Ben has served the fishing community as an ICCAT Advisor and Chairman of the ASA Saltwater Government Affairs committee.
R O C K
TOMMY BENNETT
BEN MOORE
B I G
Joy Bell has given hours and hours of free time as the Big Rock accountant with special attention during Big Rock Tournament week. An enthusiastic lady angler, Joy was awarded the 2000 Lady Angler Award from the North Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfish Conservation Series. Joy practices public accounting in the firm of RSM McGladrey.
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PROGRAM
Production THE 57TH ANNUAL BIG ROCK BLUE MARLIN TOURNAMENT Phone 252-247-3575 • Fax 252-247-2392 Tournament Headquarters: Big Rock Plaza 710 Evans Street, Morehead City, NC 28557 PUBLISHER The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament LAYOUT & GRAPHICS Rowanne Robertson PROGRAM PHOTOGRAPHY Ted Lewis, Ronnie Boone, Crystal Hesmer, Rowanne Robertson, Ruth Zurn, Richard Crowe, Carole Willis, Joey Wootton, Bellagurl CONTRIBUTORS Crystal Hesmer, Bruce Paul BIG ROCK BOARD OF DIRECTORS Roger Crowe, President Billy Kornegay, Vice President Richard Crowe, Secretary Mike Thompson, Treasurer Casey Wagner, Past President Jim Bailey Howard Basnight Joy Bell Tom Bennett Dale Britt Dew Forbes Jack Jordan Carol Lohr Ben Moore Randy Ramsey Curtis Strange TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR Crystal Hesmer KWLA TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR Donna Hardy TOURNAMENT ASSISTANT Rowanne Robertson RETAIL AND EVENTS MANAGER Teresa Holcombe TOURNAMENT ARTWORK Jason Mathias, Official Artist TOURNAMENT VIDEOGRAPHER Bryan Goodwin, Liquid Video Productions PRINTING NCCOAST Communications Copyright ©2015. The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. All rights reserved. Reproduction of editorial, photography or any other content in whole or part without prior written permission is prohibited. The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament assumes no responsibility for the advertisements, or any representation made therein.
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Welcome to a whole new world of stability.
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SPONSOR’S RECEPTION
ROCKN’ SHOTS
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2015 Market Update “Rebounding” is the best way to describe the Carteret County Real Estate Market. Prices are rebounding and starting to rise! Timing is critical as we transition from a Buyer’s Market to a Seller’s Market. Don’t wait another year to buy your Coastal Cottage, Condo or Retirement Villa. Currently there is plenty of inventory in all locations, however the supply and demand is constantly changing.
by Linda Rike
Why are buyers attracted to our DIAMOND Coastal Lifestyle? SPONSOR Is it the warm water, FISHING, wide beaches, sunny summer days, family vacations, FISHING, wine and seafood festivals, Historic charm, mild climate, bird watching, clamming, kayaking, FISHING AND THE BIG ROCK BLUE MARLIN TOURNAMENT! Please let us Add Water to Your Lifestyle. Isn’t it time for your place at the Coast?
The Official Real Estate Sponsor of the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament
Just Add Water To Your Lifestyle... 1410 ARENDELL ST. MOREHEAD CITY, NC 28557 Fax 252-247-6936
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GET TO BLUEWATER
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2014
Auctions
David Yurman sterling silver cable necklace and bracelet. Donated by Bailey’s Fine Jewelry Sold for $3,600
Ippolita Necklace & Earrings donated by Bailey’s Fine Jewelry Sold for $2,100
Ippolita Bangles Donated by Bailey’s Fine Jewelry Sold for $2,200
Stainless Steel Blue Marlin by R Memded Metals Sold for $3,500
Official Art of the 57th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament by Artist Jason Mathias Sold for $6,200
Special thanks to Bailey’s Fine Jewelry for years of donations to Big Rock for our charitable auctions.
Profits from charitable auctions raised $17,600 to charity in 2014! 44 | BIG ROCK
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lady& baby at Dee Gee’s 508 Evans Street, M o r e h e a d C i t y
252.726.3314 www.deegees.com
The Big Rock
FOUNDATION The Crystal Coast Tournament, Inc. dba, The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament has established a new 501 (c) (3) charitable organization known as The Big Rock Foundation, Inc. This entity is a wonderful vehicle for participants and the public to make tax-deductible contributions to a fund, which will support Big Rock charities on a sustaining and ongoing basis. “The tournament has always had participants who want to contribute to the charities we support, especially after a win” commented Joy Bell, Big Rock board member. “Lonnie Poole contributed $14,000 to our charity fund after his win in 1998 allowing the tournament more funds to help the victims of Hurricane Floyd that following fall. It is another way of giving back to those who are less fortunate”, Joy explained. The Big Rock appreciates any support you could contribute both during the tournament and all year through. Please make check payable to “The Big Rock Foundation, Inc.” 710 Evans Street, Morehead City, NC 28557.
PLATIN NUM DO ONORS $50,0000 GOLD DONORS $10,000 SILVER DONORS $5,000 BRONZE DONORS $2,000 thebigrock.com
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CROWE LAW FIRM
Criminal • DWI • Traffic To make an appointment with Mr. Crowe or Mr. Godwin, call
(252) 728-4266 CROWE LAW FIRM 402 Turner Street • Beaufort, NC 28516 46 | BIG ROCK
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©2014 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries
GPSMAP 7600XSV SERIES
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FISH WITH GARMIN
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CAPTAIN’S PARTY
ROCKN’ SHOTS
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G BIG ROCK LANDIN
Charters BIG ROCK LANDING, LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MOREHEAD CITY WATERFRONT, IS HOME TO ONE OF THE BEST CHARTER BOAT FLEETS ON THE EAST COAST. YOU CAN CHARTER AN INDIVIDUAL BOAT, OR IF YOU LIKE TO FISH WITH A GROUP, THE TOP-NOTCH HEADBOAT CAROLINA PRINCESS IS AVAILABLE. FROM DEEP-SEA FISHING TO INSHORE TRIPS, THERE’S A BOAT CAPABLE OF ACCOMMODATING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
AT BIG ROCK LANDING
BILL COLLECTOR Stephen Draughon 252-247-5617
BLUEWATER Capt. Jimmy Hite 252-714-9970
CAROLINA PRINCESS 800-682-3456
billcollectorcharters.com
www.fishbluewater.com
carolinaprincess.com
FLOAR PLAN Brent Gaskill 252-342-1124
IMPULSE Capt. Rocky Hardison 252-247-7508
REEL COUNTRY Mark Ellington 252-725-0902
SENSATION Dale Britt 252-725-5375
impulsecharters.com
moreheadcitycharterboats.com
sensationsportfishing.com
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DANCIN’ OUTLAW Thomas Wood 252-504-2342
DIAMOND GIRL Gray Hall 252-504-0651
dancin-outlaw.com
diamondgirlcharters.com
SUSIE-Q Timmy Rhodes 919-920-9170
Favorite Fishing Spots Coordinates 210 ROCK PAPOSE SUBMARINE NAECO S.E. NAECO 1700 ROCK D WRECK SHAD WRECK ATLAS TANKER FAR E. TANKER KNUCKLE RUSSIAN WRECK N.E. BIG ROCK 1400 LINE WWI WRECK SEA BUOY TRAWLER 13 BUOY ROCK SOUTH SOUTH WRECK FEWNWICK ISLE 1ST N.W. PLACE 2ND N.W. PLACE 3RD N.W. PLACE LITTLE 10 BIG 10 14 BUOY N.E. ROCK S.E. 14 190’ FROM 14 N.W. OF W. ROCK WEST ROCK 240 ROCK SWANSBORO SEA BUOY 45 MIN. ROCK KEYPOST ROCK EAST ROCK CHRISTMAS ROCK
27069.7 27074.0 27063.5 27065.6 27035.0 27043.0 27042.5 27025.3 27023.6 26981.3 27061.2 27037.1 26984.2 27936.0 27067.7 27113.2 27092.3 27146.1 27134.3 27143.2-6 27064.0 27090.4 27089.1 27089.1 27081.1 27079.6 27040.5 27037.2 27032.8 27031.5 27077.4 27072.1 27079.1 27189.7
39493.1 39431.1 39491.5 39387.5-86.8 39391.0 39709.8 39740.8 39724.2 39721-5-9 39788.9 39618.7 39617.6 39593.5 39890.5 39463.2 39668.7 39633.3 39550.1 39470.0 39524.3 39607.9 39577.6 39574.8 39570.0 39560.6 39555.2 39572.4 39595.4 39577.1 39543.1 39521.7 39515.7 39515.7 39546.1
27176.0 (IN)27178.4 (OUT)27177.4 27159.0 27182.3
39511.2 39567.4 39563.7 39561.4 39393.8
TUNICS. DRESSES. TEES. TOTES.
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PROUDLY MADE IN NORTH CAROLINA
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SUNDAY PIG PICKIN’
ROCKN’ SHOTS
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Event Sponsored by:
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Big Rock A to Z 26 FUN FACTS ABOUT BIG ROCK & THE CRYSTAL COAST
Auction The Auction at the Awards Banquet brings in additional monies that are donated to various Big Rock Charities. Sometimes the winners donate the item they paid for also!
Giving Back
Carteret County Charter Boats
Big Rock Foundation has donated over $3.3 million dollars back to the local community, and with the support of sponsors, fishermen, community and local retailers, the number keeps growing!
Our fishing community offers many Charter Boats, for whatever suits your taste! Half day and Full day options available!
Docks
Big Game: 3 Species
The Big Rock has many locations you can visit to see some of the topnotch boats that fish the tournament each year. A full listing can be found at thebigrock.com/marinas
710 Evans Street
Blue Marlin - the elusive Blue Marlin migrates to our coast during the warm weather months, making it possible for you to win The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament!
White Marlin also migrates to our coast during warm weather months and is a much sought after tag and release fish.
Sailfish - little known fact, a Sailfish can change its colors from browns and greys, to bright purple and silver. Color change is controlled by the fish’s nervous system.
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Come by and see our new tournament headquarters and retail store for all your Big Rock desires! Directly across from the Fountain and Weigh Station.
Flare
Carolina Flare boats boast a knifelike entry, flattening out as you follow the lines aft, yielding an efficient hull capable of weathering heavy seas, and providing a stable fishing platform while in search of marlin, tuna and other game fish.”
History The year was 1957 and times were tough. Morehead City was a sleepy little port. But Bob and Mary Simpson, Bill Strickland, Tom Potter and Dick Parker – charter members of the Fabulous Fishing Club – convinced local business leaders to put up a cash prize of a couple hundred dollars to encourage the area’s fledgling charter boat industry to head further offshore to find these elusive fish. Parker, who had fished for billfish in the Caribbean, knew what a boon this would be to the waterfront’s charter boat business. The prize money that was raised did the trick. Throughout the summer of ’57, no blue marlins were caught. On Sept. 14, 1957, Raleigh angler Jimmy Croy, fishing aboard the Mary Z with Capt. K.W. “Bill” Olsen, landed a 143-pound blue marlin. This catch would forever change the face of fishing along the North Carolina coast.
Inspiration
Big Rock Legend
Inspiration comes in many different ways throughout our lives but nothing was much better than seeing “Inspiration” with Capt. Casey Wagner and crew win the 56th Annual Big Rock!
Jr. Anglers Start them young! 16 & under can fish all week in the gamefish and release part of the tournament and win prizes!
There have been many legends in and around the sportfishing industry including folks like Capt. Omie Tillet who is credited with the original “Carolina Flare”, or Dr. Leroy Allen who caught a 487 lb. blue marlin single handedly in his 26 ft. outboard to win in 1962. This year we would like to thank Dick Parker, one of the original legends who had the vision to get Big Rock started back in 1957.
Morehead City In the 1850’s, the strip of land bordering the Newport River was known as “Shepards Point” and was purchased by the Shepards Point Land Company. The town was named after its principle figure and then governor, John Motley Morehead. More history and great information is available at The History Place in downtown Morehead City.
Purse Last year’s total purse was an astounding and record breaking $1,395,825! Who will be one of the lucky ones to receive a part of it?
Governor John Motley Morehead strongly encouraged the 1861 incorporation of Morehead City. Image courtesy of the North Carolina Office of Archives and History, Raleigh, NC.
North Carolina Qualifiers
Our state’s motto “Esse Quam Videri”-To Be Rather Than To Seem says a lot about North Carolinians and their commitment to honesty and integrity.
To qualify for prizes in Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, you must obey all tournament rules.
Outboard Division New for 2015 is the Outboard Division level sponsored by Contender Boats and Starling Marine. The level will allow outboard boat owners to compete in Big Rock for a total entry fee of $3500 and join in the fun. The level excludes inboards or hybrid style boats and the outboard entry can be extended to include upper tier release levels and the dolphin winner-take-all category.
Southern Hospitality
Release
KWLA The lady angler tournament was named in memory of Keli Wagner who lost her battle with cancer in 2008. Keli was an avid fisherman and was instrumental in having proceeds from the ladies tournament donated to the Carteret General Cancer Center; specifically for patient comfort and care.
A key part of Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament conscious effort in conserving the species for future generations. 41 Blue Marlin, 80 White Marlin and 4 Sailfish were released during our 56th Annual tournament with a release rate of 95%!
The community of Morehead City welcomes all travelers, fishermen and their families, and visitors with southern charm. Please visit the Crystal Coast and enjoy our hospitality. Visit www.crystalcoastnc.org to explore our home. thebigrock.com
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Theme Song
Website
Live, at the Big Rock Fountain on the Morehead City Waterfront! Come hear James Wesley in concert on May 30th at 8:30 pm. He will be playing “Strap in Tight”, a song written specifically for the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament and the Crystal Coast.
The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament has led the industry with its first class website featuring Randy Ramsey on the radio, live audio and streaming video each day during Big Rock week.
Underwater Many thanks to Chris Jessen Fishtank Sportfishing for allowing us to use his underwater marlin photo which was featured on Marlin Magazine’s Facebook page.
Youth Fishing One of the Big Rock’s core charities is Take a Kid Fishing, in an effort to pass down skills and ethical angling practices to the future of our fishing community. This year’s event is scheduled for July 28, 2015.
Xcitement! Volunteers It takes so many wonderful citizens in our community that volunteer their precious time to make every event during the weeks prior to and the week of Big Rock a huge success. A special Thank You, to all of you for your unmatched dedication!
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Ok, you don’t really spell it that way but you will see what we mean when you attend the 57th Annual Big Rock and watch all the big fish being weighed in……xactly!
...zzz What everybody except the Captain does on the way out to the Gulf Stream. (If he’s lucky, he gets to sleep coming in.)
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Eastbay Media is proud to again have been selected to be the live webcast provider for the 57th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. Good luck anglers! thebigrock.com
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WEDNESDAY DINNER
ROCKN’ SHOTS
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WEDNESDAY DINNER Sponsored by:
Pork Chops by:
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ECHS BAND - $32,000
C H A R I T I E S
Ch ity F t Donations Total $3,337,836
TAKE A KID FISHING - $3,500
STATION CLUB - $5,000
The Big Rock Board of Directors and its Charity Committee have focused on a core group of charities for the majority of the charitable proceeds from each tournament. The entire process is driven by the fit between Big Rock’s five-point mission statement and the destination of the charitable funds. In addition to these yearly donations, the board also reviews new larger impact community projects. In 2014 the Big Rock board was able to contribute to their annual core donations but also fund additional needs within these core charities and beyond. The History Place received an additional $20,000 for new HVAC needs and East Carteret High School received $32,000 for new band uniforms. These and other donations to our community are the basis of what Big Rock tournament stands for. Early 2015, The North Carolina Aquariums received $100,000 to fund a series of fishing programs at all four NC Aquarium locations. Last year the Keli Wagner Big Rock Lady Angler Tournament (KWLA) was sponsored by ALEXSEAL YACHT COATINGS and held on Saturday June 7, 2014. A tournament record of 81 boats participated and the
Tot DĐžati $3,337,836 S 1988 70 | BIG ROCK
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Keli Wagner Lady Angler Tournament was able to donate $23,250 to the RAAB Oncology Clinic. Donations to the clinic since 2005, total over $203,916. Overall, the ladies tournament has donated a total of $249,315 since it began in 1998. The tournament is very proud of its past contributions totaling $3,337,836 after the 2014 tournament. This year’s Tournament Charity Committee consists of Tom Bennett, chairman, Dale Britt, Ben Moore, Richard Crowe and Randy Ramsey.
C H A R I T I E S
BROAD STREET CLINIC - $9,600
CCC STUDENT OF THE YEAR - $1,000 Thomas Ledbetter (left), Carteret Community Colleges Big Rock Student of the Year Scholarship Recipient
CARTERET PRESCHOOL CENTER - $1,150
To promote sportfishing throughout Carteret County and the state of North Carolina To promote conservation among sportfishermen To raise money for charities and worthy community projects To preserve maritime culture and heritage
THE HISTORY PLACE - $24,000
To promote marine education. thebigrock.com
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EĐ° t C a C c , B Sc ĘŚ Am ica
C H A R I T I E S
For more than 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America has been providing character education and citizenship training to America’s young men in a setting that encourages them to take charge. The leadership training that local youth get in Scouting is unmatched, as is the support from local communities. The support that the East Carolina Council gets from the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament has played a vital part in ensuring that the movement continues to improve the lives of all its Scouts and their families. East Carolina Council serves more than 10,000 youth and more than 2,900 volunteer adult leaders in 20 eastern NC counties, including the world renowned Crystal Coast. Scouts participate in unique learning experiences that will help them develop their appreciation, skills and leadership abilities for good stewardship of our land and water resources.
Broad S t Cl ic The Broad Street Clinic has been providing free medical and pharmaceutical services to uninsured and underinsured residents of Carteret County and surrounding areas since 1993. Patients must be at or below the 200% federal poverty level. Patients also must qualify medically by having one of 5 chronic diseases: heart disease, pulmonary disease, diabetes, and hypertension or thyroid disease. Free medical care is provided to BSC patients by over 40 health care providers. Health care providers volunteer weekly to ensure patient needs are met. Currently the clinic has over 900 active patients. The Clinic continues to offer our regular medical clinic, eye clinic, gynecological clinic and mental health clinic. In addition to the dental bus, a dental clinic with limited services will be opening in 2015. 72 | BIG ROCK
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East Carolina Council provides facilities and programs for use by Cub Scout Packs, Boy Scout Troops, Venturing Crews and even interested public groups that can take part in interactive, hands-on learning that will develop our future leaders at several locations. The East Carolina Scout Reservation, our main camping area, encompasses Camp Boddie, the Pamlico Sea Base and the PotashCorp ECO Lodge in Blount’s Creek, on the Pamlico River east of Chocowinity. Toward the coast, there is Camp Hatcher in Newport and to the west, in Bailey, is Camp Charles. Programs at these camps are sure to provide a fun, engaging outdoor experience that is sure to enrich the lives of the visitors and their families.
S 1998 - $68,500 The Clinic is a member of the National Association of Free Clinics and a member of the NC Association of Free Clinics. Funds received from the Big Rock are used for general operating expenses and to purchase medicines and supplies necessary for BSC patients. It takes 70 volunteer hours each week with the supervision from four pharmacists to ensure patients receive their medications. 22,000 prescriptions were dispensed from the BSC pharmacy with a value of $3.1 million during 2014. Left photo: Dr. Nick Reid performing an eye exam. Top right: Pharmacy Manager, Richard Gray, with volunteer tech William Rich checking prescriptions. Right: Board of Directors Secretary, Mary Frances Wright, using copier purchased by funds from Big Rock.
S 1998 - $65,500
The Carteret County Historical Society’s “History Place” is a 501c3 nonprofit whose educational mission it is to preserve and interpret the human history of the county from early Native American times through to the present. We accomplish this by offering various history products to the general public, including in school programs, publications, exhibits, a family genealogical library and presentations by various speakers and groups. We fund this activity in a variety of ways. Our Les A. Ewen Auditorium lays at the heart of our income producing assets. Year round, we rent this hall to various groups, wedding parties, musical performers, governmental agencies and others. We also present our own local history programs within its walls. This past summer and even now, Big Rock Tournament funds are being applied towards the renovation of this important community asset. The acquisition of a portable stage, refurnished flooring, painting of the walls, upgrades in
the sound and light systems and other improvements are making this a “button ready” facility that can better accommodate different uses and needs. We have also created a new temporary exhibit “We Went to Viewe the Lande Adjoyning…” which is a historical/ artistic immersion into our coastline’s first European exploration in 1585. A portion of the foundation’s grant was applied to the creation of this exhibit as well. The Society operates on roughly $110,000 per year – averaging 15-20,000 visitors per year. It is supported through grants, donations, fund-raisers and membership. Many consider what we hold as the “living memory” of the county. We are very thankful of the Big Rock Tournament’s grant in support of our work.
S 2004 - $49,500
M th! M"iо Cupbo d We at Martha’s Mission are especially thankful to the Big Rock Charities for the donation they gave us in 2014. We bought a new refrigerator and Freezer for the Mission. These are our first new appliances and they are great. We can keep all our food fresh or frozen to last longer and have more to give our clients. Martha’s Mission is an emergency Food Bank, all made possible by donations and volunteers. In 2014 we gave food to 8,332 people in Carteret County.
OUR MOTTO: WE BELIEVE IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE WHEN PEOPLE HELP AND SHARE; THAT WHEN SOMEBODY REACHES OUT, IT MATTERS TO BE THERE.
S 2002 - $36,000 thebigrock.com
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C H A R I T I E S
T he H t Pla
Take a Kid F h g F datiĐž
C H A R I T I E S
Twenty seven years ago Bob Hodges began inspiring others to join him in sharing the joys of fishing. He believed that fishing was a skill that was not learned, but something that should be shared,passed on from generation to generation by those that loved the sport. A child from humble beginnings, Bob knew firsthand what this gift would mean to thousands of disabled and disadvantaged youth from all across North Carolina. It was through his work that the North Carolina based nonprofit“Take A Kid Fishing Foundation, Inc.� was born. Supported solely by donations, the Foundation, its many donors and volunteers have worked to enrich the lives of over 13,875 children through an opportunity to go saltwater fishing. Baiting hooks and casting lines, they shared in their knowledge of
NC Univ.ity /nt: for Marine Science and Technology North Carolina State University’s Center for Marine Science and Technology (CMAST), located in Morehead City, has worked with the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament since 2003 to sample these fishes. In addition to collecting samples for our own research, we also sample these fish for other scientists that work on these species because the opportunity to sample some of these animals is quite rare. The following information and samples are taken from yellowfin tuna, wahoo, dolphin, and blue marlin: length, weight, sex, a variety of tissues (e.g., muscle, reproductive organs, liver, heart, stomachs, and mucus), and hard parts (e.g., scales, otoliths, and fish spines). To date, we have collected samples for over a dozen marine biologists working along the U.S. Atlantic coast. The fish captured during the Big Rock Tournament are top predators in the surface waters of the ocean. They have extremely high feeding rates and may have a disproportionately large effect on their prey populations when compared to other predators. Stomach contents are being analyzed by N.C. State University to determine the principal prey of these species. To date, dolphin and 74 | BIG ROCK
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fishing. They have taught the importance of utilizing ethical angling practices and encouraged our youth to become good stewards of our ocean environment. It has been a rewarding experience for participants, many of which have never seen the ocean or felt the tug of a line. And it is a heartfelt day for the volunteers and contributors that give each year of their resources, talent and time. They have shared their experiences together creating memories that last a lifetime. Thank you for believing in “Charity First�. It is through your continued participation and support that many deserving organization like the Take A Kid Fishing Foundation, Inc., continue to exists. To learn more about the TAKF Foundation Inc., make a donation or to volunteer visit our website at www.takf.org.
S 1992 - $81,000 yellowfin tuna have the most diverse diets with a variety of fish and invertebrates including flyingfish, filefish, and squid. However, blue marlin and wahoo appear to be very selective, feeding mainly on frigate mackerel. Besides the thrill they bring to captains, crew, and the Big Rock audience at the weigh station, fish caught during the Big Rock continue to help shed light on the biology of these highly migratory fishes. Jeffrey A. Buckel is an Associate Professor and Paul J. Rudershausen is a Research Associate with North Carolina State University. Both work out of N.C. State’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology in Morehead City, NC.
S 2003 - $95,000
Hope Mission Christian Ministries (HMCM) is located in the heart of Morehead City, NC and is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving the less fortunate citizens of Carteret County and the surrounding area for the past 21 years. It is supported by the community and is funded by donations from Community Organizations, Civic Groups, Churches, and individuals. HMCM serves the community in many ways: The Community Kitchen Ministry operates seven days a week and in 2014 provided 35,466 free hot lunches to hungry individuals and families. Often, the volunteers who help serve the meals are in need of a hot meal themselves; The Emergency Financial Assistance Ministry provides payment of bills which threaten to leave persons without electricity, heating fuel, rent, and other essentials. In 2014, 234 clients received aid to avoid the risk of harm, illness, or homelessness. The Men’s Shelter for the Homeless (at the Mission building) provides temporary overnight shelter for up to 15 displaced men and is open 7 nights per week. In 2014,
our shelter provided a temporary home for 145 men. Persons in the shelter are required to remain drug and alcohol free and take all necessary steps to return to independent living. All funds contributed by Big Rock are designated to cover the expenses of the Men’s Shelter for the Homeless which remains the only homeless shelter for men in Carteret County. Many nights, especially during extreme weather conditions, the shelter reaches its fire-coded maximum of 15 persons. Without generous contributions by charitable organizations like Big Rock, we could not meet the needs of so many of our fellow citizens affected by these trying economic times. Big Rock funding is invaluable and so greatly appreciated! For more information, please contact the Executive Director of HMCM, Gene McLendon at 252-515-4361 or gene@hmcm.org, or check out our web site www.hmcm.org.
S 1992 - $52,500
C ob; Statiо Club Ent = e Big Rock Charities has been helping Carobell’s Station Club Enterprise expand our possibilities for more than 25 years. Located in Morehead City, Station Club is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. When our clients arrive each day, they go right to work receiving pre-vocational training in various fields such as making Candy Bouquets, building outdoor furniture in our wood shop, studying horticulture out back in the greenhouse, or making greeting cards, just to name a few of the activities. We are constantly expanding our abilities to provide the people we serve with choices by developing new ideas and concepts. And best of all, they are earning while learning. The funds received through the generous donation provided by Big Rock Charities will give Station Club the opportunity to expand our abilities to provide the people we serve with choices of work opportunities and to reach out with new ideas and concepts. This truly fulfills our Mission, which is to help individuals reach their
fullest potential. Every day is a good day at Station Club. We work hard, we socialize with our peers and at day’s end we feel good about what we have accomplished. Previous year’s donation from Big Rock have gone toward working on the purchase of a full-size van that will allow staff and clients to deliver the newly made wooden benches and picnic tables that have been ordered by community parks, businesses and individuals. This year the funds went toward the purchase of several Apple I-Pads, apps and holders to be used by the individuals in service to help expand their hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, money denomination recognition and problem solving skills. We so appreciate the help we receive from Big Rock Charities and want everyone to know that you truly are a partner with Station Club and its mission.
S 1989 - $60,000 thebigrock.com
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C H A R I T I E S
Hope M"iо
WASTE INDUSTRIES
Help us keep our waters clean for another great year, anglers!
855.222.2797
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2014 WINNERS
1ST PLACE Blue Marlin Division
INSPIRATION 754.3 pounds Captain Casey Wagner Angler Bruce Brown $306,137.50
WINNERS
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2ND PLACE
EYE CATCHER 606.9 pounds Captain Burrows Smith Angler Randy Kelley $52,457.50
3RD PLACE
AVA D 491.4 pounds Captain Jerry Jackson Angler Gray Hardison $345,405.00 thebigrock.com
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2014 WINNERS
Gamefish Division Weekly 1st Place HAMMERTIME 52.3 Pounds Angler Josh Perry Captain Austin Eubank $3,000
TUNA
2nd Place REEL LOVE 49.2 Pounds Angler Mike Butler Captain Jeff Vreugdenhil $2,000
WAHOO
1st Place PURPLE PIRATE 77.8 Pounds Angler Michael Bell Captain Craig Clark $3,000 2nd Place GAMEKEEPER 77.2 Pounds Angler Dennis Sullivan Jr. Captain Ken Upton $2,000
1st Place HAPHAZARD 45.5 Pounds Angler Marshall Rich Captain Will Ross DOLPHIN WINNER TAKE ALL $85,000
DOLPHIN
2nd Place SANDRITA 45.5 Pounds Angler Bruce Elliott Captain Donnie Ullom $2,000 80 | BIG ROCK
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Gamefish Daily Monday 1st Place Tuna 1st Place Wahoo 1st Place Dolphin 2nd Place Dolphin
GALOT 3 GOIN DEEP HAPHAZARD SANDRITA
36.8 31.4 45.5 35.7
$750 $50 $750 $500
Tuesday 1st Place Wahoo 1st Place Dolphin 2nd Place Dolphin
EZ BOY SANDRITA CHAINLINK
58.2 45.5 26.0
$750 $750 $500
Wednesday 1st Place Tuna 2nd Place Tuna 1st Place Wahoo 2nd Place Wahoo 1st Place Dolphin
HAMMERTIME REEL LOVE PURPLE PIRATE GAMEKEEPER SANDRITA
52.3 49.2 77.8 77.2 45.5
$750 $500 $750 $500 $750
2nd Place Dolphin
FLOAR PLAN
35.0
$500
Thursday 1st Place Wahoo 2nd Place Wahoo 1st Place Dolphin 2nd Place Dolphin
YELLOWFIN WELDOR’S ARK BANKWALKER HAMMER TIME
50 46.7 37.5 36.2
$750 $500 $750 $500
Friday 1st Place Dolphin 2nd Place Dolphin
LET IT RIDE THE RASCAL
31.8 27.4
$750 $500
Saturday 1st Place Dolphin 2nd Place Dolphin
CAN DO TOO RUN OFF
25.6 $750 22.3 $500
Jr. Angler - Gamefish Division
BANKWALKER Captain Bryant Montague Angler Braxton Montague Dolphin 37.6
JOBSITE Captain Bill Farrior Angler Drew Yates Dolphin 29.5
BUILDER’S CHOICE Captain Harris Huddle Angler Spencer Scheper Dolphin 29
JOBSITE Captain Bill Farrior Angler William Farrior Dolphin 23.7
COMPROMISE Captain Larry Branham Angler Harry Hood Dolphin 21.9
EZ BOY Captain Van Pierce Angler Austin Pierce Dolphin 16.3 thebigrock.com
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2014 WINNERS
Release Division
Daily Release Division
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:
1ST PLACE Daily Release Division 1st Place $3,000 Each
DANCIN OUTLAW 2 Blue Marlin, 3 White Marlin Total Points: 1175 Captain Thomas Wood $59,287
2ND PLACE
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
DANCIN OUTLAW MARLIN GULL CRACK OF DAWN J&B SAFARI ASHLEY LAUREN
2 BM/2 WM 2 BM 1BM/1WM 1 BM 1 BM 1 BM
925 800 525 400 400 400
Daily 1st Billfish Released $2,000 Each Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
BILLFISHER 2 Blue Marlin, 1 White Marlin Total Points: 925 Captain John Duffie $35,572
INSPIRATION SEA TOY COVERAGE LET IT RIDE SAFARI STREAM WEAVER
Casey Wagner Bull Tolson Hunter Blount Josh Ruskey Kevin Gaylord Mike King
Hannah Fischler Adam Brown J. House James Kontos Brett Galdig Trescott Willis
56th Billfish Released BILLFISHER
John Duffie
Danny Gough
$5,600
Jr. Angler - Release Division
3RD PLACE
BANKWALKER - 1 White Marlin (1st & 4th Place) Captain Bryant Montague, RELEASE Angler Braxton Montague
COVERAGE 1 Blue Marlin, 4 White Marlin Total Points: 900 Captain Jim Blount $23,715 82 | BIG ROCK
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DIVISION
EZ BOY - 1 White Marlin Captain Van Pierce, Angler Austin Pierce JOB SITE - 1 White Marlin Captain William Farrior, Angler Morgan Farrior
1st Place Release Braxton Montague
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2014 BIG ROCK
PARTICIPANTS ACCORDINGLY IV Viking 76’ Jacksonville, NC Owner: Accordingly II LLC Captain: Peter DuBose
BANKWALKER Rampage 38’ Raleigh, NC Owner: Bryant Montague Captain: Bryant Montague
BLUE EYES Shearline 57’ Emerald Isle, NC Owner: Billy and Terri Farrington Captain: Billy Farrington
ANIMAL HOUSE Wellcraft 35’ Hubert, NC Owner: Matt Henderson Captain: John Parks
BIL-BUSTER Hydrasport 42’ Hubert, NC Owner: John Steele Captain: John Steele II
BLUE WATER Buddy Harris 54’ Greenville, NC Owner: James Hite Captain: James Hite
ANITA JEAN Winter Custom 64’ Cape Carteret, NC Owner: Peter Watson Captain: Peter Watson
BILL COLLECTOR Jarrett Bay 51’ Morehead City, NC Owner: Draughon Ent Inc. Captain: Stephen Draughon
BOOTLEGGER Guthrie 60’ Sophia, NC Owner: Jimmy Canoy Captain: Jimmy Canoy
ANN WARRICK Paul Mann ‘76 Midlothian, VA Owner: Linwood Lacy Captain: Brad Diaz
BILLFISHER Spencer 62’ Gaithersburg, MD Owner: Jonathan C. Duffie Captain: John Duffie
BUILDERS’ CHOICE Jarrett Bay 55’ New Bern, NC Owner: Harris P. Huddle Captain: Harris Huddle
ASHLEY LAUREN Ricky Scarbourough 46’ Clayton, NC Owner: Island Adventures Captain: Mark Annis
BIRD DOG Layton 40’ Southern Pines, NC Owner: Tom Vicars Captain: Tom Vicars
CALLIE GIRL Spencer 59’ Virginia Beach, VA Owner: Callie Girl Charters LLC Captain: Gregg Middleton
AVA D Gillikin 61’ Havelock, NC Owner: Jerry A. Jackson Captain: Jerry A. Jackson
BIZZY B World Cat 33’ Kinston, NC Owner: Rob Bizzell Captain: Rob Bizzell
CAN DO TOO Viking 52’ Stuart, FL Owner: Sid Gold Captain: Jim Foy
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CARNIVORE Chadwick Boatworks 57’ Cape Carteret, NC Owner: Edward & Natalie Petrilli Captain: Edward J. Petrilli illllii
DANCIN’ OUTLAW C & L 56’ Summerfield, NC Owner: Crystal Coast Charters Captain: Thomas Wood
DOUBLE LUV Carolina Classic 35’ Ruffin, NC Owner: Steve Chappell Captain: Steve Chappell
CAROLINA GIRL Jarrett Bay 53’ Newport, NC Owner: Mark Becker Captain: Mark Becker
DAWG CATCHER Graves 48’ North Augusta, SC Owner: Tim Nixon Captain: Chris (Happy) Johnson
DOUBLE TROUBLE Tiara 43’ Wilmington, NC Owner: MH Supply, Inc. Captain: Jay Hudson
CHAINLINK Jarrett Bay 54’ Goldsboro, NC Owner: Wes Seegars Captain: Ralph Griffin
DELTA DAWN IBW 57’ Raleigh, NC Owner: Pete Manuel Captain: Pete Manuel
DUN-RITE Jarrett Bay 57’ Winterville, NC Owner: Derek Dunn Captain: Mark Moye
COMPROMISE Paul Mann 65’ Charleston, SC Owner: Robert Hood Captain: Larry Branham
DESPERADO Taylor Made 56 Manteo, NC Owner: Desperado Offshore Fishing Captain: Rob Barker
EL CAZADOR Viking 65’ Quitman, TX Owner: INL (Sail & Bobby Ricks) Captain: Michael Kennedy
CONTANGO Jarrett Bay 55’ Baltimore, MD Owner: Walt Kuhn Captain: Daryl Brower
DIAMOND GIRL Spencer Sportfish 61’ Rocky Mount, NC Owner: Clyde Bailey Captain: Gray Hall
EL TEJANO Spencer 66’ Bronxville, NY Owner: John A. Hill Captain: David Redd
COVERAGE Sportsman 61’ Raleigh, NC Owner: Jim Holmes Captain: Hunter Blount
DOUBLE 07 Chadwick 61’ Angier, NC Owner: Kathy Stancil Captain: Freddie Stancil
EYE CATCHER Garlington 61’ Clayton, NC Owner: Ray Hales Captain: Burrows Smith
CRACK OF DAWN Viking ‘53 McLean, VA Owner: Paul Kincheloe Captain: Geoff Flynt
DOUBLE B Spencer 64’ Greenville, NC Owner: Harry L. Smith Captain: Harry Smith
EYE ROLLER Ricky Scarborough Smithfield, NC Owner: Albert Lee Captain: Christopher Neal Bullock thebigrock.com
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EZ BOY Winter 40’ Trinity, NC Owner: Van Pierce Captain: Van Pierce
GAMEKEEPER Core Sound 55’ Wilmington, NC Owner: UKenFish LLC Captain: Ken Upton
HATTERAS FEVER II Ricky Scarborough 54’ Buxton, NC Owner: Buddy Hooper Captain: Buddy Hooper
FIN HUNTER Ray Davis 46’ Rocky Mount, NC Owner: Fin Hunter Sportfishing, LLC Captain: Rick Evans
GOIN DEEP B&B 58’ Chesapeake, VA Owner: Kenny Linclaver Captain: Kenny Sexton
HONEY HUSH Spencer 61’ Morehead City, NC Owner: Bob Warren Captain: Chuck Lindner
FLOAR PLAN Gary Davis 53’ Goldsboro, NC Owner: Anthony Floars Captain: Brent Gaskill
GOIN IN DEEP Viking 70 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Owner: Larry Hess Captain: Walter Harmstead
HUNTRESS Ricky Scarborough 59’ Goldsboro, NC Owner: Huntress Sport Fishing, LLC Captain: Max Weaver
FREE SPOOL Viking 50’ Ocean Isle Beach, NC Owner: Dan McRainey Captain: Pete Nelson
GOOMBAY Weaver 62’ Kannapolis, NC Owner: Terry Young Captain: Brian Peele
IMPULSE Cap-N-Squid Boatworks 58’ Atlantic Beach, NC Owner: Donald Lane Captain: Rocky Hardison
FULL PULL Croswait 57’ Spartanburg, SC Owner: DG II Captain: Ryan Riggs
GREAT ESCAPE Ocean 57’ Winston Salem, NC Owner: Robb Mothershed Captain: Jim Mothershed
IMPULSE V Post 50’ Bloomfield, CT Owner: Impulse V LLC Captain: Matthew Kriedel
GALATEA Ritchie Howell Orlando, FL Owner: John Jakes Captain: Mike Croke
HAMMER TIME Spencer 54’ Charlotte, NC Owner: Steve Mozeley Captain: Austin Eubank
INSPIRATION Jarrett Bay 55’ Morehead City, NC Owner: Casey Wagner Captain: Casey Wagner
GALOT 3 Winter Custom Yachts 63’ Clinton, NC Owner: Earl Wells Captain: Guy “Porky” Herring
HAPHAZARD Holton 61’ Winston-Salem, NC Owner: Hap Royster Captain: Will Ross
ISLAND GIRL Island Boatworks 30’ Buxton, NC Owner: Jeffrey Quidley Captain: Jeffrey Quidley
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ISLANDER Holton 60’ Rocky Mount, NC Owner: Bobby Schlegel Captain: Bobby Schlegel
LOOKIN BACK Jarrett Bay 58’ Raleigh, NC Owner: John Glover Captain: Ken Kramer
NO PROBLEM Viking 58’ N. Myrtle Beach, SC Owner: Mark Becker Captain: Scott “Goaty” Lawrence
J&B Wanchese 55 Red Springs, NC Owner: Robert Bleecker Captain: Alan Murray
LOR-A-DI Spencer 61’ Daytona Beach, FL Owner: Sammy Vaughn Captain: Tyson Moore
NO QUARTER Custom 54’ New Castle, DE Owner: Fishfighter LLC Captain: Kyle Peet
JAMES JOYCE II Carolina Sportfish 51’ Durham, NC Owner: James Joyce Property, LLC Captain: Troy Pate
MAGGIE Davis 47’ Morehead City, NC Owner: J. Morgan / R. Bryant Captain: Randy Bryant
OFFSHORE III Buddy Harris 50’ Captain: Buddy Harris
JESUS FREAK 48’ Blackwell Mechanicsville, VA Owner: David Walker Captain: David Walker
MAGIC MOMENT Jarrett Bay 55’ Four Oaks, NC Owner: Magic Moment Sportfishing, LLC Captain: Freddie Willis
PEGGY Briglia 60’ Raleigh, NC Owner: Doug Abrams Captain: Mike Guthrie
JOB SITE Viking 55’ Winterville, NC Owner: Bill Farrior Captain: Bill Farrior, Jr.
MARLIN GULL Buddy Cannady 55’ Wilmington, NC Owner: Michael Feasel Captain: Bo Dobson
PELAGIC Guthrie 61’ Atlantic Beach, NC Owner: Mike Webb Captain: Mike Webb
KRISTI KAY Albemarle 32’ New Bern, NC Owner: Mike Truesdale Captain: Mike Truesdale
MISS JUDY Hatteras 60’ Atlantic Beach, NC Owner: Lacy Henry Captain: Lacy Henry
PIG RIG Caison 60’ Newton Grove, NC Owner: Tommy Herring Captain: Tommy Herring
LET IT RIDE Viking 68’ Monmouth Beach, NJ Owner: Arthur Kontos Captain: Josh Ruskey
NEVER ENOUGH Contender 31’ Washington, NC Owner: Stuart Dudley Captain: Stuart Dudley
PIRACY Shearline 61’ Morehead City, NC Owner: Curtis & Russell Struyk Captain: Chris Russell thebigrock.com
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PURPLE PIRATE Rampage 33’ Morehead City, NC
SAGA Ricky Scarbourgh 60’ Newport News, VA Owner: Randy Abbitt Captain: Randy Abbitt
SEA NOTE Carolina 55’ Kill Devil Hills, NC Owner: Benjie Stansky Captain: Benjie Stansky
REEL DIZZY East Bay 51’ Wake Forest, NC Owner: Charlie Grant Captain: Charlie Grant
SALTY TACTICS Century 29’ Cape Carteret, NC Owner: Chesson O’Briant Captain: Chesson O’Briant
SEA STRIKER Jarrett Bay 61’ Morehead City, NC Owner: Adrian Holler Captain: Adrian Holler
REEL DREAMS Dawson 38’ Greenville, NC Owner: Jason Harlin Captain: Shane Malone
SALVATION Omie Tillet 50’ Fairfield, NC Owner: Dare to Hyde LLC Captain: Will Hodges
SEA TOY Spencer 59’ Dover, DE Owner: Dave Wood Captain: Bull Tolson
REEL LOVE Privateer 28’ Clinton, NC Owner: Jeff Vreugdenhil Captain: Jeff Vreugdenhil
SANDBOB Viking 66’ Ft. Lauderdale, FL Owner: Bob Moss Captain: Norm Welter
SENSATION Jarrett Bay 53’ Morehead City, NC Owner: Dale Britt Captain: Dale Britt
RELEASE Sullivan 53’ Hatteras, NC Owner: Rom Whitaker Captain: Rom Whitaker
SANDRA D Hudson 58’ Summerfield, NC Owner: Bobby Inchaustegui Captain: Keith Baer
SHENANDOAH Spencer 61’ New Bern, NC Owner: Robert Stallings Captain: Glynn Loftin
RUN-OFF Wesmac 42’ Morehead City, NC Owner: Billy Vansciver Captain: Brian Harrington
SANDRITA Ocean 62’ Key Largo, FL Owner: Top Angler Partners LLLP Captain: Louis DeFusco/Donnie U Ullom llllom om m
SKIRT CHASER Buddy Cannady 55’ Manteo, NC Owner: Barry Daniels Captain: Barry Daniels
SAFARI Hatteras 68’ Whiteville, NC Owner: John McNeill Captain: Kevin Gaylord
SEA CREATURE Capt. Squid 58’ Hatteras, NC Owner: Steve Coulter Captain: Steve Coulter
SPARKY’S TOY Duffy 35’ Atlantic Beach, NC Owner: Paul Woodard Captain: Paul Woodard
Owner: Craig Clark Captain: Craig Clark
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SPECULATOR Merritt 80’ Boston, MA Owner: Big Eye Captain: Edward Murray
THE RASCAL Hatteras 50’ Greenville, SC Owner: Foster McKissick Captain: Mark Rogers
WASTE KNOT Jarrett Bay 67’ Morehead City, NC Owner: Waste Knot LLC Captain: Patrick Kannan
STREAM MACHINE Chadwick 61’ Raleigh, NC Owner: Mike Pearce Captain: Barry Moore
TIDAL VOLUME True World 28’8 Greenville, NC Owner: Michael Biggerstaff Captain: Michael Biggerstaff
WE III Hatteras 52’ Fuquay Varina, NC Owner: Tim Powell Captain: Dave Garner
STREAM WEAVER Spencer 60’ Wilmington, NC Owner: Rusty Carter Captain: Michael King
TRIAL SIZE Guthrie 65’ Wilmington, NC Owner: G. Phillip David Captain: Stacy Wester
WELDOR’S ARK Jarrett Bay 55’ Greenville, NC Owner: John B. Roberts Captain: Mike Taylor
SUSHI Island Boatworks 57’ Nags Head, NC Owner: Charley Pereira Captain: Charley Pereira
TRIPLE A Blackwell 61’ Colonial Beach, VA Owner: Jim Wilkerson Captain: Jim Wilkerson
WHITE CAPS Buddy Davis 52’ Wilson, NC Owner: Steve White Captain: Scott Wiggins
SUSIE-Q Hatteras 50’ Newport, NC Owner: Timothy Rhodes Captain: Timothy Rhodes
TUNA DUCK Custom Carolina Sportfisher 50 Hatteras, NC Owner: TD Sportfishing Inc. Captain: Dan Rooks
WISHER Ocean 43’ Beaufort, NC Owner: TD LLC Captain: Bill Diller
TAKE FIVE Viking 50’ Middlesex, NC Owner: Van Narron Captain: Teak Bell
TUNA TRAPPE Island Boatworks 57’ Wrightsville Beach, NC Owner: AHG Associates LLC Captain: Brian Maready
YELLOWFIN BC 56’ Morehead City, NC Owner: Ted Garner Captain: Jeff Garner & Ken Kramer
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Inspiration proves inspirational in winning 56th Big Rock By Bruce Paul, Media Director When Inspiration captain Casey Wagner captured the 56th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in his home town after leading the event for six days, the win capped a wild week of excitement for the long-time participant who finally captured the one tournament he always dreamed of winning. Wagner and angler Bruce Brown landed a 754.3 pound blue marlin on opening day after a four hour and 35 minute fight. The catch turned out to be the third largest blue marlin in Big Rock history and biggest landed this century. Once Inspiration weighed its catch, everyone else was battling for second place. Wagner, who learned to fish in the local Morehead City waters, has served on the Big Rock board of directors for decades. As Big Rock tournament president from 1988 to 1992 and again in 2012-13, he always presented the winner’s trophy to the captain of another boat. This time, the winner’s trophy was handed to him. The whole week proved to be incredible for the Wagner family. Two days before the Big Rock started, Wagner was at the helm when his daughter, Caroline, caught her first blue marlin during the 17th annual Keli Wagner Lady Angler Tournament, an event dedicated to the
memory of his late wife and her mother. On Monday at the start of the 56th Big Rock , he shared a special catch with his son. “This (winning the Big Rock) is something that we have aspired to …worked toward for a long time,” said Wagner , who has fished every Big Rock since 1973. “Everybody that was on the boat … we’ve been friends since college. It’s a tight group of people who have always fished together. To have that entire crowd together and (my son) Cole as the mate … it’s just incredible.” Even more incredible is the fact that there was a time not too long ago when nobody fished for billfish in waters off the North Carolina coast. Blue marlin fishing was thought to be something restricted to the balmy waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Fishermen had harvested fish from coastal waters for centuries and had never caught a blue marlin. This was still the case in 1956. But sailors from cargo ships that came ashore at the Morehead City port would tell residents they had seen blue marlin not too far offshore. While most dismissed this as “bar talk,” a few wishful thinkers hoped the stories were true. (Continued on next page) thebigrock.com thebigrock.com
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These dreamers were members of Morehead City’s Fabulous Fishermen Club, a collection of local fishing enthusiasts who gathered at one of the waterfront cafes to share a story or two over a cup of coffee. They had all heard the sailor’s fish tales. Some wondered how they could find out if it was true. The year was 1957 and times were tough. The postwar building boom that was changing much of America had not had much impact in this area. Morehead City was still a sleepy little port. Residents scratched out a living as best they could. But Bob and Mary Simpson, Bill Strickland, Tom Potter and Dick Parker – charter member of the Fabulous Fishermen Club – convinced local business leaders to put up a cash prize of a couple hundred dollars to encourage the area’s fledgling charter boat industry to head further offshore to find these elusive fish. Parker, who had fished for billfish in the Caribbean, knew what a boon this would be to the waterfront’s charter boat business. The prize money that was raised did the trick. Boats ventured further offshore. Soon, captains and anglers began reporting their own blue marlin sightings. Still, throughout the summer of ’57, no blue marlins were caught. These summer failures finally gave way to one huge autumn success. On Sept. 14, 1957, Raleigh angler Jimmy Croy, fishing aboard the Mary Z with Capt. K.W. “Bill” Olsen, landed a 143-pound blue marlin. This catch would forever change the face of fishing along the North Carolina coast. Olsen radioed back to port and word of the catch spread throughout the small town. When the Mary Z finally pulled into port, the boat and crew was greeted by a large gathering and blaring police sirens. An impromptu parade along the waterfront ensued. The main feature was a child’s red wagon filled with silver dollars. This prize was pulled to the boat and presented to the lucky fishermen. While no one knows exactly where Olsen and Croy made their historic catch, most think the two had reached the Gulf Stream, a warm-water current that bisects colder coastal waters about 40-60 miles south of the Morehead City port. As the Gulf Stream drifts north along the N.C. coastline, it crosses a structure on the continental shelf called “Big Rock” from which the tournament takes its name. The Big Rock – which is not a rock at all – is a series of ledges, peaks and plateaus that covers an area about 8-10 miles long by 1 mile in width. It’s a haven for small reef fish – the type of fish that attract the larger fish that blue marlin feast on. It’s a microcosm of 94 | BIG ROCK
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the oceanic food chain just a short distance from the Morehead City waterfront. While the Big Rock remained an underwater secret for much of the nation’s history, it’s now considered the premier spot for marlin fishing on the East Coast. But even though the Big Rock has provided more than $1 million to tournament winners for 17 straight years, it took 40 years of hard work by the Big Rock board of directors and tournament organizers to reach this level of success. Early Big Rock events could hardly be considered tournaments. There were few rules and the competition was restricted to the members of the Fabulous Fishermen Club. Some of the early prizes resembled booty from a scavenger hunt. A 1965 newspaper article that detailed the winner’s prizes listed a quart of varnish. Now the tournament has a permanent new headquarters building at 710 Evans Street on the Morehead City waterfront. The sale of Big Rock T-shirts and other items goes on throughout the year. That’s because humble beginnings gave way to a huge growth in prize money that no one could have predicted. In ’74, the winning boat received just $800. Ten years later, the purse reached $70,000. Twelve years after that, the purse reached $743,000. For the last 17 years, the competition has topped $1 million and continues to grow with increased sponsorship and participation. Throughout it all, the Big Rock’s biggest asset has been the collective leadership of the Big Rock board of directors. The men and women who serve on the board act as stewards of the tournament. They have been instrumental to its rise in prosperity and popularity. They established and have tweaked the rules every year to ensure the competition is fair to all entrants. They have led the way in the establishment of conservation standards that other tournaments later chose to model. The Big Rock board made it a part of its charter to give back to the local community. It established a foundation that supports a multitude of charities. Since 1988, the Big Rock has donated more than $3.3 million to tournament charities. Last year, every charity received every dollar they asked for. Early on, the competition consisted of a handful of charter boat captains hoping to win a few dollars and the bragging rights that came with a Big Rock victory. Currently, hundreds of anglers participate, representing the best marlin fishermen in the world.
The Big Rock has become the “Super Bowl” of fishing because of the way winner’s feel after capturing the event. In 2003, J.F. and Jim Pedersen, a father-andson team from Hollywood, S.C., captured the 45th Big Rock the day before Father’s Day. It was a timely moment for both and it gave the competition a Hollywood ending.
Carys Newest Boutique
In 2006, Goldsboro angler Wes Seegars fenced off the rest of the competition aboard Chainlink. He caught the last and biggest blue marlin of the 48th event, battling his blue marlin for seven hours aboard a vessel that had won the Big Rock before in ’94 when the boat was named the Salty Fare. In 2011, Double B captain Kenny Sexton, Manteo, captured the 53rd Big Rock in near wire-to-wire fashion when he grabbed a late first-day lead and held it through five more days of fishing. Sexton’s blueprint for victory turned out to be a roadmap for the Flybuoy crew who won wire-to-wire in 2012. Early leads seem to be trending. Last year, Eye Catcher, a Wrightsville Beach-based boat captained by Burrows Smith, Wilmington, hooked a 606.9-pound blue marlin 11 minutes after the start of fishing. Eye Catcher was bumped to second place by Wagner and the Inspiration fishing team, but finished second at the end of the competition. Eye Catcher’s blue marlin would have won 7-of-10 previous Big Rock’s, but things can change in the blink of an eye. It turned out to be Inspiration’s year. Even though Inspiration and Eye Catcher ran away from the field, Big Rock officials were pleased that Total Volume, a 28.8-foot True World boat powered with twin outboards, took the Big Rock into overtime. The Big Rock has now added an outboard division to the 57th Big Rock to increase smaller boat participation and hope to encourage other small-boat captains to sign up for Big Rock competitions. While the Big Rock is wild and unpredictable, it always holds the promise of a big payday. It entices competitors to come back, year after year. It has grown to beyond any early expectation. It all started in 1957 with one lucky catch … a catch that the Inspiration crew can relate to for the rest of their lives. The competition has for several years offered a huge purse, but that’s not the true drawing card of the competition. Billfish captains like Wagner, want to be crowned Big Rock champions. They set their sights on the Big Rock competition, year after year. It’s a Gulfstream fishing tradition that has no equal. And it always seems to hinge on one lucky catch.
117 W Chatham St. Cary NC 27511 and Inside Artisans located in Greenville, NC Like us on FB, Instagram @shoppaisley www.paisleync.com thebigrock.com
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Where the tournament began more than half a century ago and continues today!
Morehead City Yacht Basin has been serving Morehead City and Carteret County for over 100 years! Original home of the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament and host to many legendary sportsmen‌ Join many of the winners for outstanding service and get VALVTECT fuels, yacht sales and much more in a great location!
Morehead City Yacht Basin 208 Arendell Street Morehead City, NC 28557 252.726.6862; fax: 252.726.1939 www.moreheadcityyachtbasin.com Photo taken by Linda Sandbo at lasstudio.com
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Bailey’s Fine Jewelry is proud to donate (four) Luminox watches to the new Contender/Starling Marine Outboard Level winning team for 2015.
Sweeping Views. Stunning Sunsets. Superior Service. Everything You Need For Your Waterfront Wedding. At the Hampton Inn Morehead City, we offer 118 newly renovated guest rooms, outdoor swimming pool, complimentary breakfast, fitness center, and high speed wireless internet. But the best part is the view! Our beautifully manicured lawn overlooking Bogue Sound is the ideal romantic spot for ceremonies and tented receptions. Our indoor space is perfect for intimate events. We’re next door to the Bistro by the Sea and just minutes from the beach, downtown Morehead City, Beaufort, and the Crystal Coast Civic Center.
252.240.2300
ASK ABOUT OUR WEDDING PACKAGES!
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KWLA
Sponsored by:
RECAP
1st Place Billfish Release BILL COLLECTOR 1 Blue Marlin, 1 Sail 525 points Angler Linda G Rice, Jill Wilson Captain Stephen Draughon
BILL COLLECTOR WINS 17TH KWLA By Bruce Paul, Media Director
2nd Place Billfish Release INSPIRATION, Captain Casey Wagner Angler Caroline Wagner, 1 Blue Marlin, 400 points
3rd Place Billfish Release REEL DIZZY, Captain Charlie Grant Angler Laura Hurdle, 1 Blue Marlin, 400 points 100 | BIG ROCK
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Bill Collector anglers Linda Rice, Morehead City, and Jill Wilson, Cedar Point, combined to release a blue marlin and a sailfish to defeat a record field of 81 boats and win the 17th Annual Keli Wagner Lady Angler (KWLA) tournament. Rice reeled in and released her blue marlin at 9:31 a.m., but it was the sailfish that Wilson released 72 minutes later that gave Bill Collector the lead for good and a $8,606 share of the $17,212 purse. “We’re so excited,” Wilson said. “My sailfish was beautiful … and it was quick. We have a great captain (Stephen Draughon) who backed the boat right to it. It was ‘zoom’ … we had the leader wire and scored our second release.” Even though Bill Collector scored the win in nearperfect offshore conditions, things started perfectly for Caroline Wagner fishing aboard Inspiration. Wagner was fishing in a tournament dedicated to her mother, on a boat dedicated to her mom’s courageous battle with cancer. Wagner battled through the emotion of the moment to put her team in first place just 34 minutes into the competition.
“It was very special to be able to fish for my mom and to fish with my family,” Wagner said. “The fight was about only about 10 minutes long and we think the
“
IT WAS VERY SPECIAL TO BE ABLE
Gamefish Winners
TO FISH FOR MY MOM AND TO FISH WITH MY FAMILY. I WAS DEFINITELY THINKING ABOUT MOM OUT THERE.
“
— CAROLINE WAGNER
blue marlin weighed about 200 pounds. But it was just awesome to be able to catch it. I was definitely thinking about mom out there.” Rice was thinking about Wagner’s mom, too. The KWLA – pronounced “koala” – was named after Wagner when she lost her battle with cancer in 2008. The tournaments namesake introduced Rice to the competition and set things in motion for this win. “We worked together and as soon as she talked about the Big Rock, I was in,” Rice said. “I was either volunteering or fishing every year. “To be here … to catch a blue marlin and to win … it is awesome.” Susie Q angler Mary Rhodes, Newport, won the “Winner Take All” dolphin category to help her team win $31,875 with a 27.3-pound catch. The Susie Q also receives $2,868 for winning dolphin gamefish category. Bootlegger angler Lisa Lopp, High Point, landed a 50.5-pound wahoo to win $2,868 in that gamefish division. No tuna were brought to the scales therefore division prize of $2,868 will roll forward to the 18th annual KWLA. First year KWLA director Donna Hardy praised the KWLA competitors for making the event an overwhelming success. The lady anglers pushed the competition to new heights and raised $23,250 for charity. “We had beautiful weather, an exciting competition and a special first billfish catch of the day,” Hardy said, recapping the day’s events. “I think this means we’re heading in the right direction. Our ability to give back to the community is making a difference. I think KWLA is going to continue on for a long, long time.” Proceeds from the one-day billfish event were donated to KWLA charities. Since 1998, the KWLA has raised $249,315.50 for charity, including $203,166 to support the Carteret General Hospital Cancer Center.
1st Place Wahoo BOOTLEGGER 50.5 pounds Captain Jimmy Canoy Angler Lisa Lopp $2,868.75
1st Place Dolphin & Dolphin Winner Take All SUSIE Q 27.30 pounds Captain Timothy Rhodes Angler Mary Rhodes $34,743
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KWLA
Event Co-Sponsors:
RECAP
BEST DRESSED CONTEST WINNERS
2ND PLACE Annie C’s Blackbeard’s Booty
1ST PLACE Diamond Girl’s Fishing Divas The Best Dressed Contest Prizes were graciously given by: Tassel’s, Release Marine, Bistro by the Sea, Amos Mosquitos, Floyd’s, Chef’s 105, Pure Indulgance Day Spa, New Visage and Crab’s Claw
3RD PLACE Blue Eye’s Grand Slam
Dreams Really Do Come True by Mary Bryan Carlyle The only fishing Mary Rhodes had any serious experience doing was on Bogue Inlet Pier where her family would take her grandmother, each summer. Soon after making a career move to Jacksonville and relocating to Carteret County, Mary was asked by a couple of close friends to go offshore fishing. She fell in love with the Bluewater fishing. “There is nothing else like being in the blue water of the Gulf Stream, everyone needs to go at least once” she would say! The Susie Q Fishing Team with Capt. Timmy Rhodes and wife, Suzanne decided to purchase a Hatteras yacht to be the boat they would fish The KWLA and The BIG ROCK Fishing Tournaments. Mary Rhodes excited about the purchase of this boat, all the time thinking of the possibilities of making a long time dream 102 | BIG ROCK
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come true. The very day Timmy, Suzanne, Mary Rhodes, Chip Sanders and his family went to pick up the boat, Mary persuaded Timmy to cruise down to the Big Rock weigh station and practice backing in to weigh a pretend like fish. This was something she dreamed about. She dreamed of catching a fish that would be big enough to warrant a chance to back in and weigh. This year proved an answer to that dream as team Susie Q‘s first year entry became one they will always remember. Congratulations to Mary Rhodes and Team Susie Q on a dream come true.
TasselsShoes.com FOLLOW US ON
PELLETIER HARBOR SHOPS
4426 Arendell Street
Morehead City, NC
Tel 252 247 7463
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KWLA Sponsors MAJOR SPONSOR 314-783-2110 ALEXSEAL.COM ALESXEAL YACHT COATINGS OFFERS A COMPLETE SYSTEM OF PREMIUM PAINT PRODUCTS.
EVENT SPONSOR Tassels 252-247-7463 www.tasselsshoes.com Fine ladies shoes and so much more. Proudly serving women of all ages since 1999.
TROPHY SPONSOR McQueen’s Interiors 252-247-3175 www.mcqueensinteriors.com McQueen’s Interiors has been beautifying Crystal Coast homes since 1973.
Alex & Brett, Inc. 252-726-2253 www.alexandbretts.com Fresh Bakery. Specializing in custom wedding and special occasion cakes.
Bailey’s Fine Jewelry www.baileysfinejewelry.com 800-849-7676 Three generations of our family serving your family....One Bailey box at at time. Celebrating over 60 years.
Bistro By-The-Sea www.bistro-by-the-sea.com (252) 247-2777 Owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Chef Tim Coyne, and General Manager Libby Eaton. Conveniently located on Hwy 70 within a short walk to the Hampton Inn in Morehead City.
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SEABAG SPONSOR Release Marine 800-603-4448 www.releasemarine.com Release Marine has been building “The World’s Best Fighting Chair” for over 28 years.
Bolder Bands www.bbolder.com 719-992-0131 They’re made to stay put, they’re made to wick moisture, and they’re made to look great, but most of all, Bolder Band™ headbands were made for the Bold, Beautiful, You!
Clinique www.clinique.com Clinique was founded on the philosophy that great skin can be created. Clinique pioneered the dermatologist developed cosmetic brand.
Dee Gee Gifts & Books 252-726-3314 www.deegees.com The oldest continually-operating bookstore in NC, a mainstay for locals and tourists alike.
Deep Eddy Vodka www.deepeddyvodka.com Producing great vodka starts with using the best ingredients. Deep Eddy Vodka is proud to make all their vodkas with nothing but premium juices, essential oils, natural sweetners and local honey.
JARRETT BAY
Downtown Barre 252-422-3793 www.thedowntownbarre.com Certified instructors will take you through amazing workouts at the studio that will lengthen, strengthen and tone your muscles in record time.
MontaVida 252-550-0763 denngwatsonnc@gmail.com Specialty coffee blend, roasted and infused with pure MCT oil and Ramon Seeds through a proprietary infusion roasting process.
Haley & the Hound 252-222-3490 www.HaleyAndTheHound.com A unique boutique with both women and children’s clothing and a touch of home decor.
Mother Earth Brewing www.motherearthbrewing.com Mother Earth Brewing enjoys over 10,000 accounts, and can be found in bars, restaurants, supermarkets and specialty stores across North Carolina, Georgia, Northern Va. and Washington, DC.
Gloria’s Hallmark 252-726-2888 A Hallmark Gold Crown® store; where consumers can find just the right cards, gifts, wrap and more to celebrate milestones as well as everyday moments.
New Visage Laser Skin Care Center 252-808-2NEW (2639) www.newvisagenc.com Utilizing state-of–the-art lasers and technology to help you achieve the results you desire.
Harbor Specialties 1-877-369-4999 1-252-838-0059 www.harborspecialites.com Offering a wide selection of hats, bags, apparel and accessories that can be personalized to make it a very special gift.
Paisley Boutique 919-698-9390 www.shoppaisleync.com Like us on Facebook Established in 2014 by a recent East Carolina graduate, Paisley is the newest apparel and accessories boutique with southern charm!
Island Proper islandproper.com (252) 838-1576 Island Proper is a little boutique located on the waterfront in historic downtown Beaufort. Our selection of fine apparel, accessories, handbags and footwear suit women of all ages who strive to remain trendy, yet classic.
Promise Land 252-222-0422 Located in Downtown Morehead City, Promise’ Land Market is the destination for fine wines, craft beer and artisan cheeses and is the perfect spot to relax and have a glass of wine with friends.
James Clothing & Accessories 252-247-5263 jamesclothingboutique.com A quaint boutique specializing in the latest fashion trends from New York and California
Salty Girl Designs 252-241-0132 salty-girl-designs.myshopify.com Raised up in true coastal heritage, Salty Girl Designs embraces life by the sea through classic but whimsical designs on clothing and canvas.
Jarrett Bay Boathouse 252-728-6363 www.jarrettbay.com/boathouse The Boathouse is the one stop shop for Jarrett Bay gear & apparel in addition to many unique nautical themed gifts.
STUDIO III Salon 252-222-3337 We have a strong commitment to offering quality salon services with a personal touch. We are proud to maintain a friendly, relaxed, and professional environment for all our clients.
Marsh’s Surf Shop (252) 726-9046 Marsh’s is a local favorite known for its knowledgable staff and great selection of clothing and gear.
Momentum Yoga & Fitness 252-247-9642 (yoga) www.momentumfitness.com A studio dedicated to strengthening your health and well-being. Welcoming space, experienced instructors that are excited to move you forward in achieving your goals.
Sweet Carolina Pearls www.sweetcarolinapearls.com The girls from “Sweet Carolina Pearls” specialize in creating leather and pearl jewelry inspired by coastal living.Their unique handmade designs feature various colors and sizes of freshwater pearls and can be custom made for you.
A huge heartfelt thank you to all of our wonderful sponsors without your generous giving this event would not be possible. thebigrock.com
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pillows...
inspire a rooms color palette.
Company C’s rich colors, gorgeously detailed patterns and textures, and beautiful handwork will entice you to refresh your home.
MCQUEEN’S INTERIORS 4426 Arendell St. • Morehead City 106 | BIG ROCK
252.247.3175 • www.mcqueensinteriors.com
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KWLA CHARITY
365 Days of Comfort & Care
A patient at The Carteret General Hospital Cancer Clinic attended a pottery class at The Blu Sail Art Gallery, with other patients and survivors. She expressed how much joy it brought to her during this difficult time. The class was offered and paid for by the KWLA funds! #KWLA #charityfirst #blusailgallery
Carteret General Hospital provides an outstanding comprehensive range of services to meet the needs of cancer patients and their caregivers. The hospitals goal is to improve the quality of life of patients by offering a full spectrum of cancer services close to family, friends, and home. The goal of the KWLA tournament is to improve the quality of that visit by contributing to patient comfort and care.
Keli, who lost her battle with cancer in October 2008, was instrumental in having proceeds from the lady’s tournament donated to the Carteret General Hospital Cancer Center, specifically for patient comfort and care.
Carteret General Hospital’s new Cancer Center will provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary oncology services in a convenient, single location to better meet the needs of patients and families from throughout our County and region. This new resource, so generously supported by the Keli Wagner Lady Angler tournament, will immensely benefit advanced cancer care and enhance survivorship in a comforting and supportive environment that builds on the Hospital’s tradition of high quality, personalized healthcare. On behalf of the patients and families served by the Raab and Coleman Clinics, I want to thank the Lady Anglers for participating in such a fun and successful charitable event. Dick Brvenik, President Carteret General Hospital
BIG news! The Carteret General Hospital Cancer Clinic will be open in August of 2015! We are in partnership with UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Care which strengthens the CGH Cancer Services. The affiliation offers additional clinical trials, streamlines the process for patients who may seek second options and allows collaboration in patient care planning via telehealth. Awarded a three-year accreditation with commendation from The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS). Medical Oncology is one of ten facilities in NC recognized by the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative. One last but most important thing. Because of you, the KWLA, we are able to provide so many things to make the patients journey much more comprehensive and comfortable. Patients are loving the addition this year of art therapy. thebigrock.com
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KWLA RECAP
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ROCKN’ SHOTS
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Seashore Chic
Seashore Chic
Pamper yourself with the help of Bailey’s Fine Jewelry. Join us for an afternoon of sipping, snacking and shopping. Featuring an Ippolita trunk show!
Friday, June 12th 11am - 4pm Atlantic Beach’s Coral Bay Club . 1901 W. Ft. Macon Road Call Blair at 919-524-3230 to set up an appointment or just stop by to view the fabulous jewelry.
Raleigh . Rocky Mount . Greenville . Fayetteville . www.baileybox.com
www.BaileyBox.com
The 411 on this year’s trophy artist by David Brookins One of the first questions I always get asked when someone sees one of my Copper Fish, is: “How did you decide to make one in the first place?” The answer lies in three very different locations and times. They are: the late 1960’s in Bitburg, Germany; the mid 80’s in Carmel, California and about 5 years ago in St Augustine, Florida. A strange combination, so I’ll explain. I was stationed in the Air Force in Bitburg, Germany during the late 60’s and developed a love for copper. Copper then was much more commonly used in Europe than the US and as Sharon, my wife, and I traveled we saw it used in architecture, breweries, cooking utensils and various types of art works such as bas relief panels, vases, statues, etc. I was fascinated by the wide variety of the finishes possible on copper, from polished to the well known Verdigris patina and everything in between. Much later, while visiting friends in Carmel, California in the mid 80’s, I came upon an open air metal art gallery and shop on a side street and fell in love with the idea of making things out of metal someday when I no longer owned a Real Estate or Mortgage company. Although the artist I saw that day was using steel and brass, I thought it would have been more attractive in copper. From then on I collected a folder full of pictures and sketches of things I wanted to create in copper someday. When I started thinking about retiring a several years ago I started collecting the equipment, information and the skills to work with metal, particularly copper. When I actually retired I started out making a wide range of
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items from copper and sold them in galleries in Salida, Colorado and my home town of Cañon City, Colorado. I guess living in the mountains most of our lives caused us to vacation a lot near the ocean. Whether in California, Mexico or Belize we were always drawn to the seaside. I started finding myself more and more attracted to those themes and subjects as we started visiting our grandsons regularly in St Augustine, Florida. Then when my son-in-law took me fishing in the coastal waterways and ocean in the area, I was hooked (a couple of times literally) on big game fish. The first fish I did in copper was a barracuda, having experienced them up close while snorkeling in Belize, but then moved on to the spectacular variety of game fish. I particularly like to recreate in copper those really unique species like Sailfish, Marlin, Dolphin and Wahoo. I am very honored and thrilled to have been chosen to have one of my Copper Fish as a trophy for such a special event as the KWLA tournament in 2015 and hope to be involved for many years to come.
KWLA by the numbers Any way you add these up, it equals a guaranteed good time.
81
RECORD BREAKING! The number of teams that fished the 17th Annual KWLA Tournament.
$22,500
Total Funds raised for Carteret General Hospital Cancer Center.
18 Total Releases
7 Blue Marlin 7 White Marlin 4 Sailfish
$8,606 Amount collected for 1st Place Billfish Release aboard Bill Collector captained by Stephen Draughon. Anglers Jill Wilson and Linda Rice.
18th 50.5
The weight of the wahoo that lady angler Lisa Lopp caught aboard Bootlegger. Lisa also took home the $2,868.75 prize.
$203,166 27.3 Size of dolphin caught by Mary Rhodes aboard Susie Q taking home $34,743 (WTA).
This colorful Marlin Fleur De Lis print by Gulfport Mississippi artist Erika Johnson is the official art of the 18th Annual Keli Wagner Lady Angler Tournament.
0
Total amount donated to CGH Cancer Center to date for patient’s comfort and care.
Number of tuna that were brought to the scales during 17th annual.
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KWLA RECAP
17th ANNUAL
PARTICIPANTS ACCORDINGLY IV ANNIE C ASHLEY LAUREN BANKWALKER BIG MELON BIL BUSTER BILL COLLECTOR BLUE EYES BOOTLEGGER BUILDER’S CHOICE CANTANGO CARNIVORE CAROLINA GIRL CAROLINA LADY CHAINLINK CONTAGIOUS COVERAGE DANCIN OUTLAW DAWG CATCHER DELTA DAWN DEVELOPIN HABITS DIAMOND GIRL DOUBLE 07 DOUBLE B DOUBLE TROUBLE DUN-RITE EL CAZADOR EL TEJANO ENERGIZER EYE CATCHER EYE ROLLER FIN HUNTER FINISH LINE FLOAR PLAN FULL PULL GALATEA GALOT 3 GAMBLER GAMEKEEPER GOIN DEEP
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GOOMBAY HAMMER TIME HATTERAS FEVER II HONEY HUSH HUNTRESS IMPULSE INSPIRATION ISLANDER JAMES JOYCE II JOB SITE KI KI KRISTI KAY LET IT RIDE LOOKIN BACK MARLIN FEVER NEVER EASY NO QUARTER NOAH’S ARK PEGGY PELAGIC PIRACY REEL DIZZY REEL DREAMS REEL QUICK RUN OFF SALVATION SANDRA D SEA I SEA SEA TOY SENSATION SHENANDOAH SKIRT CHASER STREAM MACHINE SUSIE-Q TUNA TRAPPE WASTE KNOT WE III WHTECAPS YELLOWFIN
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Erika Johnson was born in Gulfport, Mississippi and is a lifelong resident of the Gulf Coast. Her love for art was evident from childhood. She carried that passion for art into a fifteen year career as a nail technician. In addition to cultivating a large and loyal list of clientele she also achieved the status of “Creative Master Nail Technician” the highest level title bestowed by the Creative Nail Corporation. Her artistic abilities as a nail technician were validated when she placed third in the world in the Creative , Global Nail Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada after having painted the entire body of the nail model in addition to her nails! The art that Erika produces today very well could have never come to fruition. Erika spent years trying to bury a dysfunctional and abusive childhood that led to an even more destructive adulthood in work, substance abuse and anything else that seemed to “paint “over the pain. Finally, exhausted and unfulfilled with what she saw when she looked at the mess she had made of the canvas that was her life, she surrendered control to the Creator himself. Today, Erika’s at home studio is a mix of mess, mad scientist and some strange sort of “organized” only her artistic mind can sort out. The canvas of her life however is more beautiful than she ever imagined it could be since she decided to let the one that created her take artistic control. It’s not a finished canvas and there are days when she takes her brush to it and makes a royal mess, thankfully though she now knows there is not anything the Master cannot make beautiful again. So, until that time when her canvas is completely finished and glazed you can find her in her studio, a bandana on her head and paint in at least fifteen places it ought not be, creating a masterpiece of her own, surrounded by her husband, and two year old son, reproducing the story of her life on canvas… something ordinary becomes beautiful, valuable, and extraordinary in the hand of the creator. Erika is a member of the Ocean Springs Art Association. Where to find Erika Johnson Creations www.erikajohnsoncreations.com https://www.facebook.com/erikajohnsoncreations https://www.etsy.com/shop/ErikaJohnsonGallery
CONTINUING THE LEGACY
by Caroline Wagner
Fishing has been a part of my life ever since I can remember. My family has always had a special connection with each other through experiences we have shared on the water. Growing up in Morehead City is a blessing in disguise. I have been able to see and do amazing things that most people don’t get the opportunity to do. Our small community allows us to share our losses as well as our triumphs with each other. The support is incredible. Seeing the fishing community grow through a tournament named after my mother, who passed away 6 years ago, is an event I get to remember her by, and participate in every year. June 7th, 2014. The 17th Annual Keli Wagner Lady Angler Tournament. This is a day I will never forget. I woke up at 5:30 that morning
with high hopes and happy people all around. I could tell my mother was with me, watching over me. I was feeling lucky. We set out on my dad’s boat, the Inspiration, and waited for the tournament to begin. The ladies on the boat agreed to take turns with who gets the next fish. It was my turn. We were about 34 minutes into the tournament, with no fish caught yet. The anticipation of the radio calling in to say “hooked up” was crazy. Before we knew it I saw my brother lunge for a rod and yell to my dad. Things got loud and tense and my dad could see the marlin from the bridge. It was hooked up and I was ready. I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my body as everyone was cheering me on. I kept reeling. Pulling up, reeling down, pulling up and reeling down. Finally. The marlin was at the boat and my brother had touched the leader. I had just caught the first Blue Marlin of my mother’s tournament. When I got back I immediately told my sister, “She was with me. Mom helped me catch this fish.” Caroline, pictured above at just aged 4 with her dad Casey, has grown up on the water along with sister Kristen and brother Cole. They all share the passion that their mother had of sportfishing. The KWLA tournament was named after her mother, Keli, who lost her battle with cancer in 2008. Pictured left is Caroline giving her dad a big hug aboard his boat Inspiration moments after weighing in his 754.3 blue marlin that won the 56th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. Also pictured is Caroline and her brother Cole. See more photos on page 78.
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Perfect your summer look. Learn how to worship your skin, get a sunless glow, and keep your makeup cool all summer long. It’s always sunny at Clinique.
Call or stop by for an appointment, today. Belk Morehead City (252) 727-0980 x 267
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2015 DETAILS
Gamefish Division Weekly
TOURNAMENT EVENTS &
DETAILS
SEA BAGS » All Seabags for Sponsors, Board Members and Anglers can be picked up beginning June 1, 2015 at Headquarters, 710 Evans Street. Big Rock bag will have 4 shirts, KWLA has 2. Additional shirts can be purchased upon registration.
TOURNAMENT HEADQUARTERS RADIO » The Tournament Headquarters Radio will be dedicated all six days (9 am - 3 pm) to manning the radio SSB Channel 4146.0 and VHF channel 73 with an alternate channel of 78A. Alternate boats (for emergencies) will be announced at the Captain’s Meeting on June 6, 2015 at 7:30 pm at the Civic Center. All billfish hook-ups must be reported at the time of hook-up to qualify. You will not need to report gamefish hook-ups. However, we ask that you call the weigh-station to announce that you’ll be weighing in a gamefish at least 30 minutes prior to arrival.
June 13 (the last day of fishing) any newcomers to the top 3 positions must be polygraphed upstairs at the Civic Center beginning at 5:00 pm. REGISTRATION BY MAIL » Registration by mail must be received no later than May 25, 2015 by 5:00 pm. After that time you should register in person at Headquarters, 710 Evans St., with cash or check only. REGISTRATION/HEADQUARTERS » Tournament Headquarters is located at 710 Evans Street on the Morehead City waterfront (off Hwy. 70 East turn right on 8th Street, see map page 156.) June 2-5 - 9:00 am-5:00 pm Registration continues at Civic Center during Lady Angler Event and Captain’s Party outside entrance to the Civic Center on Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6.
POLYGRAPH REQUIREMENTS » Polygraph Tests shall be administered to the top money winners, release winners, (captain, mate and/or angler) and others as deemed necessary by Tournament Officials. Participants must make themselves available for polygraph testing in Carteret County within 24 hours following notice from Tournament Officials. Individuals that are required to take the polygraph test must not consume alcohol or any controlled substance within eight hours prior to the test. A participant’s refusal to take a polygraph test or failure to answer test questions in a manner satisfactory to Tournament Officials, in their sole discretion, may result in disqualification. By entering the Tournament, participants consent to the admissibility of polygraph results in any dispute or proceeding arising out of the Tournament.
BIG ROCK TICKETS CAPTAINS PARTY $65.00 PIG PICKIN’ $20.00 WEDNESDAY DINNER $20.00 AWARDS BANQUET $30.00
Polygraphs will be administered at the Law Office of Mr. Roger Crowe on Hwy. 70 in Beaufort, NC. (See Map page 156). Appointment will be made either at the weigh station or by phone. Should the leader board change on Saturday,
8 Tickets for Entering all Levels 6 Tickets for Level I & Level II 4 Tickets for Only Level I 6 Tickets for Outboard Level
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Tournament Headquarters 710 Evans Street Morehead City, NC The Weigh Station Located across from Tournament Headquarters on the Morehead City Waterfront
June 7 - 1:00 pm-5:00 pm Registration continues at The Boathouse at Front Street Village, Beaufort, for Pig Pickin’. (See map page 156 ). June 8-13 Fishing Days, 9:00-3:00 Monday-Friday, 8:00-2:00 Saturday.
KWLA TICKETS LADY ANGLER EVENT $25.00 4 Tickets to Lady Angler Event for Entering Level I 2 additional tickets to Lady Angler Event for Entering Level II
FRIDAY, JUNE 5 6:00 pm-9:00 pm Lady Angler Event, Civic Center Entertainment by Event Sponsor Beaufort Blues Project Best Dressed Contest Captain’s Meeting upstairs
2015
Sponsored by:
Seabag Sponsor
Trophy Sponsor
SATURDAY, JUNE 6 Entertainment by: 8:00 am-2:00 pm Lady Angler Tournament 5:30 pm-7:00 pm Sponsors Reception, CCC Student Center, adjacent to Civic Center. Right On Band Invitation Only. 7:00 pm-9:00 pm Captain’s Cocktail Party 7:30 pm-8:00 pm Captain’s Meeting upstairs, Civic Center. Catered by: 9:00 pm-11:00 pm Captain’s Dance featuring the Right On Band. Registration outside Civic Center SUNDAY, JUNE 7 1:00 pm-5:00 pm: Waterfront Registration continues. 6:00 pm-9:00 pm: Pig Pickin’, The Boathouse, Front St. Village, Beaufort Co-Sponsored by: Registration continues at Pig Pickin’
Co-Sponsored by:
G
Ev@ ʦ thebigrock.com Visit us on the web for daily up to the minute standings during tournament week. Listen to the live hook-ups via the audio and view the weigh-ins live, all starting
MONDAY, JUNE 8-13 Begins 6 Days of Fishing, 2 Lay Days Required - Captain’s Choice Daily Weigh-Ins Monday thru Saturday, 710 Evans Street, Morehead City. Approximately 4 pm (Sat. 3 pm.) New location! See map page 156.
on Monday, June 8, 2015.
ALL WEEK LONG
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10 11:00 am-1:00 pm
Beautiful jewelry
Ladies Luncheon & Fashion Show, Dunes Club
7:00 pm-10:00 pm: Murphy-Brown Pork Chop Night Crystal Coast Civic Center
Sched? e
and clothing sold Sponsored by:
Pork Chops by:
FRIDAY, JUNE 12 11:00 am-4:00 pm Bailey’s Ladies Luncheon, Coral Bay Club Bailey’s designer trunk show. Don’t miss this spectacular event with this season’s hottest designer jewelry! 10% of all proceeds will be donated to the KWLA Tournament.
Sponsored by: SATURDAY, JUNE 13 7:00 pm-10:00 pm: Awards Cocktail Party, Dinner & Auction tion Crystal Coast Civic Center
at all major events and at weigh station weather permitting. Come ready to shop for every gift giving occasion.
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BIG ROCK
T-shirts
This is the Big Rock’s 57th year and we are pleased to announce our Major Sponsor Calcutta. The 2015 T-shirt will be available in 5 colors; White, Black, Iris, Goldenrod, Periwinkle and Chambray. Youth shirts are available in White, Light Pink and Iris. The 18th Annual Big Rock Keli Wagner Lady Angler Tournament shirt will be White and Lagoon Blue and a ladies cut v-neck in White. Purchase online at thebigrock.com or at these area retailers: MOREHEAD CITY: Tournament Headquarters, Dee Gee’s Gifts & Books, EJW Outdoors, Gloria’s Hallmark, Morehead City Yacht Basin, Morehead Gulf Dock, WalMart and Walgreens. ATLANTIC BEACH: Anchorage Marina, Atlantic Beach Surf Shop, Capt. Stacy Gift Shop, Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, Freeman’s Bait & Tackle, and Marsh’s Surf Shop. BEAUFORT: Jarrett Bay Boathouse, Scuttlebutt, BP Zingo Express, Taylor’s Creek Grocery and NC Maritime Museum. EMERALD ISLE: The Reel Outdoors, HATTERAS: Hatteras Harbor Marina, CAPE CARTERET: Walgreens and NEWPORT: WalMart Additional locations are Overton’s in Greenville and Raleigh, Springhill Outfitters in Selma, EZ Mart Bait & Tackle in Goldsboro, Neuse Sport Shop in Kinston, Country View Western Store in Goldsboro, From the Heart in Goldsboro and Red Drum Tackle Shop in Buxton. 118 | BIG ROCK
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5167 Hwy. 70 Morehead City, NC 28557
(252) 726-2888 ghs@bizec.rr.com thebigrock.com
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WEIGH STATION & HQ
ROCKN’ SHOTS
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BIG ROCK BIG ROCK | 12 123 3
CONTENDER 32 ST
25 BAY
30 ST
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Contender Boats & Starling Marine are proud to be chartering sponsors of the new Big Rock Outboard Division! Tight Lines to All!
DARE TO COMPARE. New & Used Boats Service & Repair Marine Parts Boating Supplies 4957 Arendell Street, Morehead City : 252.247.6667
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StarlingMarine.com
57th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament
REGISTRATION FORM 2014 Cash Purse $1,395,825 Please Complete Form in Detail & Sign Has this boat fished in this tournament before? Yes No Boat Name ________________________________________________________ Make and Length ___________________________________________________ Name of Owner ____________________________________________________ Owner’s Address ___________________________________________________ City, State, Zip ______________________________________________________ E-mail Address _____________________________________________________ Name of Captain ___________________________________________________ Captain’s Address ___________________________________________________
Prize Schedule Guaranteed Blue Marlin 1st $25,000 60 60 2nd $10,000 3rd $ 6,000 Guaranteed Guaranteed Prizes in in Prizes Guaranteed Release Weekly y 1st $15,000 Level I!I! Level 2nd $10,000 Guaranteed Daily Release $3,000 per day Guaranteed First Release of Each Day $2,000 per day Guaranteed 57th Release $5,700 Guaranteed Gamefish Weekly (Tuna, Dolphin, Wahoo) 1st $3,000 each species 2nd $2,000 each species Guaranteed Gamefish Daily 1st $750 each species 2nd $500 each species
Mobile Boat # for Emergencies ________________________________________ Year-Round Contact Number _________________________________________
MAJOR SPONSOR
$2,500_________ Mandatory
Level II Must Be Entered in Level I (Based on 95 boats) 3 Fish 2 Fish 1st $60,562 (50%) (60%) 2nd $36,337 (30%) (40%) 3rd $24,225 (20%)
Level III City, State, Zip ______________________________________________________
**Based on 100 boats
Level I
$1,500_________
Must Be Entered in Level I & II
(Based on 85 boats) 3 Fish 2 Fish 1st $180,625 (50%) (60%) 2nd $108,375 (30%) (40%) 3rd $72,250 (20%)
$5,000_________
Level IV Winner Take All Must Be Entered in Level I, II & III (Based on 77 boats)
Pay Prize Money To [Winner] _________________________________
1st $163,625
$2,500_________
Level V Release Winner’s Address ___________________________________________ City, State, Zip ______________________________________________ Phone ____________________________________________________
(Based on 85 boats) 1st $54,187 (50%) 2nd $32,512 (30%) 3rd $21,675 (20%)
Sponsored by:
$1,500_________
Level VI Dolphin Winner Take All (Based on 81 boats)
Winner’s Social Security # or Federal Tax ID# _____________________ __________________________________________________________________ Where Docked During Tournament
Winner Take All - $68,850
$1,000_________
Level VII Fabulous Fisherman’s Must Enter All Levels to Enter Level VII. See Rule #8
$5,000_________
(Based on 53 boats)
Boat Engine Type ___________________________________________________
1st $225,250
Level VIII Outboard HMS Permit #
________________________________________________
www.nmfspermits.com/PermitList.asp I, as entrant, do hereby RELEASE, DISCHARGE and HOLD HARMLESS Crystal Coast Tournament, Inc., its officers, directors and sponsors, whether individual or corporate, from any claim for damages to my person or property incurred by my participation in the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. This release applies to all members of my crew and all parties fishing from my boat. By signing the entry form and paying my entry fee, I acknowledge that I have read this release and am bound by same. This release shall also be binding on my heir, executors, administrator, or assigns. I further do hereby acknowledge that I have read and understand the Rules of the Tournament and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions contained therein.
Signature _________________________________________________________ After May 25, 2015, we strongly recommend that you enter in person rather than mailing your form and entry fee.
(Based on 50 boats) 1st $21,250 (50%) 2nd $12,750 (30%) 3rd $8,500 (20%)
Sponsored by:
$1,000_________
ENTRY FEE All Levels $19,000 *Excludes Level VIII Outboard Level Make Checks Payable to: Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament Mail Form & Payment to: Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament 710 Evans Street Morehead City, NC 28557
NEW NEW LEVEL! LEVEL!
$
TOTAL:
____________________ Rec’d by_________________ Check # _________________ Date____________________ thebigrock.com BIG ROCK | 125
Official Rules meet all Tournament Rules. All boats participating in this level must be entered in all categories of the Tournament. If no qualifying fish is weighed in, 100 % of the entry fee in this category will be returned to the entrant. 10. FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATIONS - All vessels and participants shall comply with North Carolina and Federal Fisheries laws and regulations regarding fishing licenses, vessel permits, fishing gear, season size limits and bag limits. Participants shall also adhere to all Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament rules as contained herein.
**Ruless and/or Registration information is subject to change prior to the upcoming g Big Rock ck Tournament, June 5-13, 2015. Updated February 25, 2015. 1. REGISTRATION - All boats must be registered with the Tournament Committee and entry fee paid to qualify for prizes and trophies. Any boat may be substituted during the week but must be registered with the Tournament Committee prior to fishing. Any boat entered in the Big Rock Tournament shall not be entered in another tournament simultaneously, except for the NC Governor’s Cup and the Atlantic Billlfish Championship. The tournament reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to deny entry to anyone for any reason. No entries or upgrades will be accepted after 9:00 am, Monday morning. 2. RULES MEETING - At least one person from each boat should attend the Captain’s Meeting for the Tournament, which is usually held on the Saturday evening prior to the first day of fishing. Regardless, all participants in the Tournament are responsible for knowing all Tournament Rules, including any changes to the Rules that may take place at the Captain’s Meeting. 3. FISHING TIME AND LAYDAYS - No lines or teasers are permitted in the water before official fishing hours each day. Official time will be GPS time. Fishing days for all eligible boats shall be any four out of the available six days, captain’s choice. No single boat can fish more than 4 total days during the Tournament. Non-fishing days must be reported to one of the official reporting stations on the official lay-day form prior to 9:00 a.m. of the day declared as a non-fishing day. Forms will be available at the reporting stations. The form must be signed by a member of the fishing team or boat’s crew. If a boat does not declare a day as non-fishing, the Tournament Committee will automatically count the day to be a fishing day for that boat. 4. ROD & REEL RULES - This is a rod and reel, hook and line tournament. Double line and leader combined may not exceed 40 ft; neither of which may exceed 30 ft. The following practices are illegal in this tournament: a) use of handline or rope attached to the line or leader; b) shooting, harpooning, or lancing; and c) the transfer of any participant from one boat to another to aid in the landing of the fish. 5. REPORTING - All billfish must be reported to TOURNAMENT HEADQUARTERS when hooked, lost, boated or released. Radio frequency shall be VHF CHANNEL 73 and alternate channel 78a and SINGLE SIDEBAND CHANNEL 4146.0. Fish hooked prior to or after fishing hours are not eligible.
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6. BOUNDARIES - All boats fishing in Tournament must fish between LORAN coordinates North 40275 and South 39200. All fish must also be hooked within those coordinates. 7. QUALIFYING BLUE MARLIN - To be eligible for prize money, a blue marlin must weigh at least four hundred pounds or measure at least one hundred and ten inches. In the event of a tie by weight, the marlin having the largest total measurement of girth plus length shall be declared the winner. Length shall be measured from the Vnotch in the tail to the tip of the lower jaw. Additionally, all fish must adhere to State and Federal Fisheries regulations to qualify for prizes in this tournament. In the event a blue marlin does not meet these qualifications, the fish will be disqualified, and the boat will be penalized four hundred pounds from the weight of the largest blue marlin weighed in by the boat during the week. In addition, a penalty of four hundred points will be taken away from the total of release points accumulated by said boat. No official weigh slip will be given for any disqualified fish. In the event a blue marlin is boated or gaffed, the fish shall be presented at the official weigh station; if not presented the 400 point penalties will incur. A fish is boated when it breaks the plane of the boat. The weigh master has the right to refuse any fish in his sole discretion. 8. OUTBOARD LEVEL $1000 - Entry in this level is restricted to outboard boats only. No inboards, inboard-outboards, jet powered or airboats permitted. No sailboats permitted. Any hybrid or combination engine boat will not be eligible for prizes in this level. To be eligible for prize money, a blue marlin must weigh at least 400 pounds or measure at least 110”. If no blue marlin are caught, the winners will be determined by release points. If no billfish are caught or released, winners will be determined by the largest gamefish , (yellowfin tuna, dolphin, wahoo). Prize money for the Outboard Level is a guaranteed purse of a minimum of $10,000. Prizes will be divided as follows: 50%/first place, 30%/second place and 20%/ third place or 60/40 for two places. Winners may be polygraphed (See Rule #19). All other Big Rock rules are enforced for this level. Entrants must enter Level I and may enter additional levels as stated in Big Rock rules. 9. LEVEL VII $5000 - The Winner of this level will be the first blue marlin reported and boated weighing 500 lbs. or more. Qualifying fish must
11. GAMEFISH - Winning gamefish will be determined by weight. In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined by the first fish weighed-in. Fish must be in fresh edible condition and fit for human consumption. All gamefish must be weighed in the day they are caught. Hookup time for gamefish should NOT be reported to Tournament Headquarters. Level VI - “Winner take all - dolphin” prize money will rollover to the next year’s tournament if no qualifying fish is weighed. 12. WEIGH-IN - All blue marlin and gamefish eligible for prizes must be off-loaded and weighed at the official Tournament weigh station from the boat landing the fish unless authorized by the weigh master at the weigh station. The fish must be entered on the official entry form by the Tournament weigh master. Blue marlin take priority over gamefish at the scales. The same scales and weigh station will be used for all fish including those entered in the Governor’s Cup Series. Gamefish scales will close at 7:00 p.m. during the week and 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. The weigh station is located on the Morehead City Waterfront. All billfish weighed in shall be donated for research. The weigh master has the right to refuse any fish in his sole discretion. 13. MANDATORY HOOK REQUIREMENTS Non-offset circle hooks are mandatory when deploying natural bait or natural bait/artificial lures. “J” hooks are allowed on artificial lures only. 14. RELEASE POINTS - Cash prizes will be awarded to the boats that score the most number of points first. To be considered a release, the crew cannot have attempted to boat or gaff the fish. In order for a billfish to be counted as a release, a member of the fishing team or crewmember must touch the leader. A fish is boated when any portion of the fish breaks the plane of the boat. Release points (j-hook and circle hook) are awarded as follows: Blue Marlin 400 points, White Marlin 125 points, Sailfish 125 points, Spearfish 125 points and Hatchett marlin 125 points. In the event of ties, the first boats to achieve the winning totals shall be declared the winners. Released fish must be attested to by signature of the angler, captain and two witnesses (if available) on board the boat at the time of the release on the Official Release Form provided by the Tournament Committee. This form shall be turned in to the OFFICIAL WEIGH MASTER AT TOURNAMENT HEADQUARTERS, or any OFFICIAL REPORTING STATION. Release forms must be turned in no later than 10:00 p.m. on the day the fish is released to qualify. Release reports will be taken over the phone from the reporting station personnel to the Tournament Headquarters staff each morning of the tournament. The forms will then be forwarded to the Tournament Headquarters by the reporting station for verification.
In the event a boat designates on the “Release Form” a release as a blue marlin, and the captain, mate, and angler (and/or others as deemed necessary by tournament officials) are unable to successfully pass a polygraph as to the same, the boat shall be penalized 400 points under the “Release Category.” No points shall be awarded for the fish in any category. Furthermore, the boat shall be penalized 400 points from the weight of the largest blue marlin weighed in by the boat. 15. PRIZE PAYOUT SCHEDULE - Prize money checks will be made payable to the person or entity so indicated on the registration form of the winning boat. Social Security number or Taxpayer I.D. number of the recipient must be provided on the entry form. All undisputed funds will be distributed 10 days after the tournament. 16. PROTEST - Any protest by any participant against the catch of another must be submitted in writing to the Tournament Rules Committee. Any protest must be received by 9:00 a.m. on the day following the catch of the disputed fish and by 7:00 p.m. on the last day of the tournament. Any member of the Rules Committee or the weigh master (in their sole discretion), retains the right to hold and keep any fish deemed questionable by him with respect to being qualified for any prize or cash award. If retention of the fish is refused, the fish is automatically disqualified. 17.DISPUTE RESOLUTION – A protest by one participant against the catch of another must be submitted in accordance with Rule 16. All other disputes, controversies, or claims of any kind arising out of or relating to the Tournament (hereinafter, “dispute” or “disputes”), including, but not limited to, all disputes concerning decisions by Tournament Officials, Boards, or Committees, must be submitted in writing to the Rules Committee no later than 5:00 p.m. on the last fishing day of the Tournament. Failure to submit any such disputes in writing by that date and time shall constitute a waiver and release of any and all such disputes. In the event of any dispute arising out of or relating to the Tournament in any way, the interested parties shall use their best efforts to settle such dispute by mutual agreement. To this effect, responsible, authorized representatives of the interest parties shall meet, consult, and negotiate with each other in good faith (with or without a third-party mediator, as they may choose) and attempt to reach a mutually satisfactory solution. In the event they do not reach such a solution within a period of five (5) days after the first notice by any party to any other of the existence of the dispute, then without waiving any other provisions in these Rules concerning the absolute discretion and finality of decisions made by the Tournament Officials, Boards, or Committees, the sole and exclusive means for resolution of any dispute shall be the procedures set forth below: a) The dispute shall be submitted to arbitration under the North Carolina Revised Uniform Arbitration Act, Chapter 1, Article 45C of the North Carolina General Statutes. b) All negotiations, mediations, and arbitration hearings shall take place in Morehead City, North Carolina, or such other places the interested parties may agree upon in writing. c) The arbitration shall be conducted by a single arbitrator who is a retired North Carolina state or federal judge or an attorney
whose practice experience includes commercial litigation. The arbitrator must be a resident of the State of North Carolina. In the event the interested parties cannot agree upon an arbitrator, the decision shall be made by a Resident Superior Court Judge of Carteret County, North Carolina. d) Prior to any arbitration hearing, limited discovery shall be permitted for the purpose of obtaining production of documents and taking depositions. All discovery shall be governed by the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure. All issues regarding discovery requests shall be decided by the arbitrator. All discovery shall be completed within 90 days after the selection of the arbitrator; provided, however, that the arbitrator shall have the authority to extend or reduce the time for discovery in a manner consistent with a general desire for expedited resolution of the dispute. e) All fees and expenses for the arbitration shall be borne by the parties equally. However, each party shall bear the expense of said party’s own counsel, experts, witnesses, and preparation and presentation of proofs. Only in the case of extreme abuse of the procedure may the arbitrator reallocate such costs and expenses among the parties. f) Any arbitral award may be enforced by an action in the Superior Court of Carteret County. The terms and conditions of this Agreement shall be construed, interpreted, and enforced under the laws and judicial decisions of the State of North Carolina, notwithstanding any principle of conflicts of law. In the event any part of this Agreement shall be declared illegal, invalid, or void, such declaration shall not affect the validity of any of the other terms or provisions of this document. 18. WEIGHT ALTERATION - Attempted weight alteration of any blue marlin or gamefish will be subject to disqualification and automatically disqualify the boat from the tournament. IGFA rules apply regarding mutilated fish. The Rules Committee reserves the right to cut open any fish for inspection of suspected weight altering efforts such as inserted weights, ice, water, etc. 19. POLYGRAPH - Polygraph Tests shall be administered to the top money winners, release winners, (captain, mate and/or angler) and others as deemed necessary by Tournament Officials. Participants must make themselves available for polygraph testing in Carteret County within 24 hours following notice from Tournament Officials. Individuals that are required to take the polygraph test must not consume alcohol or any controlled substance within eight hours prior to the test. A participant’s refusal to take a polygraph test or failure to answer test questions in a manner satisfactory to Tournament Officials, in their sole discretion, may result in disqualification. By entering the Tournament, participants consent to the admissibility of polygraph results in any dispute or proceeding arising out of the Tournament. 20. WITHDRAWAL FROM THE TOURNAMENT No Level I fees will be refunded. 100% of all other levels will be refunded 14 days after the tournament and following collection and clearing of all funds paid. All refund requests must be received in writing by 12:00 noon Sunday prior to the tournament at Tournament Headquarters.
21. REFUNDS - In the event that no qualifying fish are caught, the prize money will be handled as follows; a) 85% of Level III entry fees will be returned to Level III participants equally b) 100% of Level VII will be returned and c) all other entry fees will be retained by the tournament and added to the following years purse accordingly. In the event that no fish qualify for the daily release prize, the money will be retained by the Tournament. 22. VIOLATION OF RULES - Any boat violating any of these Tournament Rules or any boat containing a participant violating any of these Tournament Rules is subject to disqualification from the Tournament (unless another sanction for a particular violation is expressly set forth herein). By participating in the Tournament, all participants acknowledge that all Tournament Rules are material and that disqualification is a permitted and appropriate sanction for any violation of any Tournament Rules. Decisions regarding the interpretation of Rules, violation of Rules, penalties, and the suspension of any Rules or penalties will be made by Rules Committee and/or Board of Directors in their sole and absolute discretion. All decisions by Rules Committee and/or Board of Directors are final and are not subject to further challenge by participants. 15% OF FEES RETAINED BY TOURNAMENT EXCEPT FOR LEVEL I. (SEE PRIZE SCHEDULE FOR LEVEL I) For clarification or any questions, contact: Crystal Hesmer, Tournament Director 710 Evans Street, Morehead City, NC 28557 Phone 252-247-3575, Fax 252-247-2392 director@thebigrock.com
Fishing Days Available fishing days and hours: (EDT) June 8, 2015 9:00 am-3:00 pm June 9, 2015 9:00 am-3:00 pm June 10, 2015 9:00 am-3:00 pm June 11, 2015 9:00 am-3:00 pm June 12, 2015 9:00 am-3:00 pm June 13, 2015 8:00 am-2:00 pm Scales close at 7:00 p.m. daily for gamefish, 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Boats may fish four out of the six available fishing days. Rules Committee Dew Forbes, Howard Basnight, Richard Crowe, Randy Gregory Committee Boat: To Be Announced Weigh Master: Randy Gregory Tournament President: Roger Crowe Tournament Director: Crystal Hesmer Reporting Stations Tournament Headquarters (opens 6:00 am on fishing days) Atlantic Beach: Anchorage Marina, Sea Water Marina. Beaufort: Town Creek Marina, Olde Towne Yacht Club, The Boathouse. Morehead City: Morehead City Yacht Basin. Ocracoke: O’Neal’s Dockside. Wrightsville Beach: Bridge Tender Marina. Hatteras: Hatteras Harbor Marina, Teach’s Lair, Hatteras Landing. Entry Fees You must enter Level I before you can enter any other level. thebigrock.com
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Murphy-Brown Our Families Feed Your Families
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LLC
Questions and Answers
about Murphy-Brown
Rhonda Campbell and Don Butler Q-Who is Murphy-Brown? A-Murphy-Brown is the livestock production division of Smithfield Foods and we are the largest hog producer in the world. Q-What does Murphy-Brown do or produce? A-Murphy-Brown produces approximately 16 million market hogs annually. Q-Where did the company name come from? A-The company name was formed when Smithfield acquired three privately owned hog production companies around 2001(Carroll’s Foods, Murphy Farms and Brown’s of Carolina) and consolidated them into one wholly owned division of Smithfield Foods. At that time it was decided to call the newly formed operation Murphy-Brown. Q-Can you tell me about the scope and scale of your business? A-Murphy-Brown owns and operates approximately 450 pork farms in 12 states across the U.S. and has joint venture projects in Mexico. We have approximately 5,000 employees and we do business with over 2,000 independent farmers who grow animals on a contractual basis for us. We have annual sales of over $3 billion, an annual payroll of approximately $250 million and we pay out more than $350 million annually to local farmers who grow animals for us. Q-Where is your company HQ? A- Warsaw, North Carolina Q-Do you do business with or buy things from local farmers and other businesses? A-Yes, each year we purchase hundreds of millions of bushels of locally grown corn, wheat and other crops which we use in feed rations to feed our animals. We also purchase vehicles, equipment and supplies from local businesses. Q-I have heard that Smithfield and Murphy-Brown are industry leaders in several categories. Can you tell me about that? A-Murphy-Brown is the pork industry leader, not just in size but in the areas of valuing employees, animal care, environmental stewardship, food safety and community support. Q-Is Murphy-Brown a good place to work and have a career? A-Murphy-Brown is a great place to work. We recruit the best talent in our industry and provide opportunities for each of them to grow and develop to their fullest potential. Our compensation and benefits package is very competitive with other Fortune 200 companies. We have major medical, dental, and vision health benefits. We provide a non-contributory pension plan, 401K plans, paid vacation and medical leave time and other benefits to all of our employees.
Q-Some people are curious about how you take care of your animals, tell me about that. A-Our animals are our livelihood and we are committed to keeping them safe, comfortable and healthy. We train each of our farm employees proper handling and management practices and we closely monitor all our animals on a daily basis to make sure they are provided with nutritious feed, fresh water, fresh air, shelter from the elements and predators and the best health care possible. We have the industry leading Animal Care Program which includes daily observation, unannounced Animal Care Audits as well as third party audits of our system. We were the first in our industry to do these things. Q-What about protecting the environment? A- We have an unwavering commitment to environmental protection. In 2001, we were the first livestock operation in the world to develop and implement an ISO 14001 certified Environmental Management System. The ISO Standard is the international gold standard for environmental management. We are very proud of our environmental performance. Q-You produce a lot of pork. What about food safety? A-Producing safe and wholesome pork products is job one for MurphyBrown and Smithfield. Producing safe food starts with healthy animals. We have 17 Veterinarians in the company who monitor herd health continually and we follow their advice closely to keep our animals healthy. Healthy animals make safe food. Q-Is the company involved in the communities where you are located? A-Yes, in every community where we operate our employees are engaged in community activities as volunteers (more than 5,000 volunteer hours in 2014), we provide financial support to a wide variety of community causes and organizations (volunteer fire and rescue units, 4H, FFA, health and wellness programs and many others). We are part of the communities. Q-Why is Murphy-Brown involved with the Big Rock Tournament? A-Several reasons: 1. We want people in the sport fishing community to know who we are and what we stand for. 2. We want to provide an unforgettably positive eating experience by providing thick-cut marinated grilled pork chops for the fishermen and their families. We want them to know what great pork can taste like. 3. We want people to understand more about the jobs, benefits and economic opportunities we provide for our employees, local farmers and to the communities where we operate. 4. We want to let the Big Rock participants know that we are committed to protecting water quality and the environment. thebigrock.com
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CRYSTAL COAST
Directory Come to fish... then stay awhile and discover the natural sights and sounds of our beautiful area. Shopping, dining, sunning, dancing - we’ve got it all. Information obtained from crystalcoastnc.org.
Hotels/Motels/Inns Clam Digger Inn Atlantis Lodge 123 Salter Path Rd. Pine Knoll Shores, NC 28512 (252) 726-5168 or (800) 682-7057 Beaufort Harbour Suites 313 Cedar Street Beaufort, NC 28516 (252) 728-3483 Beaufort Inn 101 Ann Street Beaufort, NC 28516 (800) 726-0321 or (252) 728-2600 Best Western Silver Creek Inn 801 Cedar Point Blvd. Emerald Isle, NC 28594 (252) 393-9015 or (877) 459-1448 Bogue Inlet Motel 120 Bogue Inlet Dr. Emerald Isle, NC 28594 (252) 354-3406 Bogue Shores 1918 W. Fort Macon Rd. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 726-7071 Budget Inn of Morehead City 4127 Arendell Street Morehead City, NC 28557 (252) 247-4043
Salter Path Rd. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 247-4155 or (800) 338-1533 Core Creek Lodge 307 Core Creek Road Beaufort, NC 28516 (252) 728-4500 Doubletree by Hilton Atlantic Beach 2717 W. Fort Macon Road Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 240-1155 Driftwood Motel, Restaurant And Campground 3575 Cedar Island Rd. Cedar Island, NC 28520 (252) 225-4861
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Oceanview Inn 122 Fairview Dr. Emerald Isle, NC 28594 (252) 354-2755
Harkers Island Fishing Center 1002 Island Road Harkers Island, NC 28531 (252) 728-3907
Palm Suites 602 W. Fort Macon Rd. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 247-6400 or (800) 972-3297
Holiday Inn Express & Suites 5063 Executive Drive Morehead City, NC 28557 (800) 465-4329 or (252) 247-5001
Parkerton Inn 1184 Hwy. 58 N. Cape Carteret, NC 28584 (800) 393-9909 or (252) 393-9000
Hollowell’s Motel 108 E. Fort Macon Rd. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 726-5227
Inlet Inn 601 Front St. Econo Lodge Crystal Coast Beaufort, NC 28516 (252) 3410 Bridges St. 728-3600 Morehead City, NC 28557 or (800) 554-5466 (252) 247-2940 or (800) 533-7556 Island Inn 215 W. Fort Macon Rd. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 726-3780
Big Rock Official Accommodations
Caribbe Inn 309 E. Fort Macon Rd. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 726-0051 Cedars Inn 305 Front Street Beaufort, NC 28516 (252) 838-1463
Hampton Inn & Suites 118 Salter Path Rd. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 247-5118
Hampton Inn 4035 Arendell Street Morehead City, 28557 (252) 240-2300 (800) 467-9375
thebigrock.com
Quality Inn 3100 Arendell Street Morehead City, NC 28557 (252) 247-3434 Rusty Pelican Inn 8104 Emerald Dr. Emerald Isle, NC 28594 (252) 354-3450 Palm Suites 602 W. Fort Macon Rd. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 247-6400 or (800) 972-3297
Whaler Inn Beach Club 323 Salter Path Rd. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 247-4169 or (800) 525-1768 William And Garland Motel 1185 Salter Path Rd. Salter Path, NC 28512 (252) 247-3733 Windjammer Inn 103 Salter Path Rd. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (800) 233-6466 or (252) 247-7123
Bed & Breakfast Ann Street Inn 707 Ann Street Beaufort, NC 28516 (877) 266-7814 Chinaberry Inn 400 Front St # 5 Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 225-0875
Parkerton Inn 3100 Arendell Street Morehead City, NC 28557 (252) 247-3434
Cousin Martha’s Bed And Breakfast 305 Turner St. Beaufort, NC 28516 (877) 464-7487 or (252) 728-3917
Sand Dollar Motel 101 Henderson Blvd. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 726-4106
Emerald Isle Inn And B&B 502 Ocean Dr. Emerald Isle, NC 28594 (252) 354-3222
Oak Grove Motel 1305 Salter Path Rd. Salter Path, NC 28575 (252) 247-3533
Seahawk Inn & Villas 105 Salter Path Rd. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 726-4146 or (800) 682-6898
Harborlight Guest House 332 Live Oak Dr. Cape Carteret, NC 28584 (252) 393-6969 or (800) 624-8439
Oceanana Family Resort, Motel And Fishing Pier 700 E. Fort Macon Rd. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 726-4111
Waterway Inn 160 Cedar Point Blvd. Cape Carteret, NC 28594 (252) 393-8027
John & Lucille’s Country Retreat 188 Hunter’S Creek Road Stella, NC 28582 (800) 892-6775
Islander Inn and Suites 102 Islander Drive Emerald Isle, NC 28594 (877) 935-6560 Morehead Motor Inn 3300 Arendell St. Morehead City, NC 28557 (252) 726-5141
Langdon House 135 Craven St Beaufort, NC 28516 (252) 728-5499 Old Seaport Inn 217 Turner St. Beaufort, NC 28516 (800) 349-5823 or (252) 728-4300 Otway House 68 Hwy, 70 East Otway, NC 28516 (252) 728-5636 Pecan Tree Inn 116 Queen St. Beaufort, NC 28516 (252) 728-6733 or (800) 728-7871 The Lighthouse Inn 2300 Bridges St. Morehead City, NC 28557 (252) 247-3133
Main Attractions BEAUFORT HISTORIC SITE 100 Block Turner Street Beaufort, NC 28516 (252) 728-5225
RACHEL CARSON RESERVE 101 Pivers Island Road Beaufort, NC 28516 (252) 838-0886
CAPE LOOKOUT NATIONAL SEASHORE (National Park Service) 131 Charles St. Harkers Island, NC 28531 (252) 728-2250
THE HISTORY PLACE 1008 Arendell St. Morehead City, NC 28557 (252) 247-7533
CORE SOUND DECOY CARVERS GUILD 1574 Island Rd Harkers Island, NC 28531 (252) 838-8818
70 West Marina 4401 Arendell St. Morehead City, NC 28557 (252) 726-5171 Airport Marina 294 W. Beaufort Rd. Beaufort, NC 28516 (252) 728-2010 Anchorage Marina 517 E. Fort Macon Rd. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 726-4423 Cape Pointe Marina Ferry & Tours 1390 Harkers Island Road Harkers Island, NC 28531 (252) 728-6181 Captain Stacy Fishing Center 416 Atlantic Beach Cswy. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 247-7501 or (800) 533-9417
CORE SOUND WATERFOWL MUSEUM 1785 Island Rd Harkers Island, NC 28531 (252) 728-1500 FORT MACON STATE PARK E. Fort Macon Road Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 726-3775 FOUNDATION FOR SHACKLEFORD HORSES 306 Golden Farm Road Beaufort, NC 28516 (252) 728-6308, (252) 728-6437 NC AQUARIUM AT PINE KNOLL SHORES 1 Roosevelt Drive Pine Knoll Shores, NC 28512 (866) 294-3477 NORTH CAROLINA MARITIME MUSEM 315 Front St. Beaufort, NC 28516 (252) 728-7317, (252) 728-2108
Marinas
Coral Bay Marina 4531 Arendell St. Morehead City, NC 28557 (252) 247-4231 Dockside Marina and Ships Store 301 Arendell St. Morehead City, NC 28557 (252) 247-4890 Dudley’s Marina 106 Cedar Point Blvd. Cape Carteret, NC 28584 (252) 393-2204
Fort Macon Marina 417 E. Fort Macon Rd. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 726-2055 Island Harbor Marina 510 W. Marina Dr. Emerald Isle, NC 28594 (252) 354-3106 Morehead City Docks 9th & Shepard St. Morehead City, NC 28557 (252) 726-2457 Morehead City Yacht Basin 208 Arendell St. Morehead City, NC 28557 (252) 726-6862 Morehead Sports Marina, Radio Island 202 Radio Island Rd, Beaufort, NC 28516 (252) 726-5676 Olde Town Yacht Club 100 Olde Towne Yacht Club Rd. Beaufort, NC 28516 (252) 726-3066 Portside Marina 209 Arendell St. Morehead City, NC 28557 (252) 726-7678 Radio Island Marina 156 Radio Island Rd. Morehead City, NC 28516 (252) 726-3773 Sea Water Marina 400 Morehead Ave. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 (252) 726-2707 Town Creek Marina 232 W. Beaufort Rd. Beaufort, NC 28516 (252) 728-6111 For more information on Crystal Coast beaches, events, attractions, restaurants and more visit crystalcoastnc.org. thebigrock.com
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AWARDS BANQUET
ROCKN’ SHOTS
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Event Sponsored by:
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SPECIES
Identification
Drawings provided by: The Carey Chen Collection careychen.com 155 East Blue Heron Blvd., Riviera Beach, Fl. 33404
Blue Marlin Makaira Nigricans D Da Dark blue to chocolate brown body aal along lo the back and upper sides, ch changing ha to silvery white on the belly. On the sides there are approximately 15 pale blue vertical bars. Blue Marlin 15 m ma may a be distinguished from White M Ma Marlin a by the dorsal and anal fins and an d by the fish’s size. The dorsal and an anal na fins of Blue Marlin are pointed, w wh whereas White Marlin have rounded fin ns. The first dorsal fin of the Blue M Ma Marlin is much shorter relative to the bod bo body d depth when compared to that of th the he White Marlin. Any marlin caught oof off ff the southeastern United States we weighing e over 150 pounds is almost certainly a Blue Marlin.
White Marlin Tetrapturus Albidus The most characteristic feature of the White Marlin is the rounded, rather than pointed, tips of the pectoral fins, first dorsal fin and first anal fin. The body is dark blue to chocolate along the upper half and brownish to silvery white along the lower sides and belly. The first dorsal fin is blue-black and covered with many small black spots. The other fins are brown-black. Unlike Blue Marlin, the White Marlin usually has no spots or bars on the sides. The White Marlin has a clearly visible lateral line. Usually less than 100 lbs. with a majority in the 4060 lb. range. In comparison, the Blue Marlin has pointed fins, and the lateral line is not evident.
Sailfish
Istiophorus Platypterus Sailfish are dark blue along the upper half of the body, fading to brownish-blue on the lower sides to silver white on the belly. The first dorsal fin is high, sail-like, blueblack, and covered with many small black spots. All related billfishes have a high dorsal fin as juveniles, but only the Sailfish retains the high fin throughout life. The other fins are silver-blue. On the sides are 15-20 vertical bars consisting of several small blue spots. The majority of Sailfish caught off the North Carolina coast range from 20 to 50 lbs.
Not Pic Pictured:
Longbill Spearfish
Tetrapturus pfluegeri Spearfish, Hatchet Marlin The Longbill, which attains a length of 6-1/2 feet, may be distinguished from the more common White and Blue Marlins by the slender body, the number of rays in the two dorsal fins (44 to 50; and 6 or 7), and the close proximity of the anus to the origin of the first anal fin. The body is dark blue dorsally, brownish-white along the sides, and silvery on the belly; overall it lacks conspicuous vertical bars. The first dorsal fin is blue-black and unspotted.
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The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament
Building Donors Eddie Cameron Construction Jordan Lumber East Coast Lumber Delta Equipment Jarrett Bay Boatworks Farrington Yard Works Task Contracting Coastal Home Services Fulford’s Flooring Heritage Cabinets Sound Furniture and Appliance Morton Water
Come Visit us at our New Tournament Headquarters! 710 Evans Street Across from the Weigh Station Morehead City, NC 28557
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CRYSTAL COAST
Calendar of
Events May
Beaufort Music Festival 7th Annual Reelin for Saturday, May 9 Research Off-Shore Friday, May 8th will be Fishing Tournament & the free music event in Event downtown Beaufort. Friday, May 1 Saturday will be the all Presented by Edward day music festival which Jones Investments. will be held at Gallants Morehead City. Captain’s Channel. Meeting: Big Rock Headquarters 6-7 pm, Crystal Coast Boat Welcome Cocktail: Jack’s Show Waterfront Bar 7-10 pm. Saturday, May 16 (all day) Saturday, May 2 Morehead City Weigh-In: Morehead Waterfront. Features inCity Waterfront 4-6 pm. water and on-shore boats, Awards Banquet & Band vendors, a vintage car Party: Jack’s Waterfront show and, in conjunction Bar 7-10 pm. Featuring Big with the Arts Council Love. Now is the time to of Carteret County, the book your boat! charters@ ARTrageous Art Event. reelinforresearch.org or All events, including www.reelinforresearch.org ARTrageous, at the Crystal Coast Boat Show Alive at Five Outdoor are free to the public. Concert 252-808-0440. Friday, May 1 Outer Banks Philharmonic Swansboro Rotary sponsored by Downtown Memorial Day Morehead City Blue Water Fishing Revitalization Association Tournament (DMCRA). The concerts May 21-24 take place at Katherine 252-732-5402 Davis Park in downtown Morehead City (1001 Arendell St.) from 5-8 pm and are free to the public. 252-808-0440. May 22: Legacy-Motown Review. 41st Annual Wooden Boat Show Saturday, May 2 (all day) 10 am - 4 pm. The 41st Annual North Carolina Maritime Museum Wooden Boat Show. Beaufort waterfront at the North Carolina Maritime Museum and the Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center located across the street from the museum. Free Admission. Open to the Public. 252-728-7317.
James Wesley Concert Saturday, May 30, 8:30 pm. Big Rock presents James Wesley in Carolina Maritime concert performing Model Boat Exposition ‘Strap In Tight’, Saturday, May 2 (all day) Big Rock’s theme 10 am - 4 pm. Carolina song! Sponsored Maritime Model Exposition. North Carolina by Calcutta on the Maritime Museum. Free Morehead City Admission. Open to the Waterfront. Free. Public. 252-728-7317.
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Youth Fishing Derby Saturday, May 30 (all day) 9-11 am. This is a FREE event open to kids, ages 5-12. Pre-registration (limited to 100 youth) is required and will run April 27th – May 27th, or until all spots are filled. Bring your own rod. Bait will be provided (while supplies last) or bring your own. To register, stop by the Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation Community Center (7500 Emerald Drive) or call (252) 3546350.
June Alive at Five Outdoor Concert Friday, June 5 Punch, sponsored by Downtown Morehead City Revitalization Association (DMCRA). The concerts take place at Katherine Davis Park in downtown Morehead City (1001 Arendell St.) from 5-8 pm and are free to the public. 252808-0440. June 19th: Attractions Band.
Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament June 5-13 One of the oldest and largest sport fishing tournaments in the country. Daily public weigh-ins on the Morehead City waterfront. Ticketed events surrounding the tournament open to the public. For details, thebigrock.com
Beaufort Old Homes Tour Kick-off Party Saturday, June 6 (all day) 4:30 - 6:30 pm. Beaufort Old Homes Tour Kick-off Party. Featured artist and other details TBD. Tickets $30. 252-728-5225, pr@ beauforthistoricsite.org NC Maritime Museum’s Maritime Day Saturday, June 13 (all day) 11 am - 2 pm. Activities are free and open to the public. Lunch is free from members of the Friends of the NC Maritime Museum. There is a small fee for non-members for lunch. The event takes place at Gallants Channel, an extension of the NC Maritime Museum, located at 172 West Beaufort Road. 252-7287317. 55th Beaufort Old Homes and Gardens Tour Friday, June 26 (all day) 10- am - 5 pm. This 55th annual walking tour of private historic homes, gardens, churches and historic places is the last full weekend in June. 252-728-5225, pr@ beauforthistoricsite.org Antique Show & Sale Friday, June 26 (all day) Held in conjunction with the Beaufort Old Homes and Gardens Tour in June at the Crystal Coast Civic Center in Morehead City, this event features more than 40 booths of antiques and collectibles, as well as a gourmet Tea Room. 252-728-5225, pr@ beauforthistoricsite.org
July Alive at Five Outdoor Concert Friday, July 3 Mikele Buck Band, sponsored by Downtown Morehead City Revitalization Association (DMCRA). The concerts take place at Katherine Davis Park in downtown Morehead City (1001 Arendell St.) from 5-8 pm and are free to the public. 252-808-0440. July 17th: Spare Change 4th of July Fireworks off Bogue Inlet Pier Saturday, July 4 (all day) The Town will again present July 4th beginning at 9 pm on Saturday, July 4th. Parking will be available at Bogue Inlet Pier as well as along NC 58. The fireworks will also be visible from Bogue Sound and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. CCACC Summer Show & Sale Saturday, July 4 (all day) The Coalition holds 3 outdoor shows a year at the Beaufort Historic Site. The Spring Show is on Memorial Day weekend. The Summer Show is on July 4th weekend and the Fall Show is on Labor Day weekend. BHA Summer Party Saturday, July 11 7-11 pm. Come celebrate Beaufort Summers with a fabulous summer party at the Beaufort Historic Site. Wonderful food, open bar, live music, live auction and silent auction with the proceeds benefiting
the Beaufort Historical Association. Admission fee. 252-728-5225, pr@ beauforthistoricsite.org
Museum in Beaufort, 315 Front Street, Beaufort 28516. www. ncmaritimemuseums.com.
Great 4th Race Saturday, July 11 10 am. Traditionallyrigged sailing craft rally to celebrate the historic voyages that carried the news of the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the Outer Banks. Boat registration required for participation. Free. The fleet of boats will be in Taylor’s Creek between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. 252.728.7317. NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort, 315 Front Street, Beaufort 28516. www. ncmaritimemuseums.com.
Alive at Five Outdoor Concert Friday, August 7 Band of Oz, sponsored by Downtown Morehead City Revitalization Association (DMCRA). The concerts take place at Katherine Davis Park in downtown Morehead City (1001 Arendell St.) from 5-8 pm and are free to the public. 252808-0440. August 21st: Jupiter Jones. Traditional Boatbuilding Carpentry Course 08-22-15 (all day) Traditional techniques, developed to solve woodworking problems unique to vernacular boatbuilding, are taught in this handson workshop. Course Fee: $135. Minimum age: 16 yrs. old. This course counts as a prerequisite for Nine-Day Boatbuilding Course. Advance registration. 252-728-7317. 9 am - 4:30 pm. Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center, 315 Front Street, Beaufort 28516.
9th Annual Crab Cake Cook-Off Friday, July 17 6-8 pm. Taste delicious crab cakes made by four volunteer guest chefs and vote on your favorite at this Museum fundraiser that takes place at the Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center. Tickets available at the Museum Store or online at www.maritimefriends. org. 252-728-7317. North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, 315 Front Street, September Beaufort 28516. www. ncmaritimemuseums.com. CCACC Summer Show & Sale Take a Kid Fishing Saturday, Sept. 5 (all day) Tuesday, July 28 The Coalition holds 3 Annual day-long coastal outdoor shows a year at fishing adventure. the Beaufort Historic Site. Children come from The Spring Show is on orphanages, children’s Memorial Day weekend. homes and state and local The Summer Show is on agencies to spend the July 4th weekend and the day sharing with others Fall Show is on Labor Day what their family and weekend. friends once shared with them. This time together Emerald Isle’s Tenth enriches their lives and Annual Day4Kids creates memories that 09-19-15 (all day) last a lifetime. Teresa Bringing adults and Holcombe 252-241-4426. children of all ages together for a fun-filled day of vendors, activities, August games, face painting Traditional Skiff and more! Celebrate Regatta our children by spending Saturday, August 1 meaningful time with 9 am. This race starts in them. Day4Kids will be front on the Harvey W. held Saturday, September Smith Watercraft Center 19th from 10am to 2pm on Taylors Creek at about at Emerald Isle Parks and 9 a.m. 252-728-7317. Recreation Center, 7500 North Carolina Maritime Emerald Drive in Emerald
Isle. Rain or Shine. 252354-6350
October NC Seafood Festival Saturday, Oct. 3 Taking place the first weekend in October, the festival offers free local & regional entertainment, 8k road race, sailing events, surf & pier fishing contest, Blessing of the Fleet on Sunday, SasSea’s Island playgound for children, FREE Southern Outer Banks Boat Show, vendors of all kinds, fireworks, amusement rides and seafood, seafood, seafood! Festival takes place on the Morehead City Waterfront. 252726-6273 or www. ncseafoodfestival.org. 25th Annual North Carolina Seafood Festival Regatta Sunday, Oct. 4 (all day) 8 am. Traditional skiff sailing prior to the Blessing of the Fleet. Launch and rig from the Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center at the North Carolina Maritime Museum. Sail from Beaufort to Morehead City. Enjoy shrimp burgers on the Morehead City waterfront at 11 a.m. 252-728-2762.
by Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation and The Reel Outdoors. Contact Lainey Gottuso at lgottuso@ emeraldisle-nc.org or (252) 354-6350 for more information. Fall-in-the-Water Meet Saturday, Oct. 17 (all day) 1-5:30 pm. Traditional Small Craft Association hosts this gathering at the Gallants Channel docks. All small boats are welcome. Free boat rides for the public. Pig pickin’: Ticketed event. For more information, call 252-728-2762. Proceeds from this event help support the operations of the Friends of the North Carolina Maritime Museum and the North Carolina Maritime Museum. The event takes place at Gallants Channel, an extension of the NC Maritime Museum, located at 172 West Beaufort Road, Beaufort. 252.728.7317. North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, 315 Front Street, Beaufort 28516. www. ncmaritimemuseums.com.
Halloween safety tips, information on the Town’s annual Halloween carnival and fun Halloween ideas, please visit www. emeraldisle-nc.org
November Kindergarten Thanksgiving Mon, Nov. 2 (all day) 9:00-11:30 am Monday-Friday on Nov. 2-6 & Nov 9-13. Similar to our Harvest Time, Kindergarten Thanksgiving is open for kindergarten classes. Children will visit the quaint Leffers Cottage to learn from Mr. Leffers and his family how they prepared for the winter months. Students will see open hearth cooking, butter churning, weaving and spinning and will have a lively conversation with Mr. Leffers himself! Reservations required. 252-728-5225, pr@ beauforthistoricsite.org Friends of the NC Maritime Museum Boat Shop Base Sat., Nov. 7 (all day) 6:30 - 10 pm. Friends of the North Carolina Maritime Museum host the annual Boat Shop Bash fundraising party for members & the public at the Harvey W. Watercraft Center. This themed event includes music, food, and live and silent auctions. Costumes are optional. Space is limited. Tickets can be purchased at the Museum Store or online at www.maritimefriends. org. 252-728-7317. www. ncmaritimemuseums.com.
Dr. Bogus Free Surf Fishing Seminar Monday, Oct. 5 (all day) 6 pm. In conjunction with the Gordie McAdams Speckled Trout Surf Fishing Tournament, Dr. Bogus will be offering a free seminar. Learn about speckled trout surf fishing from one of the area’s most renowned experts. At the Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation Department Community Center. For more information, contact (252) 354-6350.
Halloween Carnival Friday, Oct. 30 (all day) 6-8:00 pm. Fun for the whole family includes creating a glow in the dark mural, face painting, photo booth, cake walk, ID kits by the EI Police Dept., Trunk or Treat and more! Businesses interested in entering our Trunk or Treat contest should contact Sarah McNally at smcnally@ emeraldisle-nc.org for details. Admission fee to carnival is two bags of candy per child. Sponsored by Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation Department at 7500 Emerald Drive, Emerald Isle. Please call 252-3546350.
Gordie McAdams Speckled Trout Surf Fishing Tournament Saturday, Oct. 7 (all day) Free registration (October 2-October 16) and excellent prizes! All trout must be caught by fishing on foot (surf, pier, inlet, sound) from Fort Macon to Emerald Isle. Sponsored
Town of Emerald Isle Trick or Treat Sat. Oct. 31 (all day) The Town of Emerald Isle will officially observe Halloween Trick or Treat on Saturday, October 31st from 6-8:30pm. Please For a full listing of Crystal think SAFETY at all times Coast Events, please visit when taking children crystalcoastnc.org. Trick-or-Treating! For
Jumble Sale Sat., Nov. 21 (all day) 9 am - 3 pm. The Beaufort Historic Site turns into a community market with art, handmade crafts, holiday gifts, pre-loved treasures, antiques, clothing, food and much more. No admission fee. Vendor information is available. 252-728-5225, pr@ beauforthistoricsite.org
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The Bistro-by-the-Sea Restaurant & Private Banquet Hall A touch of Old World Charm in Morehead City, NC Experience Our Piano Bar on Fri. & Sat. Chef-Owned & Operated www.bistro-by-the-sea.com
A short walk from the Hampton Inn! 4031 Arendell St, Morehead City, NC 28557
(252) 247-2777
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Previous Tournament
Winners
1957 143.5 pounds MARY Z Jimmy Croy LaGrange, NC First Marlin landed off Morehead, caught aboard Bill Olsen’s Mary Z 1958 428.5 pounds DOLPHIN C.L. Safrit, Salisbury, NC 1959 397.25 pounds BUNNY TOO J.D. Rivers, Durham, NC First Fabulous Fisherman’s Blue Marlin Tournament 1960 1960 390.5 pounds BUNNY TOO Carroll Williams, Petersburg, VA 1961 474.5 pounds TOM N’ JERRY J. Duckett/W., Turner Cherry Point, NC 1962 487 pounds SEA HAG Dr. Leroy Allen Raleigh, NC
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1963 420 pounds BOLO JR. Calvin Koonce Raleigh, NC 1964 427 pounds DOLPHIN Curt Seifart Charlotte, NC 1965 - No Fish Landed During Tournament 1966 245 pounds BUNNY TOO Ivan Mercer Charleston, SC 1967 350 pounds DOLPHIN Rufus English Lynchburg, VA 1968 538 pounds RED SNAPPER Jerry Fulford Washington, NC 1969 495 pounds DOLPHIN 1 Leland Pribble Madison Heights, VA
1970 476 pounds REEL KING “Bump” Styron Morehead City, NC
1982 398.25 pounds MARLIN DARLIN T. Teeter Morehead City, NC
1971 377 pounds ALPHA D’AMOUR Carroll Ballou Morehead City, NC
1983 459.8 pounds PROMISES TOO Ken McLeskey Virginia Beach, VA
1972 487 pounds WAHOO Lance Harris Springfield, VA
1984 720 pounds OUTLAW Brad Gillam Windsor, NC
1973 530.5 pounds SEA TRAMP John Waldin Charlotte, NC
1985 534.5 pounds SEA HAG Bruce Young Raleigh, NC
1974 451 pounds C’EST LA VIE L.B. Britton, Jr. Ahoskie, NC
1986 608.5 pounds SHEARWATER Susan Mac Rae Sneads Ferry, NC
1975 481.5 pounds YELLOW BIRD IV Richard Miller Rumson, NJ
1987 576 pounds MIDNIGHT HOUR James Edmonds Arlington, VA
1976 575 pounds RESTLESS V Bob Donovan Rockville, MD
1988 440 pounds O FOUR Randall Link Virginia Beach, VA
1977 636 pounds SEA BUSTER Rusty Cutshaw Morehead City, NC 1978 604 pounds KELLY BEAN Mark Mason Greensboro, NC 1979 376 pounds SEA MINT Jim O’Daiell 1980 390 pounds JET STREAM Margaret Adams Winston-Salem, NC 1981 432 pounds FLYING FISH Tom Barnes Wilson, NC
1989 513 pounds DIAMOND GIRL Denard Harris Charleston, SC 1990 717 pounds TOP DAWG Dub Jones Seabrook Island, SC 1991 637 pounds LOCOMOCEAN Jimmy Zeigler Richmond, VA 1992 514 pounds OUTLAW Bob Smith Hatteras, NC
1993 759 pounds CHASER Kathy Keel Edenton, NC 1994 649 pounds SALTY FARE Bob Waren 1995 400 pounds SEA STRIKER Rex Johnson 1996 535 pounds “THE GIRL NEXT DOOR” Russell Orenstein 1997 646 pounds OCEAN YACHTS 48 Norm Schaeffler Virginia Beach, VA 1998 564 pounds WASTE KNOT Karl Knudsen Raleigh, NC 1999 600 pounds DANCIN’ OUTLAW David Wood Harkers Island, NC 2000* 831 pounds SUMMERTIME BLUES Ron Wallschlager Kiawah Island, SC 2001 515.5 pounds SEA STRIKER Vince Johnston Morehead City, NC 2002 541.5 pounds SAMANNA Kent Copeland Kill Devil Hills, NC 2003 677 pounds PIPE LAYER J.F. Pedersen, Jr. Jim Pedersen Hollywood, SC
2004 555 pounds IMPULSE Donald Lane, Jr., Jay Hughes Atlantic Beach, NC
In Memory Of
2005 529 pounds SIZE MATTERS Gigi Wagoner Frederick, MD 2006 501.5 pounds CHAINLINK Wes Seegars Goldsboro, NC 2007 613 pounds BAK BAR Montukie Lewis Charleston, SC 2008 640 pounds ARTEMIS Darryl Reyna Charleston, SC 2009 466 pounds SEA CREATURE Bobby Weeks Hatteras, NC 2010 528 pounds CARNIVORE John Parks Cape Carteret, NC 2011 652.8 pounds DOUBLE B Travis Stephenson Greenville, NC 2012 499.3 pounds FLY BUOY Todd Baxley Wilmington, NC 2013 465.3 pounds HATTERAS FEVER II Taylor Miller Raleigh, NC 2014 754.3 pounds INSPIRATION Bruce Brown Nags Head, NC *Denotes Record
David St. Pierre Du Bose Jr. This past year Heaven gained another huge fan of the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in “Pete”DuBose. Pete’s love of fishing influenced many lives from the first Sheepshead he caught on Montague’s Pier to the last Blue Marlin he released in the Bahamas. Pete and his wife Frankie have inspired their 5 children and 11 grandchildren to share their passions in life. Pete had a profound devotion to his faith, family, and friends which was often complimented by his love of the outdoors. Pete’s life taught us that our time outdoors with family and friends is sacred, creating memories that will endure forever. When lines in are called for the 2015 Big Rock Tournament, rest assured Big Pete will be watching from the best seat in the house! thebigrock.com
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OUR STAFF & VOLUNTERS
ROCKN’ SHOTS
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THANK YOU To those who gave your valuable time to help make our tournament successful, we sincerely thank you!
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Photo courtesy of Sally Lumpkin
In 2011, the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament donated $200,000, its largest single gift, to pave the way for the Crystal Coast’s first inpatient hospice home. The SECU Crystal Coast Hospice House, located in Newport NC, admitted its first patient on July 1, 2013. Since then, more than 300 patients and their families have received the special care provided at our region’s only dedicated inpatient hospice facility. As fans and participants of the Big Rock, we want you to know how important the tournament’s charitable work is to our community. The Tournament’s donation to the Hospice House made a tremendous impact on the success of our efforts to build an urgently needed healthcare facility. So, we want to thank you too! The Hospice House is located at 100 Big Rock Weigh, Newport, NC, off Highway 70 outside of Morehead City, on a beautiful 11 acre site that the Big Rock’s donation helped secure. As we fulfill our forward mission to provide the inpatient hospice facility and to support programs and services related to hospice care, we invite you to join the Big Rock in supporting our hospice home for all who may need it’s special care during a precious yet often stressful time. To learn more, volunteer or donate, visit www.cchhnc.org or call us at 252.808.2244
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WORK HARD, PLAY HARD PERFORM YOUR BEST WITH JARRETT BAY GEAR
3 WAYS TO SHOP BEAUFORT
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TOURNAMENT T OURNAMENT EVENT EV
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MAPS
2 Miles to Morehead City
The location for the Pig Pickn’ is at The Boathouse at Front Street Village in Beaufort.
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ADVERTISER’S
INDEX
Alex & Bret ........................................................139 Alexseal Yacht Coatings .................................98-99 Amos Mosquitos................................................. 65 Atlantic Billfish Championship .......................... 154 Bailey’s Fine Jewelry...................................... 12, 30 Bausch American Towers .................................... 37 Bayliss Boatworks.............................................. 157 Bistro-by-the-Sea .........................................97, 142 Bluewater Yacht Sales ......................................... 43 Bogue Battery ..................................................... 38 Bojangles..............................................................15 Bolder Bands ....................................................... 69 Calcutta ..................................................... 2-3, 164 Channel Marker Restaurant...............................132 Clinique..............................................................115 Columbia/Belk .....................................................19 Contender/Starling Marine ................................124 Costa Del Mar .................................................... 57 Crowe Law Firm ................................................. 46 Crown Royal ......................................................... 6 Crystal Coast Hospice House ........................... 148 Cummins ............................................................ 33 Dee Gees Gifts & Books ..................................... 45 Deep Eddy Vodka ............................................. 150 Downtown Barre ................................................ 68 Eastbay Media .................................................... 63 EJW Outdoors .................................................. 153 Fences Unlimited ................................................ 38 Fish and Wildlife Unlimited Taxidermy ..............118 Fulford’s Flooring .............................................. 155 Garmin................................................................ 47 Gloria’s Hallmark................................................119 Gregory Poole................................................ 64,65 Haley and the Hound ......................................... 53 Hampton Inn ...................................................... 97 Harborside Specialty Shops..................................76 Island Proper ......................................................114 Island XPertees ................................................... 69 Jame’s Clothing, Accessories & Art ....................139 Jarrett Bay Boathouse ....................................... 150 Jarrett Bay Boatworks ..........................................13 Jason Mathis ....................................................... 36 Jordan Lumber/East Coast Lumber .................... 54 Kickstart - Minges Bottling Group ...................... 77 Koury Aviation ...................................................143 Linda Rike Real Estate ...................................4-5,42 Liquid Video.........................................................16 Los Sueños Resort and Marina ........................... 20 160 | BIG ROCK
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Marsh’s ..............................................................115 McQueen’s Interiors ......................................... 106 Mill Whistle Brewing......................................... 152 Momentum Yoga & Fitness ...............................151 MontaVida.........................................................151 Morehead City Yacht Basin ................................ 96 Mother Earth .....................................................114 MTU Western Branch Diesel .............................. 23 Murphy Brown .......................................... 128-129 Napa ....................................................................11 Nationwide Insurance ..........................................14 NCCOAST Communications............................... 64 New Visage..........................................................76 Nixon Power Services ....................................... 158 North River Club................................................. 10 Paisley ................................................................. 95 Parker Auto Group.............................................8-9 Pro Environmental Restoration & Services ........137 Promise Land Market.........................................137 R Mended Metals ............................................... 32 Release Marine ................................................... 29 Rex-Goliath Wine ............................................... 83 Salty Girl Designs ...............................................132 Seakeeper ........................................................... 39 Sensation Sportfishing .......................................133 Shimano Reels......................................................18 Spencer Yachts.................................................. 163 Studio III.............................................................142 Superior Diesel, Inc./Volvo ................................161 Sweet Carolina Pearls.......................................... 68 Tassel’s ........................................................ 103, 96 Taylor Auction................................................... 149 The Boathouse at Front Street Village................. 31 The Flame ..........................................................137 Wal Mart .......................................................... 148 Ward & Smith, PA............................................. 159 Waste Industries ..................................................76 Weather Routing ................................................ 56 Wells Fargo ......................................................7, 21 WNCT 107.9..................................................... 162 Yardworks ........................................................... 30
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