Day 1 of the 5th Annual Big Rock Kids Billfish Tournament presented by Kurtis Chevrolet is in the books. Twenty-eight of the 57 registered boats fished today, with plenty of action offshore. As of the close of Day 1, the total purse stands at $134,300, and there are 223 junior anglers registered for the tournament.

The billfish bite produced 4 blue marlin, 3 white marlin, and 14 sailfish releases. The 63' Jarrett Bay, MARLIN FEVER, claimed the daily prize of $7,225 after scoring a grand slam plus an additional blue marlin for a total of 1,150 points, with two blue marlin, one white marlin, and one sailfish.

Over on RE-LEASED, junior angler Thomas Segrave made his mark by releasing two blue marlin worth 800 points and backing into Big Rock Landing with a 3.6-pound dolphin. Meanwhile, GAUCHO captured the Collins Inc | Yamaha First Release of the Day worth $1,000 for a sailfish released at 9:23 AM.

The Parker Boats weigh station saw 20 gamefish hit the scales today, including 15 dolphin and 5 wahoo. SAVANNA LEIGH is leading the dolphin division with fish weighing 16 pounds and 15.3 pounds. If those weights hold the top two spots, they’ll take home a combined $22,950, with $13,770 for first place and $9,180 for second.

SENSATION’s five-year-old junior angler, Finley Gore, weighed in a 30.3-pound wahoo to take the lead in the division, eyeing a $13,260 payday if it holds through the tournament. REEL HAULER sits in second place with a 21.9-pound wahoo, potentially worth $8,840.

With registration extended through Saturday at 9 AM, both the number of boats and the total purse are expected to grow. Stay tuned tomorrow for updates from Day 2 of the 5th Annual Big Rock Kids Tournament!