The fishing tournament season is in full swing on the Eastern Shore, with boats full of competitive anglers trying to reel in big catches in exchange for even bigger cash prizes. And for one Ocean City tournament that hosted its competition this past weekend, tons of fireworks look place at the scales, including a major celebrity appearance.
The Huk Big Fish Classic held its annual three-day tournament over the weekend in Ocean City, with a total purse of just over $1 million on the line for the competing boats. And legendary NBA player Michael Jordan not only was one of the competitors in the tournament, but also found himself atop the leaderboard for a time during its second day.
After his plane was spotted in Salisbury Friday afternoon, Jordan fished in Day Two of the Big Fish Classic on Saturday and reeled in two big eye tuna, one yellowfin and a swordfish that he and the crew of his Catch 23 yacht brought to the scales in Ocean City.
His 91.5-pound swordfish would put him on the tournament’s leaderboard as the first place swordfish when it was weighed, and would end the day in second place after being surpassed later on by a 170.5 lb swordfish caught by Mitch Grooms of the Big Stick boat.
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Jordan’s swordfish catch would end up being surpassed again by the end of the tournament’s third and final day on Sunday, taking him out of the top three.
Jordan and his Catch 23 boat are also registered to compete in next week’s White Marlin Open, which would be the fourth year in a row competing in the world’s largest billfishing tournament for the NBA Hall-of-Famer.
Jordan also had success last month during the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in North Carolina, where he caught a 24-pound dolphin fish. It will be exciting to see if his luck on the water this summer will carry over to next week’s big tournament.
Jordan was not the only angler to reel in big catches over the weekend, as the scales at the Big Fish Classic saw a lot action over the weekend, especially in its third and final day on Sunday.
Here were the five largest total payouts to the boats who won big at the 2022 Huk Big Fish Classic:
Boss Hog – $225,000.00
Gret’s 3 J’s – $201,885.00
No Limit – $192,253.00
Big Stick – $98,550.00
Low Profile – $96,743.00
More:Reliving the 2021 White Marlin Open’s most thrilling moments
