By Abbey Slattery, WRAL Digital Solutions
What do Michael Jordan, 500-pound fish and Carteret County have in common? They re all involved in one of the oldest and largest sport fishing tournaments in the United States, the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament.
An annual event that s been taking over the waters of Carteret County for over 60 years, the tournament has long been a staple in the community and beyond, bringing in competitors from all over the world for a good cause and great fishing. It started a long time ago and it started with a bunch of guys who wanted to go fishing, and they went out and caught marlins. It was over 60 years ago, and the first prize was fifty one-dollar coins, said Kelinda Rike, a real estate professional with Linda Rike Real Estate. Looking back, it s almost archaic the way they used to do it. They would have these boats with an outboard engine and just drag the fish back beside the boat because the boat wasn t big enough to put the fish in. I