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Big Rock News
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Defending champ set for
‘back-to-back’ title try at 48th Big
Rock
By
Bruce Paul, Big Rock Media Director
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Gigi Wagoner |
June
9, 2006 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – Even
though just one competitor in the
48th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin
Tournament will head off shore as
the defending champion, that angler
plans to approach this year’s event
like everyone else.
“We’re going to approach things the
way we always do,’’ said Gigi
Wagoner of Fredrick, Md., who landed
a 529-pounder aboard Size Matters
last year to win the 47th Big Rock.
“We’re going to head out to where we
think the fish are and try to get
another blue marlin on the line.
It’s what we always do.”
Wagoner, who fishes competitively
throughout the Eastern U.S. and
Caribbean, has changed the makeup of
her fishing team. She plans to
compete Saturday in the 9th annual
Big Rock Lady Angler Tournament.
That one-day, release-only event
will allow her to check out the
waters and test the preparedness of
the Size Matters equipment and crew.
So far this season, Wagoner and her
team have not had much luck. But
that was true at this point last
year when one great day of fishing
turned things around.
Wagoner and the Size Matters fishing
team caught last year’s tournament
winner on the second to last day of
the competition. Gambler, a Hatteras
charter boat captained by Steve
Garrett, finished second with a
515.5-pound blue marlin caught on
the first day of the event. The
Dancin’ Outlaw, captained by Thomas
Wood of Harkers Island, which won
the 41st Big Rock in 1999, finished
third with a 507-pounder caught on
the final day of the 47th
tournament. Things really heated up
during the final days of last year’s
competition. Anglers reported more
than 100 hookups during the six days
of fishing.
“We have a good team and I like our
chances,” said Wagoner, who was
reminded that no one has managed to
win back-to-back Big Rocks since the
Bunny Too turned the trick in
1959-60. “I had someone ask me not
to long ago how winning the Big Rock
changed my life. It really hasn’t.
I’m glad we won last year … but that
was last year. I don’t think we have
a better chance than anyone else to
win this year. But we have the same
chance as everyone else. We’re going
to go to where the fish are and hope
we get one in the boat.”
If Wagoner does, she’ll have a
chance to become the first repeat
winner in 46 years and the first
woman to win more than one Big Rock.
It will also mean another jackpot
payday that last year netted Wagoner
and her team $677,800 from the
$1,378,375 purse.
The six-day competition starts
Monday morning at 9 a.m. in the Gulf
Stream waters near and around the
underwater formation known as the
“Big Rock.” Anglers only fish
four-of-six days in the "captain's
choice" format.
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