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CRYSTAL HESMER, the tournament director for
the past 20 years, says the growth and success
of the competition is all in the history.
“The tournament was created by people who
had a love for fishing,” she says. “Each year, it
grows and the main reason it’s been such a success is because
the interest from the community is there and we were deter-mined
to press forward and make it better each year.”
The first decades laid the groundwork for what is now con-sidered
the premier fishing tournament on the East Coast for
blue marlins, attracting fishermen from Florida to New York,
including many from the Cape Fear region, who pay as much
as $5,000 to enter in hopes of landing the big prize.
Wrightsville resident Brian Dressler, his father, uncle and
cousin have competed the past three years, and plan to put
lines in as this year’s event starts on June 8.
“My family has never been disappointed with the tourna-ment,”
Dressler says. It’s a good, family-friendly event with an
awesome atmosphere.”
Just as it was in 1957, the money continues to be a big lure.
But Wilmington native Kit Taylor, who first fished in the Big
Rock in the 1970s and has placed in the top three, says the
success of the tournament goes beyond the payouts.
“The tournament has a combination of everything,” Taylor
says. “The events are good, the fish are plentiful, and the
accommodations are great.”
The rewards and amenities are nice, but at the end of the
day these fishermen are out there for one reason: to catch the
big one.
“The bite is what we go for,” Taylor says. “To get a fish on the
teaser, switch him off to the bait, and hook him? It’s the big-gest
COURTESY OF BRIAN DRESSLER
COURTESY OF BIG ROCK FISHING TOURNAMENT
thrill in the world.”
After each tournament, the Big Rock board of directors
works to revise and critique the rules and operation.
“There are a few changes we’re making this year,” Hesmer
says.
One change is to encourage more catch-and-release, part of
an ongoing emphasis on conservation-based fishing.
The top cash prize annually goes to the winner of level five, the
Fabulous Fishing Level. It’s awarded to the fisherman who reels in the
biggest blue marlin, provided the fish weighs at least 500 pounds. In the
past, if a fish of this size wasn’t caught, no prize money was distributed.
This year, that money will go to the boat entered in the category with
the most release points.
The tournament is also known for its generous charitable contribu-tions.
Top: Wrightsville Beach resident Brian Dressler (far right, with Dexter Montague,
Jimmy Wilder, Mark Dressler and Chris Enfield) has competed in the Big Rock
for the past three years and plans to fish this year. Above: Crowds gather at the
docks as a big marlin is weighed.
Over the years it has donated more than $4.9 million to charities
and organizations across the state.
“Within the last 25 years, the tournament has solely existed to give
the profits back to the charities and schools,” Hesmer says. “Not only
does the event draw tourists in and create positive attention for the
town, but it immensely helps the community.”
This year alone, the Big Rock charity committee has received more
than 30 requests from organizations seeking funding.
With charity being at the forefront of the tournament’s mission state-ment,
it is not surprising that one section of the tournament was created
solely to give back. The Keli Wagner Lady Angler (KWLA) tournament
primarily exists to provide funds to Carteret Health Care Cancer Center.
In its 21st year, the KWLA honors Keli Wagner, the wife of a board
member who was a patient at the Carteret Health Care Cancer Center
and played an instrumental role in forming the partnership between the
two organizations. Wagner died from cancer in 2008.
“Keli would have her treatment here and would see all of the things
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WBM june 2018