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The 2026 South Carolina Blue Marlin Invitational rewarded patience, preparation and one timely bite.
The fifth annual SCBMI unfolded over a 39-day window, with teams selecting up to three fishing days between May 1 and June 8. That format rewarded strategy as much as execution, drawing 33 boats from across the Atlantic coast. The fleet released 49 blue marlin, but Glazed was the only team to bring a qualifying fish to the scales.
The Georgetown-based 58-foot Dean Johnson, owned by Miles Herring and captained by Ben Polk, took top honors with a 458.2-pound blue marlin caught by angler Lee Tiller on May 17. The fish earned Glazed the tournament title and a record-setting single payout of $290,400.
The winning blue charged into the spread during Glazed’s first day of fishing. By late morning, the crew had the fish in the boat and continued fishing briefly before making the run to Georgetown Landing Marina, where family, friends and spectators gathered for the weigh-in.
The moment also carried local significance. While Georgetown Landing Marina has a long history with blue marlin, SCBMI weigh-ins had traditionally taken place at Toler’s Cove Marina. Glazed delivered the first tournament blue marlin to the Georgetown scale.
With more than three weeks remaining in the event, the team faced a long wait. Other boats continued to fish, searching for the one blue capable of taking the lead, but no second qualifying marlin reached the scales. Glazed had another close opportunity late in the tournament, battling a large blue on a dink rod during its second fishing day. The fish broke free as the crew attempted to confirm whether it met the 105-inch minimum-length requirement, but the earlier catch ultimately held.
The win included the entire Duffie Boatworks Blue Marlin Jackpot and set a new benchmark for the event’s largest single payout.
Release teams also competed for substantial prizes throughout the tournament. Capt. Geno Sauers and Ben Wall’s Trash Man won the Overall Blue Marlin Release category after releasing five blues, earning the $63,360 KryptoQuiet-sponsored prize.
Daily release honors went to Artemis, owned by John Darby and captained by John Michael Phillips, on Day One with two blue marlin releases; Liaho, owned by Bill Choate and captained by Josh Ashton, on Day Two with two releases; and Capt. Bubba Roof’s Game On, which released four blues to win Day Three. Each daily winner received $42,240, along with a set of KryptoQuiet marine bearings.
Following the tournament, the SCBMI donated $5,000 to the South Carolina Memorial Reef in honor of Capt. Ben Polk’s late father, OC Polk. The organization supports reef-building projects that honor sportsmen while creating habitat for pelagic and reef species along the South Carolina coast.
