FORT MYERS, Fla. — A Fort Myers Angler reeled in a $31,000 catch last week in Maryland. Chad Jackson, owner of Jackson Pools, was able to reel in a 55lb wahoo during the White Marlin Open billfishing tournament in Ocean City, Maryland, last week.

“It came skyrocketing out, it probably skyrocketed out about 20 feet in the air and the bait was right there; you could see it in its mouth,” Jackson said.

This year’s tournament was record-breaking, with more than 400 boats registered to fish and a purse of $10.5 million.

“It’s always a fun tournament. Good crowd, as you know, and everyone is very friendly, and everyone is very competitive, and it’s just a great tournament overall,” Jackson said.

Also on the boat with Jackson was fellow Fort Myers angler, Jeff Williams. He said they were able to reel in the wahoo pretty quickly on the first day. “Our day started out awesome. By 10 AM, we had a weighable fish on the dock,” Williams said.

Out of the 400 boats registered this year, only 25 qualified to win money. Jackson and Williams both tell us they plan on fishing in the tournament for years to come.