The Mathews Rotary Club held its 10th annual Rockfish Tournament hosted by Morningstar Marinas Gwynn’s Island on Dec. 10 and 11.

The favorable weather forecast and the hope of good fishing saw 32 boats with up to 128 anglers competing for $4,000 in prize money. On Dec. 10, William Sterling landed the biggest rockfish, tipping the scales at 41.5 pounds. On Sunday, Dec. 11, as the end of the weigh-in period approached, it looked like Sterling’s fish was going to be the winner. However, it wasn’t to be.

Brandon Haywood and his crew delivered a striper that tipped the scales at 42.2 pounds placing them temporarily in first. However, just a couple of minutes later, Kyle Flippin’s team delivered a 42.6 pound rockfish and claimed the grand prize of $2,000. ...