Chris Daniels is back in the hunt at the Big Rock Tournament this week, trying to do something that is hard to do once and harder to do again: win it twice in a row. He and his boat, Big Trouble, are among the 277 registered boats competing in the 68th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in Morehead City.

That return matters because Daniels is not just another name in the field. He is the defending winner, the Morehead City native who last year watched his crew land the blue marlin that sealed victory on the final day of competition and earned the Fabulous Fisherman’s prize too. For him, the win was 17 years in the making, and the victory gave his hometown plenty to celebrate.

The tournament’s place in the community helps explain why Daniels’ run back to the dock draws attention every summer. His name and crew are already etched into the tournament’s fountain stone of winners, a reminder that last year’s finish was not just a personal payoff but a local moment for a city that follows the event closely. Daniels and his crew have said they come back for the joy of fishing, the competition and the support that surrounds the tournament each year.

But repeating is never simple, even for a defending champion with a story like his. The field this year is large, and 277 boats means there is no easy path back to the top. Daniels can lean on the memory of winning Big Rock on the final day in 2025, but this week’s tournament will test whether that moment was the start of a new run or the high point he will spend the rest of the week trying to match.

The 68th annual tournament is still underway in Morehead City, which leaves the one question that matters most hanging over the docks: can Big Trouble make the final-day magic happen again?