“Everyone has a plan,” Christie said. “This time we actually did it.”

The first part of that plan involved targeting Warsaw grouper. Their value in the tournament would max out at 100 points regardless of weight, so Christie was going to be happy with one around 70 pounds.

“All we wanted was the points,” he said.

Christie’s brother-in-law, Anthony Panipinto, lowered a line more than 600 feet into the Gulf of Mexico where it would be inhaled by a monster.