OCEAN CITY, Md. -- Robert Farris will have an honest big-fish story to tell.

The Charlotte, N.C., resident broke a 20-year-old Maryland record at the White Marlin Open in Ocean City, snagging a blue marlin that weighed 1,062 pounds.

That exceeds the previous record by more than 100 pounds.

It took Farris more than three hours Wednesday to reel the fish in. The blue marlin is worth about $550,000.

The White Marlin Open is dubbed the largest billfish tournament in the world, with nearly 300 registered boats and cash prizes exceeding $2.1 million.

Farris was aboard the No Problem out of Fenwick Island, Del.