The haul was good enough for 5th place at the time … but as it turns out, some of the other boats in the tourney were able to come through in the clutch during the remaining days of the competition … and MJ’s fish fell down the charts.

The winning boat — the Pelagic Hunter II — came in first after reeling in a 495.2-pound blue marlin.

There’s a silver lining … despite finishing 9th, MJ’s boat beat last place by 23.3 pounds.

It’s a big improvement for MJ … who’s left fishing tournaments empty-handed in the past.

You’ll get ’em next time, Mike!!