Article by Larry Budd
Tournament Roundup
Last weekend saw three tournaments in the area covering a broad spectrum of anglers from kids to kayaks to small boat warriors! We have coverage of all three in this edition but here are some highlights;
The Ocean Marlin Club 42nd Annual Small Boat Tournament was held last weekend with weigh ins at Sunset Marina. In a sign of pent up demand and with a good weather forecast, over 60 boats participated, most on Saturday. The anglers reported having to work for their catches both inshore and offshore. The “Tellum” found a 74 lb. tuna to take the prize in that category of $9,292 followed closely by “Four Eights” with a 71.5 pounder taking 2nd Place for $2,011. The Mahi Division was interesting since only two qualifying fish were weighed. The “Fishizzle” weighed a 15 lb. peanut that topped the leader board holding onto 1st and a prize payout of $9,963. The second place fish at 13 lbs. on the “Oppor-Tuna-Ty Too” secured $2,682! Inshore saw lots of changes over the tournament as well as lots of ties. With just over $30,000 in prize money and lots of anglers, a good time was had by all.
The Indian River Marina held it’s 6th Annual Kids Catch-All Tournament last weekend to benefit the Lyme Disease Association of Delmarva, Inc. Over 100 kids from across the region participated and had a great time. If you have not checked out this yearly event and have kids interested in fishing, I highly recommend it. It is an event as much as it is a tournament and it is for a good cause.
Some may have seen a rather large increase in the number of kayaks fishing in the area last weekend. Well, we have the 3rd Annual Fish N Paddle Saltwater Slam to thank. This globally recognized tournament brings kayak anglers and enthusiasts from all over to compete for award money and prizes. This year had 70 anglers participate in the inshore and bay tournament over 3 days with weigh ins and entertainment at Atlantic Tackle.
Three great events, check out the details in our tournament section towards the back of the paper.
The Latest Offshore
Despite some windy ‘windows’ the weather the past week allowed for a lot of boats to get offshore. While the bite for some species have slowed a bit like tuna, we are seeing others pick up like mahi and wahoo. Also the first couple blue marlin releases were reported last week. Here is what we have heard over the past week!
Tuna
The good news is that the yellowfin tuna bite is steady but has cooled a bit from the double digit and limit catches of a week ago. Many boats are reporting mid to high single digit catches mainly from the southern Poor Man’s and Washington Canyons. Picking them one by one or getting a double here and there is a common refrain. However, they seem to be hitting everything for bait with Sterling Tackle Wide Tracker and Spreader Bars often in the mix. Skirted ballyhoo seems more common than naked compared to last year. Look to the Rockpile and south for the best action now.
We had a bit of a race for heaviest bigeye tuna this week. Last week’s number to beat was 212 lbs. set by Tom Collins on the “Fishizzle”. Last Saturday angler Mark Perez on the “Whiskey Kilo” with Capt. Jojo Joachimowski brought in a 233 lb. eyeball from the Washington Canyon only to have Greg Eckard on the “Ro Sham Bo” weigh a 235 pounder the next day, also from the Washington. Several other 125 pound plus were also reported, all in the southern canyons. Only a few days look at risk for the upcoming holiday weekend so we expect a lot of action and maybe the first longfin of the season? Maybe a little early, but we will see!
Mahi
Peanut and small bull mahis have been hitting the docks. Wray Bassett from Dillsburg, PA took 1st place in The Dolphin Division during the Frederick Saltwater Anglers Offshore Challenge. The fish weighed in at 17.1 lbs. and was caught on a green machine between the Washington and Norfolk Canyons in 76° water. Angler Chad Starner landed a 45” and 18 lb. citation fish in the Poor Man’s Canyon using a pink skirted ballyhoo and two dolphin in the mid teens were weighed at the Ocean City Marlin Club Small Boat Tournament. All of the fish so far are reported being caught on the troll while tuna fishing and not under flotsam or floating debris.
Billfish
The blue marlin are officially here. Angler Chelsea Trimper was recognized by the Marlin Club for catching and releasing the first blue marlin of the 2021 season. She was fishing on the “Blood Money” during the Inaugural Tuna & Tiara’s Tournament in the Norfolk Canyon looking for tuna when she connected with a blue marlin marking not only the first of the season, but her first blue marlin release ever. While it only took 20 minutes to get the blue to the boat the first time, the crew could not get a good enough video to certify the catch, so she let it run out and fought it for another 40 minutes so the proper documentation could be obtained. Way to go Chelsea! For the catch she will receive a $2,500 prize from the OC Marlin Club. The “Spring Mix II” also released a blue marlin last week, however, per the rules of the club their video was not conclusive enough to verify the fish as a blue for the award. Still two great catches!
Single white marlin catches are trickling in, still mainly from those hunting for tuna. Capt. Howard Lynch on the “Kilo Charlie” did set the bar on Sunday coming back to the docks with 5 release flags flying!
Upcoming Tournaments
• Next weekend, July 2-4 is the Marlin Club’s 39th Canyon Kick Off. Check the website for details.
• The MidAtlantic Cup is being held also next weekend, hosted by South Jersey Tournaments in Cape May, NJ.
• One of the first major tournaments of the season is coming up on July 9-11 is the Ocean City Tuna Tournament hosted at the Ocean City Fishing Center.
• Follow our Tournament Schedule to keep up to date.
Until next week, I will see you at the scales! §
