The Ocean City Fishing Club (OCFC) expects more than 125 young fishers to participate in its 48th annual Boys and Girls Surf Fishing Tournament, which will be held Saturday, Aug. 9, and feature prizes for all anglers.
Parents or guardians may register their children for the tournament on the OCFC website www.oceancityfishingclub.com, where they also will be able print out required waiver forms. Entrants will be given a gift bag and two tickets to win additional prizes when they hand in their signed waiver forms at the tournament.
“We expect at least 125 youngsters to participate,” said Ed Parkinson, a club trustee who chairs the tournament committee. “Registering online and having the waivers completed ahead of time will eliminate the long lines we’ve had in the past on tournament day. Last year, we had 118 turn out to fish.”
Boys and girls can begin arriving at 9 a.m. to pick their fishing spots at the north end beach near the Longport-Ocean City bridge. Each child must bring his or her own fishing gear and bait. Fishing starts at 10 a.m. and ends at noon, when an awards presentation will be held. The tournament will be held rain or shine.
The tournament has three age categories: 8-10, 11-13 and 14-16 years old, with a boys’ and girls’ division in each age group. Parents may help children 13 years old and under to cast, but participants must do their own fishing after that. Every child who fishes will receive a prize. A complete list of rules appears on the OCFC website.
An electronic, centralized scoring system will reduce waiting time before the awards ceremony. OCFC members will be on the beach to collect catch data, as well as help young anglers untangle lines, bait hooks, cast lines and release any fish caught.
“Our goal is to move into the awards ceremony without any delay,” Parkinson said. “Last year, we had to track down some prize winners who left before they knew the fish they caught earned them some of our premium prizes. We don’t want that to happen again.”
Special prizes will be awarded to first, second and third place for both boys and girls in each age group, for not only the biggest fish caught, but for the smallest, too. Boys and girls should stay for the awards presentation whether they caught fish or not. They may find they will receive a prize because of the tickets they received when turning in their waiver forms.
Club members are donating gift cards and prizes, as are many local and offshore businesses. They range from fishing rigs and accessories, to major fishing gear like three custom rods from Advanced Fishing in Avalon, one of which is the grand prize valued at $400.
Other top prizes include five rod and reel combos from Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point, with Bass Pro Shops also donating rods and reels. Fishbites supplied sample packs from its line of artificial baits, and some hungry anglers may get gift cards to McDonald’s.
“I encourage everyone to stay to cheer for the age group winners,” Parkinson said, “and because winners must be present to receive these great prizes.”
