More than 100 adult anglers cast lines out Saturday during Ocean City Fishing Club’s 55th Annual Surf Fishing Tournament, but the spotlight focused brightly on one boy who racked up his sixth consecutive win and a new team of youngsters from Atlantic City.
By the end of the tournament, Dylan O’Connell on the Merchantville “B” Team caught 10 fish for 60.25 points, including the largest fish in the Youth Plus category, an 11.25″ kingfish. Fish points are awarded based on species, number of fish caught and size. His division included youngsters 14-17 years old. Dylan has won top angler honors in the Youth division each year since 2018, except for 2020 when the tournament wasn’t held due to Covid.
Loquay Green Jr. from the Atlantic City Youth Fishing Club landed an 11″ bluefish and a shark to score 12 points. He won top honors in the Youth Minus category for ages 13 and under. The club was participated in OCFC’s youth tournament in August for the first time.
Both O’Connell, Green along with Chris Bell and Jason Vargas, two other young members of the Atlantic City club, received a rousing round of applause for their fishing achievements and congratulations by Ed Parkinson, OCFC’s tournament chairperson.
“It’s so great to see these youngsters participate in such a competitive tournament,” Parkinson said. “They represent the next generation of our sport and we are always looking for ways to encourage more of our youth to learn about and enjoy surf fishing.”
Merchantville “A” Team took the top team trophy, for scoring 106.5 fish points, with 17 sharks, one bluefish and seven kingfish. American Anglers Red Team came in second with 71.75 points, landing 17 sharks, three blues and one king. Surf & Land “B” Team placed third with 70 points, catching 10 sharks and five blues.
Greg Phillipe, fishing with American Anglers Red Team, claimed top prize for most fish points and largest fish, a 15.5″ bluefish with an 8.5″ girth. Among the 15 women anglers, Brandy Hillegass of American Anglers Blue Team took first place for largest fish with an 11.75″ bluefish.
“Of all fish caught,” Parkinson said, “we had 80 sharks, 28 bluefish and 12 kingfish. In fact, all the kingfish were caught during the second fishing session in a rising tide that peaked about 11a.m.”
While the wind settled down from gusty days earlier in the week, a steady northeast breeze still presented rough seas for fishing Saturday morning, making it difficult to hold bottom due to strong currents. Even though anglers were advised to lower their air pressure in vehicle tires before driving onto the beaches, three got stuck and had to be shoveled out by OCFC club members.
“One of those vehicles was a state Department of Fish and Game van that didn’t even have four-wheel drive,” Parkinson laughing. “But our club members carry shovels in their vehicles, in addition to rods and reels, and were able to “rescue” everyone. We have a great group of members and it wouldn’t be possible to put on such a great tournament without all their help.”
The tournament stretched along city beaches from about 34th to 57th streets, starting at 7 a.m. for two 2.5-hour fishing sessions. The first session ended at 9:30 a.m., giving participants a half-hour to relocate to a second position, where fishing ended at 12:30 p.m.
The city provided complimentary one-day passes for anglers to drive on the beaches. The tournament is held in coordination with the Association of Surf Angling Clubs and supported by organizations and businesses that donated prizes. Founded in 1913, the Ocean City Fishing Club is the oldest, continuously operating fishing club in the United States.
