MSSA Tuna-Ment Tourney Set To Start

OCEAN CITY – The Maryland Saltwater Sportsfishing Association’s 27th Annual Tuna-Ment Tournament gets underway today all over the region with the first of three official fishing days.

Boats and teams of anglers from all over the region will compete in the MSSA’s 27th Annual Tuna-Ment with thousands of dollars in prize money at stake. Participating boats can fish out of any port, but qualifying fish must be weighed at one of three official stations in Ocean City, Indian River and Chincoteague.

As the name implies, tuna is the featured targeted species in the MSSA event, but there is also a category for dolphin. The participating boats will choose to fish one of the three official days, including Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Lines can go in at 7 a.m. and must be pulled by 3:30 p.m. The weigh-ins at the participating ports will be held each day from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Last year, it was Captain Jim Gray fishing out of Chincoteague taking first place with a 214-pound bigeye tuna. Captain Jon Duffie and the “Billfisher” crew out of Ocean City took second with a 200-pound bigeye, while Captain Dave Paugh out of Chincoteague took third with a 60-pound bigeye.

In the $50 two-fish stringer category, Duffie and the “Billfisher” crew took first with a 253.2-pound string including the 200-pound bigeye and a 53.2-pound yellowfin. Gray’s 214-pound bigeye took second in the two-fish stringer division. Duffie’s 253.2-pound stringer also took first in each of the other stringer categories, netting the prolific local boat the tournament’s top cash prize haul at $12,867.

Gray took second overall with $8,137 in prize money, while Paugh was third with $1,980. Harry Miller out of Ocean City took fourth overall with $1,120 in prize money. Miller also took first in the dolphin category with a three-fish stringer weighing 45 pounds. Dave Rankin out of Ocean City was fifth overall with $990 in prize money, while Chincoteague’s Rob Pellicot was sixth and earned $480.