OCEAN CITY- The first three days of the Ocean City Marlin Club’s 3rd Annual Rockfish Tournament saw plenty of action with several big stripers filling out the leaderboard with lots of fishing still to go.
The Marlin Club’s 3rd annual rockfish tournament got underway last Saturday and will through this Sunday, December 13. Boats and teams of anglers must choose to fish five of the nine fishing days, and many took advantage of nice conditions during the opening three days last weekend and into early this week.
As the name of the tournament implies, rockfish will be the primary species targeted along with red drum and bluefish. The top three heaviest fish in each category will win awards and federal minimum sizes apply for each species. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the Jimmy Fund.
Participating boats and anglers can leave from either Indian River Inlet or the Ocean City Inlet. Lines can go 5 p.m. Anglers can leave at any time on a dedicated fishing day, but must observe the prescribed fishing times. All fish must be weighed at Sunset Marina, but fish can be brought to the scale by any means including by boat, truck or car.
Weigh-ins will be held at Sunset Marina each day of the tournament from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. All catch reports must be turned in to the Marlin Club weigh master at Sunset Marina by 5 p.m. each fishing day. An awards banquet will be held at the Marlin Club on Sunday, December 13 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Through Monday, several boats had brought big stripers to the scale during the first three days of the event. Sitting atop the leaderboard as of midweek was the crew on the “Big Billin” with a 39.6-pounder and a 28.8-pounder. The crew on the “Apex” was held the third and fourth spots on the leaderboard with a 28-pounder and a 26.2-pounder. Rounding out the early leaderboard was the “Yellowfin” with a 22.8-pounder, the “Fish Frenzi” with a 22.4-pounder, and the “Apex” again with a pair of 20-pound plus stripers.