OCEAN CITY- The Ocean City Marlin Club’s 7th Annual Memorial Day Bluefish Tournament was once again a big success but it was tuna that stole the show.
The tournament was held last weekend in and around the resort and while the event is billed as a bluefish tournament, the sudden arrival of yellowfin tuna off the resort coast made that species the highlight. With the offshore season off to a fast start, yellowfin tuna were stacked up like cordwood on the docks around the marinas all weekend and the Marlin Club’s Memorial Day tournament participants caught their fair share.
For the record, in the tuna division it was the crew on the “Grande Pez” taking first and second place. The first place tuna was a 46-pounder worth $4,410, while the second-place tuna was a 43-pounder worth $1,026. The crew on the “A Salt Weapon II” took third with a 42-pound tuna worth $684. In the bluefish division, the “Barbara Rose” swept the division with three fish including a 13-poudner, an 12.6-pounder and an 11.4-pounder. No sharks were caught or released during the tournament.
In the spirit of the Memorial Day holiday weekend, proceeds from the event were dedicated once again to the Catherine and Charles Kratz Memorial Foundation and Scholarship Fund. Catherine and Charles Kratz are long-time members of the Ocean City Marlin Club who recently started a foundation to provide support, encouragement and a better way of life for the men and women who served in the armed forces.