Club’s 59th Labor Day Tournament Underway

OCEAN CITY- The Ocean City Marlin Club’s 59th annual Labor Day White Marlin Tournament got underway on Friday as the “granddaddy” of resort area fishing tournaments.

While it may lack the glamour and high payouts of the White Marlin Open, the Ocean City Marlin Club’s 56th Annual Labor Day White Marlin Tournament trumps all others in terms of history and prestige. The tournament is the oldest among the tournaments held in and around the resort area each summer. The first was held in 1958 and the annual event has endured for nearly six decades and several generations of local anglers.

The tournament got started yesterday with registration and a captain’s meeting, while the action offshore got underway today, the first of three fishing days. As the name implies, the focus of the tournament is on white marlin, but unlike the other high dollar tournaments in recent weeks, there won’t be any billfish weighed at the scale at host Sunset Marina. The tournament’s winner will accumulate the most release points over the three days of fishing.

In addition to the billfish release division, there will also be separate meatfish divisions for tuna, dolphin and wahoo. Cash prizes will be paid out to the top three finishers in each category and the weigh-ins will be held each day, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Sunset Marina from 5:30 p.m. p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event will culminate with an awards banquet on Sunday at the Marlin Club.

About The Author: Shawn Soper

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Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.