Second Annual Tuna and Tiaras Set for this Weekend

OCEAN CITY- The second annual ladies-only Tuna and Tiaras Tournament is set for this weekend based out of the Ocean City Fishing Center.

Registration and a captain’s meeting was held on Thursday, but the real action for the Tuna and Tiaras Tournament gets underway on Friday, the first of two fishing days. The offshore action continues on Saturday, with an awards banquet set for Sunday.

Hosted by the Ocean City Fishing Center, the Tuna and Tiaras tournament is a ladies-only event for the benefit of Women Supporting Women, a grass-roots organization founded in 1993 to provide awareness, education and support for those affected by breast cancer. Funds raised by the organization stay on Delmarva and provide free services and support to local breast cancer survivors.

Teams of lady anglers will fish of the two scheduled fishing days on Friday and Saturday and the teams will be limited to six anglers. Weigh-ins will be held at the Ocean City Fishing Center each day from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The targeted species will be yellow fin tuna, blue fin tuna, long fin tuna, wahoo and mahi.

A total of 36 boats competed in the inaugural Tuna and Tiaras Tournament last year and over $64,000 was doled out to the winners in different categories. In the heaviest tuna division, the crew on the Hocus Pocus came in first with a 98-pound tuna. Second place went to the crew on the Tighten Up with a 97-pounder, while the Chain Reaction was third with an 84-pounder.

In the heaviest stringer division, the C-Boys took first with a total of 204 pounds. The Hocus Pocus took second with 172 pounds. By virtue of finishing first in the heaviest tuna category and second in the heaviest stringer category, the Hocus Pocus was the tournament’s top prize winner with over $23,000. The Reel Chaos was third in the heaviest stringer division with 160 pounds.

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.