OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City Fishing Club and the City of Ocean City celebrated their 48th annual Boys and Girls Fishing Tournament Aug. 9.
The tournament concluded another day of fun, learning and community spirit with 141 youth anglers lining the beach that morning to enjoy catching species including blowfish, fluke, kingfish, spot and sand sharks, and a day of casting lines, reeling in catches, and making lifelong memories at this event.
The club successfully introduced and launched it electronic registration and scoring system for the first time. This computer program was a unique and effective way for the club to streamline registrants and score catches in real time. The results made for a quick and pleasant awards ceremony, including many great prizes for the children.
Every registered child received a complimentary gift bag stuffed with goodies from local businesses and fishing rigs donated by the Delaware Valley Surf Fishing Club and the Ocean City Fishing Club members. Dozens of club members were available for hands-on instruction for those new to the sport.
First-, second- and third-place prizes were awarded in the age groups of 8 to 10, 11 to 13 and 14 to 16. Kylie Bauer and Caroline Bickings, both of Ocean City, each caught a 15-inch flounder, the day’s largest fish. Cruz Willson of Linwood landed the smallest fish, a five-and-a-half-inch spot.
The first child electronically scored who broke down the paper, pen, and calculator barrier was Jack Scannell, an eight-year-old from Haddonfield. Grace Daley from Linwood scored 46.25 inches of fish and was the highest point angler. She also won the girls 14-to-16 age group. Vincent Morgan of Sewell won the 14-to-16 group, catching an 11-inch kingfish. Kyle King of Hockessin, Del., scored 39 points and was the top male angler in the 11-to-13 age group, and the female champion of the category, Sloane Lennon of Longport, scored a 12-inch flounder. Kylie Bauer of Ocean City caught two flounder in the female category, winning the 8-to-10 group. Jesse Petretta of Marmora won the boys category with a 14.5-inch flounder.
The Ocean City Fishing Club thanks all the volunteers, sponsors, and local businesses who helped make the tournament successful and the young anglers who joined them for a great day of surf fishing.
“It is incredible to see so many of our youth enjoying fishing. Our members love sharing their knowledge, but the best part is seeing the smiles when a young angler hooks their first fish. My favorite conversation during the event came from a grandmother who told me that she will be planning her family vacation in Ocean City next year around this tournament,” Ocean City Fishing Club President Augie Conte III said.
