OCEAN CITY — Adult anglers vied for top honors in the Ocean City Fishing Club’s 54th annual Surf Fishing Tournament last Saturday, and two youngsters won a standing ovation for their participation.
Colin Comuso, 6, of Hammonton, the youngest angler and fishing in his first tournament, landed two sharks to win a Philadelphia Phillies Bryce Harper T-shirt. He fished in the Youth Assisted category with help from his father, Ken.
Four-time repeat winner Dylan O’Connell of Merchantville caught three fish to amass the most fish points in the Youth Plus division. He proudly displayed a Philadelphia Flyers T-shirt as part of his prize.
Both boys also received gift cards for their fishing achievements. Dylan has won awards in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023. The tournament was not held in 2020.
Among the adult anglers, American Anglers Red team took home the top team trophy for scoring 69.75 fish points. Delaware Surf Anglers came in second with 30.5 points, while Merchantville Fishing Club A Team placed third with 16 points. Fish points are awarded based on species and number of fish caught.
“Of all fish caught, there was a total of 119 sharks landed,” said Ed Parkinson, tournament chairman. “There were only six kingfish caught that qualified for points, the largest being 13 inches. We had reports that some spot were caught and even a few blowfish. Usually, we get bluefish and even a striped bass or two, but there weren’t any this year.”
Shawn Kelly caught the largest fish, a 13-inch kingfish, while Greg Phillipe accumulated the most fish points among the men with 28.5. Among women anglers, none qualified for landing the largest fish, but Jane Jeffries won recognition for most fish points in that group.
The number of anglers fell short of expected with just 16 clubs and 10 individuals entering for a total of about 90 anglers this year. Clubs usually field six-person teams. Last year, the tournament attracted about 120 participants.
“Unfortunately, that seems to be a trend in fishing and hunting clubs all over,” Parkinson said. “We’re trying to buck that trend and get more involvement from youngsters, teenagers and young adults.”
“Those two boys, Colin and Dylan, stole the show at our awards presentation,” said Parkinson. “I hope we get more youngsters fishing our tournament next year. They are the future of our sport and we’re looking for ways to engage them in surf fishing.”
The tournament stretched along city beaches from 23rd to 35th streets, starting at 7 a.m., for two 2.5-hour fishing sessions. The first session ended at 9:30 a.m., giving participants a half-hour to relocate to a second position, where they ended fishing at 12:30 p.m.
“Thanks to all our club members who helped stage the tournament,” Parkinson said. “It’s an all-volunteer army, from judging on the beaches, staffing our fishing headquarters at the Intermediate School and even preparing and serving lunch for everyone.”
The city provided one-day passes for anglers to drive on the beaches during the tournament.
The fall tournament is held in coordination with the Association of Surf Angling Clubs and supported by organizations and business that donated prizes. Founded in 1913, the Ocean City Fishing Club is the oldest continuously operating fishing club in the United States.