Last weekend saw the 18th annual Delaware Mobile Surf-Fishermen’s Surf Fishing Tournament. This is an individual tournament where each angler fishes for him- or herself. Fish are scored on their length above the minimum as determined by the state or federal law.
Saturday saw very slow action. The 124 anglers who were registered for the contest only managed to catch 28 scoring fish. At the end of the day, Brian Hill was in first place in the Overall Division with 52 points. Sporto Gray was in second with 51 points. In third was Steve Petkus with 28 points.
The Women’s Division was a tie between Holly Nelson and Margaret Weichardt with 17 points each. The Youth Division was led by Jace Griffith with 12 points, and Wyatt Hall came in second with two points.
Holly Nelson had the Bluefish Calcutta with a 17-inch blue, while Sporto Gray was holding down the Kingfish Calcutta with his 12.25-inch kingfish.
According to Clark Evans, president of Delaware Mobile Surf-Fishermen, Sunday was another tough day, but anglers still found fish, including two more big red drum to 50 inches.
At the end of the competition, Brian Hill held onto first place with 103 points, winning $1,000 and a trophy. In second place was Martin Magaw with 84 points, which was good for $750 and a trophy. Close behind in third was Jamie Logan with 83 points. He won $500 and a trophy.
That was the end of the money prizes in the Overall Division, but the tournament paid out another 25 places with fishing tackle prizes.
The Women’s Division was won by Khara Landon with 18 points. She took home $300, a trophy and a gift bag. In second place was Holly Nelson with 17 points. She won $225, a trophy and a gift bag. Coming in third was Paula Gallagher with 12 points, which was worth $150, a trophy and a gift bag.
The Youth Division was taken by Jace Griffith with 12 points. He won a trophy and a gift bag. In second was Wyatt Hall with two points. He also won a trophy and a gift bag.
Now we get into the big money. The Calcuttas!
Brian Hill took the Biggest Fish Calcutta with his 50-inch red drum that paid $750.
The Bluefish Calcutta went to Martin Magaw for his 19-inch blue and paid him $1,600.
The Kingfish Calcutta was won by Jim Fariss for his 12.5-inch king, so he took home an even $1,000.
Congratulations to all the winners and to all the DMS members who I know work had to make this tournament a success.
Good new from above
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued its 2025 specifications for the summer flounder, scup, black sea bass and bluefish fisheries, and I am happy to report they are unchanged from what we had in 2024. This is quite a victory for those of us on the advisory council, because in the past we were seldom heard. But in this case, although they don’t admit it, our concerns were heard loud and clear.
The original proposal for black sea bass was a 20% reduction for recreational fishermen because we caught more than our allotted quota. The reason we caught more than our quota, a figure made up by bean counters who would not know a sea bass from a striped bass, is because the population of black sea bass is two-and-a-half times the number required to maintain a healthy stock.
At the August 2024 meeting, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Black Sea Bass Board were unable to agree on the 2025 regulations for recreational fishing. The Black Sea Bass Board adopted a plan that was the same as the 2024 regulations, while the council wanted to reduce the black sea bass quota by 20%.
When such differences are found to have significant negative socioeconomic impacts on federal black sea bass permit holders, regulations require that the regional administrator take action to prevent these differential effects on federal permit holders. Given the current status of the black sea bass stock, which is well above the level required to sustain a healthy stock, and the danger of harm to federal permit holders, the administrator adopted the recommendation of the commission. The black sea bass regulations will remain the same as they have been in 2024.
I have tried to cut down on the long and winding words used in the release that explained the decision to keep the black sea bass, summer flounder, scup and bluefish regulations pretty much the same in 2025 as they were in 2024. Nowhere in the release does it mention the advisory groups for those species, where every advisor who spoke advised against the 20% cut in black sea bass quota.
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Eric Burnley is a Delaware native who has fished and hunted the state from an early age. Since 1978 he has written countless articles about hunting and fishing in Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. He has been the regional editor for several publications and was the founding editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman magazine. Eric is the author of three books: Surf Fishing the Atlantic Coast, The Ultimate Guide to Striped Bass Fishing and Fishing Saltwater Baits. He and his wife Barbara live near Milton, Delaware. Eric can be reached at Eburnle@aol.com.
