It’s August and just like beach sand through an hourglass the summer is slipping by. Labor Day is still a few weeks away and with the month of August typically comes the some of the best offshore fishing along the entire mid-Atlantic coast as the canyons warm to desired levels for billfish, tuna, wahoo and dolphin. Reports from those heading offshore have been impressive as many have found all of these species in a hungry mood. Numerous MidAtlantic tournament participants have taken delivery of either new or experienced boats and their owners have been anxious to get these vessels “dialed in” as The MidAtlantic approaches. Speaking of The MidAtlantic, with a little over a week to go the tournament staff has once again been laser-focused on delivering another exciting week for participants this year. While indeed the stakes are high, The MidAtlantic has always been a family-friendly event for kids and adults of all ages and the tournament welcomes one and all. The two tournament venues, Cape May, New Jersey and Ocean City, Maryland, are popular summer vacation spots with plenty to do on a “Lay Day.” Both have boardwalks, beautiful beaches, restaurants to please any palate and a long list of shore-side activities and attractions. Worthy of note, Cape May is well-known as the Nation’s Oldest Seaside Resort and the city is designated as the Cape May Historic District and a National Historic Landmark due to its large concentration of Victorian structures. Cape May has also been recognized as one of America’s top 10 beaches by the Travel Channel and is well-known as one of the best beaches on the mid-Atlantic coast.
As noted above, the 2022 MidAtlantic is just a few days away with Tournament Week set for August 21-26. Tournament registration continues at a steady pace for both venues and online registration at the tournament’s official web site www.themidatlantic.com is the quickest and easiest way to secure your spot in the line-up. The event gets underway on Sunday, August 21 with Late Registration and Calcutta Entry accepted from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Canyon Club Resort Marina in Cape May and Sunset Marina in Ocean City with a captain’s meeting immediately following. The MidAtlantic follows a “captain’s choice” format where crews will select three days to fish out of five available beginning Monday, August 22 and concluding on Friday, August 26. When registering participants must choose a port to sail from, Cape May or Ocean City, and regardless of the port selected, cannot pass their inlet’s sea buoy prior to 3 a.m. on fishing days and must fish within 125 miles of the Cape May Sea Buoy.
Fishing hours are from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day and white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, dolphin and wahoo are the target species. For any white marlin to make the leaderboard it must weigh at least 65 pounds and measure 69 inches. Blue marlin must measure 102 inches and weigh at least 400 pounds. In the tuna category, big eye, yellowfin and true albacore are the only eligible species and must weigh at least 50 pounds while wahoo and dolphin each have a 20-pound minimum weight. Any fish to be weighed must be at either Canyon Club Resort Marina or Sunset Marina by 9 p.m. to be eligible. Tournament participants and other interested parties can follow each night’s weigh-in session live on the tournament web site. Entry fee to the tournament is $3000 and covers the crew’s dockside dining and hospitality each night. Prize money is tallied from 11 calcuttas which have various fees and are separate from the tournament entry fee. One particular calcutta has a benefit to not only the winner but also all anglers. The 31st Annual Mega Marlin Calcutta, which celebrates the tournament’s 31st anniversary, has a separate fee of $31,000 to enter and a percentage of the total pot collected will be once again divided equally between the International Game Fish Association, Recreational Fishing Alliance and The Billfish Foundation. Last year’s Mega Marlin Calcutta saw just over $50 thousand split between these three organizations. Additionally, representatives of The Billfish Foundation will be in Cape May conducting a fund-raising raffle with numerous valuable prizes available.
It’s getting real and if you’ve already made your plans to be part of sportfishing’s “Main Event” welcome aboard. If not, time is running short and you don’t want to be left at the dock! Act now and join the roster of the best sportfishing boats and crews who travel from as far as Florida and New England to battle for braggin’ rights and earn the right to be called a MidAtlantic tournament champion. Bring your family and friends as part of your crew for what will be another exciting week of competition, opportunity and camaraderie!
For further information contact Tournament Director Aaron Hoffman at 609-884-0177 or visit the tournament’s web site at www.themidatlantic.com where you’ll find all the facts, figures and information about this year’s event including a complete rundown of calcutta payouts, rules, points, and an event schedule. On social media follow the MidAtlantic on Facebook at The MidAtlantic Tournament; on Twitter @midatl and on Instagram @themidatlantictournament.
