This year will be the 25th anniversary of the JCAA Fluke Tournament. When we started this tournament 25 years ago, we held the tournament in the middle of June every year. For our anniversary tournament this year we have decided to move the tournament back to June. The tournament will be held on Saturday, June 15th and the Awards Presentations will be held on Thursday, June 20th at the Clarion Hotel in Toms River, NJ.
Five years ago, we moved the tournament to August based on a very unscientific survey sent to members, and based on the replies, we moved it to August. However, after five years it is clearly not working as we had hoped. By having the tournament in August we were competing with many other fluke tournaments. By moving it back to June we will be the first fluke tournament of the year and not competing with other tournaments as in the past.
Last year, we combined Great Bay, Ocean City, Atlantic City, Cape May and Fortescue into one region with one set of 10 prizes for that region. We could no longer continue to pay out all the prize money for those five ports individually. We do not have a 1st place prize sponsor for any of those five ports who is willing to donate the $1,200 1st place prize. Last year we only had three sponsors who donated the $1200 1st place prize for their regions/ports: Fisherman’s Headquarters for the LBI port/region, Liberty Landing Marina for the Jersey City port/region and South Harbor Marina in Waretown for the Barnegat Bay port/region. JCAA has to payout the $1200 1st place prize money for each of the other regions.
There were a few people in the Southern Region who were not happy with combining those five ports into one region. Here are the entries by region for each port in the southern region so you understand why we had to do it.
As you can see, not one of those five ports in the Southern Region brings in enough entries to justify paying out the $1,200 for the 1st place prize money and also any money we have to spend on any of the 2nd thru 10th place prizes we have to purchase if we don’t have a sponsor.
Jersey City only had 18 entries last year but Liberty Landing Marina donated the $1,200 1st place prize. Long Beach Island only had 18 entries but Fisherman’s Headquarters has been donating the $1,200 1st place prize money for as long as I can remember and I’ve been with JCAA 21 years.
So, since we are celebrating our 25th Anniversary this year, we decided to move the tournament back to June.
For our fluke tournament over the last five years we have been paying out over $60,000 in money and merchandize prizes. Starcraft Boats, Yamaha Motors and Yacht Club Trailers have donated a boat, motor and trailer and you don’t even have to catch a fish to win the prize. We give it away in a raffle drawing at our awards presentations.
We offer $50,000 for the largest fish over 12lbs. Last year we had a boat weigh in an 11.78lb fluke in Atlantic City and we had another fish 12.4lbs. out of Sandy Hook, but, unfortunately, the contestant did not enter the Big Fish Category. Someone is going to win that $50,000!
So if you want to help recreational fishing in NJ, help JCAA help you and the other 1,000,000 fishermen in NJ by getting involved and fishing in the tournament this year.
