Tournament Week for one of the most anticipated events on the summer schedule has arrived as the 2019 MidAtlantic got underway today. Though fishing doesn’t start until tomorrow, crews were busy at both venues preparing for sportfishing’s “Main Event.” Canyon Club Resort Marina in Cape May, New Jersey, the event’s primary host facility, and Sunset Marina in Ocean City, Maryland, the only official satellite marina, were buzzing with activity today as final tackle and gear checks were made, baits rigged and last minute preparations completed. In an effort to get an edge on the competition several boats pre-fished today to get a “lay of the land” so to speak and numerous billfish flags were flying at both marinas late this afternoon.
Final registration and captain’s meetings were held this afternoon at both marinas and late registration was brisk as the excellent billfish bite currently going on had crews anxious to sign up for the tournament. A field of 150-plus boats is anticipated to battle for a projected cash purse of well over $3 million! Fishing gets underway tomorrow and crews will pick three of the next five days, Monday through Friday, to fish the offshore canyons and search for a white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, wahoo or dolphin that could be worth a lottery-like winning payout! All boats may not pass their respective inlet sea buoy prior to 3 a.m. and lines in is set for 8 a.m. each day. Fishing ends each day at 3:30 p.m. and all fish to be weighed must be at the scale of either Canyon Club Resort Marina or Sunset Marina by 9 p.m. each day. All participants must fish within 125 miles of their inlet’s sea buoy whether fishing from Cape May or Ocean City. Cash prizes are awarded for the three heaviest white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, dolphin and wahoo as well as billfish releases. Minimum weight to qualify for a cash prize is 65 pounds for white marlin and 400 pounds for blue marlin. Only big eye and yellowfin tuna or true albacore are eligible in the tuna category and they must weigh at least 50 pounds to qualify. There is no minimum weight for dolphin and wahoo.
We will provide nightly updates ASAP after the scales close at 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday which will include the day’s fishing activity. A complete tournament wrap-up will be available by noon on Saturday, August 24. You can follow all the action of the 2019 MidAtlantic via the South Jersey Tournaments App which is available free for IOS or Android devices from the Apple App and Google Play stores.
Please note the MidAtlantic tournament is a private event. Tournament venues are not open to the general public and require credentials for entry.
For further information contact Tournament Director Aaron Hoffman at 609-884-0177. Be sure to visit the tournament’s official 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. There’s also a link to purchase official tournament merchandise. Each night you can follow the weigh-in session with live video feed from both marinas via a link on the tournament’s web site. You can also follow all the action on Facebook at The MidAtlantic Tournament; on Twitter; @midatl and on Instagram; @themidatlantictournament.