18th ANNUAL OCEAN CITY TUNA TOURNAMENT  

WHY NOT MABLE TAKES TOP HONORS AT THE 18TH ANNUAL OCEAN CITY TUNA TOURNAMENT IN JULY OF 2005.
From the beginning to end the 18th Annual Ocean City Tuna Tournament off the Maryland coast, proved once again to be the premier Tuna Tournament on the East Coast. The 18th Annual Ocean City Tuna Tournament hosted by The Ocean City Fishing Center and Sunset Marina was held July 7-10th, 2005.

The Annual Tuna Tournament is very proud to have celebrated almost two decades of fantastic fishing in our world famous fishing grounds. Each year the tuna tournament strives to provide it’s anglers with three wonderful days of “Big Game Fishing.” This year was no exception and once again fishing was a huge success. The four day event featured a variety of marine exhibitors, artists, music, entertainment, and food. Thousands of spectators showed up this July to witness the impressive fish at the weigh-ins, meet the anglers, and congratulate the winners of this years tournament breaking pay outs. The 18th Annual Ocean City Tuna Tournament was the summer’s event that should not have been missed.

On Thursday July 7, 2005 you could feel the tournament excitement in the air as you would stroll down the docks at the Fishing Center or Sunset Marina. All teams were onboard rigging baits, respooling reels, testing drags and looking over temperature charts. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money was riding on the largest Blue Fin, Big Eye, or Yellow Fin with smaller cash prizes for the Marlin release, largest Dolphin and Female and Junior anglers. The 18th Annual Ocean City Tuna Tournament hosted over 129 boats 626 anglers all competing for a record breaking $527,445.00. This is a 45% increase over the 2004 purse.

Never in all the history of The Ocean City Tuna Tournament has the entire number of entrants taken the same lay day. On Friday July 8, 2005 a tropical depression headed up the coast and blew out the entire fishing day. So the tournament was based on two days of fishing. No strategic plans were derived based on others catch it was down to a matter of luck.

With little to no yellow fin and big eye caught the tournament relied on mostly Blue Fin Tuna. Each day was equally as successful so we knew some of the teams would be cutting it close up to the bitter end on Sunday at 7 pm.

The crew out of Sunset Marina “Y Not Mable” with Captain Jeremy Blunt carried first place in the most prestigious single heaviest fish division for two days. The 144 pound Blue Fin caught on a 52’ Viking broke last years winning single fish and was the heaviest single fish caught in the 18th Annual Ocean City Tuna Tournament. The cash awarded to the Y Not Mable was $ 64, 496.25.

In first place for the most pounds division was the team off the 52’ Viking “Lazy Bonz”, captain Jo Jo Joachinowski out of Sunset Marina. Weighing in two Blue Fins and four Yellow fins the team on the “Lazy Bonz” took first place with an overall two day weight of 242 pounds. Their two day total of most pounds brought them prize money of $102,183.75.

Cerveza a 62’ Paul Spencer with Captain Butch Davis out of Sunset Marina brought in a 121 Blue Fin on their first day of fishing. The angler Tom Russell and the team of Cerveza held second place for two days as well bringing in a total cash prize of $204,545.25.

The team off the boat Prime Time a 58’ Paul Mann came in second in the most pounds division with 2 Blue fin and 1 Yellow Fin with a total of 224 pounds. Prime Time out of Sunset Marina with Captain Butch Cox won a cash prize of $50,070.25.

In third place for heaviest single fish was a vessel out of Fisherman’s Marina on the 50’ Hatteras Blew Bayou. Captain DJ Churchill helped earn team winnings of 40,851.00 with a 118 Blue Fin Tuna. Also in third place for the most pounds was the 40’ Luhrs boat called the Endeavor out of The Ocean City Fishing Center. Captain Rob Skillman and his crew boated 2 Blue Fin Tuna and 1 Yellow Fin Tuna with an overall weight of 213 pounds taking home a cash award of $38,443.50.

The White Marlin Release award went to the boat off Blowin Dust. Captain Chuck Woodward and his team won $2,000.00 with a release on day 1 and a release on day 2. This year’s top female angler was Gi Gi Wagner who boated a 101 lb. Blue Fin Tuna on the 64’ Paul Spencer Size Matters. Gi Gi and her boat ended up with a cash award of $1,500.00.

In the junior division with 18 entries we ended up with five awards. In first place with a 95 Blue Fin Tuna was Drew Vogler on the 46’ Custom Carolina boat called the Restless Lady. Drew and his crew won a cash prize of $1,000.00 plus an invitation to Junior IGFA World Championship Tournament in 2006. In second place with a 60 lb Blue Fin Tuna junior angler Jake Burger off the Marlin Magic a 50’ Viking out of Sunset Marina.

In third place there was a three way tie with 3, 30 lb Yellow Fin Tuna.

Junior angler Pete Kane on the Let It Ride, Lance Crampton off the Marlin Magic, and Ryan Summers off the Prime Time each won $100.00 for third place.

An invitation to compete at the Rolex/IGFA Offshore Championship in Mexico will be extended to the top team of anglers at this year 18TH annual Ocean City Tuna Tournament. The top anglers from the Ocean City Tournament will compete against some of the best offshore anglers in the world. Currently there are forty tournaments from twenty-one countries and Ten U.S. States in this series. The inclusion of The Ocean City Tuna Tournament into this select cadre of world-class tournaments will undoubtedly generate a great deal of exposure for our upcoming tournaments; its sponsors, and Ocean City, Maryland.

The 19th Annual Ocean City Tuna Tournament will be held July 6-9, 2006. We anticipate an even larger tournament with an even larger purse than last year. Our marina will have all new facilities so we can accommodate even larger crowds. In 2006 our newly remolded marina looks forward to having more anglers participate and more spectators enjoy all the venues at the 19Th Annual Ocean City Tuna Tournament. The Tuna Tournament staff Thanks all its sponsors, volunteers, vendors, and participants. Thanks to all the spectators at the weigh station and at the event we hope to see you at the scales next year.

MICHELE L. SEDGE
MARKETING & TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR