OC Marlin Club Small Boat Tournament registration today

hydrating IV’s from SeaRenity, or sign up for CPR lessons.

It was, indeed, an “in-your-vein” IV, Taylor clarified.

The tournament ended with the first-ever Tuna and Tiaras awards party at Wild Bills on S. Baltimore Ave. in downtown Ocean City, featuring flashing lights and DJ Bigler playing music while attendees indulged on a candy buffet.

“The girls were dancing and they were line dancing and they made … a train where all the girls were holding on to each other and running around the room,” Taylor said.

Taylor said one of her favorite moments overall was when the Roncito Gals shook champagne all over their teammates after bringing in the biggest fish of the tournament.

Taylor said she has already started thinking about ideas for next year.

“We always take notes on things that we can do to improve. There are a few changes that we’re going to make to the rules, which I believe our boats and our anglers are going to enjoy,” Taylor said. “We’re going to increase the number of rods that you’re allowed to fish … I think a lot of people are going to be happy to hear about (that).”

By Hunter Hine Staff Writer

(June 23, 2023) Final registration for the Ocean City Marlin Club’s 44th annual Small Boat fishing tournament is today from 6:30-8 p.m., and can be done in-person, online or over the phone.

As per the tournament’s name, it is open to small boats only – 34 feet and under. It helps even the playing field for smaller boat owners, said Boz Jefferson, chairman of the tournament with Bill Regan and Colin Campbell.

“Say you have a 26-foot boat and you get in a tournament, and the other 10 boats are 65 feet or 58 feet, or much larger, there’s definitely an advantage,” Jefferson said. “To compete against the bigger boats is almost impossible because of the equipment and the technology.”

Anglers can choose to fish either Saturday or Sunday, but not both, to target inshore species like bluefish, seabass, flounder and rockfish, and offshore species such as dolphin and tuna. Yellowfin, longfin, bigeye and bluefin are all eligible tuna species.

There is also a release-only billfish category for blue and white marlin, swordfish, spearfish and sailfish. Anglers must take a picture of any blue marlin they catch to show to the weigh masters, or it will be awarded points as a white marlin.

“We don’t believe in killing billfish on a regular basis. It’s the conservation side of our process,” Jefferson said.

Since OCMC started requiring inline circle-hooks in its tournaments and people have been catching them on lighter tackle, the survival rate for released billfish has gone over 90 percent, Jefferson said.

Jefferson said although it’s still early, there have probably been less than 10 blue marlin and less than 10 white marlin caught this year as of June 16.

Registration for boats is split into two categories; inshore and offshore, which both cost $300 to enter and in- cludes up to five anglers. Participants can register for one or both categories.

Each additional angler thereafter costs an extra $65, and participants do not have to be a Marlin Club member to participate.

Tonight, there will also be a captains meeting at 7:45 p.m., which at least one person from each boat must attend. It can be done in-person or online through a meeting link on the Marlin Club’s Facebook page.

Calcuttas are grouped into three categories.

First is inshore meat fish, for which level A costs $100 and level B costs $200. Both are split among the top three winners through a 50, 30, 20 ratio.

Level C in this division costs $300 and is winner-take-all.

The second group of calcuttas is offshore meat fish, with three levels that cost the same as the inshore category and split winnings the same way.

For offshore billfish, there is one $200 calcutta that is winner-take-all.

Lines go in at 6:30 a.m. and come out at 3 p.m. both days, and boats cannot go over 100 miles past the OC sea buoy when fishing offshore.

Weigh-ins for Saturday and Sunday are located at Sunset Marina in West Ocean City, and run from 36:30 p.m. Boats must be in the marina cut by 6:30 p.m.

The awards banquet and crab feast is Sunday from 6:30-9:00 p.m., and takes place under the OCMC clubhouse.

Registration includes five tickets to the banquet. Additional banquet tickets cost $65 for adults and $30 for children under 12 and can be purchased at registration.

Last year, the Marlin Club awarded just over $23,000, with 51 participating boats.

For more information, visit https://ocmarlinclub.com/tournaments, and to register by phone, call 410-213-1613.