A few 7 pounders, 8 pounders and a 9-1/2 were all weighed in at the Staten Island Tuna Club’s annual Grandpa Savino Memorial Fluke Tournament during the first two hours of the Saturday weigh-in.
But with literally minutes to go before the 5:30 p.m. weigh-in came to a close, it was a 13 pounder brought to the Tackle US scale by angler Ray Rudick which blew the doors off the competition and secured the Staten Islander and his crew a $50,000 win.
On Saturday, July 25th, doormat hunters from Staten Island to Seaside were on the hunt for a doormat of more than 11.25 pounds, which was the jackpot winner in the 2014 event. An extra $100 Calcutta bounty was first implemented in Staten Island Tuna Club’s annual fluke tournament last year for the biggest fish over 10 pounds; it was the crew of the Little Texas that hit the doormat bounty in 2014, raising the bar in 2015 to 11.25 pounds while increasing the tournament payout to $50,000.
Rudick’s 13-pound fluke earns him a trip to the polygraph examiner, as insurance payment rules mandate that the winner must take the exam prior to being awarded the big check. But with various Calcutta winnings in the 2015 Grandpa Savino which also includes the $50,000 bounty, this year’s event could prove to be about the most financially lucrative fluke tournament in the region. Tournament organizer Walter Fisher though said he’s looking forward to seeing what they can do in 2016 to top this; even all goes well, it’s entirely possible that the grand doormat Calcutta could top this year’s $50,000 payout, though Rudick’s 13-pound fish could prove an enviable challenge next season.
While Rudick’s fish was duly impressive, the team of Dave Lilly, Charlie Parker and Anthony Bufano proved to be formidable opponents on the New York and New Jersey fluke grounds this week, tallying a 23.2-pound three-fish total in the Grandpa Savino to win that segment of the contest. That crew and a few others also fished the Point Pleasant Elk’s Ray Schrader Memorial Open on Saturday, and had a trio of fish that included an 8.45 with a pair of 7-plus-pound fish.
The winning fluke in the Point Pleasant contest was a 9.6-pound fish bucktailed on a secret lump by Todd Jakubik of Sea Bright, NJ with teammates Ray Powers of Monmouth Beach and skipper Adam Niemiec.
The weekend forecast in the New Jersey and Delaware Bay region emailed to subscribers of The Fisherman Magazine on Thursday, July 23rd showcased the doormat potential for this weekend. As we compile reports for the August edition of the magazine which goes to print first thing on Monday morning, July 27th, it looks as though there are plenty of big fish opportunities to keep anglers happy with their hooksets in coming days. While not a tournament entry, Lacey Marine in Forked River, NJ also reported an 11.6-pound doormat caught by Evan Gates on a squid/spearing combo aboard Tony Arcabascio’s MAJA out of Barnegat Inlet.
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