Registrations are underway for the 70th annual Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic running from Saturday, October 5 through Sunday, December 8. The nine-week surfcasting tournament is an LBI tradition, long known simply as The Derby.
Typical seasons see upwards of 500 to 700 surfcasters participating in the season-long event, with the first 500 registered anglers receiving a tournament fishing hat emblazoned with LBI Surf Fishing Classic and Ship Bottom brewery logos. As with other years, the contest will have a large inventory of cash and gear prizes for successful anglers.
Once again in 2024, there will be special tournament cash prizes for striped bass, bluefish, kingfish, redfish and tautog. A new tournament wrinkle added in ’23 that continues this season is the special Grand Slam prize (most tournament eligible species weighed in) and a unique “catch and release” segment for anglers hoping to catch the largest striper of the event towards the crowning of a ‘24 Surf Master good for prizes including a striped bass mount courtesy of Rinehart Taxidermy.
There are multiple ways to win cash in this year’s event, on a daily, weekly, and tri-monthly basis (tournament is broken down into three segments). The LBI Surf Fishing Classic will also run a weekly photo contest among badge-carrying participants, with a Tsunami surf rod given away in each of nine tournament weeks for lucky participants following along and sharing their ‘derby’ photos at Facebook.com/LBISurfFishingClassic.
Registration forms and contest rules and regulations are available at any of the three participating LBI tackle shops, including Surf City Bait & Tackle at 317 Long Beach Blvd, Fisherman’s Headquarters on 9th Street in Ship Bottom, and Jingles Bait & Tackle at 1214 Long Beach Blvd in Beach Haven. Follow along with the daily tournament weigh-ins at LBISFC.com.
