With the reopening of the summer flounder (fluke) fishery comes the very first tournaments of the 2023 season in the New Jersey, Delaware Bay region.
First up is the Joe Morris Memorial Canal Flounder Tournament on May 19 out of Lewes, DE. Cost for entry is $40 per angler at Lewes Harbour Marina, with $20 going directly to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
Tournament fishing runs from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. with weigh-ins at Lewes Harbour Marina until 4 p.m. Boundaries run from the Rehoboth Bay Canal entrance at Roosevelt Inlet, and Broadkill River to Oyster Rocks Road.
Payout is determined by the number of tournament participants with heaviest flounder getting 40% of the pool, second place taking 25%, third picking up 20% and fourth heaviest flounder collecting 15% of the pool. Both fifth and sixth place finishers will also win a prize.
For details stop by Lewes Harbour Marina or call 302-645-6227.
In South Jersey, the Bass River Classic returns as the Valhalla Flounder Open on Saturday, May 20. Presented by Valhalla Yachting Center on the Bass River, entry is $110 per boat with payouts of $1,500 for first, $1,000 for second and $500 for third based on a two-fish total weigh-in; there will also be calcuttas for big bag (three fish) and heaviest fluke of the tournament.
There’s no captains meeting for this year’s Valhalla Flounder Open on May 20; teams can register online at fisheriesconservationtrust.org. It’s “lines in” at 5 a.m. with weigh-in from 2 to 4 p.m. out back of Breeze’s Dock Bar & Grill at the Viking Yachting Center in New Gretna, NJ with an awards party from 4 to 6 p.m. and awards presented at 5:30 p.m.
