The 27th Annual Jersey Coast Anglers Association (JCAA) Fluke Tournament took place on Saturday June 17 with a total of 122 boats. According to the JCAA< there were at least three ladies who caught prize winning fish, Dawn Itjen placed fourth in the Shark River Region (Fisherman’s Den) with a 3.67-pound fluke, Darlene Knott placed second in the Barnegat Bay Region (South Harbor Marina) with a 4.05-pound fluke and Barbara Hillman placed seventh in Long Beach Island Region (Fisherman’s Headquarters) with a 3.3-pounder.
But the big winner in 2023 was Edward W. Schaefer from Ridgefield who weighed in a 12.14-pound doormat in the Jersey City Region (Liberty Landing Marina) on his boat Twilight for more than $50,000 in tournament cash.
The second largest fluke in the tournament weighed in at 9.40 pounds and was caught by Mike Drumm of Fairfield who won 1st place in the Sandy Hook Region. Other regional winners included Everett Morgan of Neptune who won the Shark River Region with his 8.71-pound fluke, Manasquan River Region winner Joseph Liotto of North Brunswick with a 7.44-pound fluke, Barnegat Bay Region winner Paul Warshefski of Waretown with a 5.25-pound fluke, Long Beach Island Region winner Ed Lippincott of Columbus with a 6.5-pound fluke and Southern Region winner George Slobodjian of Aston, PA with a 6.14-pound fluke.
“In the sea bass category, we had the winner of 2022 Dean Paolella repeat by weighing in a beautiful 3.5-pounder which was slightly smaller than last year’s 4.37 pounds,” said JCAA in a press release following the event.
JCAA also announced that they will be holding our Heavy Hitters Fluke Tournament from August 3th through August 6th. Complete details and applications will be available at JCAA.org.
