The Jersey Coast Anglers Association (JCAA) is once again running its Heavy Hitters Fluke Tournament for four days from August 3-6. “We realize that not everyone can fish two, three, or four days so to be fair to everyone, each boat will be limited to fishing only one day,” said tournament organizer Paul Haertel, explaining how each entrant will be able to choose the day they fish.
Haertel went on to explain how JCAA has made a few significant adjustments to their Heavy Hitter rules for 2023. “There is no special entry fee for the doormat fluke category,” Haertel said, adding “We also lowered the entrance fee with hope that we will attract more participants.” As with 2022, JCAA will be basing the prize awards on the weight of the single largest fluke. “We would prefer to use a three fluke total but did this because New Jersey only allows one fish over 18 inches, which means three different anglers would have to catch a larger fluke to be competitive,” he said, explaining how this levels the playing field for entered boats with just two anglers.
There will still be one fluke and three fluke Calcutta options, as well as for sea bass, and JCAA plans on paying out about 50% of the entrance fees minus the cost of the doormat fluke category insurance for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes. Tournament entry is $150 for up to six anglers per boat. Visit www.jcaa.org to register online or to print an application, or call 973-943-8201 for more information.
