It’s back, the Greatest Bluefish Tournament on Earth along with its $25,000 grand prize! Saltwater anglers across New York and southern New England know to expect it, on the weekend before Labor Day, the unofficial end of the angling summer is marked by this longstanding event that gets anglers of all ages and tackle shops all over Long Island and Connecticut involved in the hysteria. The year’s marquee sponsor is The Surfside Hotel, this year’s tourney boasts over $41,000 in prizes and promises to be then event of the season on Long Island Sound.
There are many ways to take home prizes: in addition to the $25,000 grand prize, the second-largest bluefish landed will net $7,500 and third gets $2,500. But that’s still not all, fourth and fifth will take home $500 each, places six through ten get $200 each, eleven through fifteen will grab $150 each and places sixteen through twenty get $100. That’s still not all, the heaviest fish from each weigh station will also nab a $100 port prize, there are 16 port prizes and no contestant may take home more than one prize. And, new for this year, the largest bluefish landed by a contestant under the age of 18 will net a $1,000 check for their big catch. Weigh in your fish at one of our participating advertisers (AW Marina in New London, Hillyer’s Tackle in Waterford, Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook, Bobby J’s in Milford or Fisherman’s World in Norwalk) and your catch may be featured in our reports section!
The tournament begins at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday August 24th and runs through 5 p.m. on Sunday, August 25th. There are 21 weigh stations this year, 14 in Connecticut and 7 on Long Island. The tournament is confined to the waters of Long Island Sound with the westernmost boundary being the Whitestone Bridge and the easternmost edge being the Colregs Demarcation Line (a line running from Orient Point through Fishers Island and ending at Watch Hill). Please be advised that The Race is OUT OF BOUNDS this year. Also be aware that you must submit two photos will each eligible catch, one showing the angler with their fish and showing the rod and reel used to catch it and another showing the fish being weighed in at an official weigh station. Be sure to review all rules on their website before the start of the tournament.
Entry fee is $41 ($36 for entry plus a $5 t-shirt fee – you must register before August 11 to receive a t-shirt – or just $36 if you don’t want the shirt). The top three anglers will have to pass a polygraph test before accepting their prizes. Your entry fee only covers you, so if you’ll have multiple anglers on your boat, each of them – including children – will have to have to be entered separately. Register online at www.bluefishtournament.com, by calling 203-866-BLUE or in person by visiting any of the participating tackle shops.
