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| News Headline |
| Mid-Atlantic $500,000 kicks off Aug 17 |
| Wed, Aug 06, 2008 |
The days of summer are passing faster than a 40-plus knot sportfishing vessel and with the offshore fishing season is in high gear that can only mean one thing for tournament anglers! The 2008 Mid-Atlantic $500,000 is a couple weeks away and tournament preparations are progressing smoothly at Canyon Club Resort Marina in Cape May and Sunset Marina in Ocean City, Maryland. Each facility is preparing to host the best boats and crews on the big game tournament fishing circuit later this month for what is setting up to be another stellar event. If catch reports from the past few weeks are any indication, participants could be in for a wild week of fishing along the canyons of the mid-Atlantic coast. Pelagic species are on the prowl along the edge and several warm-water eddies have attracted baitfish which the marlin, tuna, dolphin and wahoo feed on.
The Mid-Atlantic $500,000 kicks off on Sunday, August 17 with last minute registration, calcutta entries and a welcoming cocktail party taking place from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. followed by a brief captain's meeting at 4:30 p.m. under the tournament tent at each marinas. Boats may fish out of Cape May or Ocean City, Maryland but all participants must declare when registering which inlet they will sail from during the duration of the tournament. Fishing begins on Monday, August 18 and ends on Friday, August 22 and the tournament's captain's choice format allows boats to select three of those five days to fish. All boats must fish within 125 miles of the Cape May Sea Buoy regardless of which inlet they choose to sail from and participants may not pass their respective inlet's sea buoy prior to 4:30 a.m. on each fishing day. Lines cannot be placed in the water before 8:30 a.m. and fishing ends at 3:30 p.m. in this trolling only event. Canyon Club Resort Marina and Sunset Marina will each provide full weigh-in for all species and scales open at 5 p.m. and close at 9 p.m. each evening. Please note the Mid-Atlantic $500,000 is a private event and is not open to the general public. Tournament credentials are required for access to any tournament-related facilities, activities and social events.
A minimum cash payout of tournament proceeds of $500,000 is insured with a field of at least 125 boats and calcutta pools could push the total payout to close to $2 million! While some tournaments offer a large payout that's weighted for a single fish or species, Mid-Atlantic $500,000 offers a unique prize structure that awards substantial payouts for the three heaviest white marlin, blue marlin and tuna while dolphin and wahoo also are worth a substantial cash prize as well. The three heaviest white marlin and blue marlin earn $100,000, $50,000 and $25,000 respectively while the top three tuna are worth $75,000, $35,000 and $20,000. The heaviest dolphin and wahoo are each worth $10,000. Minimum weights for each species to win cash include 60 pounds for white marlin and 400 pounds for blue marlin. The minimum weight for a tuna to qualify for cash is 50 pounds and only big eye, yellowfin and true albacore are eligible. There is no minimum weight for dolphin or wahoo. Billfish released under the minimum weight and tuna weighed over the minimum weight earn points and the top three point winners in each category will receive valuable tournament awards.
The tournament also benefits the International Game Fish Association and the Recreational Fishing Alliance and numerous fund raising activities will take place during tournament week. Most notably is the Mega-Marlin Raffle where valuable prizes including marine artwork, fishing tackle, boating supplies, jewelry, fishing trips and giftware are awarded to lucky winners.
The Mid-Atlantic $500,000 is proudly sponsored by Baitmasters of South Florida; Bernie Robbins Jewelers; Big Game Fishing Journal; Canyon Club Resort Marina; Canyon Runner; Christi Marine Insurance; Commar-KVH-ICOM-VEI-Polypaner-Xantrex; Costa Marine; Engines Incorporated; Enterprise Rental Car; EZ2CY; FLIR; Fraser-Volpe; Garmin International; Grace Energy; Guy Harvey; Homestead Realty; Johnson and Towers; Mack Boring and Parts; MAN Engines and Components; Midlantic Gold Rush; OceanLED; Ocean Yachts; Offshore Financial and Offshore Electronics. Additional sponsors include Pacific Fins Resort Marina Guatemala; Pelagic, Inc.; Penn Reels; Pettit Paint; PipeTowers; Pompanette; Premier Detailing; PropSpeed; Ransome Engine; Raymarine; Saltwater Sportsman; South Jersey Marina; South Jersey Yacht Sales; Sperry Topsider; Sturdy Bank; Sunset Marina; Twin Disc; Underwater Lights; Washington Inn; WKR Construction; WXWORX XM Satellite and ZF Marine.
The Mid-Atlantic $500,000 is just a few weeks away so those wishing to participate should plan now to be part of sportfishing's Main Event. With its large cash purse, nightly dockside dinners and entertainment, world class field and history of spectacular fishing, it's no wonder the Mid-Atlantic $500,000 is the highlight of the tournament calendar in August each year. For further information contact Tournament Director Bob Glover at 609-884-2400 or visit www.ma500.com |
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