Leonardo Fluke Tournament Sponsored by NJfishing.com

[Gerry Zagorski]

http://www.njfishing.com/fluketournament/Fluke_Tournament_Banner.png



Update 8/8
Getting close now so please stay tuned here for any last minute changes to either the captain's meeting location or tournament date due to weather.As per the tournament rules, the presence of a Small Craft Advisory issued by the National Weather Service, New York, NY forecast for New York Harbor (ANZ338) at 6:30 AM on August 11, 2012 will result in postponement of the Tournament to August 12, 2012. The presence of a Small Craft Advisory at 6:30 AM on August 12, 2012 will result in cancellation of the Tournament and a drawing for the prize monies at noon. The forecasts can be viewed online at http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?zoneid=ANZ338 (http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?zoneid=ANZ338) or heard on NOAA Weather Radio on Marine VHF Channel 1.



UPDATE 8/9 @ 8:14 AM
- The captains meeting is going to be held Friday 8/10 at 7PM rain or shine.... Since it is scheduled to be at the Leonardo State Marina, which is outside, if we have weather, it will be held at the Leonardo America Legion hall at 860 Route 36, Leonardo NJ 07737. I will post here as soon as I know and if we do decide to use the hall there will be someone at the Marina to direct people to the hall.
- Still too early to make the call on a possible postponement so stay tuned here.


UPDATE 8/9 @ 7:30 PM
Given the current marine and weather forecast, it is possible that the tournament will be postponed. We appreciate your patience while we sort through these decisions. We are also sensitive to the fact that people are going to want to know as soon as possible so they have time to plan. To that end, let me tell you what decisions have been made so far and what the possible scenarios are.

Although we have not made a firm go/no go decision yet, there are 2 possible scenarios.

1) An early judgment call will be made on Friday prior to the Captains meeting to postpone the tournament until Sunday. If this is the case, any pre registrants will have the option to get their entry fees refunded.

2) An early judgment call on Friday is made prior to the Captains meeting to go ahead with the tournament as planned on Saturday. However, if a NOAA small craft warning is present for NY Harbor, ANZ338 as of 6:30 AM on Saturday, per the tournament rules, it will force a postponement to Sunday. In this scenario, no refunds will be issued.

Either way, it is our plan to make this decision by 4 PM on Friday to give you as much as of planning horizon as possible. If we come to a decision before that we will post it here sooner.

Please note that in either scenario, if you have not pre-registered, you will need to attend the captains meeting on Friday to sign up…. Further, you still need to be present at the captains meeting on Friday and have your tournament boat card to be eligible for door prizes. Although the Captain's meeting is not set to start until 7PM, we should be available at 6 or so to start processing regsitrations.

If you’d like to know which way we are leaning so far, it’s scenario 1.

Update 8/10 @ 11:52 AM
It's now official and the Tourment Committee has decided to postpone to Sunday. Any pre registrants can request a refund of their tournament entry fees as long as they do so before or by 7:00 PM at tonight's Captains meeting. As per the published rules, a Small Craft warning issued in NY Harbor as of 6:30 AM on Sunday will force a cancellation on Sunday and prizes will be awarded from a drawing of boat numbers. No refunds will be issued. Not very likely this will happen given the current forecast and the fact that it's the NY Harbor forecast, but it is possible....

The Captain's meeting has officially been moved to the Leonardo America Legion hall at 860 Route 36, Leonardo NJ 07737. It's scheduled to start at 7PM but we should be set up to handle regsitrations at about 6 or so.

We appreciate your patience and understanding while we sorted through this decision and hope to see you all at the Captains meeting tonight.


UPDATE 8/11 12:26 PM
- As of right now we have 52 boats.. 56 registrations with 4 of them deciding to pull out.
- Left over tournament shirts will be on sale for $10 at the Weigh in station on Sunday from 12 noon to 4:30.
- If anyone would like to get in last minute, Ray Finilla is going to be down at the Leonardo State Marina on Sunday from 6 - 7AM to accept you payment and application.

Best of luck to everyone fishing with us and hope to see you all at the scales.


Here are all the details for the tournament to include the rules and the application www.njfishing.com/fluketournament (http://www.njfishing.com/fluketournament)

Stay tuned here on this post to get updates and sponsor door prizes.

Early registrations post marked before 8/1 $80 all others $100. Combined weight to 3 Fluke.

Captains meeting on 8/10 not manditory if you pre regsiter before 8/1. You can regsiter at the Captains meeting on 8/10.

Captains meeting will be held at the Leonarod State Marina, 102 Concord Avenue, Leonardo, NJ 07737

Hot dogs and soda will be served at the Captains meeting and Tournament shirts will be available at the Captains meeting and weigh in station the day of the tournament. Shirts are $15.

Should be fun and hope many of you can field a crew and fish it.

Check out this AWESOME list of sponsor donated door prizes. Please support their businesses and note that you must be present at the Captain's meeting in order to be included in the door prize drawings.
The winners have been updated below, congrats to all who won and thanks once again to our sponsor for their generous donations and support.

- $100 gift certificate to www.eyesonfirstave.com (http://www.eyesonfirstave.com) in Atlantic Highlands good towards the purchase of anything in the store including Costa glasses - Gary Reade
- A custom built sea bass/fluke rod $250 value donated by www.jerseytackle.com (http://www.jerseytackle.com) in Brick - Doug Corbett
- 2 Stingo gift bags from G and B Fishing Systems www.stingofish.com (http://www.stingofish.com) $70 value each - Mike Wells and John Sikorski
- $50 gift certificate from www.bucktailboys.com (http://www.bucktailboys.com) - Mick Clemente
- Plano box stocked with assorted bucktails $75 value from www.bluefrogbucktails.com (http://www.bluefrogbucktails.com) - Mike Ramirez
- 5 $20 gift certificates from www.pridefishingtackle.com (http://www.pridefishingtackle.com) in Red Bank - Joe Massi, James Ramsey, Wayne Mergnal, Bill Nagy, James Lee
- Submersable VHF handheld radio $250 value donated by the charter boat http://celticstoirm.com/ out of Morgan - Harris Teran
- Atlantic Bait and Tackle a bucktail spinning rod and reel combo spooled with 20 lb braid $179.00 value - Stelli
- West Marine Sayerville 2 t shirts and a boat washing kit www.westmarine.com (http://www.westmarine.com) - Mark Kipper
- A spining rod and reel from Julian's Bait and Tackle Atlantic Highlands $29.99 value www.fishbox.tv/julians/ (http://www.fishbox.tv/julians/) - Joe Fischler
- $50 gift certificate from the Tackle Box in Hazlet www.striperspecial.com/ (http://www.striperspecial.com/) Ray Finalla
- A Filet Knife and Arc Dehooker $30 value from Lebanon Bait and Sport https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lebanon-Bait-Sport-LLC/248246933199?ref=tn_tnmn - Rich Thieling
- Gift Certifcate for a custom to be built 7' Kevin Bogan Fish Poison Jig Stick www.kevinbogans.com (http://www.kevinbogans.com) $200 value - Mike Husar
- Jeff aka "Shirtguy" from http://grafxnj.com/ in Linden NJ is going to be donating tournament logo hand towels - Everyone
- 4 $25 gift Certificates from Zubacks Marine Bait and Tackle http://www.zubacksmarine.com/ in Morgan - Mike McCormick. Bob Powell, Bob See, Donato Cavluzzi
- A 6'-6" Tica striper conventional rod rated for 1 to 4 oz.. Retails for $108.99 donated by http://www.grumpystackle.com/ in Seaside Park - Joe Lenge
- 2 half day passes for the party boat Sea Hunter out of Atlantic Highlands http://www.seahunter.info/ - Vic Matthews and Rick Warner
- Coffee mugs, Pump out Station coozies donated by NJ Sea Grant http://www.njseagrant.org/ - Bunch of people

First 100 boats to register get a tournament towel. If you pre registered stop by the registration table and let us know.

Tournment shirts are $15.00 each and will be available at the Captains meeting and weigh in station.

[DirtyChimneyMan]

Just throwing my name out there if anyone needs to fill a boat! :cool:

[EyesOnFirstAve]

Here are all the details for the tournament to include the rules and the application www.njfishing.com/fluketournament (http://www.njfishing.com/fluketournament)

Stay tuned here on this post to get updates and sponsor door prizes.

Early registrations post marked before 8/1 $80 all others $100. Combined weight to 3 Fluke.

Captain's meeting on 8/10 not manditory if you pre regsiter before 8/1.

Should be fun and hope many of you can field a crew and fish it.

Hi Gerry! Eyes on First Ave would like to donate a $100.00 Gift Certificate for a door prize that can be used for Costa's or any other product in the store. You can stop by the store or let me know where to send it. :)

[Gerry Zagorski]

Thanks for your generous donation and supporting the tournment Jamie.

[Sharkyispy]

Looks like this would be a great opportunity for many of the board sponsors to get involved//??

[Gerry Zagorski]

Yes Sharky - You and all our sponsors should have recieved an email from me. We will keep track of the prizes in the post at the top of this thread. If you would like to donate something, please PM or email me njfishing@aol.com.

Thanks

[EyesOnFirstAve]

Thanks for your generous donation and supporting the tournment Jamie.

Your very welcome Gerry! Very happy to do so.

[JerseyCoast]

Sounds like a great tourny! The 3 fish format is by far, one of the best for any fisherman. Takes that 1 lucky fish right out of it. ;)

Rod will be ready this week, I will email you to let you know what day.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Thanks for your generous donation and supporting the tournament Tom. Looking foward to checking out the rod. Please take some pictures and post them here if you can.

[vinntastic]

Anybody need an extra person shoot me a pm will carry my own,and contribute to gas and whatever we need to get the job done;)

[JerseyCoast]

Thanks for your generous donation and supporting the tournament Tom. Looking foward to checking out the rod. Please take some pictures and post them here if you can.


Rod is ready, whenever you want to grab it, or have it shipped?? Few colors to choose from, just pick the one you want if you stop by!

A few pics of the new rods we will have available for both "buy it off the rack" selection & custom color selection. :)

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p555/jerseycoast/jjrodcloseup-1.jpg

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p555/jerseycoast/jjjigging1.jpg

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p555/jerseycoast/jjrodsallwhite.jpg

[Gerry Zagorski]

SHAWEEEEEAT Tom! They look awesome!!!

I will make arrangements to have it picked up and will let you know when those arrangments are finalized.

If all works as planned it will arrive too late for the captains meeting and have to spend a year with me and be awarded at next years tournament :rolleyes:

[jmurr711]

anyone need an extra guy? i bring pretzels

[makosnax]

Nice to see such good sponsorship and support. Goes along way when deciding who to do business with.

[hartattack]

Team GratefulTropicAttackMann is in :eek:

Oy, what a crew :) :cool: ;)

[Gerry Zagorski]

What a crew for sure. Glad you guys are in.

[tropics]

What a crew for sure. Glad you guys are in.

Gerry if you want I can pick up the rod today I'll bring it on the 11th. let me know and Tom.

[aduma1107]

Looks like there are 3 others on this thread looking to hook up with somebody for the Leonardo Fluke Tournament. I make the fourth. If you 3 are interested in teaming up and chartering someone let me know. We can be team Rag Tag:D If interested PM me

[Gerry Zagorski]

Thanks Richie but LAB is going to pick it up and bring it to the Captain's Meeting on the 10th.

Looks like he and Bobber will be fishing the tournament too.




Gerry if you want I can pick up the rod today I'll bring it on the 11th. let me know and Tom.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Who else is in??

Just a reminder that $80 early registrations need to be post marked 8/1 or before. If you pre registered you do not have to attend the captain's meeting on the 10th, but in order to be eligeble for door prizes you must be at the captains meeting.

[jmurr711]

Looks like there are 3 others on this thread looking to hook up with somebody for the Leonardo Fluke Tournament. I make the fourth. If you 3 are interested in teaming up and chartering someone let me know. We can be team Rag Tag:D If interested PM me

FIND US A BOAT I AM IN

[aduma1107]

FIND US A BOAT I AM IN

Lets wait and see if we hear from the other 2 gents then I'll get a boat and price.

[rat"BASS"tard]

Team Rat"BASS"Tard is in !!!!!

Gerry is there a starting line or not ?

[hammer4reel]

Team Rat"BASS"Tard is in !!!!!

Gerry is there a starting line or not ?


rules currently state no commitee boat , lines in on honor system 630Am , hope it satys as such as to have to run up there from down south in the AM just to "Badge In " would suck.

already have to make the run up for the weigh in which is already over an extra 100 bucks in gas

[GOTCHA1224]

if you pre register and do not need to go to captains meeting how do get into the calcutta?

[rat"BASS"tard]

rules currently state no commitee boat , lines in on honor system 630Am , hope it satys as such as to have to run up there from down south in the AM just to "Badge In " would suck.

already have to make the run up for the weigh in which is already over an extra 100 bucks in gas


I hear you Hammer the price of fuel is stopping us from fishing some tourneys we have fished in the past due to a long run.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Team Rat"BASS"Tard is in !!!!!

Gerry is there a starting line or not ?

Rat - the start time is 6:30 lines in the water on the honor system. As Hammer mentioned above their is no committee boat so no starting line. You start wherever you like but you can not put your lines in the water until 6:30.

[Gerry Zagorski]

if you pre register and do not need to go to captains meeting how do get into the calcutta?

The tournament commitee does not run a Calcutta but I would bet you there will be a private individual who will and you will need to be at the captain's meeting to get with that individual ;)

[Gerry Zagorski]

As of today we have 28 boats pre registered so a good sign. The reason I say that is most people wait to see what the weather is before signing up, so most of the registrations come in at the Captain's meeting. Hoping for at least 100 boats...

For those of you who plan to register at the Captains meeting, we would appreciate if you would print and fill out the forms before the Captain's meeting to make the registration go faster http://www.njfishing.com/fluketournament/2012LPPBAFlukeTournamentApplicationAndRules.pdf

For those of you not into computers, the forms will also be available for you to fill out at the Captains meeting.

Hot dogs and soft drinks will be served, scale was just certified and as you will see above, we've got some great door prizes too!!

Looking forward to seeing you all and for those of you I haven't met, please make sure to introduce yourself.

Good fishing!!

[shrimpman steve]

team monger is in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[makosnax]

Where is the captains meeting?

[jlrotary]

team monger is in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:D :D :D

[jlrotary]

Where is the captains meeting?
Leonardo State Marina, 102 Concord Avenue, Leonardo, NJ 07737

[Reel Class]

we're now considering doing it just gotta clear the sched and get the team together :D

[Gerry Zagorski]

Glad you all can make it. Had a few questions asked that I thought would be of general interest so I will post them here.

- Each boat will be issued a number for the tournament and be given and ID card for weigh ins and for the door prize drawings. If your boat number is pulled in the drawing you must have someone present at the Captains meeting with the boat ID card to claim the door prize. You will also need to show your boat ID card to weigh in.

- Although this tournament is based on the total weight of 3 fish, you do not have to have 3 fish to weigh in. So, someone weighing in 2 fish that have a total combined weight that is greater then someone with 3 fish wins.

- Start time is 6:30 AM lines in on the honor system..... No Committee boat, no flares, no radio announcement, no starting line and no fishing before 6:30. This means you can go to any spot you'd like and standby to fish but no lines in the water until 6:30.

- I know there have been some concerns about the depth the of channel leading into the Leonardo State marina. High tide is at 3:26 PM on the 11th so with a 4:30 weigh in, we should have pleanty of water to get boats in and out.

- The published tournament prizes are based on 225 boats. If that number of boats is not realized, the pay out will be 70% of the entrance fees collected.

[BWhaler23]

I'm in and may have some open spots.

[dakota560]

Gerry,

Will be entering at the captain's mtg. especially knowing we don't have to run up for a start to the hook. Would have considered entering anyway but as Hammer posted earlier for guys fishing from southern ports who don't tow their boats not having to run up to Sandy Hook adds quite a bit more time fishing and cuts down significantly on fuel cost. Happy to hear the committee agreed to a 6:30 honor system start. It would be great if the Elk's some day makes the same provision so the guys fishing from Sandy Hook or any northern port didn't have to run all the way down to MI only to turn around and run all the way back up to fish and deal with the safety issues associated with a shot gun start in that inlet. Unfortunately it's going to take someone getting hurt one of these years for the tournament committee to make a change. I would have to think if there's any shenanigans going on anyway it involves people fishing the days leading up to a tournament and not between the hours of 5:00 and 6:30 the day of so I'm not sure what a shot gun start actually accomplishes or guards against. Anyhow, kudos to the tournament committee in this case for making a decision that accomodates the entrants and makes sense.

Looking forward to a successful tournament and good luck to everyone who enters.

Dakota

[vinntastic]

;) :cool: :D :D :D
;)

[Gerry Zagorski]

Thanks Dakota. Our committee felt that cheaters are going to cheat no matter what the rules are, so why inconvenience everyone. Beside that, I have fished a few offshore tournaments with stakes much higher then ours and lines in on the honor system was the way they did it.

Good to have you in the tournament, have fun and hope you hang a big one.

[jham]

If anybody needs a guy I can hold my own.pm me.

[hartattack]

.... If your boat number is pulled in the drawing you must have someone present at the Captains meeting with the boat ID card to claim the door prize....

Question for ya Gerry - - Are the Raffles being drawn at the Captain's meeting on Friday ? The Email from Ray Finnila states that "... I will be sending out registration cards in the mail on Monday. If you do not receive one by Thursday, August 9, I will email you one...". Our captain should get the card this week but WON'T be attending the Friday meeting . . . . Thx

[DMac]

Gerry,

Will be entering at the captain's mtg. especially knowing we don't have to run up for a start to the hook. Would have considered entering anyway but as Hammer posted earlier for guys fishing from southern ports who don't tow their boats not having to run up to Sandy Hook adds quite a bit more time fishing and cuts down significantly on fuel cost. Happy to hear the committee agreed to a 6:30 honor system start. It would be great if the Elk's some day makes the same provision so the guys fishing from Sandy Hook or any northern port didn't have to run all the way down to MI only to turn around and run all the way back up to fish and deal with the safety issues associated with a shot gun start in that inlet. Unfortunately it's going to take someone getting hurt one of these years for the tournament committee to make a change. I would have to think if there's any shenanigans going on anyway it involves people fishing the days leading up to a tournament and not between the hours of 5:00 and 6:30 the day of so I'm not sure what a shot gun start actually accomplishes or guards against. Anyhow, kudos to the tournament committee in this case for making a decision that accomodates the entrants and makes sense.

Looking forward to a successful tournament and good luck to everyone who enters.

Dakota


Agree with you 100%

I wrote a nice long letter with pros of getting rid of the shotgun start at the elks, and got zero response or even a comment back when I asked tournament director if he got the letter. Guess someone gets their rocks off of seeing that many boats drop the hammer at one time and makes for a great photo op. so will the boat accident that is only a matter of time.

The honor system is best way so what if someone fishes a little before 630 if that is when they caught the fish then they have that skeleton to live with.

I'm with you honor start is less risky than not doing a livewell check from pre-fishing day before. :eek: Not saying it happens often but would be more likely than someone not waiting till 630


Gerry you are right bigger money tournaments have honor system on lines in. This tournament is set up great, and besides having multiple weigh in sites which I can completely understand why it was done this way. If weather is good I will be in the tournament but not on my boat.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Larry - Yes the door prizes are going to be drawn at the Captain's meeting on Friday and you need to have someone present along with the boat registration card in order to claim the prizes.

If you send Ray an email rfinnilla@optoline.net I'm sure he can work out some sort of accomodation for you.

See you at the meeting Larry and hope you hang a big Fluke.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Gerry you are right bigger money tournaments have honor system on lines in. This tournament is set up great, and besides having multiple weigh in sites which I can completely understand why it was done this way. If weather is good I will be in the tournament but not on my boat.

Dmac - Thanks and by the way, I love being right ;)

All kidding aside, one major reason tournaments are run the way they are is becuase they have always been run that way and they are also run by the same people every year. A lot of these committes are volunteer staffed and running one of these things is not an easy task. There are always people 2nd guessing any decisions or changes made. Therefore, the path or least resistance and easiest way is to run it, is the way you always have because that is what the expectation is. Besides that, you know what the rules are before you go in so if you are in, well, you know what you are "in" for.

Also considered the mutiple port opportunity but did not want to chew off more then we could swallow the first time around. Maybe next year and if so with the help and involvement of some of our sponsor bait, tackle and Marina businesses.

Hope to see you at the tournament and best of luck to you and your crew.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Are there a lot of guys with smartphones out there?? Thinking it might make sense and be fun to have a post dedicated to live reports on the day of the tournament. Thoughts??

[Life's A Beach]

Are there a lot of guys with smartphones out there?? Thinking it might make sense and be fun to have a post dedicated to live reports on the day of the tournament. Thoughts??



Gerry.............now you're going too far........

a. What's a "smart" phone? I thought MINE was pretty wise by allowing me to program Lady Di's numbers (cell and work) in and having caller ID so it TELLS ME it's HER and I can ignore the call.

b. You want Stellie to interrupt his "tournament nap" and post an update??

c. People have NO idea of size of their fish, in general. I've been told 'we got an 8 and a 7' from people I trust, with GOOD INTENTIONS only to have their fish weigh 6.5 and 5.5 Day Of, I will tell my close friends, that I may talk with how LONG the fish are and let them assume what they will. BTW I had TNT's 5 fish weight within 1/2# by length/guess then within .075# from my "Official PUOSU" scale from our weigh-in weight. But I must add that I weighed the fish in the bay, just outside the marina where the rocking was minimal (like the water level clearance).

Glad YOUR weigh in is at high tide. I'm sure the committee crew will be fully prepared: tent positioned out of wind, towels to wipe scale, basket that will fit properly on the scale, hose/water to rinse scale & basket and a cute young lady to greet us at the dock as we weigh in!!!

[Gerry Zagorski]

Time to upgrade Mike... You "no" they actually have one with push buttons now instead of the rotary dial and they can actually get out on the interweb too :)

Not thinking anyone is going to put up any weights but thought it might be fun for some playful banter between the boats....

Stelli's mits are way too big to be typing anything in a smart phone, he can hardy use a full size keyboard :rolleyes:

I purposely have nothing to do with the scales since I'm fishing the tournament. We should however have everything covered. Our weigh in team are trained proffessionals. Tent will be right along the bulkhead by the fuel dock about 100 yards into the marina on your right, so about as protected as you can get. Mrs Z should be at the scales styling her new svelt NJfishing.com sleveless tee and taking photos too. I have forwarned her about you :D

See you at the captains meeting and hopefully at the scales too.

[Mikey topaz]

Hey gerry dont know if it was mentioned before but a buddy mentioned theres gonna be a boat on the water for a weight station too. Personally i think he confused with another tournament ?

[Gerry Zagorski]

Not at this tournament Mike. Are you planning on fishing?

[Mikey topaz]

Thinking about it

[Gerry Zagorski]

Who you kidding Mikey? You will be in last minute just like the RFA trip. You can't resist the temptation to fish and I'm sure Livebait and Madman will be twisting that already weak arm of yours again :D

[Mikey topaz]

Hahah just talked to them were in will register fri nite c u then!

[Gerry Zagorski]

That was way too easy Mikey :rolleyes:

Best of luck to you guys and see you and the crew Friday.

[makosnax]

Will the comittee be accessable by vhf. If so can you announce weights every half hour so we dont have to listen to the same question every thirty seconds.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Will the comittee be accessable by vhf. If so can you announce weights every half hour so we dont have to listen to the same question every thirty seconds.

Yes channel 69 and yes we will announce every half hour. However, that will not stop some people from asking so I suggest you turn down your radio and turn it up on the half hours Mako ;)

[Bailed Out]

With a low front coming through this weekend- its going to be sporty out there. Stay safe!

[vinntastic]

WHEN WILL WE NO IF ITS A NO GO.......SOUTH WINDS 10 TO 15 GUST TO 20, SEAS 5 TO 7 SHOWERS AND T STORMS LIKELY..DONT LOOK GOOD FROM MY HOUSE:confused: JUST CURIOUS..

[Gerry Zagorski]

We certainly will need to wait until we get a little closer to make that call Vinny.
A Small Craft warning (NY Harbor Forecast) could force a postponement, but other then that, it will need to be a judgment call made by the Committee.

Will keep everyone updated here in the first post of this string so stay tuned.

[shrimpman steve]

wind guru not as bad. keep your fingers crossed.

[Katie'sKatch]

This will be my first fluke tournament hopeing the
Weather holds up for us .We only have a 17' Carolina skiff big seas means no fishing for us I guess that just how it go's some times 

[mad8713]

SW winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Seas 4 to 5 ft. Showers likely with scattered tstms in the morning...then a chance of showers and tstms in the afternoon.

I'm out for saturday!!!

[tropics]

...small Craft Advisory In Effect From This Evening Through
Saturday Afternoon...

Today
S Winds 10 To 15 Kt. Seas 2 To 4 Ft. Isolated Showers
And Tstms Early This Morning...then Scattered Showers And Tstms
Late This Morning. Showers Likely With Scattered Tstms This
Afternoon. Vsby 1 To 3 Nm.

Tonight
Sw Winds 10 To 15 Kt With Gusts Up To 20 Kt. Seas 4 To
6 Ft. Showers Likely With A Chance Of Tstms. Vsby 1 To 3 Nm In
The Evening.

Sat
Sw Winds 15 To 20 Kt With Gusts Up To 25 Kt. Seas 4 To
6 Ft. Showers Likely With A Chance Of Tstms In The Morning...then
A Chance Of Showers In The Afternoon.

[Life's A Beach]

according to the site Gerry embedded on the first post in this thread, the BAY forecast will NOT be small crafts; it takes a LOT to get THAT forecast to small crafts.

BUT with that said, I'm guessing (read that word slowly) the COMMITTEE will take into consideration that SOME participants will fish the ocean and others will be sailing out of Belmar and Manasquan thus coming up to Leonardo to weigh in after getting their heads handed to them fishing in the ocean all day isn't a happy thought.

Bergen County Fisherman's Club Tournament is ON for Saturday. Their stance is 'Fish the bay'!

[Reelron]

Isn't it funny how your mind will play tricks on you? When you look at Wind Guru and see 7's for Saturday the 6's-5's &4's don't seem as bad, for Sunday. Like, "yea, sure we can fish that." :D Oh well we will see, I'm sure Gerry * the Leonardo boys don't want to put any of us in danger, 'cause some of us don't have enuff sense to come in out of the rain!:eek:

[Gerry Zagorski]

according to the site Gerry embedded on the first post in this thread, the BAY forecast will NOT be small crafts; it takes a LOT to get THAT forecast to small crafts.

BUT with that said, I'm guessing (read that word slowly) the COMMITTEE will take into consideration that SOME participants will fish the ocean and others will be sailing out of Belmar and Manasquan thus coming up to Leonardo to weigh in after getting their heads handed to them fishing in the ocean all day isn't a happy thought.

Bergen County Fisherman's Club Tournament is ON for Saturday. Their stance is 'Fish the bay'!

Right Mike, although the rules states NY Harbor forecast and there is currently not a small warnings forecast up there, the Sandy Hook to Manasquan inlet forecast definately needs to be taken into consideration for the judement call for two reasons. One, like you said we have a lot of boats that will be fishing from Manasquan and Shark River inlets. Two, and not to burn any spots ;), most serious Fluke fisherman are going to want to fish the ocean, not the bay this time of year.

Hope to have a firm decision from the commitee earlier then 4PM today on this to give everyone as much advanced notice as possible. So, please stay tuned to the post at the top of this thread.

[eagleyankfan]

Gerry -- will you also let us know if the Capt's meeting is still a go?

Thanks,
Tony

[Gerry Zagorski]

Captain's meeting is a definate go on Friday, but it's likely to be moved to the Leonardo American Legion on 36 because of the threat of weather.

Stay tuned above for the official announcement on that.

The meeting will start at 7PM but we should be set up by 6 or so to process applications.

[hartattack]

Good call on postponing this until Sunday.

Unfortunately Team Grateful Dad needs to bail on this one; too many other commitments on Sunday. I'll be at the meeting tonight though, gotta get one of those sweet tee-shirts :)

Good luck everyone - here's to NJFishing.com bringing home the bacon :D

[aduma1107]

Good call on postponing this until Sunday.

Unfortunately Team Grateful Dad needs to bail on this one; too many other commitments on Sunday. I'll be at the meeting tonight though, gotta get one of those sweet tee-shirts :)

Good luck everyone - here's to NJFishing.com bringing home the bacon :D
Is tourny officially postponed until Sunday? As well it should be but didn't see an official posting.

[hartattack]

Is tourny officially postponed until Sunday? As well it should be but didn't see an official posting.

Please see the FIRST post in this thread - where Gerry is posting updates (it was called off at 11:52 this morning)

[aduma1107]

Thanks...My bad

[Skolmann]

Unfortunately, as a member of team Grateful Dad I have a prior commitment for Sunday (as did another team member) and we're unable to fish on Sunday.

Gerry, FWIW IMHO it was the right call to postpone based on the forecast.

Good chance I'll still swing by the captain's meeting tonight to pick up a t-shirt (hey I have enough NJFishing t-shirts courtesy of the annual X-Mas party door prize raffles).

[loosescrews]

Nice call postponing. The west 5-10 on Sunday should smooth out the ocean nicely, but unfortunately there will still be a nasty heave.

[tropics]

Good call on postponing this until Sunday.

Unfortunately Team Grateful Dad needs to bail on this one; too many other commitments on Sunday. I'll be at the meeting tonight though, gotta get one of those sweet tee-shirts :)

Good luck everyone - here's to NJFishing.com bringing home the bacon :D

Larry thanks for the invite, wish we could have gotten together. So now if anyone needs to fill a spot let me know.
Richie 201 893 3489

[makosnax]

Nice meeting Gerry at the captains meeting. In regards to late entries, I believe that is a good option as the forecast may entice more entries, but I think it is only fair to allow late entries up until the 6:30 start time. Good luck to everyone!

[shrimpman steve]

team Strictly fishing, formally team monger is in. Me, JLrotary, the mortgage man, dales and the dirty cman

well after 40 phone calls and 4 hours work secured a new boat for sunday, unfortunatly we lost a crew member. Dirty cman has replaced Jared.

good luck to all on sunday! Go get em!


OOOPS, I forgot Vintastic

[Islander II]

So, are late entries allowed?

[buckfin732]

From what they said at the captians meeting late entrys are allowed.Gerry said that they will have someone at leonardo marina in the morning sunday early sunday to sign you up.If i were you i would e mail Gerry or call him to confirm.Good luck

[fin_s_guy]

As of 8:15, NOAA can officially suk my ballz. That is all....

[Islander II]

Thanks. I will email Jerry.

[dakota560]

Does anyone have any idea at this time how many boats have signed up for the tournament? Good luck to everyone who is in the tournament tomorrow.

Dakota

[makosnax]

Believe it was 56 boats last night.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Yes - 56 but 4 boats that registered early pulled out so we netted out to 52 I believe.

If anyone wants to get in at the last minute, Ray Finilla will be at the Leonardo State marina from 6AM to 7PM on Sunday to accept applications.

Best of luck to everyone fishing. Hope you see you all at the scales.

[Captain Ahab]

team Strictly fishing, formally team monger is in. Me, JLrotary, the mortgage man, dales and the dirty cman

well after 40 phone calls and 4 hours work secured a new boat for sunday, unfortunatly we lost a crew member. Dirty cman has replaced Jared.

good luck to all on sunday! Go get em!


OOOPS, I forgot Vintastic



I have a large side bet riding on Team Strictly Fishing :)

[tropics]

Larry thanks for the invite, wish we could have gotten together. So now if anyone needs to fill a spot let me know.
Richie 201 893 3489

Still available

[MVP]

Richie is a stud and has all his own equipment and rigs. Some one should snapp him up

[shrimpman steve]

I have a large side bet riding on Team Strictly Fishing :)

the pressure is on:eek: :D

[Gerry Zagorski]

Just
- Finished off my special Angry Beaver patented stinger hooks
- Tied some rigs that will probably be all tangled up when I need one
- Put some juice in the gulp container which will no doubt spill in the last place you'd want it to...

See you all in the AM.

Now if I could only sleep......

[shrimpman steve]

Just
- Finished off my special Angry Beaver patented stinger hooks
- Tied some rigs that will probably be all tangled up when I need one
- Put some juice in the gulp container which will no doubt spill in the last place you'd want it to...

See you all in the AM.

Now if I could only sleep......


ambian:D

see ya out there!

[Gerry Zagorski]

First place 19.74 pounds second place 17.54 pounds third place 17.26 pounds largest fish 9.32 pounds


More details to follow and pics. Too tired right now

[Katie'sKatch]

Congratulations to all the winners today
I had a great day fishing with my wife & Gandfather
Only had 3 for the box today 2@ 2# & 1@ 3#

[Life's A Beach]

TNT

Bobber, Motorhead Anthony and I started fishing @ 6:30 and it was SLOW pickings.

We bounced around out East then around 10 made a move. Nothing really paid off and we're still looking for that big "topper" fish.

Finished the day CATCHING 30 keepers, 40+ shorts, a ling and a couple Ocean Fillet Mignons; We KEPT 15 fluke, the ling and the sea robins....YUM!

Our 3 largest were just over 15 so once we encountered the bumper boats and then heard the weights, coupled with what we had been told by fellow fisherman.........we headed to the barn to clean fish and the boat!

Congrats to winners!

That marina is a farce although the Committee did a yeoman's job considering what they had to work with. Great door prizes and accurate weights given over the radio all afternoon long on a REAL radio.

[dakota560]

Gerry,

First thanks for all the effort and hard work to everyone involved running the tournament, especially considering the postponement to Sunday.

We ran out of SRI and had lines in the water at 6:30. Headed north and had a decent pick of fish, with many 21 to 22 in. fish mixed in and an occasional 24 incher. Water quality in that area was extremely clear. Wind / tide crapped out and we headed further north to find the right fish but to no avail. The further north we went, the more stained the water was but all spots fished short of one we found decent amounts of fluke. We ended up keeping only 13 keepers for the three of us fishing and honestly probably threw back 20 keepers and god only knows how many shorts. Will post a pic later of keepers. We ended up weighing in our three fish at 15.9 lbs, not enough to stand on the podium! After weighing in, we made the long trek home to SRI as the south wind started cranking but the Grady handles head seas very well so the ride back wasn't too bad.

As Lab said, that marina is a trip. Wouldn't want to call that port home especially with outboards. The water was filthy, we were stopped by the Earle Seal Team on the way in even though we were outside the markers (albeit just barely) and there is virtually no room to maneuver. All things considered the tournament did their best to deal with difficult accommodations so I again applaud their efforts.

For future tournaments, it wouldn't be a bad idea like the JCSA did this year to allow fish to be weighed in at tackle shops at various ports. I know that tournament this year had their best year as far as number of entrants and I would think that not having to start at Leonardo and being able to weigh in at other ports or tackle shops in the respective areas would greatly increase the number of boats entering. We had a great time fishing the tournament yesterday but if there were an alternative to the amount of time running all the way around the hook and inside to Leonardo Marina and the amount of additional gas burned at $4.15 a gallon, it would certainly make the tournament more attractive to enter and make the day more enjoyable. The same holds true for all tournaments run. I guess the only draw back is coordinating the results. Under that weigh in scenario, I would think the ultimate winner wouldn't be known until the next day but that shouldn't prevent having the after tournament festivities the same day if that were an issue to the Committee. Either way, just something for the tournament powers to consider for future years. I would have to think it would make a huge difference in number of boats entered, especially for the boats which sail from southern ports and have to deal with the long run back typically into the hard south wind that normally comes on in the afternoon this time of year.

Congratulations to all of yesterday's winners and thanks again for all the people who make these events possible. Their efforts tend to be taken for granted but we appreciate all you do so we have these events to add to the excitement of fishing the weekends.

Dakota

[Gerry Zagorski]

Lab and Dakota - Thanks for fishing the tournament and the feedback. Yes, the marina is tight to begin with and adding a bunch of boats into the mix certainly makes it challenging as does working around the tides because of the shoaling issue we have. As mentioned, we tried our best to work with what we had and I can assure you the Commitee will consider all the input for future tournaments.

If anyone else has any feedback, good, bad or indifferent please let us know.

[Life's A Beach]

Lab and Dakota - Thanks for fishing the tournament and the feedback. Yes, the marina is tight to begin with and adding a bunch of boats into the mix certainly makes it challenging as does working around the tides because of the shoaling issue we have. As mentioned, we tried our best to work with what we had and I can assure you the Commitee will consider all the input for future tournaments.

If anyone else has any feedback, good, bad or indifferent please let us know.



"Current standing - 19.5, 17.5, 16.5; calcutta leader 8.0" Clear and concise and let's those that are considering driving into the marina make an informed decision.

Besides that.....A GREAT re-start to a long standing tournament.

BTW ........how'd Team Old School do?????

[Gerry Zagorski]

Well folks, it's a wrap. Congratulations to all the winners, thanks to all who fished with us, our sponsors for donating a treasure chest of amazing door prizes and all of the LPPBA people who organized and staffed the event.

Here are the official results:
- First place went to "And Stephanie Too" with a combined weight of 19.74. Anglers were Jim Starek, Frank Fischler, Joe Fischler and Dennis Isenburg
- Second place went to "Kelly Ann" with a combined weight of 17.54. Anglers were Vito Manzi, Max Dall'Orso and Anthony Belisario
- Third place went to "Old Betsey" with a combined weight of 17.26. Anglers were Dave Lilly, Jeremy Lilly, Mako Al Pullman and Leon Russomano
- Largest single fish was 9.32 which was caught on "Thunder Cloud" by Ed Grant Jr from Leonardo NJ.

Hope to see you all next year!!

Pictures courtsey of our staff reporter Mrs Z.

[Gerry Zagorski]

More pics....

[fin_s_guy]

Was originally going to enter my boat with a couple board members (DMac and Carl) but after the postponement and predicted wave heights decided to bag it and fish my boat for fun....until my phone rang late Saturday afternoon. The "Bates" boat had an opening and offered me the invite. Battling 4-5' waves solo probably wouldn't have been fun, so I took them up on the offer.

Arrived at the boat at 5:00 with the idea of a 5:30 departure. Funny how plans change. :D Boat was still on the rack and wasn't coming down until after 8:00. Time to go and eat like a gentleman! Haha!! Ran to Atlantic Highlands and had a sit down breakfast with a couple cups of Joe (and a cup of gai). Bwahaha!

Back to the boat and another hour we were on our way. Still a healthy swell out there, but the cuddy on the Grady plowed right through at 30mph. Again I found myself glad I wasn't on my boat. Set up deep without too much of a drift so bumped inshore. Bob B started us off with a 5# fish and I followed up with one close to it on spinning 1oz tackle. Tons of life but no more size. Headed back out deep with a few more fish, but no size. Made the call to run North and set up shop. Worked a nice line and was rewarded with a close to 7# fish boated by Al.

Called it and ran back in to weigh with 16.38#'s. Good enough for second at 4:00...but the row of boats with good fishermen behind us had us doubting our place in line. When we heard the top fish went from 8 to almost 9 1/2, we knew we were done.

Late start with a limit plus, and "could have been a contender" position for a bit was a strong effort. Had a good time and was glad I could contribute in some way. Thanks for the invite fellas!

Congrats to all who weighed in and finished in the dough!

[Gerry Zagorski]

Team "Angry Beaver" had a tough day of fishing but we did have fun. Our fearless leader Jimmy the River Rat, brother Joe, Joe the Blackfish Killer and myself.

Left the South River Boat Club dock at 5:30 and steamed out the bay, around the hook and set up down the beach in the sticky stuff. River Rat put on a bucktailing clinic taking the Yo Dollah Dollah and catching most of our fish. Waded through a bunch of shorts and probably finished up with 6 or so keepers donating our share of tackle.

Wind was for the most part light and variable which made repeating the same drift difficult, since it changed directions frequently. Very slooooooow drifts for the most part. We ran inside, outside and in between looking for the right one.

Came into the scales early and had first place to ourselves for a few hours until the other boats came in :rolleyes: Our combined weight was 8.80 and biggest fish was 3 and change.

Fun times for sure and thanks once again Jimmy for hosting our crew on the Angry Beaver.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Good seeing you, Bob and Team Bates at the scale Boooooby. An impressive load of fish you guys had especially with the late start.

[MM Insure]

Gerry, it was a pleasure seeing you, Ruth and the rest of the committee at the weigh-in. You guys did an awesome job running the tournament and keeping everyone informed, can't wait to fish it again next year.

Vito

[Gerry Zagorski]

Great seeing you too Vito and congrats to you and your crew for being in the money.

[Castaway]

Congrats to vito and crew!

[Fish Head]

Looks like a noce tournament - Congrats to all the winners - nice job V and Anthony and crew!

[Netkeeper Sportfishing]

Gerry, Good Tournament. Really missed it. Thanks again for reviving it. Bummed you ran out of shirts.

[Celtic Stoirm]

Hi Gerry my brother Gary and I would just like to congratulate all the winners of the tournament. We talked to a few of the participants and they all had a great time. You and the team that ran the tournament deserve a big round of applause.

[Art Berkman]

Good Times !

Congrats to the Winners !!!

[GDubya07]

Jerry Great tourney and glad you sponsered it and please do it again next year - Glad to see you at the weigh in also

Great tourney and cant wait till next year

GDubya-:cool:

[Gerry Zagorski]

Thanks Mike. We tried to keep everything as organized and angler friendly as we could and appreciate your support of the tournament.

[River Rat]

Good times Gerry... a few ore BT trips to get the feel for it & that tourney is all our's next year!

Book it! ;)

[Gerry Zagorski]

Great to see everyone at the weigh in station and thanks for all the support guys. Sorry we ran low on shirts. Definately plan on doing this next year so stay tuned.... Maybe we even add a Striper Tournament in the mix next Spring.

[Bass Kicker]

I would like to thank Jerry Gagorski for the wonderful tournament! And how about a blackfishing tournament this fall.

[hammer4reel]

Blackfish tourney would be COOL , and probably the first of its kind :)

[Bass Kicker]

Sorry for the typo mr.Zagorski. I just got new fingers and i need to break them in.