Learn About The Jersey Coast Anglers Association

General Information

Tournament Date: Saturday, June 17th, 2023

Fishing Hours: Dawn until 5 PM. To be eligible all fluke must be weighed in at one of the 10 official weigh stations (that you previously selected) starting at 1 PM but not later than 5 PM. It is OK to weigh-in earlier than 1 PM if a weighmaster is present.

Fishing Location: Fish all waters within 20 miles of the New Jersey coast open to the public, including the ocean, bays, inlets and rivers stretching from the Raritan Bay & Hudson River in the north to Delaware Bay in the south.

Awards Presentation & Celebration: Friday, June 23th, 2023 at the Resorts Casino Hotel, Atlantic City. Registrations beginning at 3:00 PM and Awards Presentations beginning at 7:00 PM.

Weigh-In Sheet: An official weigh-in sheet will be at each of the weigh-in station. The entrants name as well as the name of the person who caught the fish will be recorded at the time of the weigh-in. Those who would like a receipt may simply take a photo of the weigh-in sheet.

Weigh-In Stations for Each Region:

Jersey City: Liberty Landing

80 Audrey Zapp Dr, Jersey City, NJ (201) 985-8000
Sandy Hook: Gateway Marina

34 Bay Avenue, Highlands, New Jersey (732) 291-4440
Shark River: Fisherman's Den

905 NJ-35, Belmar, NJ (732) 681-5005
Manasquan River: Hoffman's Marina

608 Green Ave, Brielle, NJ (732) 528-6200
Barnegat Bay: South Harbor

116 Oregon Ave, Waretown, NJ 08758 (609) 693-3658
Long Beach Island: Fisherman's Hqs

280 West 9th St, Ship Bottom, NJ (609) 494-5739
Southern Region
- Great Bay: Great Bay Marina
  
  45 Montana Dr, Little Egg Harbor Township, NJ (609) 296-2392
- Atlantic City: One Stop Bait & Tackle
  
  416 Atlantic Ave, Atlantic City, NJ (609) 348-9450
- Ocean City: Fin-Atics
  
  1325 West Ave, Ocean City, NJ (609) 398-2248
- Cape May: Jim's Bait and Tackle
  
  1208 RT-109, Cape May, NJ (609) 884-3900

General Rules and Provisions

The tournament will be held rain or shine on June 17th. It is the sole responsibility of the entrant/captain of all entered boats to determine if weather and sea conditions are safe to fish. The Jersey Coast Anglers Association, its administrators, officers, directors, agents, committee members, sponsors and/or any and all other persons assume no responsibility or liability for any boats entered or individuals participating in the tournament. There will be a $20.00 processing fee for just cause cancellations.
If weather conditions prohibit any or all boats from fishing and, as a result, an insufficient number of fish are weighed in to account for any or all of the “Region” prizes, any prizes unaccounted for will be retained by JCAA.
It is the responsibility of all entrants and contestants to comply with all state, federal, and International Game Fish Association (“IGFA”) international angling rules, including any applicable state registry requirements.
Each boat may have up to 6 anglers and no more than six lines may be in the water at one time. The only exceptions are for those who have entered as an individual and are fishing on a charter boat with more than 6 anglers, a party boat or from shore, in which case they may only fish one line at a time.
Each entrant may only win one region prize. Prizes are no longer restricted to one prize per boat; rather, it is one prize per entrant as multiple entrants are allowed to fish on the same boat.
All participants will have requested and will be assigned a specific region from which to compete. Therefore, all participants must present their fish for weigh-in at the weigh station designated on their application. Weigh masters will not weigh fish from participants who do not appear on that station’s official entry list.
Participants must weigh in their fish between the hours of 1 PM and 5 PM to be eligible to win any prizes. Fish may be weighed in prior to 1 PM if a weigh master is present. The scales close promptly at 5 PM.
After weighing your fish (you may ask to weigh an additional fish if you have two fish of similar weight to determine the heaviest), the weigh master should mark the heaviest by cutting a V-notch in the tail fin. Fluke presented for weigh-in with a freshly cut V-notch in the tail will be denied entry. Once a fish is weighed you cannot weigh another fish in at a later time. All fish must be caught during the hours of the tournament by means of hook and line and be presented as fresh, not frozen or old in appearance.
All fluke presented to the weigh master will be recorded in pounds and hundredths of pounds and measured for length to the nearest 1/8 of an inch. The time the fish are presented for weigh-in will be recorded in hours and minutes. The weigh master will also record the name and hometown of the individual from your crew who caught the fish weighed in on the official weigh-in sheet for press release.
If two fish tie by weight, the longer fish will be declared the winner. If the two fish are the same weight and length, the fish presented for weigh-in at the earliest time will be declared the winner.
JCAA reserves the right to require a polygraph examination within 60 days, at JCAA's expense, of any captain/entrant or crew member to preserve the integrity of the tournament. Failing the test or refusing to take the test will result in disqualification.
$50,000 Doormat Fluke Prize: $50,000 will be paid to the angler who signs up for this category and catches and weighs in the largest fluke exceeding 12lbs. by at least 1/100 of a pound. A picture of the angler and the fish is required, along with proper identification of the angler. In addition to the JCAA official weigh master, one other independent witness must be present and attest to the weight of the fish and must also sign any required forms attesting to the accuracy of the weight. That witness must also provide identification for future verification. The registered entrant/captain and angler who caught the fish must also sign any required forms.
In addition, the angler who catches the fish will be required to take and pass, in a conclusive manner, a polygraph examination, and the registered entrant/captain, any crew members and witnesses may also be required to take the examination by a licensed polygraphist provided by JCAA, at the expense of JCAA. Failing the test or refusing to take the test within 60 days will result in the fish being disqualified from the tournament. All rules that apply to any of the “Region prizes” also apply to the Doormat Fluke Category Prize. In the event of a tie, all of the above rules apply.
The Tournament Director, as well as family and household members of same, shall be ineligible to participate in the Doormat Fluke Category.
Names and likenesses of all prize winners, including Doormat Fluke Category Prize winner, may be used by JCAA and JCAA’s designee(s) for promotional purposes without further compensation to JCAA or the individual prize winners or Doormat Fluke Category Prize winner.
Any and all appeals must be made in writing and submitted to JCAA within two days of the conclusion of the tournament. Appeals must be accompanied by a $25 processing fee. If the appeal is granted, the money will be refunded. All decisions made by JCAA will be deemed final.
Calcuttas: For the Region Calcuttas you are only competing against others who fish out of the same region. For the Overall Calcuttas you are competing against everyone in the tournament. JCAA will pay out 7/8 of the money collected to the winner of each Calcutta. Entrants who join the Calcuttas and weigh in the heaviest fluke will receive all the cash paid out for that particular Calcutta. All rules that apply to the “Region prizes” also apply to the Calcuttas.

General Release

The tournament will be held rain or shine. It is the sole responsibility of the registrant/captain of all entered boats to determine if weather and sea conditions are safe to fish. Participants expressly and unconditionally agree as a condition to the acceptance of their application that JCAA and its administrators, agents, officers, directors, committee members and tournament sponsors are not liable for any claims, suits or obligations arising out of or resulting from participation in this event as a result of negligent or intentional conduct by JCAA and its administrators, agents, officers, directors, committee members and tournament sponsors. Participant agrees to indemnify and hold JCAA and its administrators, agents, officers, directors, committee members and tournament sponsors harmless for any and all claims and costs, including attorney fees, arising out of his or her conduct resulting from participation in the tournament.

I understand that in conjunction with engaging in the JCAA Tournament, I could experience certain hazards and become involved in certain risks. I further recognize that it would be impractical as well as unfair for the JCAA and its administrators, agents, officers, directors, committee members and tournament sponsors and/or any and all other persons or boat owners and their crew directly or indirectly involved in or connected with the Tournament to be liable or responsible in any way for my safety. I hereby release, hold harmless and forever discharge the Tournament, JCAA and its administrators, agents, officers, directors, committee members and tournament sponsors from any liability and/or libel, slander, loss, damage, harm, injury or death suffered by me or which may occur during the Tournament. I understand this includes any claims based upon any negligent act or omission.

I understand that I enter the Tournament at my own risk and hereby assume all risks which may be involved in participating in the Tournament, particularly hazards due to weather conditions, and I fully understand that at any time during my participation I may elect not to participate when I think weather or any other hazards are too extreme.

I, by entering this Tournament, do hereby agree to the terms and conditions of this General Release and agree to abide by the rules and regulations prescribed for competition in the JCAA 2023 Fluke Tournament.

Prizes

There are six prize categories in this tournament:

1: Doormat Fluke Category - $50,000 cash will be awarded to the entrant who signs up for this category and catches the largest fluke over 12 lbs.! It costs only $25 more to enter this category.

2: Fluke “Region” Prizes* (Seven Regions, Seven Prize Packages)

* Region Prizes to be determined and listed at a later date.

You compete for over $2,500 in prizes for your region. The region prizes are: 1st place $1,200, plus 6 additional prizes that may include rods, reels, premium sunglasses, quality marine products and other items from our sponsors. Remember that you only compete against those boats registered in your region for these region prizes. You do not have to be present at the awards ceremony to win the region prizes.

This event is actually seven mini-tournaments in one. “Region” prizes will be presented to the entrants based on the seven heaviest fluke weighed from each region. Each entrant may weigh only one fluke for “Region” prize contention. That entrant may then win only one region prize in this category. Only entrants registered for a region are eligible to win the prizes designated for that region.

“Region” prizes will be presented to the registered angler. Region prize distribution to the anglers (up to six anglers per registration) fishing on board any boat is the responsibility of the registered angler on the application. JCAA, its officers, and tournament sponsors assume no liability for “Region” prize distribution to individual anglers. Arrangements to pick up region prizes not awarded on June 23rd can be made by calling the JCAA office. Region prizes will be held until July 31st, 2023 for pick up in at our office in Toms River after such time they will be considered donated to JCAA.
Only the registered angler or his/her representative is eligible to participate for the Grand Prize and door prize drawings at the Resorts Casino in Atlantic City, NJ on June 23rd. However, the Grand Prize will go to the registered angler.

3: Calcuttas – All prize money from the various Calcuttas will be awarded at the awards ceremony on June 17th. You do not need to be present to win but winners who are not present should call our office to make arrangements to receive their prizes.

4: Door Prizes - Door Prizes include rods, reels, assorted tackle packages and much more! They will be awarded at the Resorts Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, NJ on June 23th, 2023.

5: Grand Prize - 16’ Godfrey Pontoon Boat and LoadRite Trailer with 25 HP Yamaha Motor

The Grand Prize and all door prizes will be drawn at the Awards Presentation and Celebration at the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ. Remember, you do not have to catch a fish to be eligible for the Grand Prize or any door prizes. You only have to be registered and present at the awards ceremony.

Awards Ceremony

The Awards Presentation will take place in the ballroom beginning promptly at 7 PM June 23th. The registration booths will be outside the ballroom and they will be open from 3 PM to 7 PM on June 23th. All entrants must register prior to the presentation. At least one member of your crew must be present for you to win the Grand Prize and door prizes. Only one person per entry will receive a ticket for door prizes and a ticket for the Grand Prize. Valid identification must be presented to register and receive your tickets for the drawings.

“Region” prizes will be awarded during this ceremony. You do not have to be present to win your “region” prize, although a photo session will be scheduled with the winners for publication in area newspapers and our web site. We urge all region winners to attend. Prizes not picked up will be held at our office in Toms River until July 31st. If not picked up by that date they will be considered as donated to JCAA.

To book discounted rooms at the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, call for reservations: (609) 340-6300 or visit their website.

2023 Jersey Coast Fluke Tournament