The 70th LBI Surf fishing Classic Ended On Sunday December 8
The 70th edition of the Long Beach Island Surf fishing Classic ended on Sunday, December 8.
Weighed in catches during the early portion of the tournament were strong but fell off in the final portion as only one fish hit the scales during the final 11 days.
A comparison of the statistics from this year shows fish entries are comparable to 2023 in some areas while falling off in others. There were 407 registered competitors this year compared to 429 in 2023, a slight drop.
The number of bluefish entered showed a huge jump going from 9 to 47 this year. The blues were smaller than in the past, but the number was up. Tautog was almost identical with 69 in 2024 compared to 70 last year.
The number of kingfish and striped bass weighed in showed significant decreases with kingfish dropping from 29 to 5 while stripers declined from 65 in 2023 to 37 this year. Once again, no red drum were entered.
While catches of fish have varied widely over the years due to regulation changes and variations in fish patterns and populations, the excitement and competitiveness for the anglers have not changed much over the years.
The official results for major prize winners are below with complete results available on the Classic’s website.
The 9-week event was divided into three 3-week segments for top prizes for striped bass. Taking those top honors were young Dante Soriente Jr., Chris Masino, and George Konowal Jr. Dante Soriente Jr. who landed his 12-pound linesider on November 14 is just 5 years old but is already an experienced angler. According to his dad, he beached a couple of 30-pound bass back in the spring.
Domenic Minando’s 7.38-pound chopper was the largest bluefish while William Roth took top honors with his 1.14-pound kingfish. Andrew Wakschal caught a 5.50-pound tautog to take that category. No red drum showed up in the tournament.
There were three $250 prizes for bluefish in addition to an overall award of $500 for the largest blue. Domenic Minando’s big blue took the top award while Hunter Hardin, Jake Smith, and Giacomo Agnello shared the segment prizes.
In the tautog category, Andrew Wakschal’s fish along with Alex D’Agostino and Domenic Minando notched segment prizes. William Roth’s kingfish earned him the $300 grand prize for kingfish with Carl Hartman earning a segment award.
Brandy Hillegass excelled in the women’s side of the competition as she registered both the heaviest striped bass and bluefish caught by a female angler. In the youngster category, Soriente obviously took top honors with his striper while Hunter Harden won out for bluefish.
Taking honors for seniors, Konowal landed the largest striper, Stephen Goss the largest bluefish, and William Roth the heaviest kingfish.
There were 13 entries in the Surf Master Catch and Release for striped bass. John Bonner landed and released a beautiful 50-inch fish.
Overall, the 2024 edition of the Classic was a success. 407 anglers who competed in one of the premier surf fishing contests on the northeast coast. They had their choice to target five different species calling for strategic decisions on the gear and the appropriate offerings on the end of their lines to utilize.
There are so many chances to score a prize in addition to the largest fish including daily, weekly, and special days offering cash and gift certificates. The 2025 edition of the Classic promises to be bigger and better than ever, especially with no change in the regulations for striped bass.
Information on the Classic as well as the Spring Derby can be obtained by contacting an official weigh-in station including Jingles in Beach Haven, Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom, and Surf City Bait and Tackle or go to www.lbisfc.com