Ocean City Fishing Club, Ocean City, NJ
Boys & Girls Surf Fishing sign up details
BOYS & GIRLS FISHING TOURNAMENT
FREE ENTRY FOR ALL AGES 8-16
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10TH, North-end beach by the Longport Bridge WALK-UP registration BEGINS AT 9:00 AM
*Preregistration is available HERE
To prepare for registration, please print and sign the below document. It will be needed at the day of registration. (we will also have forms at sign up)
OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City Fishing Club’s 47th annual Boys and Girls Surf Fishing Tournament will be held Saturday, August 10.
Registration for the free event will begin at 9 a.m. at the north end beach near the Ocean City-Longport bridge. Online registrations also may be made by clicking the link above. Please visit the OCFC website www.oceancityfishingclub.com for more information and to print out necessary forms.
Parents or guardians will be asked to sign a waiver for insurance purposes before their children can participate. Each child must bring his or her own fishing gear and bait. Fishing starts at 10 a.m and ends at noon, followed by an awards presentation. The event will be held rain or shine.
The tournament has three age categories: 8-10, 11-13, and 14-16 years old, with a boys’ and girls’ division in each grouping. Parents can help children 8-10 years old cast, but those youngsters have to do their own fishing after that. Every child who fishes will be given a prize. The event drew 99 participants last year.
Club members are donating as well as collecting gift cards for prizes from local and area businesses. The boy and girl who land the most fish overall each will receive a fishing rod from Century-Advanced Fishing Rods of Avalon.
OCFC members will be on hand to measure fish to determine winners, as well as give expert advice. Founded in 1913, OCFC is the oldest, continuously operating fishing club in the nation.
OCFC Open House NEW DATES 8/1 and 8/8/2024
OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City Fishing Club will welcome the public to tour its pier twice this summer in hopes of breaking records set last year for donations to the local food cupboard.
The club joins a challenge made by Mayor Jay Gillian to donate non-perishable foods in memory of Regina Ralston, the manager of the Ocean City Food Cupboard, who died earlier this year.
The first open house is set for Thursday, July 25, while the second will be held two weeks later on Thursday August 8. The pier, located at 14th Street and the Boardwalk, will be open to the public from 6-8 p.m. both evenings. Pier visitors are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items or make cash donations when they tour the pier. The open houses coincide with the city’s Family Nights on the Boardwalk.
In 2023, 2,112 pier visitors brought 385 pounds of food and donated $1,924 in cash to benefit the local food agency. Each of last year’s two open houses at the pier broke previous records for donations to the Ocean City Food Cupboard.
“We’re glad to join the city in collecting food for the local food cupboard in memory of Regina Ralston,” said Tom Yucis, OCFC president. “We’re hoping the public will again respond generously and set new records for the amount we collect to benefit the needy.”
The OCFC food collection program began in 2013, when the fishing club celebrated its centennial anniversary. Previously, contributions were given in memory of Bob Roth, a long-time OCFC member who died in 2022 and who had a strong commitment to the Food Cupboard throughout his life.
Fishing club members will be on hand to guide visitors and answer questions about the pier and the organization. The pier extends nearly 750 feet from the Boardwalk, over the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. OCFC began a pier extension project in December 2020 to add about 113 feet to the structure. The addition was completed in Spring 2021.
The Ocean City Fishing Club is committed to community involvement through its youth fishing tournament, scholarship program and advocacy for recreational fishing. It is the oldest continually operating fishing club in the nation.
OCFC Scholarship - Kelsea Bowman
OCEAN CITY — When it comes to ambition, Kelsea Bowman, this year’s recipient of Ocean City Fishing Club’s annual scholarship, doesn’t let any grass grow under her feet—not tall grass, that is.
In February, four months before she graduated from Ocean City High School, she started a part-time job in turf management at Union League National Golf Club in Cape May Court House. She’s combining that work with studies in Penn State University’s online Turfgrass Science and Management program, while also taking classes in hospitality at Atlantic Cape Community College.
Kelsea’s course of study fits the criteria the fishing club has set for its scholarship program, which awards $500 annually to a graduating Ocean City High School senior who intends to study biology, environmental sciences, oceanography, or a related field in college. The recipient is recommended by the school’s faculty and administration.
“I figure that if I want a career like this,” she said, “I have to be expert in my field and be able to get along with people at a professional level.”
Realizing that typical college life wasn’t for her, Kelsea sought the advice of a career counselor at OCHS who explored opportunities in the trades, and discovered an opening at the golf club, where she currently works four days a week, and starts early.
“I usually start at 4:50 a.m., sometimes rolling greens, which ends about 8:30,” she said. “After that there’s mowing and typical landscape work to keep the grounds and course looking great. I’m a visual and hands-on learner, so this suits me perfectly. There’s a great crew there and I’m learning a lot.”
Her early hours don’t keep her from enjoying a number of activities. She still has lots of energy left to go to the beach, surfing, boating, and golf.
Her family is fourth-generation Ocean City, according to her father, Charles, who recently retired from the city fire department. Her mother, Jennifer, is the club services manager at Ocean City Yacht Club. Her sister Caroline is working toward a master’s degree in mental health counseling, while Katie, her other sister, is at Florida Atlantic University studying exercise science.
Founded in 1913, the Ocean City Fishing Club is the oldest, continually operating fishing club in the United States.
2021 Pier Extension
The Ocean City Fishing Club is the oldest continuously operated fishing club in the country.
Enjoy reading about our club activities, events, and tournaments. We also provide detailed information about the club and the pier. Watch for our annual Open Houses each year.
In 2013 our club celebrated 100 years! For more information about our history, check out the Centennial Page, view our Centennial Video, or read about 100th Anniversary Tournament.
For more information on our club activities, check the Events Schedule, Club Meetings, and Tournament Page,
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