Tournament Talk – November/December 2025

THREE G’S WINS MONTAUK CANYON CHALLENGE
Great weather and great fishing led to a record-breaking Montauk Canyon Challenge in New York, which broke the $1 million mark in prize money.
In the end, the team on the Three G’s came out on top and took home the grand champion title among 84 competing boats with a top score trifecta of 151 and a yellowfin stringer of 273.2 pounds. Their largest yellowfin checked in at 100 pounds.
The event, presented by Staten Island Yachts, saw a number of bigeye tuna brought to the scales. The team on the Checkmate had the heaviest tuna overall with a 248.6-pound bigeye, and Bad Daddy II weighed a 233.8-pound bigeye that also took top honors in the Outboard Division.
Loose Cannon had the heaviest albacore with a 64.6-pounder. Wharf Rat took top mahi honors with a 31.2-pounder while Canyon Bound weighed an 81.6-pound swordfish to top that category. Miss Maggie had the heaviest bluefin at 149 pounds.
ADHD was second in the Outboard Division tuna category with a 187.2-pound bigeye. Miss Cameron took the outboard yellowfin honors with an 88.2-pound yellowfin, and Wharf Rat’s 31.2-pounder took the outboard division mahi trophy.
The Bob & Karen Weaver Memorial Junior Angler Award went to Petey Vivenzio with his 131.2-pound bigeye, and Sara Horowitz took top Female Angler honors with a 97.8-pound bigeye.
“From start to finish, the 2025 MCC was the best we’ve had,” tournament director Chris Squeri said, with a record number of boats participating and great fishing.

FEAR N MONEY WINS 1ST HAMPTONS SHOOTOUT
The inaugural Hamptons Shootout in New York drew 25 boats, with grand champion honors going to Fear n Money.
The team’s 189-pound bigeye was the heaviest tuna, and they weighed a 46.8-pound yellowfin and a 34.6-pound albacore along with an 8-pound mahi.
Canyon Bound took top calcutta money with a 166.2-pound bigeye. Alexa Ann had a solid catch of bigeyes and yellowfin tuna to take second in prize money.
The team on Gunite came in with a 128.6-pound swordfish, a 30.2-pound wahoo, 24.4-pound mahi and an impressive 90.2-pound yellowfin. Ziggy took the trophy for top three yellowfin stringer, and Peelin Drag had the heaviest yellowfin with 104.2-pounder. Girl Frankie had the top albacore with a 35.8-pounder.
The top Junior Angler Award went to Tommy Kaliminos with his 128.4-pound bigeye. Top Outboard winnings went to Fear n Money, Patriot and Reel Addiction.

ONE LOVE NAMED NY OFFSHORE CHAMPION
The inaugural New York Offshore Championship saw 15 boats that competed for honors as they fished the Hamptons Shootout and the Montauk Canyon Challenge.
The two events, operated by Staten Island Yachts, combine their point totals to select the NY Offshore Champion.
For 2025, the title went to the team on the One Love, tournament officials said. While they only placed in both tournaments, their overall catch and point totals were impressive, the officials said.
“Our staff would like to congratulate Stefan, Capt. Mark and the crew of One Love on their win and for their support of our tournaments,” said Chris Squeri, tournament director. “With 15 boats participating in both tournaments, the field was very competitive in number and talent.”
The NY Offshore Championship trophy will be awarded each year at the conclusion of the Hamptons Shootout in August. It combines the point totals from each tournament to crown the winner.

SHARK BYTE TOPS AT WHITE MARLIN INVITATIONAL
Great weather and excellent fishing greeted participants in the 56th White Marlin Invitational at the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club in New Jersey, which broke tournament records.
The team on Shark Byte was the overall champion out of 58 boats competing. They released 30 white marlin and weighed in the second heaviest tuna, taking home the second highest cash prize at $114,478.
The team on Jersey Nutz took home the biggest check from a record $575,000 overall jackpot, winning $138,616 for its 167-pound bigeye, the heaviest tuna weighed in.
There were more than 200 white marlin released, also a record for the tournament, and the team on Lovin Life set a record with 17 releases on a single day of the tournament, officials said. The team won $48,667.
Other teams winning prize money were: One Shot, $43,367; Crazy Tuna, $35,000; Bam Bam, $26,280; Gray Fox, $24,000; Char Co, $20,306; Morning Practice, $13,000; and Cape Escape, $9,862.

CANYON LADY CAPTURES 34th MIDATLANTIC
After six fishing days in a tournament extended due to the impact of Hurricane Erin, the crew on the Canyon Lady survived challenges of an epic white marlin bite to win the top paycheck at the 34th MidAtlantic tournament in August.
The tournament, which is contested out of Cape May, New Jersey, and Ocean City, Maryland, had 125 boats participating and they recorded 768 white marlin caught, 761 released over the course of the event where they essentially only fished three of the six days available due to weather, and 41 boats only fished two days.
The 75-pound white marlin caught on Jamie Diller’s Canyon Lady on Day Three won $875,363 of the total purse of $3,209,420. The Tail Chaser owned by Jimmy Hahn of Pocomoke, Maryland, was second with a 71-pounder white and won $394,144. There was no third-place qualifying white marlin.
The white marlin bite was so intense that multiple boats had double-digit releases on the final day of the tournament. Dave Anderson’s Krazy Salts released 20 on the final day en route to setting a new tournament record for Most Points Overall of 2,550. Krazy Salts notched 32 white marlin and one blue marlin release over the tournament, breaking the mark of 2,010 points for 26 white marlin and one blue marlin set by Gene Sowers on Trash Man in 2023. Krazy Salts also set the new Most Points White Marlin record, breaking the old record of 1,950 points for 26 white marlin set in 2006 by Al Conan’s Ditch Digger and tied in 2023 by Trash Man.
Other teams that recorded double-digit white marlin releases on the final day were: Rob Carmichael’s Lights Out (62 Viking) and Pat Healey’s Viking 68 with 18 each; Matt Weber’s Max Bet with 13; Michael Jordan’s Catch 23 with 12; Alan Sadler’s Intents with 11; and Pat Healey’s Viking 82 with 10.
The bite was so good that several boats that were not in contention in the tournament decided to fish until dark, tournament officials said, with one boat coming back with 24 white marlin release flags flying.
There were just two blue marlin that qualified. Danny Jones and the team on the Reel Toy weighed an 804-pounder caught on Day Three and received $706,219. Rob Gothier and his BAR South was second at 617 pounds and won $301,962.
The tuna category went to the Torta owned by Joseph Posillico for a 185-pound bigeye worth $329,751. MJ’s, with Capt. Michael Yocco and angler Dante Soriente on the rod weighed a 173-pound bigeye for second and $101,683. Third was Nick Neary on his Lit Up with a 103-pound bigeye worth $135,148.
No wahoo came near the 94-pounder Scott Abeel caught on his Luna Sea. It won $37,835. Bobby Pastorius on his Jenny Poo was second with a 60-pounder worth $49,059. Chip Caruso aboard his Pipe Dreamer was third with a 23-pound wahoo and won $8,372.
Charley Pereira on his Sushi took the heaviest dolphin prize and won $32,913 for his 35-pounder. Second was the 26-pound dolphin caught by John Gudelsky aboard his Reel Joy, which won $32,821. Mike Niedoba aboard his Mike’s Low Budget also weighed a 26-pounder but caught it on the final day to place third and win $22,724.