Christina Yukins, winner of the Biggest Striper - Boat (ages 13+) category
Anthony Brown, winner of the Biggest Striper – Boat (age 12 and under) category with a 43-inch long Striper!
Marked by beautiful weather and plenty of entries the 2020 Manchester-by-the-Sea Fishing Tournament is in the books, as they say.
Both experienced and new anglers came out for this year's "revival" event to bring the tournament back to life. There was a healthy amount of competition balanced with a focus on family fun, laughter and of course fish stories.
"We are thrilled with the enthusiasm in the first year of bringing this back to the community, " said Nate Berkowitz. "It was great to hear from many that they were happy to have an excuse to spend time out on the water with their families and friends."
When the final bell tolled at noon on Sunday, the 91 anglers that participated had submitted 44 entries. Catches were submitted by taking a picture of the fish with an official tournament ruler, allowing for catch and release. Of the entries, 10 were over 40 inches.
There were 4 categories in this year's tournament. Here are the top Anglers in each category:
Biggest Striper - Boat (Age 13+)
Christina Yukins - 46in
Biggest Striper - Boat (Age 12 and under)
Anthony Brown - 43in
Biggest Striper - Shore (Age 13+)
Connor Heney - 25.5in
Biggest Striper - Shore (Age 12 and under)
William Connell - 24.5in
Elizabeth Brown Swanson was out on the water and at the docks with her camera, filming for four days for a special edition of the television show she hosts for 1623 Studios, “Scoop Manchester.” The show will dip back into the 19-year history of the tournament, standout moments over the years and reporting on its return. The show will air later this month on “Cape Ann Television”.
There was so much positive sentiment and excitement to bring this summer tradition back to life that organizers plan to make this an annual event and hope to bring back some of the favorite components: the t-shirts and the BBQ. Until then... as they say “tight lines.”
There were a number of volunteers who made the tournament a success. The planning committee consisted of Nate Berkowitz, Sally Berkowitz, Christina Yukins, Peter Yukins, and David Baer. Tournament judges were Peter Yukins and Nate Berkowitz.
Several businesses made prize and monetary donations to offset operating costs including Manchester Marine, Crocker’s Boatyard, Three Lanterns, Fisherman’s Outfitter, Crosby’s Market, Bravo-by-the-Sea, Captain Dusty’s, Allie’s Beach Street Cafe, 4 Beach and Manchester by-the-Book with additional prizes from The Mooring, Helen’s Bottle Shop, Laughing Gull, Black Arrow, and Ace Hardware.
“Thank you to all of the volunteers and businesses that participated,” said Berkowitz. “Special thanks to Liz Brown for helping to get the word out … and stay tuned for a special television documentary coming soon!”
