By Donald Wittkowski
Chase Aleszczyk, 11, was hoping to reel in a sand shark or a sting ray. His 8-year-old sister, Colbie, was looking to catch a flounder or a sea bass.
Unfortunately, the fish were eluding them Saturday.
“I had three bites, but no fish,” Chase said, shrugging his shoulders.
“I’m still waiting to catch something, too,” Colbie added.
Although Chase and Colbie may have come up empty, the day was hardly a loss. They and other anglers enjoyed a sun-splashed morning casting their lines into the Great Egg Harbor Inlet during the Ocean City Fishing Club’s 42nd annual fishing tournament for boys and girls.
“Some days you catch fish and some days you catch grass,” joked Dick Shepherd, the club president.
The 104-year-old Ocean City Fishing Club bills itself as the oldest continuously operating fishing club in the country. The club’s landmark fishing pier at 14th Street and the Boardwalk juts 635 feet into the ocean.
On Saturday, the club shifted the action to the Great Egg Harbor Inlet, in the shadow of the Ocean City-Longport Bridge, for its annual fishing tournament for girls and boys between the ages of 8 and 16.
Marianne Hoban, explained that the tournament is a way to get children interested in fishing and perhaps hook them as new club members.
“We want them to be our future members,” said Hoban, whose husband, Edward, is the chairman of the tournament.
All of the children in the tournament received prizes, including school backpacks. The grand prizes were two Huffy bicycles given to the boy and girl who caught the largest fish. The bikes were donated by the family of the late Ralph Miller, the former tournament chairman.
The winning girl for the bike was Caroline Roman, 10, of Ocean City. Since there was a tie for the largest fish caught by the boys, names were drawn from a bowl and the winner was Gareth DiPaolo, 14, of Bethlehem, Pa.
Altogether, the tournament attracted 74 competitors. Organizers said 50 fish, all flounder, were caught during the two-hour event.
Chase and Colbie Aleszczyk, of Delran, Burlington County, were joined by their friend, Brandon Wayne, 12. Their grandmother, Louise Aleszczyk, of Ocean City, was also on hand.
The kids were getting some bites – but no catches – using minnows, bloodworms and squid for bait. Chase explained that the Ocean City-Longport Bridge was a better spot for surf fishing than the beach because he didn’t have to fight the waves.
“Even if you don’t catch anything, it’s still a lot of fun,” Chase said.
Another angler, Colton Morelli, 9, was also trying to catch his first fish from the bridge while his mother, Danielle Benner, looked on. Benner, of Feasterville, Pa., has a summer home in Ocean City on Bay Avenue.
“We usually catch stuff in the bay,” Benner said, while patiently waiting for her son to haul in a fish from the Great Egg Harbor Inlet.
Colton was using shad and shrimp for bait, but he got only a few bites. He wanted to catch a flounder.
“I just have to catch the biggest fish. That’s all,” a determined Colton said.
