Flounder Pounder in Long Neck brings in monster fish
The sun shines bright in the sky over the Paradise Grill in Long Neck, where nearly 200 boats cast off their lines in hopes of pulling in a record-breaking flounder.
This is the fourth annual Flounder Pounder, an event focused on the celebrated flatfish. With a grand prize of $50,000, a second prize of $25,000 and a third place of $10,000, anglers are offered the chance in to reel in some serious cash along with their catch.
"Every year it's gotten bigger and better," Paradise Grill owner Al Tortella said. "This is the first year we've counted just by boats." He said there were 189 competing, which he estimated added up to about 700 anglers.
Tortella said the first day of the contest, which began on Friday, Aug. 19, yielded some truly mammoth flounder.
"We had some real monsters yesterday," Tortella said. "I personally have never seen a flounder as big as our leader from yesterday."
The current leader, which Tortella referred to, was caught by angler Tony Munoz of the J-Hook boat, which came in at a whopping 11.93 pounds and a length of 32 1/4 inches.
Paradise Grill marina manager Chuck Wallace held up a ruler, measuring 34 inches, to show just how large the flounder actually was.
"On average, we're talking about three or four pounds and 13 or 14 inches," Wallace said. "This one was a giant."
While Munoz's flounder was massive by averages for flounders, it's still a long way away from a record breaker. According to the International Game Fishing Association, the record for flounder, which has remained unbroken since Sep. 15, 1975, belongs to Capt. Charles Nappi, who landed a 22 pound, 5 ounce flounder in Montauk, New York.
According to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Division of Fish and Wildlife, the Delaware record belongs to William Kendall of Dundalk, Maryland, who pulled in a flounder clocking one ounce under 18 pounds on Oct. 7, 1974 in the Indian River Inlet.
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Despite this, Munoz's catch is still quite a mark to beat.
"For anyone have a chance to place, they're going to need to be pushing 12 pounds, or beat the length," Tortella said. "It could happen, but I'd be surprised."
Compared to Munoz's, the two current runners up pale in comparison. Second place, as of Saturday, Aug. 20, belonged to angler Jerry Shockley of the Dancing Man, with a 9.52 pound, 28 1/4 inch catch. Third place belonged to David Walker of Gotcha, with 8.42 pound, 28 1/2 catch.
Tortella noted that, while the ultimate goal is for fishermen to flex their angling muscles and bide for the chance of a cash payout, the event also has a benevolent cause behind it.
"$50 dollars from all boats registered is going to be donated to the Beebe Tunnell Cancer Center," Tortella said.
In all, the Flounder Pounder captures the classic spirit of a coastal Delaware summer before the cold creeps in and the leaves begin to fall.
"We had a great night last night, drinking and seeing the catches come in," Tortella said. "And we're already to keep that going through it all again today."
The Flounder Pounder continues through Sunday, Aug. 21. To watch a live cam of weigh-ins, visit http://www.paradiseislandde.com/webcam.