It is once again time for one of our favorite Chesapeake Bay fishing events of the year! Fish For A Cure (F4AC) is a fishing tournament and fundraising challenge, and all funds raised through F4AC directly benefit the Cancer Survivorship Program at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center’s Geaton and JoAnn DeCesaris Cancer Institute.
This year’s event takes place November 9, and there’s more than one way to get involved. If registering for the tournament, most boats will be in the Open League. The Legends League consists of previous Paul C. Dettor Captain’s Challenge winners. Teams that qualify for the Legends League can either opt into the new Legends League or remain in the Open League.
The entry fee is $500 per boat (for the captain and up to three anglers) and $150 per each additional angler. A four-person kayak team may register as one boat. All entries are expected to raise at least $1500 in the Paul C. Dettor Captain’s Challenge.
This is a catch and release tournament open to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. All categories will be assessed by length in accordance with the iAngler application. Categories include:
- Rockfish: three longest fish.
- Grand Slam: longest stringer of three unique Bay sport fish species (including rockfish).
- Perch: longest stringer of five fish.
- Invasive Species: longest stringer of three invasive catfish and/or snakehead with no limit on the number of invasives entered.
Fishing hours start at 6 a.m. on Saturday, November 9, and the check-in time is 4 p.m. All fish must be legal according to MD DNR rules and laws.
Even if you are not fishing in the tournament, you can still participate by donating to a boat and/or attending the fabulous Shore Party following fishing from 5 to 9 p.m. at Safe Harbor Annapolis. There will be food and beverages served from multiple bars, a dance floor, and more. Plus, the winners of the tournament and Paul C. Dettor Captain’s Challenge will be announced at the party. For those not registered in the F4AC tournament, party tickets are $150 per person.
To register your boat, make a donation, or purchase Shore Party tickets, visit fishforacure.org.
Team FishTalk/PropTalk will once again be participating, and we hope to see you on the water! We will also be hosting an online fundraising auction similar to what we’ve done in past years, so stay tuned to our Facebook pages for more details as we get closer to November.
Last year, our team came in 10th in the fundraising challenge surpassing our goal of $10,000 by raising $12,380. We also won both the Grand Slam fishing category (longest stringer of three unique Bay sportfish species) and the Invasives category. Since 2017, we have raised over $75,000 for charity!
To donate to our team and help us reach our fundraising goal, visit fishtalkmag.com/f4ac.