The yearly Santa Cruz perch tournament last Saturday attracted over 250 anglers from around the state. The surfcasters competed for prizes and trophies in a wide variety of categories. Goodies included hand-wrapped rod and reel combos fro Ron Martin, a new Mercury outboard motor from Moore and Sons and hand-held VHF radios from Johnson and Hicks.

The 8th Annual Sand Crab Classic ceremonies kicked off around noon Saturday. Portuguese Hall near Harvey West Park in Santa Cruz had plenty of room for the nearly 400 anglers, family and volunteers to enjoy the weigh-in, raffles, prizes, and a delicious tri-tip taco lunch. The Classic is also a yearly opportunity to renew camaraderie amongst the dedicated surfcasters.

It was no surprise when perennial Youth Division winner Justin Morris from Alameda weighed in the largest perch this year. Morris just turned 17 and now competes in the Senior/Grand Master's Division. His rubberlip perch weighed in at an astonishing 2 pounds 13 ounces, and measured 17 9/16 inches. A trophy fish for sure! When asked where he caught the first-place winner, he replied "in the kelp." Closer questioning later narrowed his secret location down to "Monterey."

Other notable award winners were Kira Eccleston in the Women's Division, for her 2-pound 4-ounce pile perch; Matthew Jiminez, a repeat winner in the Youth Division with a 1-pound 14-ounce striped perch; and Ken Oda who took the trophy for the biggest barrerd surf perch on an artificial lure. Oda's BSP weighed 2-pounds 1-ounce and measured 14 13/16 inches.

In another repeat win, 5-year old David Guthery captured the "Most Exotic Catch" trophy for the second year in a row. Last year young Guthery pulled in a 25-gallon water tank, most likely harbor flotsam from the previous day's tsunami. Last Saturday, he took home the trophy again for a 6-inch sea cucumber caught while fishing from the Capitola Wharf.

Justin Morris, pictured above shows off his 1st-Place Trophy and his trophy-sized perch.
Photo #1: Shows some of the action that took place on the beach.