East vs. West Coastal Tug of War erupt in the 2006 World Championship Surf Shore Anglers Tournament

This past week with local spring surf fishing tournaments underway on both the East and West Coasts of North America, a new dynamic has emerged in the 2006 World Championship Surf Shore Anglers Tournament: A East vs.West tug or war in the Top 5 Contender Seats are exploding. A West Coast contender from the Southern California Surfing fishing alliance accelerated to the top into the top 5 seats, challenging the Ocean City Maryland leading contenders.

Lewes, DE (PRWEB) May 20, 2006 -- West Coast WCSSA contender Dana Wilburn from Lawndale California accelerated to the position in the top 5 contender seats in the world championship on the strength of his catches in the Tri county Fish Off contest between San Diego County, Orange County, and Los Angeles County at Torrey Pines State Beach in California. His excellent haul of over 25 Surf Peach, 1 Barred Peach, and California Corbina made him top scorer on his team, which came in second to San Diego County. The catch pushed him to the window of the top 5 contender seats in the world championship. But no sooner than scoring Judge David Bellamy had finish tabulating his score, Dana reported with pictures 4 Halibut catches - all catch and release - to boost him into the top seat this week knocking out Paul Fischer from Ocean City Maryland and pushing out the lone Outer Banks contender Frankie Brown completely out of the top 5 contender seats.

Meanwhile on the East Coast the two top contenders for the month Donna Gutridge and Paul Fisher from Ocean City Maryland lost their positioning by taking up the challenge of Bethany-Fenwick Annual Spring Surf Fishing tournament on the Delaware coastal line. With over 867 anglers from all over the Eastern Seaboard in the tournament fishing the 7mile stretch of beach, it was hit or miss with the two top contenders on the missing end.
But hitting in the Bethany-Fenwick spring tournament contender Ken Jensen also from the Ocean City Maryland area hit a mix of skates and dogfish and leaving the judges to determine whether to score his Northern Puffer fish catches and ultimately taking into consideration that if Indochina or Japan enter the challenge the Northern Puffer is part of the Japanese fugu fish family which is a sport fish of Asia.

And speaking of that side of the world, Australian contender Phillip Edmonds disputed his last week score on his Dart catch pointing out that the small species is a strong sport-fishing fighter on light tackle. WCSSA Australian tournament committee member Daniel McClaren argued the point to David Bellamy who called for a closed web cast forum to be held between all tournament committee members to vote on a decision on Phillip dispute.

Vice Chair Allan Top Smith received an email from a spectator out of Hatteras Village North Carolina saying if anglers from his haunt enter the tournament the contenders don’t stand a chance. Top replied to the no-name email “don’t write; prove it with some strikes on your rod. " With 30 weeks left in the tournament it’s anybody chance at the Coastal, Continental champion titles and ultimately the World Champion Silver Cup.

###