Tournament Report: Johnnie Mercers Pier Dogfish Tournament
The annual Johnnie Mercers Pier Dogfish Tournament was held on February 5 this year. While the stated goal is for anglers to head out on the pier for a day of searching for the heaviest dogfish, the more honest goal every year seems to be a reason to get together and spend the day both supporting the pier and enjoying the fellowship.
The 2022 Johnnie Mercers Pier Dogfish Tournament attracted nearly 200 anglers that landed a total of 38 dogfish fishing from 1:00-8:00 pm on February 5.
This year’s winner was a first-time angler to the event. Billy Strehl, originally from New Jersey but now living in Wilmington, took the top spot with an 8.9 lb. dogfish. The win earned him a pier pass and a $450 payout.
Strehl had heard about the event from friend Tim Clark, a Johnnie Mercers regular and a mate on the head boat that Strehl regularly fishes in the summer months.
“This was my first time at the dogfish tournament,” Strehl commented. “The pier is slow in the wintertime, so I wanted to help out.”
Strehl hooked the winning dogfish in the early afternoon using a whole squid on a Carolina rig with a leader and a small circle hook. He was fishing the north corner of the pier at the very end.
“We did a normal pier net, weighed him, and released him,” Strehl recounted.
Billy Strehl, originally from New Jersey, won this year’s Johnnie Mercers Pier Dogfish Tournament with this 8.9 lb. dogfish. He caught the winning shark using a whole squid on a Carolina rig.
In second place was Wayne Wood with an 8.35 lb. dogfish, and third place went to Albert Marrano with an 8.2 lb. dogfish.
The fishing hours of the Johnnie Mercers Dogfish Tournament are 1:00-8:00 pm, and most of the nearly 200 anglers fished the entire time. The crowd landed a total of 38 dogfish.
More information on the event, including several videos, can be found at www.facebook.com/johnniemercerspierfishing.
