The locally renowned Offshore Slam Tournament started 52 years ago in 1968 by the Florida Sports Fishing Association. The Florida Sports Fishing Association was started by a group of avid fishermen who spent their days on Cape Canaveral, working at Nasa, while their weekends were filled with bobbing boats, hooks, line, and sinkers. Looking to bring fun, family friendly competition into their fishing lives, they started the Slam Tournament which has grown exponentially over the past half of a century.
While a 52-year-old tournament with top cash prizes may seem catered to professionals only, John Durkee of the Florida Sports Fishing Association said the Association "proudly promotes this tournament is “for anybody and everybody and ironically, the weekender family fishing people usually become the lucky ones."
With 75 - 150 boats entering the competition each year, locals and anglers from as far as Tampa, Ponce, and Fort Pierce participate in this historic event. Taking a crack at winning top cash prizes, they bring their catch of the day to the “weigh-in” at Sunrise Rise Marina in Port Canaveral that occurs in the afternoon and evening of the tournament day to see how they measure up against their competitors.
Photos provided by Offshore Slam
For anglers who do not have a boat and are interested in entering, you are allowed to charter a boat. Captain K of the FSFA suggests that you book a charter sooner rather than later as this is the biggest fishing tournament on the Space Coast and boats fill up fast.
You don’t have to compete to join in on the fun. Food, drink, and live music will be happening at Grills at Sunset Marina, beginning at 2:00pm. This is when the boats start coming in with their catch. The Offshore Slam Tournament weigh-in is open to the public and quite the party as each competitor brings their catch of the day to be weighed in hopes of besting their fellow anglers. The weigh-in is an exciting experience as the boats trickle in between 2:00 -5:00pm The weigh in concludes around 5:00pm with awards shortly thereafter.
Photo provided by Offshore Slam
With many different species and many different sizes, last year’s biggest catch was a behemoth grouper coming in at 46 pounds.
The 52nd annual Slam tournament is June 5, 2021 and the Sunrise Marina in Port Canaveral is mission control.
The Offshore Slam has six different categories to enter:
Big Fish: Eligible fish for the “Big Fish Award” are Dolphin (Mahi Mahi), Wahoo, Kingfish, Grouper (Gray, Red, or Black) with a $5,000 payout for the largest fish by weight.
General SLAM: This is a Trolling Slam. Eligible fish include Dolphin (Mahi Mahi), Wahoo, and Kingfish. The prize is determined by greatest weight of three fish of three different species. If three different species are not caught, the greatest weight of two will be weighed. The prize is a $3,000 payout.
Bonus Fish: With a $2,000 total payout for the Bonus, anglers can win $1,000 for the heaviest Cobia and $1,000 for heaviest Amberjack.
*Special Cobia Bonus of $1,000 extra if the winning Cobia is caught in a Cobia brand boat, courtesy of Boaters Exchange.
Ladies: Recognition Awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place with eligible fish being Dolphin (Mahi Mahi), Wahoo, Kingfish, Grouper (Gray, Red, and Black). A fish tagged as a Ladies' fish may still be entered in the General Division as the single-entry fish from that team’s boat thus being able to win General and Ladies divisions.
Juniors: Recognition Awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place with eligible fish being Dolphin (Mahi Mahi), Wahoo, Kingfish, Grouper (Gray, Red, and Black). A fish tagged as Junior’s fish may still be entered in the General Division as the single-entry fish from that team’s boat thus being able to win General and Juniors divisions. Strike-Zone Fishing in Melbourne has donated this year’s prizes of fishing rods and gift certificates for the Juniors.
Individual Species: Largest of each eligible species. Any angler regardless of gender or age may enter with pay outs at
- 1st - $1,250
- 2nd - $750
- 3rd - $500
- 4th - $300
- 5th - $200
To register to compete or for more information on the tournament visit https://offshoreslam.com
About the Florida Sports Fishing Association:
Started in 1968 as a family friendly fishing association, the Florida Sports Fishing Association supports several community activities related to marine environments and marine education. The Slam Tournament is the single largest fundraiser and has raised over $75,000 for the Brevard Education Foundation providing grants to classrooms who study marine environments. Looking to further spread the love of their sport, the Florida Sports Fishing Association has partnered with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation and have hosted a free kid's fishing clinic for over two decades at the Port. Over 10,000 kids between the ages of 5-14 learned to fish and received their first rod and reel from the FSFA. The FSFA did not stop there, however. After partnering with the Orlando fishing club and the CCA, they have funded the installation of artificial reefs off the coast of Port Canaveral helping to enrich the marine ecosystem and boost fishing locally.