This November, the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) will be hosting the 2022 IGFA SoCal Swordfish Open, an exclusive two-day tournament taking place during prime Swordfish season off the coast of Southern California. This tournament will be open to the public and will include three tournament weigh stations: The Marlin Club in San Diego, the Balboa Angling Club in Newport Beach, and the Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club in Oxnard, making it truly accessible to anglers throughout Southern California.
The second annual, two-day tournament will require strict adherence to IGFA Angling Rules and will have both weight and release categories. There is a maximum of four anglers per team, and the early bird entry fee is $300 per angler, when you register before September 1, 2022. The entry fee after September 1, 2022, is $350 per angler. The registration fee covers your tournament angler bag, as well as food and beverages at the awards ceremony on Sunday, November 13, 2022. Click here to register for the tournament or purchase guest tickets.
Teams can pick up their tournament bags on Wednesday or Thursday the week of the tournament at one of three locations: Dana Landing in San Diego, Melton’s Tackle in Anaheim, or Eric’s Tackle Shop in Ventura. A virtual Captain’s Meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. A team representative must be in attendance and all participants are encouraged to join. The time of the meeting and a link to the Zoom call will be provided to all registered teams and participants.
Fishing will take place over two days – Friday, November 11th and Saturday, November 12th, with lines in at 6AM and lines out at 5PM, with fish to be weighed at designated weigh in stations no later than 7PM both days. The awards ceremony will be held at noon on Sunday, November 12th at the Dana Point Yacht Club. To see the full schedule of tournament events, click here.
Last year’s inaugural IGFA SoCal Swordfish Open was a huge success, with a total of 11 swordfish hooked, five fish weighed in, two fish released, and four fish lost over a two-day span. As Southern California anglers dial in their Swordfish fishing techniques, we are optimistic that the 2022 IGFA SoCal Swordfish Open will see some impressive catches along with its share of released fish.
For any additional information or to inquire about the tournament, please contact IGFA HQ at hq@igfa.org or 954-927-2628. You can also visit the tournament website here: 2022 IGFA SoCal Swordfish Open.
