When & Where
Friday, October 16: Anglers' Meeting — registration check-in, app and rules review, swag distribution, and boundary confirmation. 5pm ET at The Boatworks (f.k.a. Wilson Cove Marina) in Norwalk.
Saturday, October 17: Fishing runs from 6:30am to 7:00pm.
Sunday, October 18: Fishing runs from 6:30am to 12:00pm.
Entry Format
Anglers compete both individually and as a member of their team (boat). There are two entry options:
Full Team
Up to four anglers per team. All team members must be declared prior to the start of the tournament. No requirement to fill all four spots.
Skiff Team
One or two anglers per team. Created specifically to encourage fly fishing participation on smaller vessels.
To the extent possible and where space is available, individual anglers can be paired with teams looking for additional members. A number of guides are also available — contact us to be connected.
Competition Categories & Scoring
There are nine categories in which anglers compete: three individual species categories (striped bass, bluefish, and hard tails) for both fly and spin, a slam category, and a team category.
| Category | Division | How Scored | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Striped Bass | Fly Spin | Combined length of 2 largest fish | Individual |
| Bluefish | Fly Spin | Combined length of 2 largest fish | Individual |
| Hard Tails (Albies / Bonito) | Fly Spin | Count of fish landed | Individual |
| Slam | Fly Spin | Sum of largest fish per species (length counts for albie/bonito) | Individual — Top 3 |
| Team Champion | Both | Sum of 2 largest fish per species from team | Team |
Important: There are NO separate fly and conventional categories for the team competition. Any fish boated by any member of a team — regardless of gear — counts toward the team total. Individual anglers are allowed to compete in both conventional AND fly-fishing categories throughout the weekend.
Prizes are awarded to the top anglers in each individual species category, top three anglers in each slam category (assuming more than one species is caught), and the top team.
The Generations Division
In honor of Charlie Erdmann
For the past three years, Jeff and Charlie Erdmann fished the Tightlined Slam together — each year they walked away with at least a category win. Charlie and Jeff are great anglers, fishing with great company, but the thing that always struck us was their determination and commitment to fishing hard no matter the conditions or how productive things had been up until that point. Most importantly, they did it together.
The Tightlined Slam was founded with the mission of raising awareness and supporting responsible management of our fisheries. That mission is grounded in the next generation of angler, who deserve the same opportunities we had and will become the future stewards of the resource. Getting the next generation on the water has always been part of why this tournament exists.
This year, to honor Charlie, his dedication and his passion, we're making that goal a permanent core of the tournament by introducing The Generations Division, recognizing the top parent/child angling team — with its own trophy and award, presented at the awards ceremony.
- 1Top parent/child team. One parent and up to three children (any age). Others can be on the boat who aren't family, but only fish caught by parent/child team members count.
- 2Scoring. Follows the same team champion rules — top two fish (fly or spin) per team, from each species.
- 3Also eligible. Parent/child teams and team members remain eligible for the individual and overall team champion categories.
To register: please make sure team member names are entered correctly at registration, or email tayloringraham@tightlined.com to clarify relationships.
Fishing Boundaries
Fishing is limited to the western Long Island Sound. Western boundary: the Throgs Neck Bridge. Eastern boundary: the cable crossing area extending from just east of Mount Sinai Harbor to Branford. This cable crossing area should show on most GPS/Nav charts.
