The Ponytail Mike Malek Memorial Striped Bass C&R Tournament is open to the public and is run as fundraiser for the BSC Fisheries Defense Fund. Established in 2011 this event raises funds in supports of organizations that focus on the preservation of striped bass, through either research, effective management, habitat protection, or forage protection.
On May 18, 2016, the members of Berkeley Striper Club, his co-workers and his customers at Grumpy's Tackle, and most importantly, his family and loved ones said goodbye to "Ponytail" Mike Malek as he lost his battle to cancer.
Mike was the catalyst that started our Catch & Release tournament, based on ideas he brought to the Berkeley Striper Club from tarpon tournaments he fished in Trinidad. As a member of BSC, he asked for Berkeley to run the tournament with Grumpy's Tackle as a sponsor. We started the tournament 2011 as a fall surf tournament and, after some tweaks and upgrades, have the format and rules we use today. In honor of Mike and his contributions to the surfcasting community, the Berkeley Striper Club has named the fall catch & release tournament in Mike's memory.
Tournament Winners:
2011 Steve George 29”
2012 Sandy 940 mbar
2013 Charlie Muller 36”
2014 Will Fredericks 38”
2015 Jason Testa 39"
2016 Tom Lynch 36”
2017 Devine Al Conley 31”
2018 Anthony Senatore 32”
2019 Richard Kosa 29"
2020 Joe Brown 41"
Ponytail Mike Malek Memorial Catch & Release Tournament 2021 Tournament Rules
If there are any questions, please contact the Tournament Committee at 732-221-0540.
BSC C&R Fall application 2021 (pdf)
Download1. Print application above and mail to:
Berkeley Striper Club
PO Box 9
Seaside Park, NJ 08752
2. Pick up and complete application at:
Grumpy's Bait and Tackle (Seaside Park, NJ)
Reel Seat (Brielle, NJ)
Charlie's Bait and Tackle (Normandy Beach, NJ)
3. Pay using our link below
All entries must be received by the start of the tournament: 8 PM on 11/24/2021