FINAL RECAP — 2026 South Jersey Yacht Sales Offshore Showdown: Canyon Lady Runs the Table With Seven White Marlin Releases for the Overall Title
CAPE MAY, N.J. — After two fishing days separated by a mid-week lay day, the 2026 South Jersey Yacht Sales Offshore Showdown belonged to Canyon Lady. Jamie Diller's Stone Harbor, New Jersey team released seven white marlin over the tournament to finish atop the standings with 761 points, taking home the Most Points Overall plaque at the awards ceremony Saturday night at the Grand Hotel of Cape May.
The all-release billfish format rewarded consistency in the canyons, and no boat matched Canyon Lady's white marlin pace. Their 700 points of white marlin releases — seven fish at 100 points apiece — also earned the Most Points White Marlin award and built a lead that the fleet could not close over the July 9 and July 11 fishing days.
Final overall standings
Canyon Lady's 761 points left nearly 300 points of daylight between the champion and the rest of the 14-boat fleet:
- Canyon Lady — 761 points (Most Points Overall & Most Points White Marlin)
- Runnin' Down a Dream — 471 points
- Beast — 408 points
- TLC — 400 points
- Judge — 400 points
Canyon Lady also swept the top individual angler award on the boys' side: Ronnie Davis took Overall Male Angler honors with 300 points on three white marlin releases.
Tuna carried the dock scale
With no blue marlin and no wahoo weighed all week, the on-the-dock categories came down to tuna and dolphin. Knife topped the tuna board, stacking roughly 281 points of yellowfin across the two fishing days to claim the Most Points Tuna award.
The single biggest fish of the tournament also came off the tuna grounds: Tommy Belansen boated a 108-pound yellowfin aboard Beast for the Heaviest Tuna award. Keira Boyd rounded out the meat-fish honors with a 23-pound dolphin aboard Craftmanship for Heaviest Dolphin.
McHugh leads the ladies
Kathleen McHugh, fishing aboard Judge, posted 200 points on her own white marlin releases to win the Overall Female Angler award — one of the loudest ovations of the night as she collected her plaque with family alongside.
How the week played out
The Showdown opened with a captains' meeting on Wednesday, July 8, fished its first day Thursday, July 9, took a dockside lay day Friday, July 10, and closed with its final fishing day Saturday, July 11 before awards that evening. Across 14 boats and roughly 45 anglers, the fleet logged 40 catches — all white marlin releases and tuna, with the billfish board a white-marlin-only affair from start to finish.
Catch our coverage from earlier in the week: Day 1 recap and Day 2 recap.
Standings and category results via Reel Time Apps and the official South Jersey Tournaments awards results. Results are unofficial until certified by the tournament organizers. Photos: South Jersey Tournaments.
