Michael Kane’s 42.69-pound striped bass he pulled out of the Loveladies surf earned him the top spot in the 2009 LBI Surf Fishing Classic, one of the state’s largest surf fishing tournaments that spans portions of October, November and December.

The fish was weighed in at Surf City Bait and Tackle, located at the corner of N. 4th St. and Long Beach Boulevard in Surf City.
Kane, of Doylestown, Pa., caught the monster bass the morning of Oct. 12 on bunker.

The tournament also awards a prize for the biggest bluefish hooked during the tournament season. This year, Randall Matlack of Beach Haven Park caught the tournament-winning bluefish. It was a 16.31-pounder caught on bunker and landed in the Beach Haven Crest surf.

Other notable weigh-ins included:

• 2nd Place Bass: Brian McAllister, Middletown, Del., 39.94-pounds, Nov. 28, Holgate.
• 3rd Place Bass: John Parzych, Trumbauersville, Pa., 38.69-pounds, Nov. 1, Holgate.
• 2nd Place Bluefish: Spencer Gares, Easton, Pa., 15.31-pounds, Nov. 6, Barnegat Light.
• 3rd Place Bluefish: Raymond Sullivan, Brant Beach, 14.19-pounds, Brant Beach.

For a full listing and ranking of this season’s weigh-ins, check out the tournament’s web site, located at  www.lbift.com.