Rules
1. DATE: June 25, 2011. ENTRY FEE: $375.00 per boat before June 1, 2011, $400.00 after June 1st, $425.00 after June 23, 2011. Each entry fee will receive three t-shirts and three meal tickets in their ditty bag. No refunds after June 10, 2011. Any refunds will be less tournament expenses.
2. ELIGIBLE SPECIES: Overall prizes are limited to King Mackerel, Wahoo, Dolphin, and Red Snapper. For conservation purposes, a minimum length requirement (FORK LENGTH) will apply as follows: King Mackerel – 36”; Wahoo – 36”; Dolphin – 30”; and, Red Snapper – 20”. We encourage tag & release. All fish must be caught on a rod & reel, no other devices will be allowed.
3. HOURS OF FISHING: 6:00 am to 8:00 pm on Saturday, June 25, 2011. You must be back at the dock at Flounder’s Beach and checked in with the Dock Master by 8:00 pm. No fishing prior to 6:00 am or after 8:00 pm.
4. SCALES: The scales are located at Flounders Chowder House on Pensacola Beach. They will open at 3:00 pm and close at 8:00 pm on Saturday. All fish must be in edible condition. All mutilated fish will be rejected. The Torrymeter will be used on all fish entries, a reading of less than eight (8) is subject to disqualification. Remember, your boat I.D. card will be required for all weigh-ins.
5. WEIGH-IN STATION: Participating boats are required to proceed in an orderly manner when approaching the weigh-in station. Due to congestion and limited space, boats will not be allowed to remain tied-up after having their catch weighed-in. All fish must be brought to the weigh-in by the boat it was caught on. No overland transportation allowed. To avoid congestion, no more than two crew members will be allowed at weigh-ins to verify their official weights and obtain a receipt. All other crew members are to remain with their boat.
6. CHECK OUT: All boats must check out with the committee boat prior to fishing and may not leave until the start at 6:00 am. Each boat will be furnished with a large numbered card which must be visually displayed to the committee boat. It shall be your obligation to make certain that the committee boat has acknowledged your boat number. No prize money will be awarded if a boat fails to check out with the committee boat. This information will be reviewed at the Captains/Anglers Meeting on Friday, June 24, 2011.
7. COMMITTEE BOAT: The primary purpose of the committee boat is to check boats out prior to fishing. Any questions regarding rules should be directed to the Tournament Committee. Please, no wake around the committee boat. The committee boat will monitor VHF Channel 68. The committee boat will be located just south of Deer Point buoy #144 at approximately N3020.318 W8710.969 until 8:00 am. After 8:00 am the committee boat will be located behind Flounder’s Chowder House. Please leave Channel 68 clear and use other channels to call boat to boat. Some radio communications may be taped. Use courtesy at all times.
8. OFF-SHORE/IN-SHORE: In order to be eligible to win prizes in both the Off-Shore Division and In-Shore Division, a boat must be officially entered in both divisions. Separate I.D. cards will be issued for each division.
9. PRIZES: Prizes are limited to one per boat with the exception of the Lady Angler Award, Cape
Horn Bonus, Mystery Weight, Sea Tow Bonus, and Cash Awards, all of which supplement the prizes. In the Small Boat Division, a small boat is classified as any boat 23 feet and under as specified by the manufacturer. Any winner is subject to a polygraph examination and/or required to sign a sworn affidavit. Social security numbers will be required for any prize of $600.00 or more. In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined by the earliest official weigh-in time.
10. JUNIOR ANGLER BONUS: The Junior Angler Bonus Awards are limited to one per angler and will be awarded based on the highest value for that angler. (A Junior Angler is defined as a young male or female who has not reached his or her 16th birthday before June 24, 2011. Proof of age will be required to claim prizes.) In-Shore species bonus are limited to Speckled Trout, Redfish and Flounder. These species are subject to the Shallow Water Slam rules. King Mackerel is subject to the Bud Light King Mackerel Tournament rules. The Junior Angler’s fish will be eligible to place in a tournament division in which the boat is entered. The Alec Kessler, MD Memorial Bonus Award will be a random drawing from all Junior Angler weigh-in slips. All bonus awards will be handed out at the awards ceremony.
11. MYSTERY WEIGHT PRIZE: The Mystery Weight prize is a supplemental award that is awarded to the first angler to catch a King Mackerel that weighs exactly 30.17 lbs. In the event that the exact weight is not achieved, then the closest King Mackerel without exceeding 30.17 lbs. will be the winner. In the event of a tie, the prize will be awarded to the first fish weighed in. The entry fee is $50.00 per boat and must be received by 12:00 midnight on Friday, June 24, 2011. The total cash prize awarded is based on the total monies collected in Mystery Weight entries less a 10% tournament fee.
12. CASH AWARD: The King Mackerel Cash Award will consist of $300, $200, and $100 cash categories for King Mackerel only and $100 for Big Fish (qualifying fish must be from one of the off-shore tournament species) and must be received by 12:00 midnight on Friday, June 24, 2011. Each category will be paid out for first, second and third place based on a 50%, 30% and 20% split of total monies, minus a 10% tournament fee. All participants must be entered in the Bud Light King Mackerel tournament. This Cash Award is a supplemental award to all other awards.
13. SAFETY: All participating boats must be equipped with an operational VHF radio and conform to US Coast Guard and Florida Department of Natural Resources safety regulations. Captains and crew members are responsible for knowledge of local, state, and federal fishing and boating regulations. For safety reasons, a minimum of two (2) anglers per boat is required.
14. WEATHER: This is a Captain’s Choice Tournament, however, in the event of severe inclement weather conditions, the tournament may be rescheduled for another weekend. Five hours of fishing constitutes a tournament. No refunds if re-scheduling is required.
15. TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE: The Tournament Committee shall be the sole judge of any violation of the rules. Their decision shall be final. The Tournament Committee reserves the right to deny any Boat or Individual Entry in this tournament without explanation. They also reserve the right to inspect any boat in the competition at any time.
16. MISCELLANEOUS: Any unsportsmanlike conduct, validated by substantial evidence, will not be tolerated and is grounds for disqualification without refund. All formal protests must be submitted to the rules committe with a $250.00 fee. All protests will be reviewed by the rules committee. All protesters are subject to a polygraph exam. Since this is a boat tournament and not an angler’s tournament, anglers will be allowed to switch boats in the event of mechanical breakdowns providing the Tournament Committee has been notified and permission is granted. Any angler or boat which has been previously denied entry, cannot participate unless he or she has written permission from the Tournament Committee ten days prior to the tournament start.
17. CAPTAIN/ANGLERS MEETING: Flounder’s Chowder House, Friday, June 24, 2011 at 6:30 pm with dinner served by Flounder’s. Each registered boat is responsible for having a representative at the Captain/Anglers Meeting. Any rule changes and/or new information will be announced at this time. Late registration will begin at 4:00 pm at Flounders. In addition, Gulf Breeze Bait & Tackle in Gulf Breeze will be taking late registrations until 12 midnite Friday, June 24, 2011.
18. AWARDS CEREMONY: Sunday, June 26, 2011 at 3:00 pm at at Flounder’s Chowder House on Pensacola Beach.
