TOURNAMENT DATES Jupiter Inlet December 7, 2013 Lake Worth Inlet January 4, 2013 Hillsboro Inlet January 25, 2014 Miami/Government Cut February 1, 2014 Islamorada, FL February 22, 2014 Championship Miami/Government Cut March 1, 2014  GENERAL RULES 1. Registration: This is a Bayboat Tournament, all boats must be under 25 feet in length and no small center console boats will be permitted. All boats are subject to committee approval. At registration you need to have the boat manufacturer and model for approval by committee no boats under 19 feet will be permitted. Early entry fees and forms should be mailed to BayBoat Billfish Tournament Series 132 Navajo Street,Tavernier, Florida 33070. Make check payable to BayBoat Billfish Tournament Series in the amount of $645. per team (tax included). Early entry fee valid 14 days prior to the tournament day. Entry fee within two weeks of the tournament date is $752.50 per team (tax included). Registrations at the kickoff must be paid by cash. Entry fees are not refundable for any reason. For questions regarding registration call (305) 509-1078. 2. Entry Forms: Entry forms must be filled out by all participants with appropriate fees and registration information. Officials in BBTS reserve the right to refuse application or entry into the tournament at their discretion with or without cause. 3. Date & Location: Tournament competition will be held on scheduled dates at scheduled Marinas /Boat Ramps. 4. Eligible Species: Sailfish, White Marlin, Blue Marlin. 5. Maximum Anglers: All anglers should be listed on the entry form. There is a limit of 4 anglers including the captain. This is a boat tournament. All anglers including the captain may fish. Hooked fish may be handed off to other anglers. Any teams with angler changes or substitutions should notify the committee prior to the start of fishing. 6. Maximum Lines: All boats are permitted to fish up to five lines in the water in the tournament. 7. Tackle: All fish must be caught on rod and reel. 20 pound manufactures stated pound test line is permitted. (No Braided line.) No electric reels (except kite rods and downriggers). All teams must use a non-offset circle hook in the tournament. The length of the leader may not exceed 15 feet. The combined length of the double line and the leader may not exceed 20 feet in length. Up to two artificial dredges are permitted in the tournament. 8. Bait & Bait Fishing: Fishing with live bait is permitted in the tournament. Live chumming is also permitted. Registered boats may catch their own live bait at any time during the tournament as long as no more than 5 lines total in the water at one time. 9. Hook & Catch: This is a boat tournament. Once a fish is hooked, any angler including the captain may fight the fish until it is properly released, boated, or lost. Anglers may pass rods to fellow anglers once a fish has been hooked. The use of a rod holder to hook a fish is allowable. 10. Tournament Channel: The tournament committee will operate on CELL PHONE ONLY. The tournament channel is reserved for specific announcements and the report of angler releases. 11. Boundaries: Participating boats are limited to the waters off the coast of Florida no more than 10 miles offshore. 12. Prize Structure: The general prize structure is based upon a participating field of 20 boats. 13. Check-Out: Check-out will take place at the scheduled Marina or Ramp from 6:30am – 7:30am. All boats must pass by the committee at idle speed and clearly display their boat # for verification. Any boats in need of a check-out after 7:30am should contact the committee to arrange a visual checkout. Any boats that do not visually clear prior to fishing will be automatically disqualified from the tournament. 14. NO BIMINI START: Upon checking out, all boats should exercise idle speed. Once cleared from checkout all boats may proceed safely towards their fishing grounds to await the start of fishing, lines in the water at 8:00 am. No boats may be trailered to or from their fishing locations during the tournament. 15. Check-In: Lines are out of the water at 4pm. Boats with release cards and SD cards to turn in must do so by visually displaying their boat # to the check-in committee at the scheduled Marina or Ramp by 6:00 pm. Boats that do not check in by 6:00 pm will be ineligible to turn in their release cards and SD cards. 16. Weather: In the event that weather conditions arise and it is deemed unsafe for the average registered boat, by the tournament officials, the tournament schedule may be altered to accommodate the best weather & fishing conditions available to participating teams. Any schedule adjustment due to inclement weather will be made at the sole discretion of the tournament committee and rescheduled for the following day or following Saturday. No refunds will be made in the event of cancellation. Captains, anglers, and all other members of registered boats must determine in their own judgment whether to fish under the given conditions based on factors including but not limited to the seaworthiness of their boat and their own seamanship. 17. Competition Day: The schedule calls for hours of fishing from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm on day of the tournament. Best effort will be made to ensure the full day of fishing is met for the day of competition. At least 4 hours of tournament fishing must occur on that given day in order for the points from that day to be factored into the overall score & standings for each team. Should inclement weather or any other force majeure condition occur that limits the tournament to only 1/2 day of fishing, the daily calcutta All other general prize and calcutta money will be paid according to standard procedure based on the standings from the 1/2 day of fishing. 18. Protests: All protests must be submitted in writing along with $100 cash to the tournament officials within two hours of the conclusion of the day of fishing. Protests should be made based on first hand eyewitness information. All decisions of the tournament officials regarding protests are final. 19. Polygraph: By entering the tournament all captains and anglers voluntarily consent to submit to a polygraph examination as deemed necessary by tournament officials. All decisions of the polygraph examiner will be final. Any captain or angler of a registered boat who refuses to take a polygraph or provides untruthful answers as determined by the examiner will be disqualified from the tournament without further notice. Such a disqualification will eliminate payment or provision of any prize money, awards, and/or refund of entrance fees. 20. Tournament Discretion: The tournament director reserves the right to implement his or her discretion at any time during the tournament as it may apply to the rules or any other circumstance that should arise during the course of the event. 21. Release: All registered captains and anglers of their boats consent that tournament officials may use without payment or restriction, any photographs or video in which he or she appears for any purpose whatsoever, including but not limited to resale, advertising, and promotional material. 22. Hold Harmless: It is expressly understood that all registered participants and their boats enter into The BayBoat Billfish Tournament Series voluntarily and at their own risk. Further, each registered participant on behalf of other family members and/or executors agrees to release and hold harmless The BayBoat Billfish Tournament Series, tournament officials, sponsors, and all other persons connected directly or indirectly with operation of said tournament from any liability for libel, slander, loss, damage, negligence, harm, injury, or death suffered by any participant, entrant, boat captains, crew members, vessels or their equipment during the tournament. 23. Signature: By signing the entry form and/or registering for the tournament, the captain agrees that all anglers of their boat will abide by all tournament rules. COMPETITION RULES 24. Scoring: Billfish Points- Registered teams will receive 100 points for each eligible billfish released in the tournament. All team prize categories will be awarded based on the team’s overall point standings. In the event of a tie, winners will be determined by the team that releases their last fish first. 25. Billfish Release Criteria: All billfish must be properly released in order for 100 points to be scored. The requirements for a release are as follows: (1) The double line and leader must leave the tip of the rod once a strike occurs. (2) At the conclusion of the fight the fish must be brought close enough to the boat for a team member to touch the leader, not the double line. (3) In a continuous sequence, video footage must clearly identify the fish as well as the leader touch by a team member. (4) The proper color card and confirmation # must be displayed on video to mark the completion of a catch. Any team that hooks up a sailfish in the last 15 mins before lines out must call the hook up into the committee. 26. Video Requirement: Every billfish released in the tournament must be verified by video footage clearly identifying the release. Each team is responsible for providing their own video camera and the appropriate media to record video footage that documents the releases on their boat. Video media will not be provided to teams by the tournament committee. Acceptable video formats are SD cards only. The first video clip to be shot by all teams should be of the checkout staff on the morning of each tournament day. If you fill your first video SD card and need to switch to a second SD card during fishing please contact the committee for an establishing shot to begin your video. 27. Continuous Video Sequence: To ensure the authenticity of the releases, each team will be required to maintain a continuous video sequence from the time video evidence of the fish is established up to the time the leader touch is verified on video. If a break in the footage should occur, the team must reestablish video evidence of the fish again with a continuous video sequence up to the leader touch. It is not necessary to keep the camera rolling while waiting for a confirmation # and color card verification from the committee. 28. Break Image: Once a release has occurred and the leader has been touched, a team member must contact the committee for a confirmation # and instructions on which color card to shoot before footage of a subsequent release begins. If a team is hooked up to multiple fish, a team member should state that on camera with video evidence to support it. If both fish are brought boat side at the same time the break image can be made once both fish are properly released and confirmation numbers are received. 29. Live Scoring: Teams may access BayBoat Billfish Tournament Series Facebook page to view live scoring and team standings during the tournament. 30. Release & Catch Verification: All billfish releases must be reported to the tournament committee immediately following the release. Individuals calling in a release must include the boat number in their report. A release will be official once the committee responds to the respective boat with a confirmation number. That confirmation number should be recorded on the registered boats release card. The tournament cell phone # will be provided to teams at the Captain’s meeting. Boats that intend to fish in areas with poor cell phone coverage are still responsible for maintaining communication with the tournament committee on all releases. 31. Winnings: All winners are required to provide their social security number prior to receiving any awards. Awards and prize money will be withheld as required by law if a social security number is not presented in advance of the awards presentations.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 04:50:46 +0000