REGISTRATION
5 FISH – 10lb minimum to weigh fish and count. Main and Calcuttas. Dolphin is an exception (20″ minimum) is eligible.
1) Registration Fees are non-refundable.
2) Payment of the entry fee constitutes a representation by each Captain that the Captain has read and understands the Tournament Rules, Procedures, and that the Captain and crew will abide by such Rules and the decisions of the Tournament’s Committee and Tournament personnel.
CAPTAIN’S MEETING
4) All Captains or their authorized representative must attend the Captain’s Meeting. Captains are responsible for being informed of all Tournament Rules, Procedures and any changes.
5) The Tournament Rules Committee may amend the Tournament Rules at any time prior to the end of the appropriate Captain’s meeting.
PRIZES
6) All advertised cash prizes will be increased based on participation. A minimum of 13 boats must enter to hold this tournament. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams will receive trophies for up to 5 anglers/captain.
CHECK OUT AND CHECK IN
7) Gentleman’s lines in at 7:00am on Saturday the 21st. Lines out at 2pm. If fish is hooked before 2pm it can be fought passed the 2pm mark. It is the sole responsibility of the captain to have his vessel checked in with the tournament check-in at Boca Lake no later than 3 pm and receive verbal confirmation over VHF 71 or your catch will not qualify. There are not exceptions to this rule. North boundary is Palm Beach Inlet, South boundary is Haulover Inlet. Keep in mind you must be checked in by 3pm at Boca Lake by radio and visually to weigh fish.
8) Boat Number will be issued to each team at the captain’s meeting, and will be used for check in.
FISHING
9) Eligible species are Blackfin Tuna, Wahoo, King Mackerel, Cobia, Dolphin, and Bonita. 5 Fish can be weighed in- 3 of each species allowed.
10) No limit on the number of lines in the water.
11) No boat may make a landfall, receive, pass anything to or from land, or enter any inlet after Check Out before the boat has checked in. In the event any boats come together, regardless of the reason, or anything is passed between boats for any reason after the official start of that day’s fishing and before each boat has weighed in, then such boats shall be disqualified for that day of fishing. The Tournament Committee for emergencies may grant exceptions.
12) Hours of fishing are from 7:00 a.m. until 2 p.m.
13) This is a dead bait tournament, which means no LIVE BAIT can be used. Vertical jigging, lures, trolling, and all methods related to dead bait fishing are allowed.
14) Electric Reels are strictly prohibited, unless it is a kite or down-rigger reel.
15) All Fish must be caught on rod and reel, and wire/titanium lines and treble hooks are permitted.
16) Fishing with frozen chum, dead bait, and cut bait are permitted.
17) All anglers must hook, fight, and catch their own fish. Once a fish is hooked, that angler must fight the fish until it is properly released, boated or lost. Anglers may not pass rods to fellow anglers once a fish has been hooked. A fish is considered to be hooked once a strike occurs and the drag is engaged or the bail is closed. The use of a rod holder to hook a fish is allowable provided the individual that engages the drag is the same person that fights the fish until release, catch or loss. Mates may leader the fish if a planer is used. Planer must be reeled in to rod tip, before mate may begin leadering the fish. Pee Wee anglers can have help from anglers and mates, as long as, the Pee Wee angler is engaged in the fight the entire time.
FISH WEIGH IN
18) Eligible species are Blackfin Tuna, Wahoo, King Mackerel, Cobia, Dolphin, and Bonita.
19) All fish must be brought to the weigh-in station by the boat on which they were caught.
20) Boats weighing fish must reach the weigh-in unassisted.
21) Mutilated Fish are ineligible. Tournament Committee will make the decision on mutilated fish, and decision is final.
22) All fish submitted for weigh-in must be of legal size, fresh, edible condition and caught the same Tournament day.
23) All information printed on the weigh-in slip, including but not limited to the official weight, as accepted by the person who brings the fish to the scale, is binding on the Captain.
24) SINGLE ENGINE CLASS is the division of boats using one engine for propulsion.
25) TOP FEMALE, MALE, AND JUNIOR ANGLERS that catch the heaviest fish in the tournament will win those prize categories.
26) In the event of a tie, the team that weighed their fish first will win, and break the tie by time.
PROTEST
27) Any protest must be submitted to the Tournament Committee in writing by 7:00pm the day of the tournament October 16th. Only a Captain registered in the Tournament may file a protest. A three hundred-dollar ($300.00) deposit must accompany each protest. In the event the protest is upheld, the deposit will be refunded. If the protest is not upheld, the deposit will be forfeited. The decisions of the Tournament Committee are binding regarding any protest.
POLYGRAPH
28) Top teams will be required to take a polygraph. By entering the tournament all captains, anglers and occupants of their boats 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, angler or occupant 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. Polygraph will be given on Sunday, and all winning Top Teams must be available for the test. Each captain/angler selected for polygraph must have in their possession a valid picture ID and Florida State fishing license. Winning teams are tentative at weigh in, pending the polygraph.
MISCELLANEOUS
29) All decisions of the Tournament Committee are final.
30) The tournament participants should communicate on channel 71.
31) The tournament will be held as scheduled if at least 50% of the entries choose to fish (as determined at the Captain’s meeting), and there will be no refunds for the entry fees. In the event the tournament is postponed, the make-up date is Sunday the 17th.
32) Any matter not specifically covered by these rules may be decided by and at the sole discretion of the Tournament Committee and the decisions of the Tournament Committee shall be binding. The Tournament reserves the right to delay, cancel or reschedule the Tournament if weather conditions are unfavorable or unsafe in the sole judgment of the Tournament’s Committee. In the event that the Tournament shall be delayed or re-scheduled due to any cause beyond the control of OAPB (Offshore Anglers of Pompano Beach), no entry fee shall be refunded to the entrants and entrants shall have no claim against OAPB (Offshore Anglers of Pompano Beach), for return of any portion of the entry fee.
33) The GPS clock is the official timepiece of this tournament.
34) All cash prizes over $600 are subject to a W-9 prior to disbursement.
35) Registration for the tournament is at OAPB Dead Bait Smackdown.
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