GENERAL RULES
The following rules will remain in effect
throughout the entire tournament series. Interpretation and enforcement of these rules shall be exclusively left to the Tournament
Officials. All decisions of Tournament Officials are final.
1. All anglers must have a valid Texas
fishing license and saltwater stamp and must observe Texas Parks and Wildlife rules and regulations. All participating boats
must comply with all state and federal registration, applicable fishing permit requirements and all safety rules or regulations.
2. All fish must be caught
by rod and reel. Minimum line test is 30 lb test.
3. There will be the following
Tournament Divisions: Tarpon Pro Division - Tarpon Amateur Division - Non-Monetary Award Kayak Division
4. Tournament teams will be composed
of a maximum of four (4) anglers on board, with the exception that there may be up to four adult and two youth anglers.
All teams are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, safety, courtesy and conservation.
5. The tournament reserves the right
to refuse any entry with or without cause in its sole discretion. Any applicant refused entry will be entitled to a full refund
of paid entry fees.
6. Tournament Officials are not be responsible
for mailed entries that are not delivered by the postal service. You may send a self addressed, stamped postcard with your
entry which will be returned as verification that your entry was received or you may e-mail tarpontomorrowproam@hotmail.com to confirm receipt of your entry.
7. In the event thunderstorm warnings
or dangerous weather conditions exist prior to the start of the tournament, the day’s fishing may be delayed or postponed.
Tournament Officials will be at tournament headquarters and can be reached at 713-819-1840 in the event of postponement.
8. If inclement weather conditions occur
at any time during the tournament it is the entrant’s responsibility to seek safety until safe conditions prevail. If
the Tournament Officials declare a rain-out, it will be rescheduled. A rainout will be called by Thursday morning at 8:00
a.m. the week of the tournament and will be posted on the tournament website.
9. In the event of an injury or accident,
the following list offers telephone numbers and VHF channels monitored by local emergency personnel: VHF Channel 16; Local
EMS: 911.
10. All participants are
responsible for the operation, maintenance and safety of their vessels, themselves and their fellow team members. All participants
are expected to use their own best judgment. No action by the Tarpon Tomorrow Texas Tournament Series should be construed
as an endorsement or representation concerning whether it is safe to leave port or continue fishing at any given time. The
Tarpon Tomorrow Texas Tournament Series will not give advice or recommendations to teams concerning weather conditions.
12. All participants must sign the entry
form, which includes a waiver, release and indemnity agreement concerning liability. If any team fails to have each
member of its team sign this form, it may lead to disqualification and a refusal to award prizes to that team and/or the angler.
SPECIFIC TOURNAMENT RULES 2010
The following rules
will remain in effect throughout the entire tournament. Interpretation and enforcement of these rules shall be left exclusively
to the Tournament Officials. All decisions of Tournament Officials are final.
1. All anglers General
Tournament Rules apply to the Tarpon Pro and Amateur Divisions unless they specifically conflict with these rules.
2. There are two
specific Tarpon Divisions: (1) the Pro Division; and (2) the Amateur Division. There
will also be an additional Kayak only (non-monetary prize) Division with a decreased entry fee. For a monetary Pro or Amateur Division to exist, a minimum of ten (10) entries is required. If there are not enough entries, entry fees will be refunded.
3. A boat must compete
in the Pro Division if any of its team members is a professional fishing guide or a person who has accepted wages, compensation
or pay for hire for the purposes of taking other individual(s) fishing at any time during the past five years. Any boat who has a team member who fits the foregoing criteria must be captained by an individual who holds
a USCG Captain’s License. Which division a boat is permitted to participate
in is left to the sole discretion of the Tarpon Tomorrow Texas Tournament Series.
4. Boats may be lifted
at night into slings or on boatlifts; however they may not be placed on trailers out of the water overnight during the tournament.
You may not launch in one location, then reload the boat, travel to another location and launch again (whether you have caught
a fish or not). Once you launch in one location, you may not re-launch again later. [See #10 and #12 below]
5. Registration: Entry forms must be mailed with entry fee no later than July 4, 2010.
6. Check-In: 5:30 a.m. – 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 5, 2010 at Harborwalk Bait Camp.
7. Mandatory
Captains Meeting: 6:30 a.m. Thursday,
August 5, 2010 at Harborwalk Bait Camp.
8. Fishing
Time: 7:00 a.m. Thursday, August 5, 2010 non-stop until 3:00 p.m., Saturday
August 7, 2010.
9. Geographical
Restrictions: All fish must be wild and hooked and landed in Texas
State Waters.
10. Launching Restrictions: Boats may launch from any Texas port. See #12 below!!!
11. Proof of Catch Dealine: Must be turned in between 2:00
p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 7, 2010 at Tournament Headquarters, Harborwalk.
12. ALL BOATS MUST RETURN ON
THE WATER FROM FISHING AND MAY NOT BE TRAILERED AFTER LAUNCHING AND FISHING IN THE TOURNAMENT.
TURN IN PROOF OF CATCH BEFORE TRAILERING BOAT!!!!!!!!
13. Monetary
Prizes: One monetary prize will be awarded to the team leader in each division
(pro/am) who catches and releases the most tarpon pursuant to these rules and timely provides proof of catch in conformity
with these rules and the satisfaction of Tournament Officials. Monetary prizes
for each division will be awarded based on the number of entries in that division as follows (minimum of 10 entries for a
division to exist):
10 entries = $2,000.00
10 – 15
entries = $2,500.00
15 – 20
entries = $3,500.00
20 entries or
more = $5,000.00 + 80% of entry fees for each entry above 20. (for example –
21 entries = $5,320.00 and 22 entries = $5,640.00)
Monetary Prizes
will only be awarded and mailed to the winning team leader after DNA sample verification (which may take two to three weeks)
(see below).
14. Secondary
Prizes: In each division, an award will be given (non-monetary) for second place. It is anticipated this award will be an engraved fishing reel, awarded to the team
leader.
15. PROOF
OF CATCH REQUIREMENTS:
These Rules
MUST be STRICTLY FOLLOWED
(a) Minimum line breaking
strength – 30 lbs.
(b) All fish must be wild
and caught in Texas territorial waters.
(c) All fish must be caught
by rod and reel.
(d) All fish caught using
live or dead bait must be caught using circle hooks. J-hooks and trebble hooks may be used with lures (which are not
tipped with live or dead bait).
(e) No leader may exceed
300 lbs and no leader may exceed 10 feet in length.
(f) A single
angler must fight the fish from hook set to release.
(g) The catch must be video
taped. Any deviation from these rules, however slight, will disqualify a catch. A video camera will be provided to each team with a specially marked memory card –
the camera is yours to keep after the tournament – you MUST film the following sequence of events, continuously
without pausing or interrupting the filming:
i.
Leadering of fish;
ii.
Length verification:
iii. DNA sampling;
iv. Hook removal;
v.
Fish swimming free from boat; and
vi. After release you must pan the camera (without turning it off) to your GPS and reveal the LAT/LON
and the date and time indicated on your GPS. The LAT/LON information will be
held in confidence by Tournament Officials and not revealed to other competitors or made public in any way.
16. LENGTH
VERIFICATION: All fish must be a minimum of 48 inches from nose to end of
tail. This will be verified on the camera by a specific length verification strip
that will be provided to each team and must be used on EACH FISH (NO EXCEPTIONS).
The “verification strip” may be slid down the leader to the hook.
After the tournament, the winning team must surrender its length verification strip to insure it has not been altered
in any way.
17. DNA
Sampling Kit: To satisfy the sampling requirement in paragraph 15(g)ii, above,
a special, tournament specific DNA sampling kit will be provided. Each fish must
have a unique DNA sample. If a fish is somehow caught twice by a single team,
it will only count as one catch and release. If a DNA sample is unable to indicated
and prove a unique fish, that catch and release will not be counted – no exceptions.
18. ENTRY
FEES: $400.00 per team in both Pro and Amateur Divisions. $50 for non-monetary award Kayak Division.
19. NON-MONETARY
KAYAK DIVISION RULES: Kayaker must take photo of fish with identification material
in the photo. The photo will be the Kayaker’s proof of catch.
20. These
rules may be subject to change at the sole discretion of the Tournament Officials at any time prior to fishing beginning on
the first day of the tournament.
21. An award will also be given for the most tarpon tagged with PAT satellite tags, regardless of the
division. PAT Tagging will still take place during the tournament.
22. If the winning team's proof of catch is challenged by another competing team, no later than 3:30
p.m. on Saturday, by written challenge, the entire winning team must undergo and pass a lie-detector test to be administered
at cost of the challenging team.
