RULES

Check-in and boundaries:

● All boats fishing in the tournament from the United States must clear Bahamian Customs prior to fishing, must abide by Bahamian Law, and are responsible for having any applicable fishing permits.

● There are no set geographical boundaries.

● Tournament admin will announce the official VHF channel of the tournament.

Fish:

● No mutilated or frozen or fish under 10 lbs will be weighed.(including the Lady and Junior angler categories.

● Junior anglers are defined as being less than 16 years of age (i.e., 15 years old or younger) as of the date of the catch.

● An angler may only qualify as a Junior or Lady angler, not both; in other words, a 13-year-old female will be classified as a Junior angler and is not eligible for the Lady angler category.

● Eligible categories are YELLOWFIN tuna, dolphin, and wahoo.

● Each team will be allowed to weigh up one fish per category per day (i.e., one yellowfintuna, one dolphin, one wahoo).

● If bringing multiple fish in the same category to the scale, the team who caught the fish must determine which one to weigh.

● Teams may weigh more than one fish per category if they have an eligible Lady and/or Junior angler fish that is not their heaviest for that category.

● If the Lady or Junior angler fish is also their heaviest for the day then an additional fish may not be weighed in that category.

● All fish must be caught the same day they are weighed after marina departure time (6:00 a.m.).

● All fish must be brought to the weigh station in the boat that they were caught on.

● Transferring fish to another boat will result in disqualification.

● First, second, and third place overall aggregate will be awarded based on a team’s heaviest wahoo, tuna, and dolphin over the two days.

● Teams do not have to weigh a fish in each category in order to qualify for an aggregate weight. For example, a team with a wahoo and tuna that weigh in aggregate more than another team’s aggregate comprised of a dolphin, tuna, and wahoo will still be considered the higher aggregate.

● Lady and Junior angler fish are eligible for inclusion in the boat’s aggregate weight and the top category prizes. If a Lady or Junior angler fish wins the heaviest overall for that category, then they will not also be awarded the Lady or Junior angler award. The same fish cannot win the heaviest overall for that category and the Lady or Junior angler award.

Tackle:

● All fish must be caught on rod and reel. No electric reels are permitted. The only exception to this will be teaser reels and down riggers.

● The use of handline or rope attached to the line or leader is not allowed.

● Shooting, harpooning, or lancing is not allowed.

● Wire lines, kites, and planers are permitted.

● Live bait, dead bait, and artificial bait are permitted. No live chumming is allowed.

● There are no restrictions regarding line test.

● A maximum of six (6) rods lines (with hooks) per boat may be fished at a time; an unlimited amount of hookless baits or teasers are allowed.

Fishing Times & Weigh-In:

● Boats MUST depart the Old Bahama Bay turning basin no earlier than 6:00 a.m. to start fishing. At least one team member (and their fish to weigh) must be in line at the weigh station by 5:00 p.m. each day (4/4/2025 & 4/5/2025).

● Scales will open at 3:00 p.m. each day. It is each team’s responsibility to be back at the weigh station on time or their fish will not be weighed.

● At 5:00 p.m. everyone currently in the weigh-in line will be issued a number and be called to the scale. If you get to the weigh-in line after 5:00 p.m. you will not be issued a number and will not be allowed to weigh that day.

● In the case of multiple fish with the same weight, the award will go to the team that weighed their catch first.

Social Media / Marketing:

● All photos, videos, and audio recording taken by tournament volunteers and committee members, may be used for the tournament social media and promotional use.

Captain’s Meeting:

● At least one team representative must be present at the Captain’s Meeting (night before first day of fishing) at Old Bahama Bay in case of any rule changes. Decision to Fish: ● All boats and anglers shall fish each day based on their own desire and ability and hereby acknowledge the tournament committee or any charity partners are not responsible for any decisions made to fish in the event of questionable sea conditions. Each captain accepts full responsibility and liability for their crew.

Cancellation/Postponed of Tournament:

● Tournament committee will make the official call on weather 3-5 days before the tournament.

● If the tournament is CANCELLED due to bad weather, the non-charitable portion of the entry fee will be refunded less the percentage for credit card processing fees.

● If the tournament is postponed, registration fees will carry over. (TBD)

Cancellation by Participant:

● The registration fee is not refundable unless the tournament committee determines that the entire tournament must be cancelled.

Tournament Prizes:

● All teams receiving a cash prize must complete a W-9 form before receipt of tournament winnings. Winnings will be paid out in US dollars via check within 15 business days after the final results of the tournament are posted. Checks will be made out to the legal name listed on the W-9 form. The tournament accepts no responsibility for the decision of cash prizes between team members.

● Winnings are subject to receipt of a Form 1099, as applicable under IRS law. The tournament prize pool is comprised of 70% of all entry fees for boats fishing in

the tournament, minus 3% processing fees; registration fees for boats who chose not to attend the tournament will not be counted in the prize pool.

● 50% of the prize pool will be awarded equally to the heaviest of each eligible species; in other words, 16.67% of the overall prize pool will be awarded to the heaviest tuna, heaviest dolphin, and heaviest wahoo.

● The remaining 50% of the prize pool will be split 50%, 30%, 20% to the teams with the first, second, and third heaviest aggregate weights, respectively; in other words, first, second, and third place aggregates will be awarded 25%, 15%, and 10% of the overall prize pool, respectively.

● Teams are eligible to win the heaviest overall of each category (tuna, dolphin, wahoo) and one aggregate award. The Lady and Junior angler awards are a non-cash prize. If a prize category remains vacant, the prize will not be awarded.

Adjudication / Violation of Rules:

● The tournament committee reserves the right to deny participation to any party. Any boat violating any of these tournament rules or any boat containing a participant violating any of these tournament rules is subject to disqualification (unless another sanction for a particular violation is expressly set forth herein.)

● By participating in the tournament, all participants acknowledge that all tournament rules are material and that disqualification is a permitted and appropriate sanction for any violation of any tournament rules.

● Decisions regarding the interpretation of rules, violation of rules, penalties, and the suspension of any rules or penalties will be made by tournament committee in their sole and absolute discretion.

● All decisions by tournament committee are final and are not subject to further challenge by participants.