RULES

• Check-in and boundaries: All boats fishing in 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 will announce Official VHF channel of the tournament.

• Fish: No mutilated or frozen fish will be weighed. No fish under 10 lbs. will be accepted, including the Fun Fish categories. Each boat will be allowed to weigh up to 3 wahoo per day, including lady angler, plus one tuna and one dolphin, which 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 of fish to another boat will result in disqualification. Eligible species for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place overall, as well as lady angler is Wahoo. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place overall will be awarded based on boat’s aggregate weight of 3 biggest Wahoo over two days. Teams do not have to weigh three wahoo in order to qualify for an aggregate weight, in other words, a team with two wahoo that weigh in aggregate more than another team’s aggregate comprised of three wahoo will still be considered the higher aggregate. Lady angler wahoo are eligible for inclusion in the boat’s aggregate weight and the top lady angler prize. “Fun Fish” are not eligible for the lady angler prize. Eligible species for biggest “fun fish” of the tournament are dolphin, yellowfin tuna, and blackfin tuna.  No billfish will be weighed.

• 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 may depart the Old Bahama 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 4:30 p.m. each day (11/22/2024 & 11/23/2024). Scales will open at 2:00 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 4:30pm 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 4:30pm, 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 % for credit card processing fees..  If tournament is postponed, registration fees will carry over. Inclement weather back up date is planned for December 5 - 7, 2024.

• 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 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 to the team with the heaviest overall wahoo. The remining 50% of the prize pool will be split 50%, 30%, 20% to the teams with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd heaviest aggregate weights, respectively. Teams are eligible to win both the heaviest overall wahoo and one aggregate award. The lady angler award is 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.