ENTRY FEE
To enter and be eligible to register and compete for prizes in the UTC Trini Tarpon Tournament, a ‘per angler’ entry fee must be paid. The fee includes:
· Permission to fish in the designated fishing zones on tournament days and times
· Entrance to the Awards Dinner and Prize Distribution function
· Entrance to any other activities hosted by the Tournament Organizing Committee (TOC)
Per Angler: TT$ 700.00
Junior Angler (16yrs & under): TT$ 500.00
BOAT, ANGLER AND CREW REQUIREMENTS
· Each boat will designate a captain, who will take responsibility for his/her team.
· Boat changes may be allowed but strictly at the discretion of the tournament judges.
· The Tournament Organizing Committee reserves the right to refuse entry of any person, group, or boat.
CAPTAINS’ MEETING AND REGISTRATION:
· A Registration and Captains’ Meeting will be held at the Trinidad & Tobago Yacht Club on Thursday 26th July, 2012 at 7 pm.
· Attendance is required.
· Failure to attend this meeting will mean that all entered boats, captains and anglers will, by default, accept all rules, changes and instructions given at the above-noted meeting.
OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT FISHING TIMES:
· The tournament will be held on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th July, 2012.
· There will be two (2) sessions on each of the two (2) days as follows:
Morning session: 5:30am to 9:30am
Afternoon session: 3:00pm to 7:00pm
· The Tournament Organizing Committee reserves the right to change the above-mentioned times for any reason it deems necessary.
· Tarpon fishing during non-designated tournament hours is strictly prohibited. Any boat found fishing tarpon outside the tournament hours will be subject to disqualification.
· A radio start and end will take place each morning and afternoon.
· The official tournament channel will be 62 USA.
TOURNAMENT FISHING BOUNDARIES:
Fishing will only be allowed in the following tournament fishing zones:
· The Gulf of Paria as far east as Five Islands and no further west than two (2) miles west of Chacachacare, and…
· In the Caribbean Sea no further east than Tracking Station and no further west than two (2) miles west of Chacachacare.
(Include map)
SCORING SYSTEM
One of the tournament’s unique features is that it focuses on larger fish; as a result, the scoring system affords 200 bonus points to fish that are in excess of four (4) feet in length. To facilitate this, each boat will be provided with a 4’ measuring stick, which will have to be placed along side the fish and photographed. Note that the measurement photograph MUST clearly show the fish and the entire measuring stick, so as to accurately show that the fish is longer than the stick. The overall length of the fish will be defined as the fork length, i.e. from the top of the head to the fork of the tail (see graphic in the 'Tools' section). The final decision on whether the fish is over the 4’ length will be made by the judges based on the release photo.
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· For every officially documented release of a tarpon (photographed at leader and released alive)
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100 points |
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· For every documented measurement of a tarpon over four (4) feet in length (i.e. photographed with measurement stick and released alive)
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200 bonus points |
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The minimum weight is 150 lbs. Weighed fish 150lbs
& over will be awarded the following points: (No release, measurement or bait points will be awarded)
· Any fish brought to the scale that weigh less then 150lbs will only be awarded release points ONLY: (No bonus points will be awarded)
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10 points per pound
100 points |
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· For every tarpon caught using a hard or soft bodied lure |
50 bonus points |
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· For every tarpon caught using a fly - For every DNA sample submitted |
100 bonus points 50 points |
In the event of a tie the team or angler reaching the highest score first will be declared the winner.
RULES
FISHING TACKLE
This is a rod-and-reel tournament only. No wire lines or electric reels will be allowed.
· Bait:
Live bait, dead bait, hard bodied, soft bodied lures and or a combination thereof are acceptable for fishing.
The purchase and provision of all bait used in this tournament will be the responsibility of the anglers and will not be supplied by the Tournament organizers.
Live bait is usually available at the time of year the Tournament is scheduled and it is recommended that all registered anglers secure their own bait in advance of the Tournament.
· Hooks:
All anglers using live or dead bait must use a non-offset circle hook. For anglers using hard or soft bodied lures, J-hooks and treble hooks are allowable.
The switching of anglers once a fish is hooked is not allowed.
· Lines/Leaders:
The maximum allowable line test is 80-pound test line.
As per IGFA regulations, for line classes up to and including 20 lb test, the leader length shall be the overall length including lures and shall be limited to 15 feet. The combined length of double line and leader shall not exceed 20 feet. For line classes above 20 lb test, the leader length shall be the overall length including lures and shall be limited to 30 feet. The combined length of double line and leader shall not exceed 40 feet.
The Tournament Organizing Committee reserves the right to examine any line and/or leader at any time during the tournament.
Refusal to allow the Committee to examine a line and/or leader will result in disqualification from the event without a refund of entry fee.
FISHING METHOD
· All fishing must be done using only the drifting and trolling methods. Anchoring of boats is not admissible.
CATCH-AND-RELEASE VERIFICATION
· All teams must provide their own ‘on-board’ digital cameras with the correct date and time set.
To score an official release (100 pts):
- An identifiable photo of the fish at leader.
To score ‘big fish’ bonus points (200 pts):
- An identifiable photo must be taken of the fish using the 4-foot measuring stick (which will be provided to each boat at the start of the competition). Note that the measurement photograph MUST clearly show the fish and the entire measuring stick, so as to accurately show that the fish is longer than the stick. The overall length of the fish will be defined as the fork length, i.e. from the top of the head to the fork of the tail (see graphic in the 'Tools' section). The final decision on whether the fish is over the 4’ length will be made by the judges based on the release photo.
· A subsequent photo will be requested by Control to verify sequence of photos.
CATCH REPORT AFFIDAVITS
· After the release photos are taken, an official Catch Report Affidavit must be completed for each fish caught.
· The Catch Report Affidavit must include the following information
- The official time
- An assigned Control Photograph
- The type of bait used
- The angler’s name
- Whether the fish was measured with the 4’ stick.
- Weight of fish (if it was weighed at the Weigh Station)
- The captain’s signature.
· At the close of each fishing session, photographic evidence and properly completed and signed Catch Report Affidavits must be submitted to the Photo Check Station for verification and calculation of weight and release points. Failure to do so will result in disqualification of that session’s catch. The Photo Check Station will be based at Island Yacht Charters deck house on Gasparee island and will be open from the following times on both Sat 28th and Sun 29th:
- 9:30am to 12pm & from 7pm to 9pm
- In the event that a boat is fighting a fish after the close of any session, the weigh boat and photo check station will remain open past the above times if necessary.
· Completed Affidavits must be submitted after each fishing session.
HANDLING OF CATCHES
· This is a live weigh in tournament and ALL weighed tarpon will be released alive. There will be three(3) weigh stations set up:
- 'Boos' Bay int he 2nd Boca
- Wynns Bay at the back of Gasparee Island
- The mobile scale will be on the Tournament Control Boat 'Celerity' (42' catamaran)
All tarpon catches brought to Weigh Station boat are to be handled with proper care. Tarpon are not to be held in the gill or eyes nor are they to be taken out of the water for any reason. Photos of improperly held/handled tarpon may be subject to disqualification. Any Tarpon that is brought to the Weigh Station boat and is deemed dead by the weigh master will NOT be weighed and no points will be awarded.
RADIO/COMMUNICATIONS:
· Radio communications will be established for the duration of the Tournament.
· In the event of a radio communications failure occurring, all persons present at the Captains’ Meeting will be provided with a cellular phone number as a back-up means of communicating with Control in tournament days.
· All communication with and information disseminated to Control via cellular phone that pertains to the Tournament will relayed by Control to all boats.
· It is the responsibility of all boats to relay messages in cases where it is believed that another boat is having difficulty communicating with Control.
· All tarpon hook-ups, tarpon releases, and lost fish must be reported to Control.
· The time relayed and recorded to Control will be deemed the only official time for all reports, catches and releases.
· All tournament participants are requested to maintain silence during the last minute of each fishing session.
PROTEST
· All protests must be submitted in writing to control within 90 minutes of the close of the session during which the alleged infraction took place.
JUDGES:
The official Judges for this year’s Trini Tarpon Tournament are:
- Dan Jacobs of the Bonnier Corporation (Head Judge)
- TBA
- TBA
Please note that the decision of the judges is final.
AWARDS FUNCTION
The Awards Dinner and Prize Distribution will be held at the Trinidad & Tobago Yacht Club at 7.00 pm on Monday 30th July, 2012.
Additional dinner tickets will be available at TTD$ 200.00
