Tournament Rules

ANGLING & EQUIPMENT

All IGFA International Angling Rules apply (please read the rules carefully).  

● Teams are allowed to use any line class up to 130 lb (IGFA compliant). 

o The tournament committee reserves the right to request line samples for any catches submitted to the tournament. 

● The use of backing is permissible per IGFA rules.

● Top shots must be a minimum of 5 meters (16.5 feet) in length.

● Leader length is limited to 9.14 meters (30 feet) including floats/corks and is measured to the bend of the last hook. 

● Double line length is limited to 9.14 meters (30 feet).

● The combined length of the double line and leader shall not exceed 12.19 meters (40 feet). 

● Any type of live, dead or artificial bait can be used. 

● Four anglers per team are permitted.

● Live bait is allowed given that the teams are responsible for securing the bait, as the organizers will not be offering live bait, teams are responsible to secure their own. 

● Teams are not allowed to pass bait to other teams, no boats are allowed to be closer to the other by one arms distance, otherwise the team will be disqualified.

● Harpoons are prohibited.

● During a fight with a fish, the angler is the only one permitted to handle the rod. Team members are prohibited from rotating or passing the rod to each other while fighting the same fish. Furthermore, no one other than the angler should touch the rod at any point during the fight.

● The use of diving boards are NOT permitted, only diving planers and downriggers are allowed.

● The fishing day begins at 6:00 AM and fishing concludes ( lines out ) at 4:00 PM. All boats must return to the marina at 5:30 PM, regardless of whether any anglers are still fighting fish. The tournament committee will disqualify the day's scores for any boats arriving after the 5:30 PM deadline. Exceptions may be made in cases of genuine emergency, such as mechanical issues, if sufficient proof is provided.

● Spreader bars can be used strictly as teasers, no hooks should be attached to it and the bar should not be attached to the mainline.

TOURNAMENT CATCH LIMITS, SPECIES & SCORING

Catch Limits 

Teams are permitted to weigh a maximum of five fish per species per day in this tournament for the weight category (all Tunas are under one basket, so 5 fish total for the Tuna basket).

Weight Category
The following species listed below are eligible for weighing only. Each eligible fish receives base points equal to its weight. The total score for each fish is calculated as: Weight (kg) + Base Points (equal to the weight in kg). For example, a 56 kg Yellowfin will be calculated as follows (56 weight + 56 base points = 112 points). 

The minimum weight of any fish caught should be 5 kg except for the Yellowfin Tuna, the minimum weight is 15 kg. 

For scoring purposes, each kilogram counts as a point. Fish weights will be rounded to the nearest whole kilogram for scoring purposes. For example, a fish weighing 49.2 kilograms will count as 49 points, while a fish weighing 49.6 kilograms will count as 50 points.

Eligible Weight Species

● Bluefin Tuna 

● Yellowfin Tuna

● Bigeye Tuna

● Longtail Tuna 

● Skipjack Tuna

● Dolphinfish (mahi-mahi)

Other species caught not mentioned above will not get any points and must be released. 

Release Category
The following species listed below must be released alive to qualify. 

Teams are permitted to release an unlimited number of catches in this tournament. 

Eligible Release Species

● Black Marlin (400 points)

● Blue Marlin (400 points)

● Swordfish (300 points)

● Striped Marlin (300 points)

● Sailfish (200 points)

● Spearfish (200 points)

In case of a tie, the team which reaches the winning points first will be the winner.

REPORTING OF CATCHES

The tournament committee will create a WhatsApp group with the captain of each team independently to report catches.

CATCH & RELEASE RULES

All Billfish must be released safely to qualify. A fish is considered released when: 

a) the swivel between the main line or double line and leader hits the rod tip, 

b) the mate grabs the leader or, 

c) the wind-on leader comes through the rod tip. 

Please release the fish in good condition by either removing the hook or cutting the leader as close to the hook as possible. “Popping” the leader is not a good method of healthy release, and we ask that you refrain from doing so. Anglers should avoid bringing billfish onboard for photography, as doing so will disqualify the catch, even if the fish is later released.

VIDEO REQUIREMENTS

● To receive points for any catch, the video must be continuous footage clearly showing the fish species, the angler, the time of boating / release, the swivel or leader touching the tip of the rod and the mate grabbing the leader.

● All videos have to show sufficient proof that the catch took place during the tournament such as (showing the flag of the tournament, showing the clothing of the tournament or giveaway, saying the date and the tournament in the video…etc)

● The video must clearly demonstrate that the fish was alive at the time of capture and, for release species, alive at the time of release.

GENERAL NOTES

● The dispute committee has the right to disqualify any catch it sees unfit.

● Any catch that does not comply with the IGFA rules will be disqualified with no exception. 

Prizes:

 1st place overall points

2nd place overall points

3rd place overall points

1st place overall points in weight category

2nd place overall points in weight category

3rd place overall points in weight category

1st place overall points in release category

2nd place overall points in release category

3rd place overall points in release category

1st Place Top Angler

2nd Place Top Angler

3rd Place Top Angler