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DATES
The Marathon Offshore Bull & Cow Dolphin Tournament fishing days will be on Saturday, May 3rd and Sunday, May 4th, 2008.
ENTRY FEE
This is a Boat/Team event. Each team participating must pay an entry fee of $650.00 until April 18, 2008. After April 18, 2008 the entry fee is $850.00. The final deadline for entry by any means is 8:00 p.m. Friday, May 2, 2008 EDT at the Captains Meeting. Tournament entry allows up to six anglers to fish in the tournament. All team members must fish from the same boat. Entry fees are non-refundable.
CAPTAIN/ANGLERS MEETING
A representative from each Team/boat must attend and sign the attendance sheet at the mandatory captains meeting on May 2, 2008 at ( Location TBD).
AWARDS PRESENTATION
Tournament Awards Ceremony will be held Sunday May 4th, 2008 at (TBD)
HOURS OF FISHING
Saturday May 3rd and Sunday, May 4th, 2008, Lines in 8:00 a.m. Lines out 3:30p.m. All times given are Eastern Standard Time
SCALE LOCATION
All fish to be considered for scoring must be weighed on an official scale at Big Time Bait & Tackle located in Marathon, Florida.
SCALES
Scales will be open on Saturday, May 3rd and Sunday, May 4th from 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm eastern standard time. A registered team member can weigh a fish any time the weigh scales are open. Entrants are encouraged to bring their catch to weigh-in as soon as practical to ensure freshness and the least loss of weight.
Weigh-In Cutoff: Fish, intended to be scored, shall be considered eligible only if they are located within the in-line traffic and signed in at Big Time Bait and Tackle by 6:00 pm. No waivers of these rules will be granted because of hardship or other eventualities.
ELIGIBLE SPECIES
Eligible species for the tournament are Dolphin, Wahoo, Tuna and Tripletail.
SCORING
Individual anglers or teams may improve their standing in a given category with subsequent entry of larger fish at any time before the close of the tournament.
POLYGRAPH
All winning teams will be subject to and must conclusively pass polygraph testing. Refusal to take the test will result in immediate disqualification. Any person aboard the boat also may be subject to and must pass the polygraph test. Refusal to take the test by any person aboard the boat will result in disqualification. Polygraph tests will include but will not be limited to questions on angling and landing procedures and species of fish. Polygraph tests are final and winners are not official until test results are obtained. Individuals who are judged by the polygraph examiner to be impaired by drugs or alcohol will be disqualified.
SAFETY & CONDUCT REQUIREMENTS
All boats must be equipped with an operational VHF radio and conform to all U.S. Coast Guard and Florida safety regulations. The Captain and crew must be familiar with all local, state, and federal fishing and boating regulations.
WEATHER
This is a Captain’s choice tournament. The tournament will not be canceled or postponed due to weather or sea conditions. Entry fees are non-refundable.
ANGLING METHODS
IGFA RULES APPLY. Fishing must be performed in accordance with principles of good sportsmanship, and in compliance with these and IGFA rules as published in the 2003 Edition of the IGFA World Record Game Fish book under “International Angling Rules.”
Crew members are permitted to cast baits. Once an angler is fighting a fish, the angler must fight it to conclusion (loss or release) before fighting another fish. If there is a multiple hookup, the angler may proceed to the next fish once the first fish has been fought to conclusion.
No one except the angler may touch the rod, reel or line after the fish has been engaged. “Engaged” is defined as the time at which drag is engaged (engage the drag lever or close the bail). No one except the angler may touch the rod, reel or line while the fish is being fought.
The entrant credited with a catch in tournament scoring must have hooked and played the fish to boat-side or shore personally, without assistance. Normal sport fishing practices for landing a fish (e.g. gaffing, wiring, or landing nets) may be assisted.
Expressly prohibited fishing methods for purposes of this tournament include: mounted winch devices ("one-armed bandits"), motor-driven long-lines, spearing, gigging, netting, shooting (including use of bang-sticks), or any method of catch in violations of State or Federal laws. Evidence of prohibited methods will disqualify the catch and all entrants fishing aboard the vessel on which such rule violations were committed.
Presence of prohibited gear on a contestant's boat will be considered evidence of use and shall be considered grounds for disqualifying the catch and all entrants fishing aboard the vessel.
Marathon Offshore Bull & Cow Dolphin Tournament rules will be strictly adhered to, and all decisions of the Tournament Director will be final. Any angler(s), captain(s), or mate(s) found to be in any violation of any tournament rule may be disqualified from this tournament.
FISH CONDITION
All fish entered must be in acceptable condition. The Tournament Rules Committee will reserve the right to disqualify any fish entry because of poor fish condition, mutilation, being frozen or being tampered with in any way. All fish weighed by the tournament may be subject to a gut check after weighing at the discretion of Tournament officials. Any fish found to be in violation of this rule is subject to disqualification.
PROTESTS
All protests must be in writing and submitted to the Tournament Staff on the day of the alleged violation by 7:00 p.m. with a deposit of $500.00 (cash only). If the alleged violation is found to have occurred, the deposit of $500.00 will be refunded. If the Rules Committee finds no violation, the deposit will not be refunded. The decision of the Rules Committee will be final.
COMMUNICATIONS
Ship-to-shore communication for safety and for periodic tournament announcements will be maintained throughout the tournament on marine VHF channel 06.
RULES COMMITTEE
Rules violations, the eligibility of entrants or entered fish, disqualifications, and any other matters not specifically covered by these rules will be decided by the Rules Committee. The rules committee may disqualify any person who commits any violation of tournament rules. The rules committee may disqualify entrants from this tournament and from future tournaments and events. The rules committee shall be the sole judge of any violation of the rules. Their decision is final.
WINNERS
Winners will be determined by weight. In the case of a tie, the first fish weighed will be determined the winner.
PRIZES
One prize per boat per division. Prizes will be determined after the close of weigh-in on Sunday May 4 at Big Time Bait and Tackle. Prizes will be awarded at the Tournament Awards Ceremony. All prizes must be claimed by the winner in person at the Awards Banquet. In cases of special hardship only, the tournament board may permit prizes to be claimed by a representative of the winner. Prizes not claimed in accordance with these rules remain property of the tournament.
LIABILITY WAIVER
Marathon Offshore Bull and Cow Dolphin Tournament, Tournament Staff, Big Time Bait & Tackle, Tournament Sponsors, and all other persons directly or indirectly connected with the operation of the tournament are exempt from any liability for loss, damage, injury, negligence, or harm to any entrant, their companions or other participants, boat captains, crew members, vessels, or equipment which may occur during the tournament.
RELEASE
By signing the entry form, the angler agrees to follow the tournament rules and that the tournament and/or it’s sponsors may use without payment or restriction any photographs in which he or she appears for any purpose whatsoever but not limited to resale, advertising, commercial or promotional material. All anglers are required to sign their entry blank form as certification that they read and agreed to abide by all rules and the above liability release.
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