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New Smyrna Beach Mercury Outboard Redfish-Trout Challenge

Rules and Regulations/Entry Fee and Registration
Enter by mailing completed entry form with a check made out to World Sports & Marketing LLC, credit card number, or money order to World Sports & Marketing, C/O New Smyrna Beach Mercury Outboard Redfish-Trout Challenge, 460 N. Orlando Ave., Ste. 200, Winter Park, FL 32789.

Entry fee is $75. Entry fee covers boat and all anglers on the boat. Onsite registration will be accepted on Friday, May 28, 2004 from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the registration desk during the Captains & Anglers' Party in the Brannon Center at Riverside Park, New Smyrna Beach. No entries will be accepted after 8:30 p.m. that night unless the first day of fishing is canceled. In an effort to maximize participation, additional entries will be excepted if the first day of fishing is canceled due to bad weather. Entry is not refundable. At the check-in desk, each boat will be given an identification number to be displayed on the boat. This is a boat-registration tournament. Only officially registered boats can compete in the tournament. Tournament management must approve any boat changes prior to 8:30 p.m. at Captains & Anglers' Party. Entrant's social security number is required on all applications.

BASIS OF AWARDS
Eligible fish categories for the tournament are redfish and trout. Category winners will be for the three heaviest fish totals in each of these categories. Top boat awards are based on combined weight of both categories. Each boat is allowed to weigh two redfish and two trout per day. Every effort must be made to keep redfish alive. Any redfish weighed that are not alive will receive a one-pound deduction. Winners may be subject to polygraph examination. All cash and merchandise awards will be made to the tournament entrant. This is a boat tournament.

TYPES OF AWARDS
Cash, trophies and merchandise will be awarded to the top three boats overall, top three category winners and the motor drawing winner. The entrant must be present at the awards presentation to receive their awards. Exception due to hardship will be made at the discretion of the Tournament management. If an exception is granted, it will be the sole responsibility of the winner to arrange for pickup of all merchandise awards at their own expense within 30 days after the awards presentation.

TIES
The official check-in committee boat will assign a number to boats with fish to weigh. In the event of a point tie within the General Tournament, the boat accumulating the points first (with the lowest check-in number) shall be declared the winner; the loser shall assume the next lower position in the points standing.


OPTIONAL TOURNAMENT WITHIN A TOURNAMENT DIVISIONS
Winnings under these divisions are in addition to the General Tournament winnings. This is a separate tournament division available only to participants whose boats are already entered in the General Tournament. Only the entrant of the Tournament may claim the winnings at the awards presentation held on Sunday. All rules pertaining to the General Tournament shall apply to the optional Tournament Within a Tournament Division. If you enter each category, you may win in each category. Sign up by mail with your entry or at the optional Tournament Within a Tournament division table at the Captains & Anglers' Party.

FISHING RULES
This tournament will be fished in accordance with the Department of Natural Resources rules for size and catch limits for the state in which the tournament is held. All participants must fish from the boat. No tournament boat may leave the water before weigh-in unless there is an emergency. All fish must be weighed in on the day caught. All tournament fish must be caught on rod and reel. Any state law or United States federal law that conflicts with these rules shall override these rules, and all anglers are responsible for knowing and abiding by state laws and United States federal laws governing fishing in this tournament.

Tournament management reserves the right to modify/change the rules prior to any tournament. All decisions made by tournament management are final.

FISHING HOURS
Fishing hours begin immediately after a boat has checked out with the committee station located at Riverside Park Waterfront at 6 a.m. Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30 and end by announcement at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 29 and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 30. If an angler is fighting a fish hooked prior to 4 p.m. Saturday or 1 p.m. Sunday, they may continue fighting the hooked fish. All boats must be in the weigh-in line by 5 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday or no fish on such boat will be recorded as a tournament catch on that day. Fishing times are clear. NO FISHING FROM ENTERED BOATS DURING NONFISHING HOURS! The tournament awards presentation will begin at 5 p.m. May 30 at Riverside Park.

FINAL REGISTRATION CAPTAINS MEETING AND KICKOFF PARTY - 4 p.m. 8:30 p.m.
The final registration, Captains' Meeting Kickoff party will be held from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Friday, May 28, in the Brannon Center at Riverside Park New Smyrna Beach. The Captains' Meeting will be held at 7 p.m. A representative from each boat MUST attend this meeting. You must bring your entry number to enter the Captains' Meeting, one person per boat. At this time, rules governing the tournament will be explained and any questions answered.

POLYGRAPH
All participants in the tournament are subject to a polygraph at the request of the Tournament management. Failure to successfully pass such an examination may result in a test of the second team member; second failure results in the automatic disqualification of the team. This is at the sole discretion of the Tournament management.

BOUNDERIES
No boat shall go out the inlet into the Atlantic Ocean (not past the north jetties). The exception is that boats are allowed to fish the north and south sides of the jetty rocks.

WEIGH IN
All fish considered for awards must be weighed in at the official weigh-in station at Riverside Park, New Smyrna. All fish must be fresh caught that day. Fish must remain on and be removed directly from the entered boat by weigh-in station personnel. Each boat is allowed to weigh two redfish and two trout per day. Fish weights will be measured to the hundreth of a pound. The weigh-in station officially opens at 3 p.m. Saturday May 29 and 12 noon. Sunday, May 30, and closes at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 29, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 30 except for boats already in line. Boats with fish to be weighed in on any fishing day must be visually checked in by 5 p.m. Saturday, 2:00 p.m. Sunday by the committee boat stationed at a predetermined location. When an eligible boat number is called to come to the weigh station, the boat has 15 minutes to get to the dock.

REQUIREMENT OF ELIGIBLE FISH
All fish must be of legal state length to be considered in this tournament. Every effort must be made to keep redfish alive for weigh-ins. All redfish weighed that are not alive will receive a one-pound penalty. Each boat is allowed to weigh two redfish and two trout per day.
Redfish .................. Minimum length of 18 inches; maximum length of 27 inches
Trout .................... State regulations allow up to 4 trout 15 to 20 inches, and one over 20 inches per angler.

The weighmaster reserves the right to hold and examine internally and externally any fish weighed in as a tournament catch to determine if the fish is eligible for an award. Any fish that has an unnatural material in or on it will be disqualified.

COMMUNICATIONS Radio/Cell Phone
The official tournament channel is 68. All boats must be equipped with a VHF radio or cell phone. The tournament cell phone numbers will be provided at Captains' Meeting. If for any reason VHF Channel 68 is off the air, communications will move to VHF Channel 62 temporarily.

DISQUALIFICATION
If any boats come together or if anything is passed between boats or docked for any reason after the official start of that day's fishing and before each boat has weighed in, then such boats shall be disqualified for that day. However, as safety is of prime importance to the operation of the tournament, exceptions may be granted by the Tournament management for emergencies, but only to boats granting assistance and not to boats receiving assistance in such case.

EXIT, ENTRY AND CHECK IN
All boats fishing the tournament must leave and return via the weigh station located at Riverside Park waterfront, New Smyrna Beach. All boats must CHECK OUT at the weigh station then proceed to fishing locations. Checkout will be single file so that your boat number can be recorded beginning at 6 a.m. ending at 7 a.m. Your boat number determines your position in line for the check out each morning. A checkout station will remain on location until 7 a.m. Boats checking out after 7 a.m. MUST contact tournament control and visually check-out at the weigh-in station. NOTE: This is a boat registration tournament. Angler changes need not be called in. Please keep the radio free for daily instructions.

Every boat must check in with the committee boat stationed at the weigh station to be eligible for weigh-ins. Boats must check in by 5 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Once you have checked in you will remain in the area and wait to be called in to the dock. All boats MUST check in and be acknowledged. Even if you do not have fish to weigh you still must check in with the committee boat. ANY BOAT THAT DOES NOT CHECK IN CAN BE DISQUALIFIED. Fishing after tournament hours is prohibited.

Minimum Wake Zone will be in effect from a quarter (1/4)-mile each side of the checkout and check-in boats.

Boats are not allowed to be put on a trailer during tournament fishing hours unless there is an emergency.

PROTEST
All protests must be presented in writing to the Tournament director at the weigh-in station on the day of the alleged infraction, within one (1) hour after the closing of the weigh-in station. A $100 cash deposit, refundable if the protest is upheld, must accompany protests. The Tournament management will make all decisions, and their decision is final. If the protest is not upheld, then such deposit will be forfeited to the tournament.

TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT
Artificial lures, live bait, dead bait, or any combination is permitted in the tournament. Treble hooks are permitted for LURES ONLY. No treble hooks are allowed for live- or dead-bait fishing. Fish must be caught on rod and reel. No electric reels or wire line is allowed in the tournament.

GENERAL TOURNAMENT DAYS
Weather permitting, this is a two-day tournament and three-day event. Check-in, late registration, and Captains & Anglers' Party is on Friday, May 28, from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Brannon Center at Riverside Park in New Smyrna Beach. Fishing is on Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30. An awards presentation will be held Sunday May 30, starting at 5 p.m.

GUIDE BOATS
Any captain can enter a chartered boat, regardless of where based, by paying the entry fee and following the established registration procedures.

AMENDMENTS
The statement and rules contained herein may be amended by additional verbal instruction and/or printed matter distributed by the tournament management.

WEATHER CONDITIONS
The Tournament management reserves the right to terminate a day's fishing because of unsafe conditions at sea, but the tournament shall be considered complete if one day's fishing is completed, regardless of weather. If, due to bad weather, we are unable to fish at least one designated fishing day, participants will fish on Sunday, with awards immediately following. If Sunday is not fishable, the event will be postponed until the following Saturday and Sunday.

SPORTSMANSHIP
All participants will exercise good and courteous sportsmanship whether at the dock, underway, or fishing. Violators will be subject to disqualification without refund.