2004 Panama City MERCURY OUTBOARD Inshore Tournament Rules
ENTRY FEE and REGISTRATION
There are two methods of entering the tournament. Anglers can mail a completed entry form with a personal check, credit card, or money order payable to: World Sports Marketing LLC, c/o Panama City Mercury Outboard Inshore Tournament, 460 N. Orlando Ave., Ste. 200 Winter Park, FL 32789. They may also hand deliver the same materials to Jim Wilson, tournament director, at the Panama City Marina. The first 125 entry forms received at this address will be accepted for registration. Entry forms received after boat number 125 will be placed on a waiting list in the order received.
The entry fee is $100. The entry fee covers the boat and all anglers on the boat. On-site registration will be accepted up to Friday August 20, 2004, at 7 p.m. at the registration desk during the Captain & Anglers Party at the Panama City Marina. No entries will be accepted after 7 p.m. that night. Entry fees are not refundable.
This is a boat registration tournament. At the check-in desk, each boat will be given an identification number to be displayed on the boat. Only officially registered boats can compete in the tournament. Tournament management must approve any boat changes prior to 8:30 p.m. at the 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 legal redfish (18" - 27") and two trout (15" minimum) 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.
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 award. 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.
OPTIONAL TOURNAMENT WITHIN A TOURNAMENT DIVISIONS
Winnings under the optional Tournament Within a Tournament (TWT) divisions are in addition to the General Tournament winnings. These are separate tournament divisions 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 (TWT) 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 Captain & Anglers Party.
FISHING RULES
This tournament will be fished in accordance with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rules for size and catch limits. See: www.floridamarine.org. 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.
EVENTS AND TIMES
FINAL REGISTRATION, CAPTAINS' MEETING, KICKOFF PARTY
Event Date, Time Location
Final registration Friday, August 20, 2004; 4 p.m.- 7 p.m Panama City Marina.
Captain's meeting Friday, August 20, 2004; 7 p.m. (Inshore Capt.s) Panama City Marina
A representative from each boat MUST attend this meeting. You must bring your entry number to enter the meeting, one person per boat. At this time, rules governing the tournament will be explained and any questions answered. Weather permitting, this is a two-day tournament.
FISHING HOURS
Event Date, Time Location
Check-out Saturday, August 21, 2004; 6:30 a.m. Panama City Marina.
Sunday, August 22, 2004; 6:30 a.m. Panama City Marina.
All boats must CHECK OUT at the Panama City Marina seawall, beginning at 6:30 a.m. and ending at 7:30 a.m. and proceed to fishing locations. Checkout will be single file so your boat number can be recorded. Your boat number determines your position in line for the checkout each morning. Checkout station personnel will remain on location until 7:30 a.m. Boats checking out after 7:30 a.m. MUST contact tournament control and be visually checked-out at the Panama City Marina seawall. Fishing hours begin immediately after a boat has checked out with the committee station located at Panama City Marina and end by announcement at 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 21 and 12 noon on Sunday, August 22, respectively.
Event Date, Time Location
Weigh Station Open Saturday, August 21, 2004; 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Panama City Marina.
Sunday, August 22, 2004; 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. Panama City Marina
The Panama City Marina is the official weigh-in station for this tournament: All fish considered for weigh-in must be recorded in at the official weigh-in station. 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. Every effort must be made to keep redfish alive. Each boat is allowed to weigh two fish per species per day. If an angler is fighting a fish hooked prior to 3 p.m. Saturday or 12 noon Sunday, they may continue fighting the hooked fish. All boats must be in the weigh-in lines by 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 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!
Event Date, Time
Lines Out Saturday, August 21, 2004; 3 p.m.
Sunday, August 22, 2004; 12 noon.
Event Date, Time Location
Check-In Deadline Saturday, August 21, 2004; 4 p.m. Panama City Marina.
Sunday, August 22, 2004; 1 p.m. Panama City Marina.
Every boat must CHECK IN with the check-in station personnel located at the Panama City Marina seawall to be eligible for weigh-ins. Boats must check in by 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 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. 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. Note: Fishing after tournament hours is prohibited. Minimum Wake Zone will be in effect from a quarter (1/4)-mile each side of the check-out and check-in boats. CAUTION: Boats are not allowed to be put on a trailer during tournament fishing hours unless there is an emergency.
AWARDS PRESENATION
An awards presentation will be held Sunday, August 22 at 7 p.m. at the Panama City Marina.
EXIT, ENTRY, AND CHECK-IN
This is a boat-registration tournament. All boats fishing the tournament must leave and return via the weigh station located at Panama City Marina.
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 second team member; a second failure results in automatic disqualification of the team. This is at the sole discretion of the tournament management.
TIES
Boats with fish to weigh will be assigned a number by the official check-in boat. 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 of the tie, with second place going to the next lower position in the points standing.
REQUIREMENT OF ELIGIBLE FISH
All fish must be of legal length to be considered in this tournament. All fish must meet the following minimum and maximum lengths to qualify for awards. Every effort must be made to keep redfish alive for weigh- in. All redfish that are weighed that are not alive will receive a 1-pound penalty.
Minimum/maximum lengths, quantities:
Redfish 18 inches minimum, 27 inches maximum; one per person per day.
Trout 15 inches minimum, 20 inches maximum; up to 5 per person per day;
one over 20" per angler may be kept.
All fish are measured from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail, NOT to the fork of the tail.
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 the Captain's meeting. If for any reason VHF Channel 68 is off the air, communications will move to VHF Channel 62 temporarily. Please keep the radio free for daily instructions.
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
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. FishStock 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.
CHARTER 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
Tournament management reserves the right to terminate a day's fishing because of unsafe conditions. If, due to bad weather, we are unable to fish, participants will fish on Sunday, with awards immediately to follow. If Sunday is not fishable, the event will be postponed until the following Saturday, but the tournament shall be considered complete if one day's fishing is completed, regardless of weather.
SPORTSMANSHIP
All participants will exercise good and courteous sportsmanship whether at the dock, underway, or fishing. Violators will be subject to disqualification without refund.
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. Electric reels and wire line are not allowed in the tournament.
© 2007 Bonnier Corporation - Published on 06/10/2003
