FISHING DATES AND HOURS

The tournament fishing day is Saturday May 21st, 2011.  Fishing hours are from 5:30 AM to 5:30 PM for offshore participants and 5:30am to 3:00 pm for inshore participants. No lines of any kind are permitted in the water previous to the starting time.  Any fish hooked prior to the weigh in time of 5:30 may be played until boated or released. However, boats must be in line by 5:30pm to count as eligible for tournament prizes- no exceptions.

COMMUNICATION
All communication between judges at the tournament headquarters and fishermen during fishing times will be monitored on VHF channel 74. An inshore and offshore committee boat will be assigned at the Captain’s meeting. The tournament fishing day is Saturday May 21st, 2011.  Fishing hours are from 5:30 AM to 5:30 PM for offshore participants and 5:30am to 4:00 pm for inshore participants. No lines of any kind are permitted in the water previous to the starting time.  Any fish hooked prior to the weigh in time of 5:30 may be played until boated or released. However, boats must be in line by 4:00pm (inshore) and 5:30pm (offshore) to count as eligible, no exceptions.

Rules and Regulations

This event is open to all anglers provied the angler operating the boat is at least 18 years of age.  All boats must be registered and paid in full prior to the end of the Captains Meeting on May 20th, 2011. Registration fees are non-refundable if you cannot fish or due to weather.

The tournament will be conducted in accordance with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rules for size and catch limits for the State of Florida and any other jurisdiction that may have regulations in effect within the tournament waters. All anglers are responsible for knowing and abiding by the state and federal laws governing fishing. This is a rod and reel event; nets are permitted only for catching baitfish.  There are no limits on the number of lines or teasers (Inshore and Offshore). No spear fishing is allowed. The Garrard Gamefish & Gridiron Tournament only advocates catch and release on billfish.  All billfish will be qualified with a photo with date or video with date to be included in awarded points.

Tournament Prize Structure

Tournament Awards Structure:
Inshore:  Heaviest Redfish, Flounder or Trout - $500 to the heaviest fish in each category
Total cash prize payout for inshore: $1500

Offshore: Heaviest Mahi, Wahoo, Kingfish and documented catch and release on billfish - $500 to the heaviest fish in each category and $500 on the billfish documented catch and release
Total prize payout for offshore: $2000

TOP ANGLER OF THE TOURNAMENT PRIZE TO THE BOAT WITH THE MOST POINTS:
**The top angler prize is based on a points system with points for each of the fish weighed in BASED ON A MINIMUM WEIGHT TO QUALIFY FOR

THE TOP ANGLER PRIZE:
An inshore boat gets 10 points for one fish (the heaviest) from their boat if the fish meets the following minimum weight requirements:

Redfish - 5.0 lbs            Trout – 4.0 lbs                        Flounder -  3.0 lbs             (10 points per heaviest fish)

An offshore boat gets 15 points for one fish (the heaviest) from their boat if the fish meets the following minimum weight requirements:

Mahi – 12.0 lbs                        Wahoo- 15.0 lbs            Kingfish – 12.0 lbs            (15 points per heaviest fish)

Documented Billfish Catch and release – 40 points each

Each boat can only weigh in one fish in each category – An inshore boat can win a total of 30 points for three total fish in each of the above categories and an offshore boat a total of 45 points, if those fish meet the minimum weight requirement as outlined above. The Top Angler of the tournament, inshore or offshore wins two club seats for the 2011 Jaguars season.

**This minimum weight requirement is ONLY for the “TOP ANGLER” Awards structure portion of the tournament. The heaviest fish in each category wins the individual category whether they meet the above weight requirements or not.

TIEBREAKERS:
IN THE EVENT OF A TIE  IN THE # OF POINTS  ACQUIRED WITHIN EACH INSHORE AND OFFSHORE CATEGORY:
THE HEAVIEST QUALIFIED FISH TOTAL FISH WEIGHED IN (that meet minimum requirements) WINS THE INSHORE TIEBREAKER:

Example:

BOAT “A” CATCHES A 5.2 RED AND A 4.5 LB FLOUNDER AND ACCUMULATES 20 POINTS - TOTAL WEIGHT OF BOTH FISH = 9.7 LBS.
BOAT “B” CATCHES A 5.0 RED AND A 4.2 LB TROUT AND ACCUMULATES 20 POINTS – TOTAL WEIGHT OF BOTH FISH = 9.2 LBS. 
BOAT “A” WINS THE TIE BREAKER BASED ON THE HIGHEST TOTAL WEIGHT OF QUALIFIED FISH
THE HEAVIEST QUALIFIED FISH TOTAL WEIGHED IN (that meet the minimum requirements) WINS THE OFFSHORE TIEBREAKER:

BOAT “A” CATCHES A 17.0 MAHI AND A 12.5 LB KINGFISH AND ACCUMULATES 30 POINTS – TOTAL WEGHT OF BOTH FISH = 29.5 LBS.
BOAT “B” CATCHES A 12.9 LB MAHI AND A 18.2 WAHOO AND ACCUMULATES 30 POINTS – TOTAL WEIGHT OF BOTH FISH = 31.1 LBS.
BOAT “B” WINS THE TIE BREAKER BASED ON THE HIGHEST TOTAL WEIGHT OF QUALIFIED FISH
Under this structure each boat should only weigh – in one fish per category, there is no allotment for second place fish.

**IN THE EVENT WE HAVE THE SAME TOTAL AMOUNT OF WEIGHT UNDER A TIEBREAKER SITUATION, THE WINNER WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE EARLIER RECORDED TIME OF WEIGH – IN.

***IN THE EVENT THERE IS A TIE IN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF POINTS EARNED BY AN INSHORE AND OFFSHORE BOAT, THE TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE WILL DETERMINE A SECOND TOP ANGLER PRIZE AT THEIR DISCRETION OR THE PRIZE MAY BE SPLIT.

****IN THE EVENT, THAT NO FISH IN EITHER THE INSHORE OR OFFSHORE CATEGORIES MEET THE MINIMUM WEIGHT REQUIREMENTS  & THERE IS NO WINNER IN EITHER CATEGORY, THE TOP ANGLER PRIZE WILL BE AUCTIONED OFF THROUGH THE LIVE AUCTION THAT EVENING.

TOURNAMENT CHECK IN/OUT, BOUNDARIES AND WEIGH- IN: 

Offshore participants may not exceed 150 nautical miles from the St. Augustine Inlet, however contestants are permitted to launch and to begin the tournament from any area, therefore boats are not required to leave from the Conch House Marina.  Participants are prohibited from laying out over night. All boats must depart on the morning of the fishing day and any boats not in compliance will be disqualified. Boats will be verified entered into Tournament by boat name. In the event we have duplication on boat names, the second boat will be verified by the Captain’s name. For safety reasons it is IMPORTANT that ALL boats also check in at the end of the tournament VIA RADIO if you are not weighing on to channel 74 or via cell to Tournament Director at 904-612.8280.

WEATHER OR KNOT:

Fishing will be on the scheduled day and is Captains choice. Fishing by any one boat on the fishing day or partial day constitutes an official tournament and prizes awarded. All participants enter this tournament at their own risk and discretion and will accept full responsibility for their own boat and crew.  Any protests must be submitted in writing to the Tournament Director by no later than 6PM on Saturday, May 21st. By virtue of your paid entry all participants agree to the final decision of the Rules Committee.

The tournament and its sponsors are not responsible for the conduct, personal injury, damages or negligence on the part of any participant. The Tournament Committee reserves the right to inspect any boats entered into the tournament without notice. The Tournament Director reserves the right to make any last minute changes to the rules at the Captain’s Meeting on Friday, May 20th, 2011.

WEIGHING YOUR CATCH: 

All eligible fish must be available for weigh-in no later than 4:00pm (inshore) and 5:30pm (offshore) on the scheduled fishing day. Anglers are not required to dock at the Conch House Marina, but must report to the Conch House weigh stations by the deadline for all eligible fish to count. If any question arises as to the qualifications of a fish, tournament officials have the option of retaining the fish for judges’ inspection. The Tournament Director’s decision is final. Scales open at 2pm for inshore and 4:15pm for the offshore weigh – in and will be at Conch House tent on the southern side of the marina and at the Cleaning station weigh – in area for the offshore portion on the northern side of the marina. There will be no official check out in the morning but there will be an official check in. All fish must be caught and weighed-in on the tournament day, during the tournament hours.

JUNIOR ANGLER AND LADY ANGLER*

Must be on board and must act as angler, gaffer or other team member. Junior must be 15 years or younger and Lady Angler must be16 years or older. Fish must be identified before being weighed in, and must be accompanied by Junior or Lady Anglers at weigh– in.
*The Lady and Junior Angler prizes will be announced at the Captains meeting if we have participants in those categories.

SPORTSMANSHIP:  

All contestants are expected to conduct themselves in a courteous and sportsmanlike manner throughout the event. Unruly conduct or un-sportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated and is grounds for immediate disqualification. Violators will be subject to disqualification at the sole discretion of the tournament committee without refund.