Official Tournament Rules

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🎣 Eligibility

• All participants must possess a valid Florida Saltwater Fishing License.
• All crew members must be registered before tournament start.
• 400 hp or less

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💲 Entry Requirements

• Entry Fee: $250 per boat
• Minimum Boats: 15
• Maximum Boats: 40
• Registration is complete upon receipt of payment.

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📍 Tournament Boundaries

Eligible fishing waters include:

• Boca Inlet
• Boynton Inlet
• Palm Beach Inlet
• Jupiter Inlet

Any sailfish caught outside these boundaries will not qualify.

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🐟 Tournament Format

Catch • Record • Release

• No Captain's Meeting
• No Weigh-In
• Lines In and Lines Out announced by Tournament Director
• Word of the Day released the morning of the tournament

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⏰ Official Tournament Time

The Tournament Director's official clock is the official tournament time.

All deadlines, including:

• Lines In
• Lines Out
• Release Reporting
• Video Submission

will be based on the Tournament Director's official time.

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✅ Legal Catch

A sailfish counts when:

• A registered crew member touches the leader.
• The fish remains in the water.
• The fish is released alive.
• The release is properly documented.

Fish lost before leader touch do not count.

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🎣 Fishing Rules

Live bait only

Maximum allowed:

• 5 Fishing Lines
• 2 Kites (not counted as fishing lines)
• 1 Dredge (not counted as a fishing line)

Required:

• Inline Circle Hooks
• Maximum 15-foot Leader

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📹 Video Verification

Every release must be recorded in one continuous, unedited video.

Your video must clearly show:

✅ Sailfish

✅ Leader touch

✅ Angler stating their name

✅ Word of the Day

✅ Visible timestamp

✅ Healthy release

Tournament officials may request the original video file.

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🎣 Hooking Rules

• One angler must fight the fish from hookup until release.
• Rod passing is prohibited.
• Only registered crew members may touch the leader.
• Multiple hookups are permitted.

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🏆 Scoring

• One (1) point per verified sailfish release.
• Highest point total wins.

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⏱ Tie Breakers

If teams are tied:

1. Earliest verified release
2. Earliest final verified release
3. Tournament Director decision

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📤 Video Submission

Videos must be submitted within 30 minutes after Lines Out.

Late submissions will not be accepted.

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📱 Release Reporting

Immediately after each verified release, send a text message to the Tournament Director.

Include:

• Approximate release time
• Team name
• Angler's name

Example

9:42 AM – Team Reel Therapy – John Smith

Release reports help maintain the live leaderboard and assist with score verification.

The reported time does not need to exactly match the video timestamp but should reasonably correspond to the actual release time.

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📡 Communication

Communication between registered tournament boats is permitted.

Outside assistance is prohibited, including:

• Locating fish
• Fighting fish
• Landing fish
• Fishing information from non-participants
• Transferring anglers or fish between boats

Emergency communications are always permitted.

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🚤 Captain Responsibilities

Captains are responsible for:

• Safe vessel operation
• Compliance with U.S. Coast Guard regulations
• Compliance with Florida boating laws
• Required safety equipment
• Conduct of all crew members
• Determining safe weather and sea conditions

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🔧 Mechanical Breakdown

• Boats may receive assistance for safety.
• Teams may not transfer to another vessel.
• Fishing may resume only after repairs using the registered vessel.

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🌦 Weather Policy

The Tournament Director may:

• Delay
• Shorten
• Suspend
• Modify
• Postpone
• Cancel

the tournament due to unsafe conditions.

If fewer than 15 boats register, entry fees will be refunded.

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⚖ Tournament Director Authority

The Tournament Director has final authority regarding:

• Rules
• Eligibility
• Video verification
• Scoring
• Protests
• Disqualifications
• Weather
• Tournament cancellation

All decisions are final.

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📝 Protest Procedure

Protests must:

• Be submitted in writing
• Be received within 30 minutes of unofficial results
• Include supporting evidence

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🤝 Sportsmanship

The following may result in penalties or disqualification:

• Unsportsmanlike conduct
• Harassment
• Reckless operation
• Interference with another team
• Cheating
• Falsifying records
• Rule violations

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🚨 Emergency Authority

Tournament fishing may be suspended immediately due to:

• Lightning
• Waterspouts
• Severe weather
• U.S. Coast Guard advisories
• NOAA Marine Warnings
• Other unsafe conditions

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Optional Calcuttas

🐟 Sailfish Calcutta

Entry Fee: $100

• Most verified sailfish releases wins.
• Standard tournament scoring and tie-breakers apply.

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👑 Largest Kingfish Calcutta

Entry Fee: $100

• Largest kingfish weighed on a certified scale wins.
• Fish must be caught during tournament hours.
• Earliest weigh-in breaks ties.
• Fish must be weighed on shore and shown on video, hands-free, on a certified scale, with time a stamp

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General Calcutta Rules

• Entry is optional.
• Winner-take-all.
• Teams must enter each Calcutta separately.
• Disqualified teams forfeit Calcutta winnings.
• If the tournament is canceled before Lines In, Calcutta entry fees will be refunded.

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🏆 Tournament Payouts

🥇 1st Place – 50%

🥈 2nd Place – 30%

🥉 3rd Place – 20%

Tournament Champions also receive:

• Three Gulfstream Custom Rods 7' Conventional Live Bait Rods

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✔ Acceptance of Rules

By entering the Gulfstream Custom Rods Summer Sailfish Shootout, all participants acknowledge that they have read, understand, and agree to abide by these Official Tournament Rules and all decisions made by the Tournament Director.