:: TOURNAMENT RULES - ENGLISH::


Revised August 2011



1. TOURNAMENT CONTROL ROOM & OFFICIAL NOTICES

The Tournament Control room will be located in the Club Náutico de San Juan. At the captain & anglers’ meeting, the exact location will be announced. Official tournament notices are to be posted on the tournament bulletin board located in the announced location. Rule and time changes will be posted by 6:30 A.M. each fishing day.

2. FISHING AREA

The fishing area will be limited in the East to Long. 65 degrees 45 minutes W (or around to Punta Picúa Buoy) and in the West to Long. 66 degrees 25 minutes West (or to around Vega Baja Beach). No Northern limit exists.

3. DEPARTURE AND FISHING HOURS

On the first day of fishing, boats will leave the pier at 7:15 A.M. and line up from East to West, in front of Buoy # 1, outside the El Morro Entrance, to await the departure signal that will be broadcasted over the radio and by the firing of a flare by the Control Boat. After the start is signaled by the Control Boat, all boats can then race out to the fishing grounds.

On the following days, boats will not depart from the pier before 7:30 A.M. However, only if all the anglers are on board, boats can leave the docks at 7:00 AM but can not proceed beyond the San Antonio Channel until 7: 30 AM.

Boats failing to comply will be disqualified for the day. The following fishing hours will be observed:

Starts Ends First Fishing Day 8:00 A.M. 5:00 P.M. Second Fishing Day 8:00 A.M. 5:00 P.M. Third Fishing Day 8:00 A.M. 5:00 P.M. Fourth Fishing Day 8:00 A.M. 4:00 P.M.

Any changes to the above will be announced at the captain & anglers’ meeting and will be posted on the bulletin board in the area where the breakfast is served.

Anglers must be ready at assigned boats at 7:00 A.M. If an angler is not ready to go on board 15 minutes before departure time, the captain of the vessel will contact Control and ask whether there is a substitute. If there is no substitute, the boat may depart with prior consent from control.

Anglers may not have any lines out prior to 8:00 A.M. nor after the end of each fishing day as stated above.

4. FISH

Only billfish will qualify for the tournament. All billfish must be released.

5. TIME LIMIT

There is a time limit of two and a half (2 1/2) hours for releasing and tagging any fish, including on this time limit the fish hooked on the last day of the Tournament. After the expiration of the time limit, the fish is disqualified and the angler must break the line. To break the line the angler must lock the spool so it fails at the knots near the fish and the marlin is not dragging hundreds of yards of monofilament.

6. ENTRY FEES AND FORMS

All anglers must have completed the official registration form and have paid the applicable fee by the end of the last day of Registration. A receipt entitles the angler to participate in the tournament. Boat owners or hosts of any boat provided for participation in the tournament will not be required to pay the entry fee.

7. PARTICIPANTS

This is an invitational tournament. The Tournament Committee reserves the right to withdraw its invitation at any time to any team or individual. Anglers must be at least 18 years old before the first day of the tournament. Angles between the ages of 15 through 18 will be evaluated by a Tournament committee and such committee will decide if the angler may or may not fish the Tournament.

8. TEAMS

Each International or Interclub team will consist of three anglers. The Tournament Committee may allow two members of the same team in the same boat, provided the third angler on the boat is from a different team, and if international, from a different country.

9. INTERNATIONAL TEAMS

All International team members shall submit their credentials to the Tournament Committee. Anglers participating in the category, except boat owners fishing on their own boats, will be assigned to a different boat each day.

10. CLUB TEAMS

Participating Clubs must be recognized entities with (1) proper organizational authorities, governmental or otherwise, (2) have a club house, (3) keep minutes of its meetings, (4) sponsor at least one tournament a year or have participated as a club in duly recognized international tournaments. The Tournament Committee may, at its discretion, allow other teams to participate.

11. SUBSTITUTES

Only one angler per boat per day may be substituted as long as said substitute is registered (free of charge) as such on or before the last day of registration. Professional captains or mates cannot be used as substitutes.

12. BOATS AND ANGLERS

a. Boats must be at least 30 feet long and equipped for Blue Marlin fishing, including fighting chair and outriggers.
b. Every boat must have at least one fishing mate working in the cockpit.
c. The boat must have a toilet, a/c system and kitchen in good working conditions.
d. If a registered boat is unable to continue fishing for any reason after leaving the docks the first fishing day, and the registered anglers continue fishing on a different boat; any catch made outside the registered boat will accumulate points for the anglers and their teams, but not for the registered boat or a non registered substitute boat. The same way, captains and/or crew not present during the catch will not accumulate any points.
e. Every boat will fish at least three (3) anglers, unless, for special reasons, the Tournament Committee approves otherwise. Captains and mates cannot be angles. The boat owner will be allowed two guest anglers aboard, and the Tournament Committee may assign a fourth rotating angler. The Tournament Committee reserves the right to assign observers to any boat and rotate any angler, except the boat owner.
f. Anglers must rotate their tackle or position clockwise every hour. Each angler may have only one line in the water.

13. I.G.F.A. RULES

The International Angling Rules formulated by the International Game Fish Association will apply, as long as they are not in conflict with other Tournament Rules. Only the following rules, which do not comply with I.G.F.A. will be permitted: (i) fighting harness will be allowed to have a safety rope attaching said harness to the fighting chair, but not tight enough to assist the angler in fighting the fish, (ii) any angler fighting a fish standing up can have a safety rope tying him to any part of the boat, but not tight enough to assist him in fighting the fish and (iii) fish can be hooked in a striking rod holder as long as the angler removes the rod as soon as possible from said striking rod holder.

14. LEADERS AND BAIT

a. Anglers may use cable, monofilament or wire leaders.
b. Artificial or natural baits can be used.
c. All artificial baits must be rigged with a single hook.
d. All natural baits or bait lure combination must be rigged with non offset circle hooks.
e. Anglers in the outrigger positions will not be allowed to take their lines out of the outrigger clips under any circumstances before a fish is hooked.

15. Bait & Switch

The use of the Bait & Switch system will be permitted only under the following rules and regulations:

a. If an angler on board does not want to fish using the Bait & Switch system on a boat that is doing so, he/she may use a bait on the short riggers during his rotation on those positions. No angler can be forced to use the Bait & Switch system.
b. The system will be used only in the short (flat) lines. The long lines (outrigger lines) will have baits or lures with hooks in them.
c. Boats using the bait & switch system can use as many teasers as wanted which will be placed in the location where the short baited lines are normally used, from the flybridge or from the transom of the boat.
d. Pitch baits must remain on the boat until a fish has shown on the teaser spread.
e. In the boats that have only three anglers on board, the one with the short (flat) position will have control of all the teasers and any fish that is attracted by those teasers can be hooked using the bait & switch system by only that angler. The anglers in the long position cannot take their lines from the outrigger clips to try to hook that fish.
f. In the boats with four anglers on board, each angler will have a side of the boat assigned to him. The angler on whose side a fish is first raised will have control of all the teasers. The second angler fishing under the bait & switch rule will not be able to put his bait in the water unless there is more than one fish in the teasers, in which case, no angler can place his bait in the side of the boat where the other angler is assigned.
g. Teasers will not be placed at more than half the distance between the transom and the long bait and no angler using the bait & switch system will be permitted to drop his bait farther back than where the farthest teaser was located when the fish was first raised.
h. Anglers in the long (outrigger) position will not be allowed to take their lines out of the outrigger clips under any circumstances before a fish is hooked.

16. LINE & REELS

Only lines complying with I.G.F.A. 50 pound (24 Kg.) requirements will be used. No braided lines will be allowed. The committee reserves the right to test any line of any angler. All fish released, on any line exceeding the I.G.F.A. requirements for 50 pounds (24 Kg.) will be disqualified. Reels with heavier than I.G.F.A. 50 pound (24 Kg.) will not be permitted aboard any participating boat. Anglers using lighter lines than the required will not be awarded extra points. No ratchet handle reels such as Duel are allowed, reels designed to be cranked with both hands at the same time and power driven reels of any kind are prohibited. Reels must comply with sporting ethics and customs.

17. HOOKUP

When an angler has hooked a fish, the other anglers in the boat shall immediately retrieve their baits and remove them from the water. In case of a double hookup (two fish on two different lines), the first angler to hookup shall have sole control of the boat until the fish is released, tagged, or lost. Control of the boat then passes on to the second angler to hookup and the time limit for the second fish will begin counting for him from that time on.

18. REPORTING

All strikes and all fish hooked will be reported immediately to the control center. The report must include the name of the angler, name of the boat and coordinates (Latitude and Longitude to the nearest minute).

Another report must be made when the fish is tipped, tagged, or lost. Only authorized radio operators may use the radios. The radio must not be used to carry on unnecessary conversations. When using the radio be brief and specific.

Radios should not be used during the last ten minutes of every fishing day unless it is to report a hooked fish.

19. SCORING

A Modified release format will be used. Points will be awarded as follow:

a. All released billfish will be scored at 400 points. A billfish will be considered as released (or tipped) when: (1) any member of the crew touches the leader (2) when the swivel, or the leader knot, touches the tip of the rod.
b. If an angler, captain or crew wishes to tag a fish, it should be done no more than five (5) minutes after it has complied with the requisites established under a released billfish. If the fish has not being tagged after five (5) minutes it must be released. Tagging billfish will not affect the overall accumulated score of anglers, boats or teams.
c. All billfish must be released. Boarded billfish will be disqualified and will not score any points.
d. Any billfish that is mutilated before the fish is tagged and released will be disqualified and will not score any points. Captains and crew should be cautious when releasing the fish to ensure a safe recovery, any fish that is mutilated after the fish has been tipped due to mishandling of leader or boat will not accumulate points for the captain and/or the crew.
e. The use of gaffs on the fish is prohibited and its use for any reason will disqualify the catch.
f. In case of a tie, the angler, boat, captain or team first achieving the points will win.

20. TEAM SCORING

In case of more than one International Team representing the same country, each team will fish a separate team as far as scoring is concerned.

21. COMPLIANCE AND PROTEST

Anglers are advised to be familiar with these Rules and all applicable I.G.F.A. Rules. They must test their lines and measure their leader, double line, and gaffs. The Tournament Committee is entitled to enter any boat to check equipment. In case of a protest, the protesting angler shall, when aware of the infraction, radio-in his intention to file a protest. No later than one hour after arriving at the dock, he shall deliver a written report of the complaint to the Tournament Director.

All decisions regarding protests and awards will be made by the Tournament Judges and shall be final.

22. AWARDS

All team competition shall be in representation of one country or one club. Awards will be given depending on the phase in which the team participates. Each country represented can win only one award in international team competition. If one country has more than one team in international team competition and one of its teams wins an award in this phase, no other team from the same country can win an award in the international team phase. All other teams except the one winning the award may still be eligible for an award in the interclub competition. Interclub anglers (as defined in Rule 10) participate in interclub and individual competition. Each club represented can win only one award in the interclub phase. If a club has more than one team in interclub competition and one of its teams wins an award in this phase, no other team from the same club can win an award in the interclub team phase.

Awards for all the points accumulated will be given to individual anglers and boats.

23. SPEED LIMIT

There is a five-mile per hour speed limit in the area of the San Juan Bay.

24. WEATHER

There will be four days of Tournament fishing unless any is canceled due to reasons of weather. One fishing day will make the tournament complete.

25. OTHER

Anglers who are not boat owners are reminded that the boat owners are your hosts and that they have no obligation to supply any personal fishing tackle to any angler. The Tournament supplies every boat with liquor, beer, refreshments and other minor necessities. All other equipment must be supplied by the angler.

All participants in the tournament enter at their own risk. By registering as an angler in the tournament, the angler holds harmless the Club Náutico de San Juan and the International Billfish Tournament, its officers, managers and directors, its sponsors and donors and all persons connected directly or indirectly with the operations of the tournament from all liability for libel, slander, loss, damage, negligence, harm, injury or death suffered by any participant, entrant sport-fisherman, their companions, boat captain, crew members, family members, vessels and equipment which may occur during or in conduction with the tournament.

Club Náutico de San Juan, the Directors of Club Náutico de San Juan and the International Billfish Tournament Committee do not encourage, approve, or sanction the formation, or organization of money pools or any other kind of betting during the tournament. If any such pool is formed or any kind of betting is conducted or performed, be it anglers or captains of the participating boats or any other persons, said will participate in the pools or betting at their own risk.

Club Náutico de San Juan, its Directors, and the International Billfish tournament Committee in no way will regulate, establish the rules for, or control any money pools or any other kind and in no way will they judge, adjudicate, award or mediate in any controversy related to money pools or betting of any kind. Any angler or person participating in any money pool and/or any betting of any kind during the tournament, hereby releases and hold harmless (in the most extensive, inclusive and embracing meaning of said terms), Club Náutico de San Juan, its Directors and the International Billfish Tournament Committee from any responsibility and/or liability and/or claim and/or action in any way related to the formation, organization, execution and development of said money pools and/or betting and/or in any way related to the awarding and/or selection of a winner in any pools or betting.