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TOURNAMENT RULES

  1. Tournament Headquarters is at the Jaycee Park, in Morehead, NC for Registration (Check-in), Weigh-in and Awards. Registration/check-in to pick up assigned number is Friday, July 26th, 2019 from 4:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.

  2. Captains’ meeting is Friday at 7 P.M. Attendance at the captains’ meeting, although not required, is highly recommended. Any rule changes, interpretations, modifications and/or clarifications will be announced at the Captain’s Meeting and will become official. It is the captain’s responsibility to know and understand any rule changes or interpretations at the Captain’s Meeting. All decisions made by the Rules Committee are final.

  3. The official entry fee shall be $450.

  4. A Sponsor, Tournament Official or Committee Member if properly registered is eligible to fish and win any prize. The Committee reserves the right to refuse entry to anyone.

  5. Competition hours are Saturday July 27th, 2019 from 6:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. unless terminated by the Rules Committee.

  6. A boat may not be replaced after 9:00 P.M., July 26th, 2019.

  7. All times mentioned in the Tournament rules are GPS Eastern Daylight Savings time.

  8. Weigh-in is from 2:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. Saturday, July 27th. Weigh-in Tournament Headquarters at the Jaycee Park, Morehead City, NC. Entrants weighing fish:

    • must pass a tournament official stationed at the State Port side of the channel entrance to Morehead City waterfront by 5:00 P.M. &

    • each boat must have its boat number prominently displayed upon approaching the channel entrance.

  9. There will be no bad weather days. Fishing will be captain’s choice unless the Rules Committee with the guidance of the Federal Safety Authorities decides that the weather might jeopardize the safety of the participants. If the Rules Committee decides that the weather might jeopardize the safety of the participants and the tournament is cancelled, all boats will receive a refund check of 90% of entry fee and TWT’s. The 10% kept is to allow RSWSC to cover expenses for the KMT.

  10. Eligible species are King Mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalle), except for species specific TWTs. Only one fish per boat per species shall be weighed. No king mackerel with a fork length (measured from the tip of the nose to the fork of the tail) of less than 32 inches will be accepted. Please remember the future and carefully release all fish not to be entered or donated for the fish sale. All proceeds from the sale of tournament fish are donated to the Take a Kid Fishing Donation.

    • Eligible species for Species Specific TWTs

      • Mahi Mahi TWT – Mahi Mahi (Coryphaena hippurus)

      • Amberjack TWT – Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili), Lesser Amberjack (Seriola fasciata), Almaco Jack (Seriola rivoliana) or Banded Rudderfish (Seriola zonata)

  11. All teams must, at minimum, adhere with all fishing regulation issued by state and (or) federal regulators on the date of the tournament. Any violation of these regulations will result in the entire team’s disqualification from the tournament.

  12. Only 6 lines may be fished at a time. All fish must be caught on hook and line.

  13. For purposes of safety, all boats must adhere to USCG regulations for their size and must have VHF radio on board. Tournament Committee members will monitor VHF Channel 72.

  14. There is no checkout, however no lines in the water before 6:00 A.M. Saturday. You must exit and enter from a North Carolina Inlet. Observation boats will be present during fishing hours. The Tournament Committee reserves the right to inspect all boats entered in competition at any time. Once you enter into competition you may not return to any dock, marina, or make any stops until you reach check-in area. As safety is of prime importance, the Tournament Committee or Tournament Headquarters may grant permission for exceptions. All anglers that are on board when competition begins must be on board when returning to Tournament Headquarters to weigh a fish.

  15. In the event severe weather conditions or medical conditions forces participants to make landfall, they must return to Tournament Headquarters and check out prior to returning to competition.

  16. Two or more boats seen congregating during competition hours may be subject to disqualification from the tournament. Licensed bait barges are exempt.

  17. Fish must be weighed in from the boat from which caught. The boat must be unassisted and operational under its own power when presenting a fish for weigh in. No trucking or overland transportation to weigh-in station is allowed.

  18. Boat entry numbers should be displayed at check-in for identification purposes. Each boat should have its number acknowledged by the official if weigh-in time is approaching.

  19. Fish must be handled and presented for weigh-in by an angler from the boat. All fish presented to Weighmaster shall become the property of RSWSC. Fish submitted for weigh-in must be fresh and in edible condition.

  20. All fish entered are subjected to the scrutiny and inspection of the Rules Committee, the Weigh Master and a fisheries biologist and must not be mutilated in any way, except for hook and gaff punctures. Mutilation is defined as any damage that impairs the fish’s fighting ability. Decisions on mutilation and fish condition shall be made by the Weighmaster and will be final. The Weighmaster has the right to refuse any fish.

  21. Upon weighing your fish, you will be presented with a weight receipt with printed information. Once reviewed and signed, this receipt will stand as accepted.

  22. By signing the entry form the Captain and crew, etc. consent that the RSWSC King Mackerel Tournament may use without payment or restriction any photographs in which he or she appears for any purpose whatsoever, including but not limited to resale, advertising, commercial or promotional material.

  23. Participants that are under the influence of alcohol or drugs and/or who display disorderly conduct damaging or potentially damaging to person or property will have their boat disqualified from the tournament.

  24. Award Ceremony: Jaycee Park, Morehead City, NC, July 27, 2019 at 6:00PM.

  25. TWTs (Tournaments within a Tournament)

    • Largest King Mackerel

      • Entry Fee – $150

      • Format – Largest King Mackerel (by weight).

    • Small Boat

      • Entry Fee – $150

      • Format – Largest King Mackerel (by weight)

      • Only boats with a LOA (manufacturer’s spec) of 26’ 11” or less are eligible for this TWT.

    • High Roller

      • Entry Fee – $300

      • Format – Largest King Mackerel (by weight)

    • Mahi Mahi

      • Entry Fee – $150

      • Format – Largest Mahi Mahi (by weight)

    • Amberjack

      • Entry Fee – $150

      • Format – Largest Greater Amberjack (by weight)

    • High Stakes Winner Takes All

      • Entry Fee – $1250

      • Format – Largest King Mackerel (by weight)

  26. Tournament purse:

    • All monies collected in entry fees, less an amount retained for operating expenses, will be awarded in cash prizes and split according to the payout schedule.

    • All TWT’s will have a 10% retainer. The remaining 90% will be split according to the payout schedule published in the Tournament Program Guide. Prize monies for positions 1-10 overall, are based on 200 boat entries and will increase or decrease proportionately with the number of boats entered in the tournament.

    • In the event that no fish is weighed in for a particular TWT, a single winner will be randomly drawn for a pool consisting of all entrants of that TWT during the awards ceremony.

  27. Primary Prizes are limited to one per boat with the exception of Special Prizes. In the event of a tie by the exact same weight, the fish weighed first will be the winner. Special Prizes include TWTs and Junior Angler prizes.

  28. The one fish per boat weighed will be eligible for the Junior Angler prizes provided the Junior Angler is registered as a participant with the tournament prior to tournament day and do actively participate in the tournament.

    • A Junior Angler does not have to accompany the fish to the weigh station, however, the Junior Angler must be registered on the Entry Form and the appropriate box checked on the weigh ticket to receive prizes.

    • Junior Angler’s sixteenth (16th) birthday must not fall prior to January 1 of this calendar year in order to be eligible for competition in the Junior Angler division.

  29. All protests will be accompanied by a $200 deposit and submitted in writing to the Rules Committee Chairman no later than one hour after weigh-in of the final fish. If the protest is not upheld, the deposit becomes the property of the RSWSC. All tournament winners are subject to take and pass a polygraph test.

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