NEW UPDATE FOR TOURNAMENT for February 8, 2008

Rules and Regulations – Mel Tillis & Friends Fishing Tournament

1. Registration & Entry Fee – This event is open to all anglers provided the angler operating the boat is at least 18 years of age. Entry fee is $75 per angler with entry checks or money orders being made payable to Fishing with Mel and mailed to Fishing with Mel & Friends Fishing Tournament, P.O. Box 73, Steinhatchee, FL 32359. Each person on the boat must be entered into the contest. No non-competitors are allowed on the boat during the competition hours. Registration for this event will end at 7:00 PM at the registration table located at Gulfstream Marina, Steinhatchee, FL, Saturday, April 11, 2008. Registration hours may or may not be extended at the discretion of the tournament committee. ALL ANGLERS need to check in at the registration table to receive tournament credentials, their anglers bag, and other tournament related materials. All anglers entry forms and releases must be completed prior to the tournament or the angler may be disqualified.

2. “Dock-tail Party” – The “Dock-tail Party is the official kick-off event to the Mel Tillis and Friends Fishing Tournament and includes a VIP / Celebrity Reception, a cash bar, light snacks, live entertainment and more. The “Dock-tail Party” is Friday, April 11, 2008, at Gulfstream Marina and begins at 6:00 PM and continues until 9:00 PM.

3. Captain’s Meeting - The Captain’s Meeting is scheduled to take place at 7:30 PM during the “Dock-tail Party”. It is important that the Captain from each boat be present at the Captain’s Meeting. In the event that the Captain cannot make it to the meeting, he may assign the responsibility to one of the anglers fishing the tournament from his boat. The Captain’s Meeting is open to only one person from each boat. Please, due to space restrictions, no non-competitors are permitted at the Captain’s Meeting.

4. Rules – The tournament will be conducted in accordance with the Department of Natural Resources 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. 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 to the rules of the tournament and by the state laws and United States federal laws governing fishing in this tournament. Wire lines or electric reels are not allowed. All fish must be caught and weighed-in on the tournament day, during the tournament hours. Fish must be caught in a sporting manner using a rod and a reel. No spear fishing is allowed. Tournament rules may be amended at the discretion Tournament Rules Committee at any time prior to the event. All anglers agree to abide to the decisions of the Tournament Rules Committee at all times without further action. The decisions of the Tournament Rules Committee are final.

5. Hours of Competition – Tournament fishing hours are from Safelight until 4:00 PM on Saturday, April 12, 2008. All boats will begin the tournament by checking in with the official starter located on the dock at Gulfstream Marina. All boats must obey all state and federal navigational laws while participating in this event, including obeying the no wake laws when leaving and entering the Steinhatchee River. If a captain chooses to fish within the river, he must first checkout with the official starter at Gulfstream Marina before beginning fishing. Each boat will be assigned a boat number. This boat number must be displayed to the official starter upon departure, during all fishing hours, and upon your return at check-in time. All lines must be out of the water by 4:00 PM, all fishing must stop at this time. In the event a fish is being fought at 4:00 PM, the fish may be boated PROVIDED the boat radioed tournament headquarters of the hook-up prior to the 4:00 PM cut-off. Scales open for weigh-in at 4:00 PM and will close at 5:30 PM. Only those anglers in line at 5:30 PM will be weighed in.

6. Tournament Checkout, Check-In, and Weigh-In – Your checkout point will be from the top of the gazebo at Gulfstream Marina located on the south shore of the Steinhatchee River. Checkout begins at 6 AM or until all boats in the staging area have passed. Any boats that arrive after the official starter has left the dock must be checked out with a tournament official or the dock master at Gulfstream Marina before he can begin fishing. All boats must checkout with the official starter before beginning the tournament. Actual fishing (lines in the water) begins at Safelight, all lines out of the water at 4:00 PM. Your designated check-in will be with the official timekeeper located at the dock, Gulfstream Marina. For safety reasons it is IMPORTANT that ALL boats check in at the end of the tournament. If you have no fish to weigh-in, or if you choose not to weigh-in your catch, check in with the tournament staff by radio or by cell phone.

All fish must be caught during tournament hours. All fish must be weighed in at the tournament stage located at Gulfstream Marina. Fish must be brought to the scales by boat and must be weighed in by the angler that caught the fish or by an angler on that boat who can attest the catch. Scales open at 4:00 PM and close at 5:30 PM. It is mandatory that all contestants follow the instruction of the tournament dock master during the weigh-in. Please do not tie off in areas designated for boats weighing in. Also, please remove your boat from the weigh-in area immediately following the weighing in of your days catch.

Eligible Species
INSHORE OFFSHORE
Redfish Grouper
Speckled Trout Amberjack
Spanish Mackerel Kingfish

All fish must be of legal size and caught in a sporting manner by a registered tournament angler. The Tournament Rules Committee reserves the right to inspect a fish both internally and externally. Any fish that contains unnatural materials, or that has been mauled in any way, may be disqualified at the discretion of the Tournament Rules Committee.

7. Sportsmanship – All contestants are expected to conduct themselves in a good and courteous 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.

8. Communications – The official VHF radio channel that will be monitored by the Tournament Rules Committee will be announced at the Captain’s Meeting. Those boats not weighing in fish that do not have VHF radios will be given a check-in telephone number at the Captain’s Meeting.

9. Tournament Events –

Friday, April 11, 2008 – “Dock-tail Party” 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Captain’s Meeting – 7:30 PM

Saturday, April 12, 2008 – Tournament Day
Fishing begins – Safelight
Fishing ends – 4:00 PM
Scales open – 4:00 PM
Scales close – 5:30 PM
Awards Ceremony – 6:00 PM

Anglers must be present at the awards ceremony to receive their awards and to be eligible for door prizes.

10. Charter Boats – Any angler can participate on a charter boat provided all persons on said boat are entered into the tournament and all persons on the boat come under the jurisdiction of the rules of the tournament.

11. Weather – Captain’s choice. The fishing by any registered tournament angler constitutes a tournament. The Tournament Rules Committee reserves the right to call the tournament for any weather related or safety related issue. Weather day is Sunday, April 13, 2008. If both days are not fishable, the event will be postponed to a future date yet to be determined. Entry fees are not refundable. Regardless of the Tournament Committee’s decision, it is the individual Captain’s responsibility to determine the suitability of his/her craft for the conditions.

12. Disqualification and Protest – Boats may not come together with other boats during tournament hours, nor may they dock during tournament hours, unless in the case of an emergency or for fuel. There are two times in this event to register a protest. The first time being on Saturday, April 12, 2008, BEFORE the launch of the tournament for any infraction that may have incurred prior to the beginning of the tournament. The second time to register a protest is at 5:30 PM on the same day at the closing of the scales and before the awards presentation begins. Once the awards presentation begins, all results of the tournament are considered fair and final. All protest must be in writing and a $200 cash deposit must accompany all protests. The cash deposit is forfeited if protest is not upheld and becomes part of the donation to The Shriners Hospital for Children and The Scottish Rite Foundation for Children and refundable if the protest is upheld. All decisions made by the Tournament Rules Committee with regards to protest or polygraph examinations are final. If the protest is not upheld, the deposit is forfeited to the tournament.

13. Ties – In the event of a tie, the prizes for the two places that have tied will be combined together and divided between the two who have tied. If there is a tie for a last place position, those monies will be split between those who have tied. Example: Tie for first place; prize money for first and second combined and split equally between the two that have tied. No award presented for 2nd place. In the event of a tie for third position, first and second received normal payback, the two tying for third shall divide the third place awards equally. Trophies for tying positions shall be determined by a flip of the coin.

14. Polygraph Examination – By participating in this event all anglers contractually agree that a polygraph examination will be the final method of disposing of all disputes and will be used to determine that the winning catches were caught according to the rules and regulations of the tournament. The failure of an angler to take or to successfully pass a polygraph examination is grounds for disqualification.

15. Awards

BOAT AWARDS – OFFSHORE – CAPTAIN’S GRAND SLAM

This award is presented to the boat that has the highest combined weight of the three offshore species, grouper, amberjack and kingfish, regardless of which competitor on the boat caught the fish. (Limit one fish per specie.) This is an award for the boat and there is a first, second and third place in the offshore category for this award. In the event that no boat catches all three of the species involved in the offshore competition, then the award will be presented to the boat with the heaviest combined weight of any of the two remaining species. In the event that no boat catches two of the three offshore species, then the award will be presented to the boat that has the heaviest catch of any one of the offshore species.

BOAT AWARDS – INSHORE – INSHORE TRIPLE PLAY
This award is presented to the boat that has the highest combined weight of the three inshore species, redfish, trout and Spanish mackerel, regardless of which competitor on the boat caught the fish. (Limit one fish per specie.) This is an award for the boat and there is a first, second and third place in the inshore category for this award. In the event that no boat catches all three of the species involved in the inshore competition, then the award will be presented to the boat with the heaviest combined weight of any of the two remaining species. In the event that no boat catches two of the three inshore species, then the award will be presented to the boat that has the heaviest catch of any one of the inshore species.

INDIVIDUAL ANGLER AWARDS –

Angler awards are presented to the top three heaviest individual fish in all six of the species. This would include first place through third place for the largest redfish, speckled trout, Spanish mackerel, grouper, amberjack and kingfish.

JUNIOR ANGLER AWARD –
Presented to the junior angler that catches the heaviest individual fish of any one of the six tournament species. The junior angler must not have reached his 16th birthday by April 12, 2008.

LADY ANGLER AWARD –
Presented to the lady angler that catches the heaviest individual fish of any one of the six tournament species.

All cash and merchandise awards will be made to the tournament entrant and a valid SSN is required to receive awards.

THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 26 WAYS TO WIN IN THIS TOURNAMENT.

TOURNAMENT RULES UPDATES
As of February 8, 2008

Contestants are permitted to launch their rigs and to begin the tournament from any area. Additionally, contestants may proceed into tournament waters before the official start of the competition. However, fishing may not begin until the safelight announcement via radio from the tournament director. (6:10 AM for those without radios). Fishing will commence at 6:10 AM on April 12, 2008 with all lines out of the water at 4:00 PM.

The scales will open at 2:00 PM for those wishing to weigh-in early. The scales will remain open until we finish weighing in the last boat that is in the check in line by the 5:30 PM cut-off. Any boat entering the check-in line after 5:30 PM will not be allowed to weigh-in their fish. Fishing hours for all competitors ends at 4:00 PM. All competitors must have all lines out of the water at 4:00 PM.

Children 6 years old and under may be on board the boat without having to pay an entry fee. However, children 6 and under are NOT eligible to win prizes or awards UNLESS said child is entered into the tournament and has paid the full tournament entry fee. It is the responsibility of each parent (guardian) to notify tournament officials AT REGISTRATION as to whether or not a child under 6 is on board. All anglers on board a competitors boat that are 7 years old or older shall be required to pay an entry fee.

Communication- Monitor Channel 9 for “Hailing”. Tournament Channel shall be Channel 7.