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Tarpon Tournament Rules

1. Deadline For Entries: The deadline for receiving entry fees in the 2008 Oriental Rotary Tarpon Tournament is Friday July 25 at 5:00pm.

2. The total number of registered boats shall be limited to the first 75 entries received.

3. Once officially registered, all entry fees are non-refundable, except for tournament cancellation.

4. Official Hours: The official fishing hours for the 2008 Oriental Rotary Tarpon Tournament are as follows:

Saturday July 26: Lines in the water - 7:00am. Lines out of water - 5:00pm
Sunday July 27: Lines in the water - 7:00am. Lines out of water - 2:00pm

5. Official Observers: Each boat entering the tournament is required to have an "Official Observer" aboard during all fishing activity. The observers will judge and record lines in and out of water as well as the actual catch and release of all tarpon. All "Official Observers' will be provided by the Tournament Committee and assigned randomly. No observer will be assigned to the same boat two days in a row. Observers will be officially assigned by the Tournament Committee at Tournament Headquarters at 6:00am each morning, and scorecards must be picked up jointly by Fisherman and Observer at that time. It will be the responsibility of the Captain to deliver the observer with the scorecard back to the tournament headquarters not later than 6:30pm on Saturday and 3:30pm on Sunday.

6. Captains Meeting: All captains of officially registered boats should be present at a "Captains Meeting" which will be held at the Tournament Headquarters at 6:30pm, Friday, July 29, 2005.

7. Fishing Boundary: There is no set fishing boundary for this tournament other than fish must be caught in the waters of Pamlico Sound or its tributaries.

8. Tournament Headquarters will monitor VHF channel 72 during the tournament. Headquarters cell phone numbers will be provided at the Captain’s meeting.

9. Catch and Release Tournament: The Oriental Rotary Tarpon Tournament is strictly a catch and release contest. The winners will be judged by the total number of tarpon judged caught and released within the official fishing hours.

10. A tarpon will be judged caught when the leader is touched by a registered tournament participant.

11. To be eligible, tarpon must be hooked and caught by one person. No other person may touch the rod, reel, or line until the leader is at the boat. At that time another person may touch the leader only for the purpose of releasing the catch. Remove the hook from the fish or cut the leader as close to the tarpon's mouth as possible.

12. The leader may be no longer than 6 feet from the line swivel to the hook snap.

13. The use of gaffs on a tarpon is not permitted.

14. Any tarpon boated will disqualify the boat for the entire tournament.

15. Natural and artificial bait are permitted.

16. Four (4) Tarpon/Skate lines are allowed in the water at any time, regardless of the number of anglers onboard. These lines must be designated to the observer. Unlimited light tackle bait lines are permitted. Any Tarpon/Skate caught on light tackle bait lines shall be disqualified.

17. A registered boat may have no more than five (5) people on board during the contest. One of these will be the observer.

18. Only one (1) hook per line may be used. No trailer hooks are allowed.

19. For safety purposes, all boats entered must adhere to USCG regulations for their size. It will be the responsibility of the boat captains to provide an approved personal flotation device for the observer.

20. A registered boat may not be replaced after competition begins without permission of the Rules Committee.

21. Questions Not Covered By The Rules: The Tournament Rules Committee shall determine the solutions to questions or situations and it's judgment SHALL BE FINAL.

22. Failure to adhere to any of the above rules are grounds for disqualification.

23. All tournament prizes will be awarded. In the event of an inadequate number of Tarpon catches, further prize awards will be based on the number and time of "Tarpon jump-offs." As a final resort drawings will be held to award prizes.

24. Except as noted below, suitability of the weather is the captain's choice. Fishermen fish at their own discretion and the captain accepts full responsibility for the safety of the crew and boat. In the event that extreme weather or other emergency causes cancellation of both days fishing by the Rules Committee, entry fees will be refunded. Fishing either day or partial day will constitute a tournament.